carpoolguy

Observations from 35K feet

2009-06-05T10:28:00.002-04:00

Flight turbulence and Linkin Park on the iPod are well matched companions. Like the chairs built for gaming, maybe we need chairs that react to the music being played.
Sunsets at 35k are like no others. The sun is a blazing orange button on the edge of a bowl. The top rim of the bowl discretely fades from orange, through purple, to gone.

My Mini

2009-06-03T22:16:00.001-04:00

I splurged this past weekend. About to be away for four days on a business trip without a computer in my possession (yes, I'd have one at my company's branch office that I'm visiting but not at the hotel) I decided to buy a netbook. Welcome to 2009. Welcome also to the 1990's.

Now that I own one, I think the word netbook is mostly marketing hype. What I'm typing on right now, is a small, lower powered, lightweight laptop computer. It's a bit of a throwback machine, because of the small screen and keyboard. It's not quite as small as a Sharp Zaurus (yes, I had one of those) and the screen technology is way better than the early laptops, but it's certainly not a desktop replacement. In fact, on all the store netbooks, they had a little Q&A to make sure you really wanted one. For example, "Is this machine going to be your only computer?" If you answered "yes", it would tell you that it doesn't have an optical drive or any way to expand the machine itself.

I went in with eyes wide open. After a recent trip to Baltimore with family, sans machine, I decided I wanted something I could use when I traveled. I wanted to be able to check a map on Google, or Yelp a restaurant. I know a Blackberry can do all that, but the one my company gave me is so locked down that's it's useful only for company email. Plus, I do enjoy the 10 inch screen over the 3 or less inch screen of my Blackberry bold. The downside versus Blackberry or iTouch is that I'm not able to connect unless I'm near a wireless port. Well, I suppose I could connect, but I'm too cheap to pay for a phone network data service for my netbook.

I did a bit of research before I bought, but as with anything else you research before buying, you find your tradeoffs in terms of specs and your favorable and unfavorable reviews. I was ready to buy a eeeMachine but since I wanted one before leaving on my trip and Best Buy was out of those, I ended up with a very capable Dell Inspiron Mini 10. So far so good. I do enjoy the somewhat larger keyboard than some of the competition and the screen seems nice. And goodness, the 3 pounds or so it weighs makes it almost as light as the paperback books my wife loves to buy. I have yet to really explore the machine, but that will come with time.

Anyway, I hope that having easier access to a computer (yes, I'll probably become like Kreblog and have It on my lap while watching TV) along with it's form factor will make it easier for me to get back to things I did before I got a job. Namely, blogging, posting on Facebook and a bit more communicating through email or IM to friends.

I mean I'll do these things after I come down from 35,000 feet.

The Business Trip

2009-05-04T23:10:00.002-04:00

I work for a company headquarted in Bermuda. They have offices in the UK. I am very involved with a project for our Scottsdale AZ company. And yet, here I am on my first trip for my new company, in WESTBOROUGH MA. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. I added 30 miles to my normal commute to come to Westborough. Woo hoo.

But it's good. I'm at a vendor conference for a software product that I'm supporting as a project manager. A couple of AZ employees have come east to the conference and it's been great to meet them. And I am staying overnight at the conference so I could fully partake in the evenings festivities.

I'm sure the more distant travel will come and I'm not really complaining. Just laughing at the irony.

Learning my Lessons

2009-04-06T12:52:00.001-04:00

It’s been almost two months since I started my latest job. Two months that I haven’t looked for work. Two months of focus on my current employer and situation. Two engaging and fun months. But even as I try to turn my “temp to perm” situation into “perm”, I wonder if I should have throttled back on the job searching as much as I did. I do want to dedicate my time to my newest employer, and I have been giving them 10+ hours per day. My commute soaks up another 2 hours per day, leaving me with little spare time. In my job hunt days, I’d put in 8 hours searching but my commute was easy (bedroom to family room). So I haven’t had the time I would like to do the other things in my life that are also important.

I am still staying in touch with my core group of associates. I have been attending a monthly networking event. However, the conversations have turned from “what opportunities do you know about” to “here’s what’s happening with my new job”. I do read two or three job agent postings per week and I read two or three emails from a networking group I belong to, but it’s not with the same sense of purpose. Oh, and my resume is up to date with my latest accomplishments. So I’m not totally slacking.

I guess this is normal. I am happy in my new position and I do feel like it will work out. In my experience, I’ve learned that it’s more important to invest in the current opportunity than to always be looking. But I remember how far behind you feel when you have to initiate a job search. While I’m hoping not to be searching for new position any time soon, I don’t want to be unprepared. I want to keep applying the lessons I’ve preached through this blog. It’s the least I can do.

Ice Out 2009

2009-03-31T10:37:00.003-04:00

It's that time of year again. Yep, ice out 2009. As I pulled out of the driveway this morning, there was one small piece of ice left floating on the pond. With today's predicted 50+ degree sunny weather, I'm pretty confident it won't be there when I get home. It's a bit early this year. Drop back to last year's post to see prior ice out dates.

Now, if only the snow piles left by plowing and snowblowing would melt...

I can feel it fade

2009-03-10T14:56:00.000-04:00

I’ll be starting my fourth week of work tomorrow and the unemployed feeling is fading. I have some place to go every day. I’m commuting. I only have weekends to get things done. I’m no longer dependent on other people to read my resume and make a decision on me – a feeling that although you own your own job search, you don’t own the results. At my job, although I work with others, I can own the results of my efforts. My contributions have more predictable results. While I’m still meeting people and “networking” at work, the co-workers more often than not need something from me. It’s not just me needing something from them (a lead, some information about a company or an industry, a job). And time passes much more quickly. I mean really fast compared to working at home on finding a job. I get to the end of a work day and I wonder where all the time went. The fade feels great.

It Happened

2009-02-26T19:31:00.002-05:00

I've told several people this, and certainly, my loyal friends who were with me the day I was laid off from my last job heard it, but on the day I was laid off I said, "Someday, I'll look back on this (layoff) and feel like they did me a favor". That someday was last night.

I met up with a few former co-workers from my last job. As I sat there and listened to them discuss the problems with the project that I left, the consulting firm that continues to take over, the management of the department and the disfunctional executives at the company, I thought of my new position. I'm still new and I'm not an employee yet, so anything I say should be tempered with the joy of a new job. But I really like working at my new place. The people are very helpful. The work is interesting. My boss expects me to know what I'm doing and doesn't look over my shoulder. It's so much more like a start-up than an old line company. I don't miss what I was doing at the old place. Yes I miss the people. But they did me a favor. There, I can say it now. It happened.

On the phone

2009-02-21T11:27:00.002-05:00

Yes, that's where I'll be. On the phone. After three days in my new job, I've learned that this is a significantly virtual IT team. I have yet to see the person who hired me and from what she said, it might be a couple of months before she shows up in the office where I'm located. But I'm on a couple of status phone calls with her twice a day and she's accessible by email and instant messaging. Besides, I'm experienced enough that all I need is a point in the right direction and I can run. I do miss getting to know some of my team members in person but let's face it - after an introduction I usually forget the name anyway. Here's some locations where my boss's team members are located:

Other Project Managers: Toronto, Dallas, Atlanta, Woburn
Business Analysts: London, Scottsdale, Bermuda, Woburn
Developers: NJ, London, Buffalo, NH, Woburn and other places I haven't figured out, yet.

My first two projects will involve working on systems for subsidiaries in Connecticut and Arizona. In the first case (CT), it will involve working with a vendor to adapt a system to something it doesn't do today. In the second case (AZ) it will be installing a brand new system, still to be selected. Should be interesting.

Slow Start

2009-02-18T22:49:00.002-05:00

I began my new job today. It wasn't like they were ready for me. It started on Tuesday when I was supposed to conference call with my new boss, but she never joined the conference. Never mind that, I thought, I'll show up tomorrow and get things sorted out.

I, of course, arrived in Woburn about 30 minutes early. I mean, you never know how it will go on your new commute and I didn't want to be late. After killing some time, I walked into the office at about 5 minutes before 8 a.m. I was the third person in what turned out to be a very small office. I introduced myself to the other two guys and asked them if they had my boss's phone number. One of them looked her up in the directory. When I called her, she apologized for missing the phone call - she's in Bermuda on business (yes, that's where the home office is) and got very busy. She asked me who was in and when I told her, she had me hand the phone to one of the guys. He talked with her for a minute or two and then hung up. She had given him instructions on where I should sit and how to set me up.

He lead me to a desk - it is a small office so I got one of the 16 desks that were there outside the two enclosed offices. He got me signed on and I began to poke around. After looking at various documents on their intranet, I got an instant message from my boss. Apparently she was going to have another one of the project managers show me the ropes, but the woman was out sick. So she sent me a long document describing the systems and how the companies use them and left me on my own. Ultimately, at the peak, there were a total of 11 people in the office that day, including a very nice admin who showed me around a bit (supplies, copier, etc).

At the end of the day, I sent my boss a note telling her what I had done and asking for more direction. As I checked my home email account, I saw that she sent me instructions on how to get in through the VPN, and then I checked my work email to find more direction. So I think I'll be a bit busier tomorrow.

And the commute? Not too bad - 50 minutes going in and 55 coming home (in snow). Of course it's a holiday week in MA so the traffic was probably at its best. Updates later when I have time. It's late and I need to sleep.

A few details

2009-02-13T14:57:00.003-05:00

Starting next Wednesday, I'll be working as a Project Manager at a reinsurance company in Woburn, MA. The job starts as a contractor role, with the intention that they will hire me in 6 months or less, assuming I don't screw up. I'm o.k. with this - if you remember one of my earlier posts, I need to be the president of "You, Inc." anyway. There's no better way to learn how to act like a consultant than to become one.

The office is located in a brand new building on 128 in Woburn, about 50 miles door to door, only slightly further than my last job was from my house. Unfortunately, the last 10 miles are the on craptastic RT 128 where the traffic usually crawls at rush hour. No complaints from me though. I'm happy to have a job.

For those of you interested in the technology, my first assignment may be a data warehouse project or it may be a .Net development project - I'm still waiting on details. The recruiting firm has indicated that they may want me to drop by at the reinsurance company on Tuesday to get assigned and oriented.

I'm very excited to be joining the ranks of you employed people again (those of you who are) and I hold out my good wishes to the rest of you unemployed people. Keep looking; good things can happen. Thanks to all the folks (and there are so many of you) that have supported me in my time of unemployment. Remember, I have a lot of experience doing this, so I'm happy to help anyone who needs it.

I'm not sure how much time I'll have to post in the future. I'll try to write a few after I start the new job just to give you my first impressions. It's a very good thing that I won't have the time to chronicle my unemployed life anymore...

Landed

2009-02-13T12:18:00.001-05:00

This is the official announcement that I have a job, starting next Wednesday. I'll fill in the details in a while, but I thought I'd get this out there for my loyal readers, whoever you are. Big, big, big sigh of relief and a lot of excitement.

Waiting

2009-02-10T08:57:00.002-05:00

I know in my last post, I talked about the two interviews I was having last week. As it turned out, I had one and one half interviews last week and finished the half interview yesterday. Here's the story.

The long distance drive interview happened last Tuesday, a day where snow was predicted. I drove the 75 miles in about an hour and 1/4, arriving about two hours early. It's always good to be early because you never know what can happen. There was some snow on the way down, but since it was mid-afternoon, the traffic moved along and the drive was not bad. Little did I know....

After locating the office, I waited in a nearby coffee shop, reviewing notes on the company and trying to prepare. About 15 minutes before the appointed time, I went into the office. By now, the snow was coming down pretty good. The interview was a panel interview with 4 people barraging me with questions (their word, not mine). I'm not sure how well I did on this one. While I leave most of the interviews feeling good about how I did, that wasn't so true with this one. I felt like I handled their questions o.k., but it's hard to make eye contact with four people at once and at one point, I know I heard a yawn. Perhaps the extra doses of coffee caused me to talk too much. They said they would probably be making their decision within two weeks - it's been one and still no word.

The drive home was horrendous. As I left the interview at 5 p.m., the snow was falling fast and furious. It took at least 20 minutes just to get out of their office park (less than one mile). The first part of the drive was o.k., albeit at reduced speeds. And then I hit about 10 miles of stop and go traffic, mostly stop. By the time I got home, I had spent about 2 and 1/2 hours in the car. I guess that's probably the worst commute I could expect short of a truck crashing across the highway. I've had that long a commute to drive 45 miles about 5 times in the 7 years I worked at my last job.

The second interview last week was supposed to be a one hour phone interview. It got cancelled on Monday, rescheduled for Tuesday, cancelled for Tuesday and then happened for about 20 minutes on Wednesday without scheduling. The interviewer said she would call me back later Wednesday to finish, but no call came in. The recruiting firm through which I am working this opportunity eventually set me up with an on-site interview in Woburn, MA, which I had yesterday.

This interview seemed to go well. I felt like I did a pretty good job connecting with the interviewer and explaining how I can help her with her needs. But I've learned that a good interview experience is never an indicator of the ultimate decision, so I can't get too excited about this job either. Her boss who I briefly met said they would be trying to make a decision by the end of the week, so I now have two possibilities that I might hear about within a week. I'm hoping that one or the other turns into something because, let's face it, it's ugly out there.

And now, I have to go reload my pipeline because after these two, I have no opportunities that I'm working....

