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CMM February 13th, 2009

Valentine’s Day… A commercial holiday that is the hay day for card, chocolate, flower, fragrance, and lingerie companies every where. But what is Valentine’s Day, really?

This holiday started as a pagan celebration of sexuality and fertility. Early festivities were less romantic and more physical (if you catch my drift). Thanks to some careful branding by the early Catholic church, attention was switched from worshiping a pagan god to celebrating the life of Valentine, a medieval priest that was beheaded by the barbarian turned Roman emperor Claudius II. Claudius II had Valentine beheaded because he was providing wedding ceremonies outside the constraints (and taxes) of an overbearing Roman government.

Today, Valentine’s Day is a designated day of commercial romance. We all know the drill… I don’t normally “celebrate” Valentine’s Day, since I think it is a little hoaky and silly. This year, I’m making an exception because I needed an excuse to shower someone with a little special attention.

The Creative Girl is my valentine, and I’m taking her to dinner and the movie of her choice (“He’s Just Not That Into You”) this evening. We’ve had a pretty full week, so it will be very nice to have a few hours dedicated to each other. In return, she’s taking me to the UT/Vandy basketball game tomorrow afternoon. I’m still not sure Valentine’s Day is going to make my list on an annual basis… but this one is looking pretty good– dinner, movies, and a basketball game. This is shaping up to be a good weekend, so I may even drop my usual sarcasm for this holiday. Maybe.

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CMM February 12th, 2009

We recently had a little water fountain chat in the office about what it takes to be an expert. Someone brought up that Malcolm Gladwell in “Outliers” makes the case that it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert in anything. I haven’t read the book, but I have respect for Gladwell and his 10,000 hours comment passes the “feels right” test with me.

When we talk about experts, I think there are very few on the planet collectively. Naturally, that means there are few experts in any given topic. I think some areas have more experts than others, given the economics of the topic, but generally most “experts” aren’t real experts. Their practitioners passing themselves off as experts through opinion, a PR campaign, etc.

I love guitar and guitar players. I live in a state that is home to a number of guitar companies and my dog is named after one of them (Gibson). I’ve learned the basics of guitar, and I enjoy picking around… but I’m not even good enough to qualify as an amateur. My brother, on the other hand, plays the guitar, piano, drums, etc. He is no expert, but he has the natural talent and skill to become one if he wanted and had the discipline. That is the difference between us in the guitar playing arena… I have passion, but he has passion + skill.

To take it one more step, Stevie Ray Vaughn is a phenom on guitar. Arguably, he is one of the best ever. Before he passed away, I think we can claim that he