Interviews

2009-02-02T09:38:00.003-05:00

I have two interviews this week. One on the phone and one in person. In fact, the phone interview is supposed to be going on right now, but the hiring manager never called. I have alerted the recruiter and she's working on locating the hiring manager. When the interview was set up, I thought the Monday after the Superbowl was maybe not so super an idea. But here I am, all ready and prepared, sitting by the phone with no ring.

The phone interview is a second interview for a temporary to permanent job (try before you buy) at a company in Woburn, MA. Funny how 8 years ago, I was living in Woburn and not liking it very much. I'd much rather live in NH and bear the commute than to move back down to MA.

Which brings me to my next interview, an on-site interview in Canton, MA. Canton is about 80 miles away. Now, an earlier interview I went on was 90 miles away, to the north. This is 80 miles on the other side of Boston. Unlike the hour and a quarter it took me to get to the one up north, this one will probably take an hour and a half on a very good day and more like an hour and 3/4 or two hours on most days. One way. So I'm not real excited about the prospect of the commute, but let's face it, I do need a job and if this turns into the only offer I get, I will probably have to take it.

So, some activity on the job search, but nothing solid yet. C'mon phone, ring!

Monday is Networking Day in Portsmouth

2009-01-27T08:08:00.004-05:00

After traveling to Wilmington, MA, a for a couple of WIND (Wednesday is Networking Day) meetings, I decided to check out the one in Portsmouth, NH. It's held twice monthly instead of every week. Having seen the growing "success" of the one in Wilmington, I wasn't sure what to expect as I arrived at Franklin Pierce College branch at the Pease Tradeport. The first problem was finding the meeting. The building was mostly deserted and there were no signs indicating where the meeting was being held. I finally noticed a guy climbing the stairs at one end of the building and decided to follow him. The meeting was there and a number of people had already arrived. I did the usual thing, introducing myself to some of the others and having conversations about what people did and how their search was going.

The group was decidedly smaller than the Wilmington one. With two new members to Wind, and two or three people I recognized from Wilmington, there were a grand total of 12, not including the facilitator and the speaker. This made it easier to get to know a few people, and to learn more about the people you did meet. The speaker was really good. She was a 60+ year old career counselor. I mention her age only because she had more energy than most people half her age. She was also very funny, as well as being useful. She did a bit of talking, then we all worked on our "commercials", which is about the same as an elevator statement or positioning statement. Some of us got to give them to the group and got critiqued. I wrote one and was chosen to give it to the group. I received a few good ideas for improvement which I will add. I also need to practice saying it some more.

The meeting was useful and in the whole, entertaining. One thing I got out of today's meeting was that there are so many project managers on the market that I need to find something to differentiate myself from the other project managers. I think I'm going to go with my ability to rescue projects in trouble, a.k.a. "The Closer" as my hook. You have to do something to stand out.

I liked the closer venue, the smaller size and if they keep having speakers as good as the one this week, the MIND is definitely a win over the WIND.

Linking

2009-01-22T11:32:00.002-05:00

One of the most essential tools for job seekers is LinkedIn. My buddy Kreblog wrote an excellent post about it (click here). I'm here to tell you it actually works. I've had two situations in the past few weeks where people have used LinkedIn contacts to commuicate with a person at a company they were targeting, in both cases with two people in between them and the contact. In the first case, I was the first one in the middle. An associate I met at my outplacement wanted to get a message to a woman who was a connection of a connection of mine. LinkedIn produces a nice graphical view of the chain so you know whose in it and which link you are. I emailed (via LinkedIn) my contact asking him to forward the message to his contact, vouching for my associate. He did this and they connected.

In the second case, I was the second one in the middle. A woman I had linked with from my outplacement (a career counselor who taught a course on LinkedIn) forwarded me a message from a contact of hers to reach a contact of mine. I framed my message appropriately and passed it on. Very easy and all done through the service.

Finally, yesterday I used LinkedIn to research a person with whom I was going to have a phone interview. I found that two of my connections were directly connected to the interviewer. I emailed them both asking for information, and one of my connections turned out to know him very well. He gave me permission to name drop and during the course of the interview, I did so. It was like getting a seal of approval. I'm sure it doesn't always work out this way, but it was very helpful in this case.

It's not dating, but it is a great way to build and maintain relationships. I encourage even people who are not job seekers to sign up. Why not build your network now, before it becomes essential? We used to have to do this stuff on the phone, which is hit or miss. LinkIn now, babeee.

Hope

2009-01-20T14:13:00.003-05:00

It was September 11, 2001. I had been out of work for over two months. After finishing my morning routine, I sat down to my computer to check the emails, job boards, etc. I noticed a story on my home page about a plane flying into the World Trade Center. Immediately, I turned on the TV to watch the situation. I was horrified to see the second plane hit, and riveted to the TV for the day. With the gloom of that event, I felt a decided loss of hope - in a personal way, hope that I'd be able to find a job in the near future.

Today, I sat in the same family room at the same desk (different computer and TV). I've been unemployed for 4 months to the day. I decided to watch the inauguration and listen to President Obama's (doesn't that sound good?) message. This time, instead of hope draining from me, hope began to fill me. If you've been reading my blog, you know that I'm some kind of a mix between realistic and optimistic. So I know that I'm not going to get that call tomorrow about my perfect job. And I realize that economically, things will likely get worse before they get better. But the messages from the President, and his world view, give me hope. Hope that we can once again have an economy based on peace and not war. Hope that the US will lead the world. Hope that will translate into a rebound for the economy and selfishly, a job for me.

Hope.

Smoke

2009-01-19T10:02:00.001-05:00

The snow was so fine that it looked like smoke exiting the chute of the snowblower. 16 inches total. Snow like this make me love winter.

Sign of the times

2009-01-15T09:08:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I attended my first WIND meeting. WIND is an organization that has been around for at least 15 years. WIND stands for Wednesday Is Networking Day. People gather each Wednesday (and other days in other locations, although the name remains the same) and trade "clues" - clues being leads about companies that may be hiring or tips on searching for a job. Often there is a speaker at the meeting. Yesterday's meeting in Wilmington, MA, featured a recruiter who spoke on how to work with recruiters. The meeting was useful and informative. I plan to continue to attend the weekly one in Wilmington and the bi-weekly one in Portsmouth.

The "sign" was that there were almost as many first timers showing up as there were regular members. I was told that there were normally around 20 to 25 people who show up each week in Wilmington. This week, there were 18 newbies and about 20 returning members. This is on the same day that Good Morning America held their highly publicized job fair in Boston. I can't wait to see how many people show up next week.

I get it!

2009-01-13T15:42:00.003-05:00

Warning: Non-job search content below.

Enough of the digital TV conversion chatter on my local station. You'd think it was a major storm the way they keep yapping about it. What technological rock must you be under not to understand what is going on? Enough.

Not all bad

2009-01-09T14:49:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was a relatively good one, in terms of the job search. I had an interview and met a person who may be able to help with another job.

The interview was for a very small IT shop (can you say "count the staff on one hand"?). They were looking for someone with my level of experience. Give the location (up north in NH), I never expected that they could pay me a salary in my range, but you don't get to find these things out unless you take the interview. So I traveled north (way easier than going south) and visited with the hiring manager and the person filling in the position right now. There are a number of challenges in the job and there's a lot of stuff that you take for granted in a big shop that isn't going on at this place right now. But I think I have a lot to add in terms of making sure this organization is on the right track. And they mentioned a salary that was acceptable to me. Both interviews seem to go well, but they'll be seeing other candidates, so you never know.

And last night I went to a networking event that involved beer (my favorite kind) where I met a highly placed individual at a more local company to which I had applied. We had a nice conversation and he said it would be o.k. to contact him. So today I sent him an email asking for help in identifying the hiring manager for the jobs to which I applied. Hopefully I won't get sent to his spam bucket and he'll give me a hand.

Now I can get ready for another weekend of working on the house. Woohoo.....

Slow Start

2009-01-07T13:27:00.002-05:00

I set myself a challenge with my last post, one that I may not be up to. I promised my next post would be more uplifting. But with the way 2009 is beginning, that's a tall order. The job boards are not filled with jobs, although I'm always finding a few to which I can apply. I got a call at the beginning of the week from a recruiter on a job I had phone interviewed for right before Thanksgiving. The company with the opening is holding off until March before filling any positions. Another possibility, a job a friend of mine had told me about, probably won't be created until March. I've received a couple of "thanks but no thanks" emails in the last week or two. So that's the not so exciting news hurdle I have to get over to be more uplifting.

One ray of hope. I have an interview tomorrow for a job that required 3 years of experience in an industry in which I had none. I submitted an application the Tuesday before New Years with a cover letter that said why I didn't need 3 years of experience in their industry. And the next day, New Year's eve, I got a phone call with a request to come up and interview tomorrow. You can be sure that I am researching that industry before the interview.

My friends and family are staying positive with me. They are continuing to help me not lose hope. My mother in law called with an article from AARP that she thought might be helpful. A guy I play hoops with who is also in the same predicament had a good phone interview on Christmas eve and he told me about it last night, as if to disprove any pessimism I may be having. So, if you want positive, the signs are there. After all, as my outplacement counselor tells me, even when companies are laying people off, it's just a matter of finding the right match between and employer and my skills. It can happen.

How was that? More positive?

The Day In Between the Days...

2008-12-30T09:50:00.004-05:00

This is the day in between the days in between the days of Christmas and New Years. Well, not exactly right between but it sure feels that way. A short work week for those who work. A kinda quiet week for those of us who don't work (at anything other than finding work). All is quiet on the job boards.

On the bad news front, I had a final meeting with my outplacement counselor yesterday - she says that 2009 is going to pick up slowly, which I think is her optimistic way of saying that it will get worse before it gets better. Obviously, she knows this from her firm being hired to manage more layoffs. So hold onto your desks, working people, the scythe of layoffs is still swinging. My advice to you in these times:

Be a contributor, not a manager. Managers always seem to be more expendable than those that produce.
Act like a consultant . I've covered this in an earlier post: You, Inc.
Prepare your family. Speaking from personal experience, there's nothing worse than coming home to your family with the unexpected news that you no longer have a job. Sidebar - this has happened to me twice in jobs where I didn't really expect it (although I should have). In the one job where I constantly felt like I would be laid off due to all the uncertainty surrounding a bankruptcy and a buy-out, I never got laid off. After all the dust settled, I left for a better job.
Have a financial plan. One that involves something other than credit cards.
Relax. If it's going to happen to you soon, it's already decided. Nothing you can do in the next few days or weeks will change that. And it's not the worst thing in the world that can happen to you or your family. There are other more important events that are far worse, like death of a loved one or serious illness. Have some perspective. Define yourself by who you are, not what you do.

Sorry to sound so grim. I hope for the best for all the employed people - I really don't need your competition in trying to find a job. I promise my next post will be more uplifting.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-24T07:57:00.003-05:00

Christmas is always a good time of year to appreciate what you have. Although I'm still unemployed and without much in the way of prospects, I'm still going for the "there are others way less fortunate than you" route. I am convinced that a job will come my way. Do the work, find the job. And so to all, a Merry Christmas.

Search Lite

2008-12-22T09:34:00.002-05:00

It's been a little hard getting into the job search this past week. With disruption at the house forcing me to my laptop for a few days (projects, power outages, snow storms, projects) and the need to put snow tires on the cars, donate platelets, Christmas shop and work on those projects, I haven't been able to dedicate any more than 4 hours any of the last several days. Not that there's a lot to search for out there. The listings are looking a bit sparse. I've done some networking and I am spending some time preparing for life after outplacement (services officially end tomorrow but I've got two more meetings to attend). And "people" say things should pick up after the first of the year, so I'm ready for that.

Looking ahead, there won't be much searching the next couple of weeks. Christmas means getting together with family which includes some travel, and we're trying to knock the majority of the projects off by the weekend after new years. So, even though I don't feel productive on the search front, I can feel productive on the project front.

If I don't post again until next week, Merry Christmas everyone.

Dark Day

2008-12-15T11:31:00.002-05:00

One of the things we do in outplacement is to keep track of the time we spend looking for a job. The theory goes that it helps make you more accountable and allows you to figure out if you are spending time on the right things. Based on my numbers, I'm not very accountable and I spend time on the wrong things.

This past Friday will have to be entered as no time spent searching. It's really hard to work your job search when you have no power and are more concerned about staying warm than about getting to the Internet to search job listings and send and receive email. Power was out all day until Friday night. We were the lucky ones as others still don't have power today. Anyway, with the state of the job market right now, there wasn't a lot to miss.

You know you've been at outplacement too long when...

2008-12-10T16:44:00.003-05:00

When they ask you to run the weekly meeting (called the JSWT = Job Search Work Team). Yep, it happened today. The regular (and I suppose paid) facilitator was unable to attend and my career counselor who runs the office had other meetings, so she asked me to step in. It's really not that hard, and since you get to know the people you have been meeting with, not that threatening. The usual routine is we go through our numbers (hours spent, contacts made), bring up any issues and share stories (today we discussed a couple of members' experiences at recent job fairs). It went pretty well and I came close to filling the two scheduled hours. She's asked me to step in again next week when our regular facilitator is on vacation. I'm thinking I should ask for pay, or at least an extension of my benefits which run out at the end of the month.

In other search related news, the "not no, not yes" from the long commute company turned into a "no" and the "nothing" is still nothing. And I have no more possibles in the pipeline. I have had some good conversations with people in my network - one introduced me to a CEO at a Manchester company and the other had some ideas that may play out, so all hope is not lost. And I continue to fire off resumes to the very few jobs that I see out there. It's a tough market, or so I hear from everyone I talk to.

I did get a great piece of advice from one of the JSWT members today. He advised that if you believe that 9 out of 10 contacts will bear no fruit, then you should treat each of the "no's" you get as getting you closer to that one "yes". Glass 9/10's full or something like that. Since I am not good at dealing with rejection, this is helpful advice.

Tomorrow I'm donating platelets. I need to feel good about something.

No/Not No/Nothing

2008-12-05T11:10:00.003-05:00

Yep, that's the sum of the week on jobs for which I'm currently a candidate. No on the perfect job close to home. I never did get past the HR screen. They're say currently checking references on two candidates and I'm not either of them. Not No, Not Yes on the long commute job. I talked to the HR recruiter and she said the status was "no status" whatever that means. She suggested checking back late next week. And Nothing is what I heard on the consultant job. I did hear from the recruiter on Tuesday, but he had no real information on what was up or what the next steps would be.

The advice from outplacement is to keep your pipeline of possibles full even when you think you may be a solid candidate for a position even up to the point where you might be getting an offer. After all, offers do get rescinded and jobs do get cancelled. While I haven't had much other luck firing resumes off into the dark of the Internet, I continue to try to fill the pipeline. A week of No/Not No/Nothing tells you why that's important.

Crickets

2008-12-01T11:13:00.003-05:00

I was involved in interviews for two separate jobs last week, each of which seemed to go well. There was a consulting job that I second interviewed for on Monday and an insurance company job that I interviewed for on Tuesday. Both interviewers indicated that they would get back to me this week. So far, nothing but the sound of crickets...

When you work at home (looking for work) and you set your own priorities, it is easy to forget what a Monday morning after a holiday weekend can bring. I vaguely remember dealing with all kinds of issues - things that went wrong while we were away, things we needed to get done before the end of the year, regular update meetings, project status reports and so on. Probably the last think anyone is thinking about is getting back to the dude who they talked to last week. I get it. It's just real quiet out here...

Round Two, Done

2008-11-25T08:41:00.002-05:00

I took a couple of phone interviews for round two of the consulting job yesterday. I think I passed but you never really know. The first guy would be my boss's boss. He's in CA and I'd call him the guy who distributes the vision and is responsible for building the business of this services arm of a very large corporation. He was an interesting interview, going kind of Microsoft on me a couple of times. For example, without the use of your computer, how would you estimate the number of gas stations in the US? I came up with a couple of different approaches which were basically valid. He said his answer was to count the number of stations in his town of 10,000 and then use that to multiply up to the number for the population of the US. He was more interested in the the thought process than the answer. He also asked a couple of behavioral interview questions as in, tell me about a time you successfully dealt with a difficult business partner. Tell me about an unsuccessful time. Having used this method a bunch in my interviewing, I don't find it hard to come up with examples.

The second guy was the first guy's guy. By that I mean, they've worked at a number of places together. He was fairly easy to talk with and I think we established a good rapport. I got him to describe a consulting horror story - he's based in CA and ended up on an assignment in NYC for 6 months. He was given internal people to work with who weren't performing very well and vendors to the project that didn't see him as useful. He described a process where he began to micro manage the employees (no other choice, really) and began reporting to the project sponsor the shortcomings of the vendors. I guess by the end, he had gained the trust of the sponsor and now has a very good referenceable account.

So, a couple days off for Thanksgiving. I do have a phone interview this morning with an insurance company up the road in ME. I don't think I can make the $$ work out while commuting to the office (tolls, miles, time). But you don't get to hear about the job until you tell them you willing to work for the $$ they put on the table, so I told them I was interested and now I've got an interview.

I give thanks for those of you who support me. I give thanks to my family and friends. I give thanks for my good health and generally good spirits even in these trying times. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

I'm From Harvard

2008-11-21T10:51:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I had a chance to attend a leadership class at Harvard Business School. My son is in the MBA program there and students are encouraged to invite guests. I attended a Leadership course. First, the setting. HBS is on the banks of the Charles, across the river from Cambridge. The buildings are all beautiful and the inside of the classroom was a semi-circle with several rising rows of tables. There are about 90 students in each section and the sections take classes at the same time. And there are 10 sections per year, so HBS graduates around 900 MBA's per year. The classroom was all done in tasteful dark wood with many nice features, such as the ability for each seat to vote, a self-focusing overhead projector, built in video projector, hooked up to the teacher's PC (we used that to see a film from the schools web site). It's very nice and I guess for $90k/year it should be (includes estimates for room and board along with the $44K tuition).

At the beginning of class, guests are introduced and they are given a standing ovation. I must say, as the only guest that day, it was a bit overwhelming to have 90 of our country's best and brightest clapping for me. I haven't had an ovation directed at me since drama club in high school.

The class was doing a case study on Xerox and Anne Mulcahy. All classes are case studies, whether it's leadership or finance or operations. In the late 1990's, early 2000's, Xerox was going under. They had massive debt and their stock price had cratered. There was an ongoing investigation by the SEC on how their income had been stated in Mexico and the investigation was spreading to the US. Mulcahy was an unlikely choice for CEO, having had no financial background. Nevertheless, she was appointed in 2001 and proceeded to engineer a turnaround.

The professor (first year teaching at Harvard, background with McKinsey group) lead the class in discussion, trying to elicit different points of view. Since class participation is 50% of the grade in Leadership, almost everyone had their hand up at every opportunity throughout the hour and 1/2 that the class lasted. It was interesting to listen to (guests are not allowed to participate). Since Leadership is kind of a touchy-feely course, there wasn't really any right or wrong facts, just people's opinion. Because I had researched the situation before class (I did not get to read the case), I felt like the class did a pretty good job of covering the points. I did notice a couple of areas where some of the class members were weak (i.e. in their knowledge of how Chapter 11 bankruptcy works - I have some knowledge because I went through it with a former employer), and I think they missed a few key points, but they are quite smart. Many of them have some business experience, but none of them appeared to be over 30. Lots of women, lots of foreign students (Europe, Asia, India). It felt good to be in a classroom again - it's been a long time. Of course, there was no pressure on me to learn or pay attention because I wasn't being graded.

After class, I went to lunch in Harvard Square with my son while we discussed the class and other topics. We finished with a cup of "Clover" coffee from Starbucks and I was on my way back home to return to the job hunt. It was a nice diversion.

On the road?

2008-11-18T17:29:00.002-05:00

I've been keeping myself occupied with a combination of work around the home and some job related activities. The work around the home is more physically demanding than hitting the computer and phones to reach out to opportunities. I think sometimes I use the physical work as an excuse not to make that uncomfortable marketing (networking) call I know I should make. It's still hard for me to contact people to tell them about my situation and to ask them for help or advice. I'd better get over this soon as the market is looking more and more barren.

A few recent things:

A couple of reach outs to people I used to work with on behalf of folks I've met at my outplacement group. One of them finally returned my call.
Research on the education requirements for the PMP exam.
A few on-line applications.
A conversation about a job for which I wasn't really qualified. And I'm not sad about that since the job was in Springfield MA and I haven't considered relocation, yet.
A second phone screen for my "perfect" local job
A phone interview (tomorrow) for a consulting job that would have me travel 50 percent of the time.

It's that last item that has me thinking. I have had jobs where I've done some travel, but it was mostly to the home office. At one point, I was actually living away from home each week. This went on for about 9 months and it was at a time when my kids were young. It put enough stress on me and my family that I found myself another home office assignment with less travel. But things are different now. Jobs are scarce. My kids are grown and on their own. My wife has a career. I'm mostly worried about my dog. He's gotten used to having me around.

You, Inc.

2008-11-13T08:36:00.003-05:00

I went to a meeting at outplacement yesterday and listened to a speaker give another perspective on the job search. He started by comparing today's world of work with what it had been like in years past. His basic premise is that you should act like a consultant in your job, whether you are an employee or not. This is solid advice for someone like me who tends to become complacent after a year or two in a job. Acting like a consultant means:

Having a customer focus (the customer being the company you are at as well as the external customer).
Always looking for the next assignment
Always trying to demonstrate value
Being a problem solver

To set up your consulting firm (You, Inc.), he suggested 6 steps which are roughly similar to the 10 step process that the outplacement firm has taught us:

Define your products and services. What are your strengths, and knowledge? Define your Brand (i.e. Tiffany's, MacDonalds). To do this, make a list of 10 to 15 words that define you.
Prepare good written material to present "You, Inc." to the customer. Things like a resume, cover letters, value proposition, business card.
Develop your marketing plan. Choose your target industries, companies, and positions.
Advertise - contact search firms, use the Internet, network.
Make sales calls - find out what "pain" the company is experiencing and how you might be the solution to the pain. This is also accomplished using networking.
Make the sale - find the job, negotiate your position and price

Good advice. I've accomplished a bunch of these steps already. It's time to incorporate and to do a better job of selling.

Stained

2008-11-11T08:01:00.002-05:00

Well, it had to happen. And I remember this from my last job search 7 years ago. Eventually, despite the urging of the career counselors to work up to 45 hours a week on your job search, you reach a point where there's just not that much going on. After you hit the job boards, send out some resumes, do some research, send some emails, you run out of productive activities. Especially if you are somewhat introverted like me and don't enjoy making cold calls. It's tough to work a full day without wasting some amount of time.

I have found myself spending too much time reading the on-line news, organizing things on my hard drive, researching new phone options and doing things that generally don't contribute to a job search. It makes me feel guilty, but it burns the day.

With construction completing on our bedroom and new bathroom, it's time to paint and stain so we can then get the carpet installed and move back in. Starting today, I'll be staining and painting for approximately 1/2 of each day, probably in the afternoons. At least I'll feel productive about something.

OK, maybe I was wrong

2008-11-06T08:37:00.002-05:00

For a few weeks I've been saying, "I can't wait for the election to be over so we can get back to the beer and mattress ads on TV". I mean, how many more times do you want to hear Jean Shaheen say, "I'll stand with George Bush"? I ended up with a gag reflex every time that Sununu ad played. I thought it would be great to get back to normal - news stories about something other than the campaigns, beer ads and so forth.

This morning on Good Morning America - a special report on what dog the Obama children should pick. Ooof. Although, I still won't stand with George Bush.

Week gone by

2008-11-03T09:06:00.002-05:00

Wow, a whole week without a post. I guess that kind of reflects the gentle pace that the job search has taken. There aren't a lot of new discoveries or "oh my, I should do this" moments. I have a resume, I'm tracking my statistics, I'm applying for jobs, I'm following up. I think the one main thing I need to do more of is networking with people who may know people who may know people. It's a good thing I'm tracking what I've done otherwise I would begin to believe last week was some kind of a waste.

I applied for about 10 jobs. I had conversations with about 5 recruiters (both inside recruiters and independent ones). I attended a job search work team meeting at my outplacement service. I attended an @ss-kicking session with an outplacement counselor (called by me; I needed to get my @ss kicked to do more networking). I set up an activity tracking spreadsheet as recommended by the outplacement people. I have a lot of ideas on companies to reach this week.

Even still, I took some time off on Monday to do outside painting and yard work and took some time off Friday to start the busy weekend early. So, it wasn't my best week of job hunting ever, but this one will be!

Expanding my Horizons

2008-10-27T11:46:00.002-04:00

Given the relative lack of progress on jobs in NH (I have my resume out to several NH jobs, but other than the interview a week back, no responses), I have submitted my resume to a couple of jobs at a company way around 495 in MA. Both jobs looked interesting and in the category of something I would like to do. It's just too bad they're not a bit closer.

Next step, see what I can find downtown in Boston so I can commute by train or bus. I'd much rather let someone else drive, even if it means being chained to a schedule or a longer (time wise) commute. With that extra time you can work, sleep, read or whatever you need to do. I commuted by train early in my career into NYC, and though I'm sure I didn't love it at the time, I have good memories. I also remember never finishing the Times crossword puzzle, even when I worked it both going to and coming from work.

Chromed out

2008-10-23T15:54:00.000-04:00

(Warning - non job search related content to follow)

I tried, I really did. I thought that switching to Google's Chrome browser would help me complete moving my productivity tools to the "cloud". When you leave the corporate tether, you fall back to whatever tools you have on your PC. For a while now, I've been using Google's Gmail for the majority of my email needs. I started up a Google Calendar for my (few) appointments. I've begun putting documents out in Google Documents. I stay in touch with people using Gtalk. I had set up a home page using iGoogle. So when the Google browser came out (Chrome), I figured it would integrate well with all those other applications. When yoiu put everything in the "cloud" it's accessible from anywhere - whether you're using your home computer or a computer at outplacement or one at a house you're visiting (or certainly if you have Internet on your phone). But I got frustrated with Chrome. Here's what I found out:

bookmarks are a pain as the folders go back and forth across the screen instead of down in a hierarchical (and familiar) fashion
there's really no menu bar
nothing works better that I can see
videos and/or flash wouldn't show

So when iGoogle turned it's tabs to the side instead of the top, it was the last straw. Microsoft, I'm back. I'll still use Gmail, some of Google Documents, the Google calendar and Gtalk. But I"m done with Chrome and iGoogle. At least for now.

No Thanks

2008-10-21T11:24:00.002-04:00

Well, Friday's interview turned into a "no thanks". As reported through the agency with whom I am working, the hiring manager related that he enjoyed our conversation but that I'm not the guy he's looking for. Of course, he has yet to articulate who that person might be to the agency. Anyway, I'm a little disappointed but not crushed. After all, it was only my first interview. You do get somewhat invested in the idea of working for company X, what with the research you do, the emotions you feel before and after the interview and the thinking that goes on in your head as you sort out how you would do the job you just heard about. But as with the job that you just finished, you learn to put that behind you and look forward.

In the last few days I've heard about openings at two companies I have been targeting for which I might be a fit. I'll be calling some contacts at these companies today. Looking forward.

So we'll see

2008-10-20T08:54:00.004-04:00

Friday's interview seemed to go well, but you never know until you get some follow-up. We had a good meeting where I covered my background and the hiring manager covered his pain points. I think I can help them, but he really hadn't defined the job yet. In short, a CIO of about 40 years retired, the CFO inherited IT, he's had a consultant in to help him set direction for a few months and now he's trying to figure out what he wants in terms of an organization and the talent to staff it. So we'll see.

On the one hand, I feel good that I had an interview, and I think I'd like this job if it becomes available (at the right price and authority). On the other hand, it's the first interview I've had, and I wonder if it's smart to take the first thing that comes along. I've had situations where I've taken the first thing and others where I've been able to be more selective. Both have worked out. So we'll see.

In other job news, I got a lead that a company similar to the one I just left fired their IT Director. I had already reached out to the CEO at that company, through a mutual acquaintance. So I sent another note out to reconnect. So we'll see.

I think I'm ready

2008-10-16T20:13:00.003-04:00

I've got my first interview tomorrow and I think I'm as ready as I can be. I attended an interview skills workshop today at outplacement. I've reviewed my resume to make sure I can speak to everything on it. I've researched the company through D&B, the Internet, their website, the SEC site. My shirt is pressed and my suit is clean. I know how to get there. Should be great. If only I knew what they were looking for I might feel more confident. It's a "discussion" as much as an interview. They're trying to figure out what to do with an IT position. So who konws? I try to keep my expectations low so they can be wildly exceeded.

Oh yeah, new business idea. Business cards with a scratch ticket on the back. Who wouldn't want one of those? Who would forget you if you did that?

From under rocks...or is it Monster?

2008-10-14T14:08:00.004-04:00

One thing about posting your resume on Monster (or Hotjobs or Dice) is that it brings out the recruiters. They seem to hit you fast, like you had just turned over a rock and all the bugs got out. Sometimes, it appears that they haven't even looked at your resume. "Would you like a job programming Java in Arkansas?". Other times, they call or email with some intriguing leads. I responded to, and talked with, a recruiter for a job in Woburn today. I'm qualified, maybe over qualified. It's a temp-to-perm, which means they get to try you for six months before they buy you. I really don't object to that. I'll be giving my next job everything that I can, and I don't expect that will end after six months, unless severe disillusionment sets in. Then it's probably better for both of us that it's temp, because I'll probably be looking again.

I have been spending a bunch of time over the past day or two researching companies with which I have interviews. I like to be prepared and not have to ask, "Now what exactly is it that you guys do here?". This is where my business degrees kick in, as I begin to remember financial terms like EBIT and EPS. Not necessarily the only gauges of your potential employers' success, but important ones.

Not my best

2008-10-10T10:38:00.003-04:00

I have this ideal self who is constantly firing off resumes, talking on the phone to networking contacts, acting all self-assured and positive about finding a job. Unfortunately, I rarely see this ideal self. Occasionally, I have days like yesterday where I find any kind of an excuse not to do the things I know I should be doing - the things the ideal self just cranks out. There's a spot on the rug from last night that needs cleaning. There's laundry to be done. What a beautiful fall day - I'll have to knock off early to run some errands on the motorcycle. Hey, I've been meaning to do that minor project in my shop. I felt bad about my lack of effort so I finished off the day by eating and drinking more than I wanted to.

Today, I'm trying to make up for it by firing off some resumes and talking to various contacts However, I already know that I'll be knocking off early this afternoon for a trip to see relatives. I guess I'd better hit the ground hard on Monday. At least that's what that other guy, Mr. Ideal Job Hunter would say.

Job Search Work Team

2008-10-08T16:00:00.002-04:00

I went to my first meeting of a job search work team. Essentially, it's a group of people who get together on a weekly basis to report progress (accountability) and share ideas (networking). I really didn't know what to expect and I think my day 1 was not necessarily typical. I got there early (as is my habit) and met one or two team members before the meeting got started. The facilitator (a career consultant from the outplacement firm) started the meeting by saying that one of the members was coming in soon with good news. Soon thereafter a team member arrived and told us that he had gotten and accepted an offer. He also mentioned that he had a couple of others pending that he would stop pursuing. Most of the session was this individual sharing his excitement with us. He paid tribute to the outplacement folks and to the process. According to him (and confirmed later by his work team members), he is the guy who worked the most at finding a job. He did all the exercises in the process, took lots of on-line courses and took every available teleconference and in-house course. One interesting note, he worked almost exclusively with agencies in his search. Everything about his chosen job sounds good - company, location, pay.

I guess this is why we go to these meetings - to experience the taste of success through others. I'm happy for this guy I just met, but success will taste sweetest when it's mine.

Vindication

2008-10-07T08:34:00.002-04:00

I forgot to write yesterday about a dream I had over the weekend. I'm calling it the "Vindication Dream". I received some news about my old project team last week that I'm sure triggered it. Because of some moves by the consulting firm that's now running the project, the people on the team are none too happy. In my dream, the project was cratering and my former boss admits that this wouldn't have happened if I was still there. I think I remember in the dream that he wants to offer me my job back but I turn him down. Vindication. Even though it's only a dream, it still tastes sweet.

Nibbles

2008-10-06T09:25:00.003-04:00

I spent Friday at the outplacement office in a meeting on the rest of the 10 steps. I'll go through these in a later post. When I checked my email later that day, I had one from the headhunter with whom I have been working. I called him that afternoon and we discussed a position. He set me up with an interview on October 17. I'm not sure I 'm a good fit, but I sure could use some interviewing experience. I also talked to a former co-worker about a company he had previously worked for. He was very helpful and is making some connections on my behalf. They do have job currently posted for which I may be a fit.

I should probalby write a post about my weekend motorcycle ride. It was a beautiful, but cool day on Saturday as I joined two friends for a ride into NH puckerbrush. The colors were spectacular and I travelled a number of roads I haven't been on in a while, including some of my favorites around my old home town, Goffstown. It's a great way to spend a fall Saturday.

This week, I have several teleconferences and a bunch of research to get to. I have to develop my marketing plan. Should keep me pretty busy.

Days Flying By

2008-10-02T08:50:00.002-04:00

Like the leaves falling from the trees, the pages of the calendar are also falling away. Yesterday was the three week anniversary of my departure from my former employer. With the economic events in the US, and the large outpouring of money from our personal coiffers (wedding, finishing construction on the house), I don't often feel good about my situation. But every once and a while, there's a glimmer of hope like the two emails I got yesterday from the headhunter asking to clarify my experiences in a couple of areas for two firms in the area with whom he's working. Not that I even have an interview, but to have someone show even the tiniest bit of interest is gratifying.

I also had lunch with a former coworker yesterday, as well as IM'ed with a few others (is it o.k. to use "IM" when it was really gtalk?). This gives me a sense of connectedness to people I recently left behind. It is kind of isolating to sit at home during the day without talking or IM'ing with others. I guess I'm not a good telecommuting candidate, at least not full time.

Today I've signed up for a couple of teleconference teaching sessions from the outplacement firm. I HAVE MEETINGS ON MY CALENDAR - another gratifying feeling. This search process really is a cycle of ups and downs.

Tomorrow I'm meeting former co-workers for our monthly breakfast. After that, I'll be at outplacement again for most of the day. Busy guy, it seems like.

Out at Outplacement

2008-09-30T13:20:00.005-04:00

I feel like I have been out of the hunt for days, but really, I've been learning how to be more effective in my job search. As mentioned earlier, outplacement has a process, and I'm trying hard to get into and through the ten steps. Last Thursday and Friday, I covered steps one and two by myself. Yesterday, I went to a 9 to 1 session that was an overview of the 10 steps. Today I was at a resume writing workshop and this Friday, I go back for more in depth coverage of steps 1 - 10. Add to that, the time I could/should be spending in web exes and phone conferences and on their proprietary website and I'm not sure how I actually have time to look for a job. Their approach is to be very prepared as you get into the search so you can be more effective as you make contacts. I can't say if they're right or wrong but I'm following the process because if you do the work, you will get a job.

Step 1 is to survey your market. I've done a couple of things: 1) I did some searches on trends that were happening in the IT industry (I'm first and foremost an IT professional and not focused on any specific indusstry). Here's a click from Software Quality News written at the end of last year that holds up pretty well. I'm sure this year's trend predictions for next year should be interesting in light of the current economic news. 2) I've read a bunch of job ads for positions in which I might be interested to see what they're looking for. My only regret so far is that I don't have the PMP (no, not pimp - Project Management Professional) designation. Lots of jobs are looking for that at this point. It may be something I pursue a little later down the road.

Step 2 is the one I like least - Self asssessment. What am I good at? What do I like to do? What are my interests? What are my career objectives? Answers: I don't know. However, the step is important because it helps you position your job search. Although you don't put a professional objective on a resume any more (seriously, don't do this), you will be better able to target your search if you know what your objective is. Makes sense, right? I mean, when I start a project, I always need to know what it's supposed to do. So, I've done a bunch of the assessment stuff. Along the way, you describe your accomplishments: What was the situation? What were the obstacles? What were your actions? What were the results? This stuff becomes fodder for your resume.

Step 3, finally. Work on your resume. First, though, you need to work on your exit statement. I mean, why am I out of work. After many drafts that either were vague, put me in a bad light or were just plain mean or vindictive towards my former employer, I came up with one that's succint. Now I need to practice saying. Your resume follows - put together the summary, the accomplishments, the other stuff. At today's workshop, we got as detailed as favorite fonts and font sizes. My resume was in pretty good shape, but I did learn a number of things to help improve it.

We also talked about using a "Value Proposition" and your calling card rather than your resume. The thought is that the resume begins to disqualify you as quickly as it qualifies you. Therefore, you do a one page fancy looking power point which serves as your marketing tool. I'm going to write one up and shop it around to people I know to see what kind of reaction I get. I've never done or used anything like it before - it's a document build by our instructor and incorporated into the outplacement repetoire over the last three years.

Well, today is almost shot for me because I have to head to the airport to pick up the honeymooning couple. They should be nice and relaxed after a week plus in Curacao. Man, that sounds nice right about now.

Outplacement and other tales

2008-09-25T08:56:00.005-04:00

I've had a busy last couple of days. I spent some time on Tuesday with the headhunter who had called me after he saw my resume on Monster. He was an individual with whom I had worked at my last employer. He had worked for a major firm, went quiet for his one year of non-compete and then opened his own shop. He's very proud of his growing company. He is associated with two other placement firms - one which does financial placements and another which does administrative and HR placements. They share the same office space and they're about to open a new one in MA. Anyway, I was treated to a lunch and discussion of different companies with which he has contacts. He later sent me some links to those companies. I did some research and gave him some ideas on how I might fit in at each of them. Now he'll make contacts on my behalf. Nice.

I also had my first outplacement meeting with a company in Manch-Vegas. When I tell you that this job search has its up and down moments, I would never have expected to feel a bit down after my first meeting with this firm. You figure they would offer encouragement to the job seekers that they are helping. Not really. I think their approach may be that they tear you down so they can build you up the "right" way. Not only did she keep talking about the realities of the job market and how long it will take me to find a job, she also started ripping my resume apart. I think I take criticism pretty well, and I'm all ears when it comes to advice, but I guess I wasn't ready for this on my first meeting. After I spend some more time with them, I'll write a post about chronological resumes versus accomplishment-based. They definitely teach the accomplishment-based resume. Anyway, I walked out of there with a lot of homework: self-paced learning, on-line things to review, road maps. They have a process, oh yes they do.

Finally, it was time to celebrate with the folks from my former employer. It was my "Gone Away" party. We had a good time and it was extremely gratifying to have so many different people show up to wish me well. As with all my jobs, I'm sure I'll stay in touch with a bunch of them throughout the years, but it's also true that some of them I may never see again. You hate to admit that, but that's what experience tells me. Anyway, I'm a bit bleary this morning since I didn't return home until about 2 in the morning. Who doesn't love the Red Arrow diner?

Back to the hunt.

Back on the Horse

2008-09-23T09:23:00.002-04:00

After not getting a lot done yesterday (I uploaded a photo to Linkedin, Facebook and polished my LinkedIn profile), it's time to get back at it, including a blog post to keep me honest. A few events from late last week:

I got my first rejection letter.
I received a phone call from a headhunter I had worked with at my last job. I believe my Monster resume posting must have triggered his call. He was inquiring about the circumstances of my departure and offering to help. He spoke of a couple of opportunities on the phone and I will be meeting with him today.
I received two phone calls from two different people from the another head hunter agency after posting my resume on Monster. They will be called back today.
I have spent more time setting up agents and reviewing jobs on-line. I'll be firing off resumes this week.

So, it's time to regain the enthusiasm and get busy again. Here I go.

Monday's Slow Start

2008-09-22T09:44:00.002-04:00

It's a little hard getting started today. The end of last week and all weekend were devoted to my daughter's wedding. The day was spectacular and everything went great. As the host of the event, I spent a lot of time being "on" = being outgoing, speaking to people, making sure everyone was having a good time and felt welcome. And now I feel off. So I have to work myself back into the groove and redevelop the enthusiasm I had last week. It shouldn't take too long, as I have a good list of to-do's in front of me. I'll be back with a progress blog later.

Doing what it takes

2008-09-17T09:15:00.002-04:00

I'm thinking that at some point (and perhaps it's already happened), these posts will be getting monotonous. There are things you need to do on a daily basis to find a job:

Check the emails or rss feeds from any automated job agents you may have set up. This is like panning for gold. You slop through a lot of stone to find the gold nuggets.
Review and evaluate position postings. Basically, once you see the gold, you have to figure out if it's fool's gold or real gold. This involves researching companies.
Initiate and maintain contacts. A lot of this is emails and the rest of it is phone calls. If you're not initiating these, they you're responding to them.
Watering and pruning the resume - every day you can find new ideas on how to improve your resume. The secret is to figure out what advice is useful and what advice is noise.
Clicking "send" or "apply for job". Right now this is hard for me. Not that I don't want to apply for jobs, but most of the jobs posted involve some compromise in location, salary or position from your ideal job. I know I will begin to compromise these things, but in the first week or two, you like to believe that you'll find that perfect job next door to your house. The reality is that you won't and every job involves some kind of a compromise.
Building and maintaining your self-confidence. All of the job descriptions are looking for the perfect candidate. I am not perfect. There are experiences I don't have. There are certifications I don't have. I haven't worked in every industry under the sun. However, I need to be able to convince prospective employers that I am the right candidate for their job and if I'm to do that, I need to convince myself.

So, other than those daily steps, I made more connections to former co-workers, arranging for a lunch or dinner meeting in one case. I sent my resume out to a couple more contacts. Oh yeah, I contacted the outplacement agency that my former employer signed me up for. I'll meet with them next week. I'm not sure what they can provide in terms of help, especially since I've dealt with this firm at least twice before (that sounds sad). Some of what I know about finding a job comes from them, but it has been 7 years and they may have some new ideas to offer.

Another activity yesterday was emptying out my briefcase. It was filled with stuff I had grabbed from my desk as I left my former employer. I didn't take much, just some pictures and personal items I brought in. i found a box in the basement that contained similar stuff from other jobs and dumped the briefcase contents there.

I also worked on organizing my contacts. I tried to synchronize my Outlook contacts with Google contacts using Plaxo, but the results were not what I wanted. Plaxo holds both contact lists, but they aren't merged. It's probably something I did or didn't do, so I'll take another look at that later.

Today the wedding plans are beginning to creep in. I'll be on-line most of the day, but tomorrow, my hours will probably be about 4 and the none on Friday. So if you don't see a post, don't worry. I'll be having fun!

Reaching out

2008-09-16T09:11:00.002-04:00

Yesterday began the somewhat uncomfortable process of calling people I know to inform them of my situation. I've never been real good on the phone and there are often debates at my house some nights when the phone rings over who is going to answer it. But an important part of networking is calling people and making the personal connection. I talked to three people yesterday, some closer friends than others. I probably have the same number to do today.

It's not really hard to sound upbeat right now, because I am. I think as time goes by, it might get a little harder. But generally, I have a story to tell why I'm available and each time I repeat it, I get to pare it down to the essential elements so that it sounds more like those infamous "elevator pitches". From Wikipedia: An elevator pitch (or elevator speech) is an overview of an idea for a product, service, or project. The name reflects the fact that an elevator pitch can be delivered in the time span of an elevator ride (for example, thirty seconds or 100-150 words). This is something I'll need when I go for an interview, so it's good to hone it.

The rest of the day was spent emailing and searching the web. I still have a ways to go before I feel like I'm set up with the job agents I want and I still have a number of web sites to review as resources. So many job sites, so little action.

A surprise happened yesterday when I got a call from a recruiting firm. The woman who called said she had gotten my name from a person who's name I didn't recognize. She had a copy of my resume or at least had seen my LinkedIn profile. When we emailed later in the day, she told me she had gotten my name from her boss at her firm, still a name I didn't recognize. Although I've given my resume out to a number of people, I still like to have some control over where it goes. It's quite possible somebody may have forwarded it. Mostly I'm not concerned, but it is a mystery.

The next few days may see a bit less activity on my part. My daughter's wedding is Saturday, and there are details to deal with this week. Probably no searching on Friday; maybe some on Thursday and tomorrow should be a fairly full day.

The search goes on.

Face(booking) the job market

2008-09-15T08:44:00.002-04:00

Friday was Facebook day. At the urging of Kreblog and others, I finally opened an account. I still have a bit to learn. Chats started popping, messages started flowing, acceptances were coming in. Lots of happenings. I still need to figure out how to turn this into a job seeking tool for my immediate needs. I also don't want to get totally sucked into the vortex of social networking at the expense of job searching, which I can see myself doing because it's a compelling tool.

I spent a good amount of time on Friday researching acronyms (PMI, ITIL, CMMI) that were on a job posting for which I applied. I found that while I have knowledge in these areas, certifications are a way of proving that knowledge which is why I suppose employers ask for these things. I'm willing to get certifications, but I need to be a bit further down the job search road before I want to invest time in those versus time in searching.

I have to remind myself on occasion not to get "job lock". You know what it is: when you see that job that you'd be perfect for at the perfect company paying good money, you fixate on getting that job and the general search or progress you've made on other jobs takes a back seat. It usually happens when you get the first interest from the employer, but as I researched the certifications, I realized that although I was gaining general knowledge, it may or may not help me for other jobs I might be considering.

Another significant activity on Friday was finding my old cover letter file. What I've done in the past is save paragraphs that I might put into a cover letter so that I can cut and paste some of what I need. For example, if a job posting asks for good communication skills, I have a paragraph that lists a specific example where I've demonstrated good communication skills. Of course each paragraph might need to be tuned for the specific circumstances of the job I'm applying for, but it's nice to have a starting place.

I did take the weekend off from job hunting, but not from worrying. With my daughter's wedding a week away and with the construction on the house going over budget, the amount of months we can survive my unemployment keeps going down. I guess I'd better get back to the hunt.

Working at getting work

2008-09-12T08:35:00.003-04:00

Ahh, the enthusiasm of the first few days of unemployment. You are motivated, you are excited by the prospects and you have yet to deal with rejection. I remember these moments well from the last time I was laid off and I also remember the challenges of staying in this frame of mind.

It was a busy day for me yesterday. I spent time reviewing my severance agreement. It all looks good so I'll sign it and get it back to my former employer. I worked on my resume - it was already mostly up to date so with a few tweaks, I was ready to use it. It got sent to a couple of contacts, one of which surfaced when a fellow blogger read my post and indirectly got in touch. Her high tech husband now has a copy. The other contact is a contractor at my former employer who reached out to help.

Which leads me to another topic. I received a wonderful outpouring of support from associates at my former employer. I received many text messages, emails, IM's and phone calls. Most expressed the same shock I felt. All of them expressed their appreciation for my time in their lives and I did the same in return. This separation is tough for me, but it also causes the ones left behind to wonder what happened. It leads to the thought that if it could happen to a guy like me, it could happen to anyone. I've often said that while my former company was a little wacky, the people there are great. That statement has been validated again.

I applied for a job on-line for which I am probably qualified and probably missing an essential certification. I spent some time researching that company and contacted a family member who worked there to see if he could add some juice to the on-line application process. The frustration with the online process is twofold. One, your resume gets uploaded, but then it gets scanned and munged up into tiny boxes. Much of the resume is lost in translation. The second frustration is that there is no capability to add a cover letter. The cover letter is an important part of shaping your experience to their needs. I'm going to try to send one of those through my family member to see if he can get it to the hiring manager.

I spent some time getting my LinkedIn profile up to date. That's in better shape although I think I can still improve it. I also plan on enrolling in Facebook, something my carpool mate Kreblog has been suggesting for months. In a later post I'll probably expound on how electronic networking has changed the job search rules.

Got a lot going on today, too. I received some welcome comments on my resume so I need to work on that a little. Several leads have been sent my way that I need to investigate and respond to. I have yet to subscribe to the job boards (I have an old agent still running on Yahoo that needs review as establishing myself on others). Kreblog sent me some tools to scan the boards and turn the results into RSS feeds:
http://www.indeed.com/
http://www.simplyhired.com/
http://www.jobster.com/
I'll be trying these out.

Busy life for the first few days. Catch you all on Monday.

First Day of the Next Phase

2008-09-11T08:02:00.004-04:00

And so begins the first day of the next phase of my life. Yesterday, I was laid off from my job of almost 7 years. With all things like this, in hindsight there were signs, and then again there weren't. I was aware that the company was considering layoffs; my boss had solicited input on a few people in our organization. And I felt like I was being cut out of meetings by the consultants who were brought in to run the project I had been working on. So, maybe I should have known but I don't generally seek out signs of bad news. I never could quite ask my boss, "might I be affected?" I'm pretty sure he would have lied.

Our company is very sales driven and when the economy goes bad and the sales are down, they basically have one response: roll heads. I had seen it twice in my seven years, and I had arrived on the scene a scant six months after a fairly major layoff. I guess one spot of good news is that I'm on the leading edge of this one so I won't have to watch as others are affected. And, given the generally cheap nature of this organization, they gave me an o.k. (not generous) severance to help me make the transition.

On the bad news side, we were at a stage in our lives where the money was flowing out faster than usual. The combination of a construction project at our house and my daughter's impending wedding has caused us to dip into reserves that might normally have helped us make the transition a bit easier. Timing is everything.

Back to good news. I've been through this before so I know what has to be done. My resume has been kept fairly up to date. I have a number of friends and associates who will help me in any way they can, including my now ex-boss.

Over to the bad news. I'm not getting any younger. The economy is not great right now. My skills are not technology specific in a market that seems to increasingly value specific experience. Prices are going up.

Good news. I don't have to drive 45 miles each way any more. I don't have to cross the stream of traffic from the neighboring high school at 7:15.

Bad news. I'll miss the time I spent with the guys in my carpool. I'll miss the daily association with the people at work whom I've grown to respect and to care about.

Good news. When (not if) I find another job, I'll expand my circle of friends. I'll have some time for home projects, although it will be at the expense of taking time away from job hunting.

Enough of that for a while. It's time to review the severance matierials, update my resume, work on a job search plan and begin linking in to networking and job sites. I'll probably be posting to this site as a way of keeping a few people informed of my search and progress. Stay tuned and carpoolguy becomes jobsearchguy.

Happy Birthday DBZ

2008-06-27T17:20:00.002-04:00

It was fitting that Das Beak Zwei turned 39 (thousand) today, just a scant six miles from the location of the event that brought me to this particular bike. It was almost 7 years ago when I dumped my ST1100 at Exit 2 on Rt 101. That crash has been chronicled (click link), but not the circumstances of the arrival of DBZ.

It wasn’t until the fall after my accident that I began to ride again, and even then, it was just a couple of short jaunts on my “SlightHawk” (a Honda Nighthawk 650, circa 1984). Around springtime of the following year (2002), I began to think about another bike. The insurance company had settled quickly and fairly on the ST11 (thanks Progressive) and the money was sitting in a separate account waiting on my decision. I had lots of help from my buddies who would occasionally find listings on IBMWR and send them along. I began to think seriously about a BMW R11GS – I had ridden one before and enjoyed its tall stature and wide handlebars for easy leverage.

Because of my lack of a capable bike, I did not ride out with my friends that year on a trip down the Blue Ridge Parkway (known now as the “Blue Lips Tour” – I guess VA/NC can get pretty cold in May when you’re at elevation. However, on the way back, the friend who got most of our group onto BMW’s (lets call him BeemerBoy), stopped off to look at one in VA that he had found on IBMWR. He called me up on the cell phone from right next to the bike, put the seller on, and the deal was struck for DBZ. The bike in 2002 was 6 years old with only 16K miles – pretty low miles for a bike that’s meant to ride in all kinds of road conditions. I struck a deal with the seller, with the understanding that it might be a few weeks until it could be picked up.

A few weekends later, I met up with BeemerBoy in NJ. Arriving on a Friday night, we decided to make the trip down and back to VA on Saturday, spoon on a new set of tires (pre-ordered) and send me on my way Sunday. We got up early, jumped into his Taurus SHO, and pulled his trailer down to VA. After loading the bike, we headed back, listening to the music of our youth and recounting riding tales, especially those of recent Blue Lips Tour.

Sunday dawned warm in NJ. After a morning ride to acclimate myself to my new ride, we worked our way north through western portions of NJ. For those of you who have only experienced the NJ turnpike or parkway, it is probably hard to imagine the variety of riding conditions in NW NJ. After dumping me out on I84, we split off and I headed north. All was going pretty well until the rains came.

It would be an understatement to say that it began to rain. It began to monsoon. At first I thought I could take shelter under an overpass, but the first one I came to was so damn high, that there was little shelter from the wind whipped rain. Eventually I got to an exit and I pulled off the highway searching for refuge. I tried to hide under the overpass from the highway exit I had just left, but it was not wide enough to safely park. I rode on until I got to restaurant. I ended up parking next to a loading dock, climbing up and standing under a short roof that protected me from the worst of the downpour. Imagine the surprise of one of the cooks when he opened the door to the dock for a smoke, and saw a man standing there in a vinyl riding suit wearing a helmet.

After a while, the rain lessened from Monsoon to Steady and I decided to take off again. Unfortunately, I had exited at one of those “you can get off the highway here, but you can’t get back on” exits in CT. After riding around and looking for signs, I was soon back on the highway. Eventually the rain cleared and other than road spray, I began to dry out. Unfortunately, as they often do, the violent rainstorms were harbingers of a cold front coming in. By the time I hit MA, my hands, having sweated up inside rubber gloves, were chilling fast. I pulled into a fast food joint just before the MA pike to have a cup of coffee and to warm up. I felt more like pouring the coffee on my hands than drinking it.

After that respite, I moved on. There was one more stop where I stopped at a rest area in MA to dry out my face shield. Unfortunately, the MA Highway Department decided that they didn’t need to stock paper towels in their men’s rooms. After a long session with a blow dryer, I was on the last leg.

The six years since that day have been good ones with DBZ. She still runs great, helped by occasional maintenance from BeemerBoy. She’s been to all coastal states in the East all the way down to a quick touch into South Carolina. She’s been several states deep. She’s been deep into the woods on roads that her owner had no right to ride. She’s been a capable two up tourer. She had a string of over 3 years of being ridden every month. She waited a year while my back recovered from surgery.

Happy 39K Birthday DBZ and many more.

Ice Out 2008

2008-04-17T14:26:00.006-04:00

While we suffer through global warming, we just got out of the second snowiest winter in the history of NH. Perhaps it's been too cold to snow until now?! Anyway, if this blog does nothing else for me, it does serve as the journal for when the ice leaves my pond. Here's ice out* for the last three years:

2005 - April 7
2006 - March 27
2007 - April 15

And this year, official ice out is.....(drumroll).......April 10.

*Ice out is defined as the last day I've seen a chunk of ice on the pond. Light skimcoat refreezings need not apply.

Update April 28: No, there's no more ice. I just wanted to post the Lake Winnepesaukee ice out dates (thanks to Kreblog).

2005 April 20
2006 April 3
2007 April 23
2008 April 23

We're not too far off and yes, 2006 was unusually early for both my pond and the big lake.

Direct link to over 100 years of Lake Winnepesaukee ice outs here.

Seriously

2008-03-21T16:44:00.000-04:00

Is there any reason that local news stations need to hype the wind? I mean, it was practically the same coverage they give a significant snowfall (which is also overhyped). They have a reporter on location near a flag so you can see the wind. If they really want to show the effects of the wind, they should send one of those female or male reporters who have hair that is so sprayed that it looks like it is carved out of wood.

Breaking news – Wind (no pun intended). Story at 11.

Today's sky report

2007-12-04T11:11:00.000-05:00

Hey, if there’s a rainbow when the sun comes out while there’s rain moisture in the air, how come there’s no “snowbow”? I thought of this yesterday as I looked out the window while the sun lit up the clouds and the snow kept falling.

Paradox

2007-10-31T13:56:00.001-04:00

There’s a pair of ducks who have taken up residence in my pond. It’s not the first time and I’m guessing that the pond is a kind of highway motel on their way to whatever winter haven they travel. But the weather has been so unnaturally warm off and on for the past few weeks, that I think they’re just waiting to see which way they should be heading. If they follow the wing of geese that went over yesterday, they’ll head southwest.

Today's sky report

2007-10-10T11:42:00.001-04:00

I wanted so much to like Carpoolers, the new sitcom on ABC Tuesday nights. I mean, I am one. A carpooler. I spend at least 90 minutes a day (most days) with two other guys driving to and from work. We talk about a lot of different things and it’s always amazed me how well we all get along given that our ages are each about 10 years apart (I get to be the old one). A lot of what goes on in our carpool (which will stay in carpool), is thought provoking, funny and mostly entertaining. We’re at our best when we’re inventing things, and you can find a lot of our best ideas in Kreblog’s excellent blog.

First, I have to admit I’ve only seen the first episode. A vacation during the height of premiere weeks has given me a serious case of DVR backlog. But I made it a point to watch the first episode as soon as I could and now I’m thinking I’d have been better off going to bed early. The four characters were broadly drawn, with some classic sitcom personalities (the philandering divorced guy, the p-w family guy, the insecure guy and the young newlywed guy). Done well, these personalities can lead to a successful run. But the Carpoolers all seemed shallow; maybe it’s the fact that it’s only been 22 minutes of TV so far and you can’t reveal much in the way of complexity, but I’m not holding my breath.

I think what disappointed me most was the scenes in the car. While we’ve been known to break out into song together (it’s a little hard because of the age differences – I can’t remember any words to songs written after 1979), we don’t cry. There’s no crying in carpool. And we don’t get real explicit about our certain parts of our private lives (who’s on top? Ewwww!). It also seems weird to me that these guys all work at different places and that there is special parking for carpoolers. That must be a California thing. Here in the east, we all work together and we park with the masses. It would be way cool, however, if the FE Everett turnpike would install a carpool lane. We’d be pretty lonely, but we’d shoot through.

What does work for me is the funny scenes of other carpoolers. Old carpoolers not moving with their blinker on. Rich carpoolers eating sushi. Chuckle. Chuckle. And the kid, Marmaduke, has his comedic moments, or maybe that should be moment. Interviewing on-line without pants. Nice.

I will give Carpoolers a few more rides before I kick them off my DVR list. They’d better develop some more creative plot lines and flesh out some interesting characters. I have read that Rebecca Romijn will be making a guest appearance later in the season. Wouldn’t mind having her in the carpool….

Today's sky report

2007-09-26T09:05:00.001-04:00

Um, wait until next week. The carpool hasn’t left the ABC park and ride yet.

Today's sky report

2007-09-25T17:35:00.000-04:00

Hey. They stole our lives. Watch "Carpoolers" on ABC tonight at 8:30 p.m.

Today's sky report

2007-08-14T11:07:00.001-04:00

Angry weatherman continues: “Hey, why is it so friggin nice today when I have to be inside with all these damn computer models?” Or, “Earthquake and a hurricane in Hawaii? Can’t the weather gods arrange it so they only get one at a time? What the heck!”

Today's sky report

2007-08-13T11:25:00.001-04:00

Scattered showers today, like the thoughts in my brain. One thought I’m beginning to coalesce - we need angry weatherpeople. As in, “I can’t believe it’s going to rain today. What the heck? Haven’t we had enough rain?” Or, “You know, if the temperatures are going down, somebody better ante up for my heating bill.”

Today's sky report

2007-04-23T16:06:00.001-04:00

I realize I’ve been kind of a non-blogger for quite a while, but I didn’t want to let April 15 get too far behind me before I declared it the official “ice out” day for 2007. Yes, the ice on the pond is finally gone for good. We had a lot of melting the week before April 15, but at night, the ice was reforming. Finally, one morning, it wasn’t there, but a mallard duck was. So that was ice out. Unfortunately, ice out was followed by water in. We had worse flooding than last year’s Mother’s Day floods. This time the water completely covered the basement floor and was 3 inches deep in some places (yes, I used a ruler to measure). The only good news is that I was more prepared this time with my own surface sump and almost everything up off the floor. Two 100 year floods in two years. Hmmm, how long does that mean I’m covered for?

Today's sky report

2007-03-12T14:38:00.001-04:00

With the hysteria dead from the Daylight Savings Time change, the real takeaway is how the sky changed during the morning dog walk. I went from being able to actually see sun, to seeing the beginning of sunrise. Today, strawberry sky with blueberry clouds. Not unlike the fruit on my cereal.

Today's sky report

2007-02-12T16:08:00.000-05:00

I’m sure I’m not the first to observe this, but email is like a never-ending snowfall. If you don’t keep shoveling it into the “deleted” folder, it will bury you. And if get behind, you’re forced to use the electronic equivalent of a snow blower….the “delete all” button.

Today's sky report

2007-01-16T09:16:00.001-05:00

The birches bowed to the ground under the weight of yesterday’s ice. As the wind began to blow, the clicking of the tree branches sounded like hundreds of broken wind chimes. The crunch of the frozen ground underfoot drowned out all other noise. Winter has arrived.

Today's sky report

2007-01-11T09:39:00.000-05:00

The ice is on the pond, again. Maybe this time it will last. This sure has been a weird winter so far. Riding my motorcycle in 70 degree weather in January doesn't just seem wrong, it is wrong. Wrong, but enjoyable.

Today's sky report

2006-12-28T08:44:00.000-05:00

Had a little spare time and decided to convert my blog to the new blogspot look. Hope you like it. By the way, the pond had a skim coat of ice again. We'll see what's going on tonite after the temperatures hit 40 today.

Today's sky report

2006-12-27T16:28:00.000-05:00

Earlier this year, I was going to write something about how the pond at my house had frozen. I didn’t get a chance and by the time I did, the pond was no longer frozen. Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen it start to freeze (skim coat of ice) and then thaw at least six or eight times. I’m not sure about this global warming stuff, but all I know is that I can usually walk on the pond by now. On the other hand, if the polar ice cap melts, I’m not thinking that the pond will rise.

The snow blower sits lonely in the garage waiting for the flakes to accumulate…. It’s December, right?

Today's sky report

2006-12-21T11:17:00.000-05:00

It’s a darn shame that New Hamshire Blogging found my site. Not because I’m afraid of recognition or that someone is actually reading my blog, but because she makes me feel guilty for not blogging more over the last few months. Thank you for the kind review, NHB (read it here). While a lot of us write for ourselves or a small audience, it always feels good to know you are noticed.

Today's Sky Report

2006-12-11T12:26:00.000-05:00

Fantastic news. Kreblog is now a recognized blogger in the annals of NH Blogging (http://nh-blogs.blogspot.com/2006/12/kreblog.html). I’m now prouder than ever to sponsor his link!

Today's sky report

2006-11-13T10:54:00.000-05:00

I'm still here. I'm out of the blogging habit but I'm still here. I often think of posting, but it's usually when the keyboard is not under my fingers. More later, maybe.

Today's sky report

2006-10-05T13:40:00.000-04:00

It was guitar frenzy at the Boston Garden last night as Eric Clapton and his axe-wielding sidemen attacked a bunch of classic tunes. Particularly noteworthy were the treatments of Got To Get Better In A Little While, Little Queen Of Spades (which was "Have You Ever Loved a Woman" with different words) and the encore, "Crossroads". You knew it was going to be a good concert when Robert Cray came out as the opening act. Moving quickly into his blues style, he got the crowd warmed up nicely for Clapton's opening "Pretending". Cray also joined the band for another song or two and was featured on the "Crossroads" encore.

Besides Cray, Clapton had Derek Trucks on slide guitar. Derek, nephew of Allman brothers original Bruce Trucks, now tours with the current Allman Brothers. With Clapton, he reprised the role of Duane Allman on the Derek and the Dominoes songs. The third guitarist, Doyle Bramhall II, played well too, but was mostly overshadowed by the other three.

Before the show started, we were trying to figure out how many songs Eric Clapton had to choose from for his set list. When we figured that he's released or been part of 50 albums (remember Yardbirds, John Mayhall, Derek and the Dominoes, Delaney and Bonnie all count) and you figure a minimum of 10 songs per album, that's at least 500 songs to select from. An Amazon search returns 463 results (albums) for Eric Clapton.

The songs were all extended versions of the originals with the guitarists trading solos as they lengthened the instrumental parts. As they played, the songs flowed seamlessly from one into the next, which I love. I think they are able to sustain the flow because they play the same songs night in and night out. The downside is that Clapton really didn't seem to be enjoying himself. As wonderful as his music is to us fans, maybe it's still a job to him. How about a smile, huh?

Anyway, the Clapton part of the night went on for over two solid hours. We left with a slight ringing in our ears and happy that we had seen the legend, about whom subway graffiti in London used to read: "EC is God".

Today's sky report

2006-10-02T14:24:00.000-04:00

Crisp morning, Simpson sky, fall colors….it doesn't get much better in New England.

Today's sky report

2006-09-21T15:04:00.000-04:00

I see a red door and I want it painted black
No colors anymore I want them to turn black…..
…..I wanna see the sun blotted out from the sky
I wanna see it painted, painted, painted, painted black

With these lyrics, the Rolling Stones opened the second leg of their Bigger Bang tour. Courtesy of some freebee tickets from my employer, I was able to attend the event at Gillette Stadium. I was initially not that excited, expecting to see a bunch of guys rolling around the stage on wheel chairs lip-synching their music. How wrong I was. From the enormous colorful set to the brilliance of the ever-changing lights to the quality of the sound to the spectacular fire and fireworks finish, it was an "A" quality experience. As they played, you kept remembering how much you liked each song and as the playlist accumulated, you began to realize just how many hits these old guys have had. We were at the far end of the stadium, so Mick looked about one inch tall, but you can tell he went to the big stage school of showmanship. As he ran from one side of the stage to the other, he swung his hands in wide arcs so even the highest seats could see him. His outfits were brightly colored and visible from afar. They tried really hard to help the distant seats feel involved. At one point, a section of the stage broke away with the old guys aboard and rolled down a catwalk to the center of the stadium. Even us guys in the (so called) cheap seats got a decent view of the band for a couple of songs. They played for two solid hours with only one or two newer songs included. Their last song and encore were well orchestrated to keep the fans on their feet and feeling good as they left.

Eric Clapton at the Boston Garden in two weeks. Let's see the old guitar players fare against the old guys we just saw.

Today's Sky Report

2006-09-08T09:48:00.000-04:00

Willie is back! Over the years that we have been carpooling, we have occasionally run across a small red car (Dodge Colt?) with the designation "Alpha Courier" printed all over it. When we look inside, we notice an old guy with a weather-worn face and long hair. He is always wearing the same green cap and staring straight ahead. We nicknamed him Willie after Willie Nelson, the man we think he most resembles. Willie is always in the right lane and always going about 5 mph under the speed limit.

It has been months since we've seen Willie, and we were beginning to worry. Just like the perils of the real Willie Nelson, we thought something might have happened to him. Once or twice we've seen an Alpha Courier car, but never with Willie at the controls. Well, yesterday our worries were allayed when we cruised past Willie again. Movin' slow, ridin' low. Willie is back.

Today's sky report

2006-07-28T14:38:00.000-04:00

Today's sky report should be more appropriately labeled, "Today's Pavement Report", for it was 5 years ago today that I crashed my motorcycle. It was a bike I had grown to love, a 1996 Honda ST1100. The ST stood for sport tourer, although I rebadged it "Sport Tank". While bigger and heaver than any bike that has a right be called a sport bike, it none-the-less could carve a corner far faster than my abilities would allow. And it would happily tour all day, having taken me on a couple of long and fast trips to Canada.

I wish I could say there was weather to blame for my crash, but it was a beautiful, fairly cool and dry Friday in late July. I was unemployed and decided to do a little "networking" with a former co-worker in ManchVegas. I'm thankful that it was somewhat cool, as I was wearing my leather jacket. I will never ride without my helmet, but on the hottest days, I will shed the leather (or what I wear now, my Aerostitch riding suit). As I was riding east, my low fuel light came on shortly after Exit 5. On Rt 101, there are no gas stations at exit 4 and nothing right at exit 3, either. I knew there was one being built at Exit 2, but I wasn't sure if it was open yet. On several previous trips past that exit, it appeared as if the gas station was nearing completions, so I decided to exit the highway to investigate.

I hit the exit ramp, carrying a good deal of highway speed. There was no cloverleaf and the exit ran off at an angle from the highway. I was being very attentive to the condition of the gas station. I was not being very attentive to the road. In order to make the angled exit square up to an intersection at the end of the exit ramp, it took a bend to the left. As I looked back at the road from my investigation, I realized I probably wasn't going to make that bend. In a classic motorcycling mistake, I clamped hard on the brakes and leaned (left). The wheels locked up, which took away any steering ability I might have otherwise had, and the bike washed out to the left, in this case a "low side".

To this day, I still have a mental image of parts of the accident. I remember hitting my shoulder. I remember thinking "oh shit". I remember the bike sliding away from me. I remember "watching" the bike hit the curb and I remember parts flying in the air. I don't remember hitting the curb. I remember coming to rest on the shoulder of the road. I was quickly on my knees while I pulled off my helmet and tossed my sunglasses to the side in anger. I tried to stand up and thought, "I'd better take another couple of minutes on my knees". I finally got up and went over to the bike which had found it's way back over to the side of the road; I think the curb had flipped it up and it rolled from the shoulder area forward to the road. I tried to pick it up by my left arm wasn't cooperating. Another biker was coming along the street under the highway and he stopped to help. We got the bike up, but I still wasn't very much help. After that, I began to realize that maybe I had hurt myself. Another car came along, and eventually a police cruiser. For some reason, they all kept telling me to sit down.

Soon it was "yahoo holiday" in Candia. Someone had called 911 and every (both) emergency vehicle in town showed up. I was able to get the cell phone from my bike and call my lunch appointment, telling him that I wasn't going to make it because I had had an accident with my bike. I then called my wife and told her she might want to join me at Exit 2 since my bike wasn't drivable. When she showed up, she was immediately freaked out because there were two ambulances on the scene (one couldn't do transport), a couple of police cars and a few volunteer vehicles with light racks.

She followed me to the hospital. Whiling away the hours in the emergency room, I got the preliminary diagnosis of a broken collarbone, but they needed to take some x-rays to confirm. Unfortunately, a female Godzilla was manning the x-ray machine that day. While trying to place me "just so" under the machine, she was pulling and pushing me around. I was swearing and then apologizing for swearing and then swearing some more. As she looked at the results, she said, "I think I see a cracked rib, but they didn't authorize me to take any more pictures". I pretty sure I was glad she was done with me.

Back in the ER, an angel of mercy finally found me and asked if I had gotten any pain medications. I said no but I wouldn't mind getting some. She brought morphine, which was kind of interesting. I hurt, I knew I hurt, but I didn't care. And it was a good thing I didn't care, because when they came back and said they needed another x-ray of the broken rib, I might have hit someone. As it turns out, they decided I could use the stand up chest x-ray machine. Much to my delight and surprise, the x-ray technician for that machine was the complete opposite of Godzilla. Not only did she show concern every time my face flinched in pain, she had the face of an angel.

For all that fun, diagnosis and medicine, there's nothing you can really do for a broken rib or collar-bone. Today, I have a jagged left shoulder but there's no pain or limitation of movement. It serves as a reminder of my accident. A reminder that helps me remember that my own stupidity and inattention create a higher likelihood of an accident than any other situation I'll encounter while riding.

Today's sky report

2006-07-13T13:18:00.000-04:00

Orange and black skies dominate today's report.

Orange: A week ago, I was reading in bed when I heard the sounds of a woman screaming next door. I soon realized that she was screaming because her house was on fire. I called 911 and learned that the fire had been called in and trucks were on their way. I quickly dressed and headed out the door - by the time I got to her driveway (the woods between our houses are so thick and in a swampy area that you can't walk through, especially in the dark), a policeman was there and said that everyone had gotten out. It was still 5 more minutes until the fire trucks arrived. At this point, the house was "fully involved" and flames and sparks were shooting up in the air. We stayed on our yard, watching the glow and the sparks through and over the trees. There were about 10 different towns that responded, and because we were out of reach of any fire hydrants, the trucks lined up 8 deep bringing water to the scene. We were out there for hours, talking to all the different neighbors and watching the horror of it all. Unfortunately, the house was a total loss.

Black: Tuesday, as related by my wife, the skies turned black and wind began to blow. The weather was scary enough, but then the hail came. Her car now looks like somebody had a nutty with a ball-peen hammer. There are a couple of hundred dents on all the surfaces of the car. The windshield is cracked as is a lot of the turn signal plastic. The sunroof held so there was no inside water damage. Unfortunately, the car was a total loss.

Today's sky report

2006-06-13T15:25:00.000-04:00

Somedays the clouds are a ceiling, flat and one-dimensional, sometimes gray and sometimes white. On other days, like today, the sky is filled with three dimensional objects, like big fluffy white ships sailing silently by.

Today's sky report

2006-06-12T10:38:00.000-04:00

Nice to see the return of the gorgeous golden orb today. Many of you got a nice day yesterday, but I was north of Franconia Notch all yesterday where the sun don't shine, so to speak. It was 47 degrees and rainy as we passed through the notch. The weather in Bethlehem where we spent most of the day was cloudy, drizzly and in the 50's. Nice day for an outdoor wedding.

Today's sky report

2006-05-31T14:41:00.000-04:00

On the way home from work yesterday, I was riding my 1996 BMW R1100 GS (a.k.a. Das Beak Zwei) when I noticed the odometer reading 36,600. My mind rolled back to when I first bought the bike a little more than 4 years ago when the odometer read 16,600. There were a few events leading up to the purchase.

The year 2001 had some good and a lot of bad to it. The biggest bad was 9/11, and all that followed. On a more personal level, the bad also included me losing my job two days after we closed on a new house in a town we didn't know. An even worse bad was crashing my beloved 1991 Honda ST1100, a.k.a Sport Tank. In addition to the broken collar bone and rib, I no longer had my main ride. She was a beautiful bike, Honda red and always ready to go. I had owned her since 1996 and we had covered many thousands of miles together, including a couple of trips to Canada with a hooligan gang of sport bike riders.

A healing period followed the crash, both in body and riding spirit. I still had my old stand-by, the Slighthawk - a 1984 Honda Nighthawk 650. My goal was to get back on the bike by the time snow fell, which I did. The Slighthawk was a fine bike - I bought it new and had many experiences, including those of the learning kind. [Quick side trip: I once rode the bike to a baseball practice I was coaching. For some reason, my son wasn't there so it was just cool Mr. Carpoolguy on the bike. As I was getting ready to pull away, by now no doubt the coolest coach the kids had ever seen, I hit the throttle. Forgetting that grass doesn't have the same adhesion qualities as asphalt, the rear wheel spun, the bike went sideways and fell down. "Hey, cool Mr. Carpoolguy, how come your motorcycle is lying down?"]. I put some miles on it every year, from 4000 the first year to 1000 in later years. The Slighthawk wasn't the kind of bike of bike you could take on long journeys. There was no protection from the wind, no luggage capabilities. When I bought Sport Tank, the Slighthawk became the one you would ride downtown. It also became my son's bike when he was ready to ride. But he moved on and the Slighthawk sat in the garage, rarely used until it was resurrected as my "get back to biking" bike.

By early spring 2002, I was ready again for a bigger bike and the adventures that can be found on the highways and back roads. One of my closest friends had a BMW R1100 GS (Das Beak) that he let me ride a couple of times. I was immediately fascinated by it. It had a quirky nature and exposed machinery in stark contrast to the always smooth and Tupperware covered Sport Tank. And it was a very capable sport tourer. My friend had ridden his from Colorado to NH and back one summer. I was ready for the world of quirky twins instead of smooth fours. Sealing the deal, my other closest friend was a capable mechanic who happened to own, love and advocate BMW's to anyone who will listen.

A little while before departing on a trip down the Blue Ridge Parkway in May, my mechanic friend sent me a listing for a 1996 GS in Virginia. He said they'd stop by the guy's house on the way home and check out the bike for me. So I wasn't too surprised when I got the call one afternoon. He was looking at the bike and giving me the rundown of what was good and what wasn't. He put the owner on the phone, we reached a price and the deal was on.

For many years, Fathers Day weekend has been about motorcycles. Going way back, my buddies and I would attend the AMA races held at the old Bryar Motorsports Park in Loudon. The broken down bleacher in Turn 2 was our hallowed ground. There's nothing like the thrum of a twin or the scream of a two stroke and the smell of Castrol burning just a few feet away when the bikes blew by. We'd go up in bikes or cars depending upon who was there and what kind of rides we could martial up for the event. Eventually, Bryar became NHIS, you were distanced from the track, the AMA riders became too afraid of crashing and we stopped attending. But Father's Day still involved biking with my friend and Fathers Day, 2002 was pickup day for Das Beak Zwei. I got a ride to NJ, met my mechanic friend and we set off early in the morning for VA, with the intent of a down and back in one day. We arrived, the bike was as advertised, we loaded up and headed back. The bike had to be a trailer queen for my first trip with it due to tires that weren't safe for riding.

After I helped my mechanic friend with an oil change and new tires, Das Beak Zwei was ready to roll. The first trip was a run around central west NJ. It was a chance to break in the new tires and to learn about the bike before the trip home to NH. The odometer read 16,600.

Today's sky report

2006-04-25T10:02:00.000-04:00

Morning fog rose from the swamp
Like smoke from a sodden blaze
Sunlight glistened off growing grass
Heralding a brand new day

Two geese honked across the sky
Winging to lakes unknown
I instead drove the highway to work
Wishing I too could roam

Today's sky report - in deep

2006-04-20T10:55:00.000-04:00

Salvation in the form of a dry spot to turn around was just a few yards away. Between me and salvation were yards of mudded ruts and a puddle of indeterminate depth. There was no choice but to keep going forward….

Yesterday was a beautiful spring NH day. I was riding my BMW R1100GS home from work and after leaving the highway, I decided to take a trail through the woods. For those of you unfamiliar with a BMW GS, think of them as the SUV's of motorcycles. They are excellent road machines and can chew up the highway miles as well as swiftly cut a line through a snake-like rural road. Additionally, with their upswept pipes, skid guards and high fenders, they can serve as off road bikes. And like an SUV, your off road capabilities depend more upon your tires and your driving (riding) abilities than the car (bike) itself. Unfortunately, I'm not a highly experienced off road rider and I had street tires on the bike.

Across from my exit on Route 101 (Exit 8 heading east) is a road that starts with about 50 feet of pavement and a couple hundred yards of a nicely built dirt road. At the end of the dirt road, there's a turnaround. Off the turnaround is a double track dirt trail through the woods. As I came to the turnaround, I looked down the trail. It looked fairly dry down the middle, although some sections of the tire tracks looked a bit muddy. I decided to give it a try. The bike started off fine, rolling well down the middle. A few hundred yards in, I began to notice that there was standing water to the sides of the road and the middle of the trail began to get muddy. Basically, I was in a swamp. The bike started to slide a bit, generally going forward but not real well. I came upon a branch across the road, and I was forced into the tire track to get by it. I rolled over it and stopped. Ahead of me was the puddle. I made a brief attempt at turning around where I was, but I was too deep into the muddy rut and there wasn't enough shoulder between the rut and the standing water to make a successful turn. There was only one choice - to keep moving forward.

The thing about puddles is that you never know how deep they are. I couldn't imagine this one would be real deep because it wasn't more than 10 feet wide. The road rose up on the other side and actually flattened out to a dry spot, so I knew if I could get through the puddle, I had a spot to turn. Going beyond the dry spot wasn't an option; the road after the dry spot was submerged because the water in the swamp on either side converged into a lake. So, I clicked it into gear and went forward. When the bike began to bog down a bit, I added power and pulled through the mud and water. I made it to the other side with only one thought…I had to go back through it get out of there.

Fortunately the dry spot was truly dry. I was able to k-turn the bike with relative ease to face the puddle one more time. Once again, I added power and began to blast. Unfortunately, after pulling through the puddle, I ended up in one of the muddy ruts. Once you're in a rut, it's tough to get out unless the rut begins to level with the center point of the road. So, keeping with the theory of adding power, I kept the bike rolling until I was out of the woods. Some slipping, some sliding, but never down and never stopped. When I got out, I looked down at the bike. Mud caked the wheels, engine and fenders. The messenger bag I had strapped to the back seat was coated. My boots and riding suit were caked up from the ground to just below the knees. It took me an hour to clean the bike, my boots and the riding suit off with the high pressure from my hose. It took another hour to clean up the messenger bag and the rest of the suit.

I suppose there's a lesson in here somewhere. Like, "use the right tool (bike) for the job." Or "don't go into blind alleys". Or "more power solves all problems". I probably won't actually learn the lessons - I did get out and I have done similar things before. What I did learn is that even though the bike isn't made for the situation I put it in, it refused to let me down. I should probably change its oil as a thank you.

Today's sky report

2006-04-17T11:02:00.000-04:00

In the carpool, there are certain bands that send our fingers to the radio dial, searching for relief. I have previously written about these, calling them Fallujah bands: http://carpoolguy.blogspot.com/2005_01_01_carpoolguy_archive.html. One of these is Pearl Jam. One of them is NOT U2. This Saturday, Pearl Jam was on Saturday Night Live (yes, I still watch that show even when it's mediocre - you keep thinking maybe there will be that one break out skit that crumbles you with laughter - sometimes it happens but I'm usually asleep) and it got me thinking. Why do we like U2 and despise Pearl Jam? Both bands rock pretty hard. Both bands emphasize multiple guitars with a good beat. Both bands have unique lead singers. Both bands have albums that define an era, albeit different ones (U2: Joshua Tree and Pearl Jam: 10). Both bands have relatively new songs that sound similar with their strong driving beats and agonized vocals (U2: "Vertigo" and Pearl Jam: "World Wide Suicide"). So why is the reflex still to reach for the volume for U2 and the presets for Pearl Jam? Maybe it's time to give them another try, at least for the new stuff.

Today's sky report

2006-04-13T13:52:00.000-04:00

Nothing funnier than ninja's. Check out www.askaninja.com. Look for the one on podcasts. It will brighten any day.

Today's sky report

2006-04-10T08:07:00.000-04:00

Cloudrise: I'm in Florida this morning, 15 floors up on the Intercoastal waterway with a beautiful view to the east of the Atlantic ocean. Although I wasn't up to check it out for sure, I'm pretty sure the sunrise was occluded by a bank of clouds. Right now, it's trying to get above those clouds, but in a conspirator fashion, more clouds keep rolling in to stop the sun from showing. Maybe later today, the sun will find a gap and enrich us with its warmth.

Today's sky report

2006-04-03T14:55:00.000-04:00

Isn't a warm early spring weekend a gift? I mean, you know the good weather is coming, and that soon, it will be warmer rather than cooler, but the first warm spring weather still seems like you're getting away with something. It was particularly nice this past Saturday, with the temperatures in the 70's and the sun just beaming. Yardwork is easy because you're not fighting the black flies or the mosquitoes. Nobody told them it was spring, yet. However, the peepers in the swamplands out back were awake. In the dusky evening light, they were sounding off at a volume that would make proud the members of Spinal Tap (turn it up to 11, why don't you?).

Today's sky report - ice out

2006-03-28T15:31:00.000-05:00

I missed it. I was out west skiing in Colorado, fighting blizzard like conditions on Sunday and I missed "ice out" on my little pond. There was nothing solid left on the surface when I got home on Monday, March 27th. Last year, ice out happened about a week and a half later: http://carpoolguy.blogspot.com/2005/04/todays-sky-report-ice-out.html.

It still doesn't seem like spring. The trees are just starting to lace up with the buds that let you know you'll soon have shade. The big decision for the coming weekend is whether or not to take the snow tires off the cars. There's always a chance of snow, even into April. If I take them off, we're guaranteed at least a 6 inch snow event. I'll probably leave them on…..

Today's sky report

2006-03-15T11:36:00.000-05:00

You know how in those movies like Independence Day and War of the Worlds there are always these large spaceships hovering over the earth? With the wind this morning, the clouds were moving like a whole convoy of alien spacecraft across the sky. Duck and run for cover.

Today's ride report

2006-03-13T11:52:00.000-05:00

When the forecast for a Saturday in March says sunny and in the 50's, you have no choice but to get out on your motorcycle. Fortunately, my friend had called me up during the week and told me he could use some help on his lake house in Nelson, NH. Good excuse for a ride.

I headed west from Exeter around 9 a.m. Although the thermometers were reading around 50, when you're booking 65+ mph on the big highway, the breeze saps your body heat bit by bit until 50 doesn't feel so warm. Traffic was surprisingly heavy for a Saturday morning, and the strong winds made the ride challenging. Inevitably, as you passed a truck or car, a gust of wind would push you towards the car and the surprised look on the drivers face as he/she noticed the biker coming sideways towards them. The ride goes by fairly fast until you get to Bedford. That's because the road narrows to one lane each way and traffic lights take hold. The good news is that the blast of 50 degree air slows down so you body begins to reheat a bit.

As I rode west from Bedford, I began to notice more and more snow on the sides of the road. Apparently winter ends earlier at the coast. By the time I hit the top of Temple mountain, it felt quite cold, even though the bank thermometer in Peterborough read 52 degrees (drenched in sunshine and not traveling 65 mph).

Nelson is a small town (population about 600) whose greatest feature is Lake Nubanusit. The lake is also in Hancock, a quaint NH town also in the middle of nowhere. These towns lie a bit north of the great connector, Rt 101. For Nelson, heading west on 101, you get off in Dublin, the town with the ridiculously low speed limit and home of Yankee Publishing (Farmer's Almanac), and head into Harrisville. On the way from Harrisville to Dublin, you begin to appreciate good highway construction, mainly because you are no longer riding on one. The frost heaves create dips and bumps, cracks and ridges without regard to patterns or logic. Sometimes you ride fast and stand on the pegs to diminish the jarring. Other times you ride more slowly, trying futilely to avoid the worst of the bumps. No such luck.

The key question when you ride into Harrisville after being away for a few months, is "will the Harrisville General Store be open or out of business?" The store has had a few incarnations, most recently as a coffee/sandwich shop with a minimum of groceries and a fine wine selection. Last fall, on a ride to the area, it was open and populated by locals. This Saturday, when a cup of coffee would have warmed my insides, it was out of business. No signs to say opening soon or sorry we can't make money in the out of the way location.

After skirting by Harrisville Pond, you come to the road to the lake. The first few hundred feed are paved, or what passes for paved in frost heave season. After that, there are a couple of miles of dirt. In the summer, these roads are wonderful. They keep them flat and hard, with just enough gravel on the surface to induce a bit of drift at the right speeds (that would be in a car - bike drifting is for the truly adventurous or the Supermoto racers). In the winter, the frozen dirt works fine for plowing and driving. Not so much in the spring. The base was still hardpacked and solid, or at least you thought so. The problem was that there was a greasy layer of melted mud on top of the hardpack. Navigating this mess required intense concentration. You continuously looked for the line that was the flattest, but you needed to stay away from ruts. And nothing sudden, or you'll be wiping large brown patches off your black and red riding suit. No sudden braking, no sudden acceleration, no sudden turning moves. Keep it in a high gear and coast along.

Good fortune was on my side, and I made it into and later, out of the camp without incident. I briefly eyed the frozen lake, thinking that it might be safer to ride across that rather than exit on the not so frozen mud, but visions of sinking motorcycles filled my head and I decided otherwise.

The ride home was a bit warmer, and once I got off the mud and the frost heaves, mostly uneventful. I did notice that the fork seal on my left fork had blown and I was oozing oil down the tube, no doubt from the pounding of the bumpy roads. Something for the mechanic to make some money on, I guess.
After I got home, I parked the bike and pulled out the bucket and hose. A pile of dirt on my driveway gave evidence to the trip I had taken. The dirt will wash away, but not my memory of a nice day on the bike - 164 miles.

Today's sky report

2006-03-06T16:59:00.000-05:00

Today's sky dawned red, as in Red Sky. Several months ago, I sat through a conversation with Kreblog, Granite and some other bloggers about the cold war era movie, "Red Dawn". Most of what I got out of the conversation was that if you go into the mountains to fight the Russians, you need to yell, "wolverines" when you kill one, or something like that. So I needed to see this flick but until this past weekend, I hadn't noticed that it was playing on any of my channels. I'm not currently hooked into Netflix and nobody actually gets in the car to go to the video store anymore, do they? But this Sunday night, I saw that it was playing opposite the Oscars. Sweet relief.

The movie has several logical holes in it, but you look past those (as you do in any good movie) so you can enjoy the plot and the characters. There were parts of it that seemed a bit contrived, and some of it just didn't make sense, but I did enjoy it. Especially when they yelled "wolverines". I'm now in the Red Dawn club, at last.

Today's sky report

2006-02-20T19:40:00.000-05:00

Heard on TV tonite: “Lease an all new Saturn Vue for only $189 per month. Residency restrictions apply.” What is that? You gotta live in this car to buy it?

Today's sky report

2006-02-14T12:00:00.000-05:00

Driving home last night around 9:00 p.m., I worked out the following haiku:

Bright moon light reflects
On freshly fallen white snow
Drive without headlights

I left them on until I got on my street, but it is fun driving without them.

Today's sky report

2006-02-10T16:41:00.000-05:00

It must have been the intense concentration that comes from listening to British accents. There was some undulating static on the generously provided (by Kreblog) podcast of the Ricky Gervais show for the carpool this morning. Oddly, the static seemed to ebb and flow with the striated shadows caused by the low sun coming through the trees on the highway. Fffft, ffft, ffft, ssss, ffft, ssss, ffffffffft....

Today's sky report

2006-02-07T12:52:00.000-05:00

Today's rising sun revealed a tilted cloud formation. It appeared as if a table had lost a leg and a big orange ball was rolling off. Later, we saw a cloud that looked like it was leaking; a meandering tail hung below the puffy whiteness.

Even the WMUR news pixie is getting into the act. At 6:30 a.m., with the WMUR Hampton camera pointing seaward, a beautiful sunrise came on the screen. The news pixie exclaimed, "Look at that gorgeous sunrise. I just love a pretty sky." Amen, pixie, amen.

Today's sky report

2006-01-28T16:51:00.000-05:00

Actually, this is yesterday’s sky report. On the commute in to work, we were crossing the Everett Turnpike before we cloverleafed on, and Kreblog said, “Manchester better look out – there’s a comet heading its way. “ Sure enough, there was a long fairly thin cloud with a dark, rounded face that looked a lot like a comet. I had never really seen a cloud like that before, so driving took a backseat while I craned my neck to see. The only thing the comet was missing was a leering face which would have let the ManchVegas residents know how it felt about taking out the city.

And in another cloud laded coincidence, later that day, I was driving south (on the Everett, again) when I saw a perfect herringbone cloud. Now seeing herringbone clouds isn’t so amazing, but this one was actually in the shape of a fish, as if a dead fish had been sent skyward and left to die. Maybe the fish was taken out by the comet.

Today's sky report

2006-01-23T13:19:00.000-05:00

As I was driving west from NY into NJ on Saturday evening, the phrase "cloud stained sunset" came to my head. As in, "an orange light glowed from the cloud stained sunset". I'm not exactly sure where in the trip I was, or what I was looking at, because after the phrase popped, I was determined to remember it. I said it out loud a couple of times and kept thinking about it, because I liked how it sounded and the mental images it could evoke. These days, it takes a really concentrated effort to remember things - I can't just assume that things I see or think will be retrievable later on. Fortunately, it came back to me the next day, and I was able to roll it off my tongue a few more times until I was pretty sure I would remember it. I began trying to use it in a sentence, one that could start a story or a blog post. Of course, I cannot remember any of those sentences today, but I'm sure I could make one up again if I needed to…."He rode into the cloud stained sunset, his new life just beginning." After I thought about the phrase for a while, I wondered if I had actually created it or whether I had just read it somewhere. Fortunately, a Google search only found one reference and it was in an article from 2000 copy of Southern Living. Pretty sure I didn't read that. Cloud stained sunset. Rock band name, anyone?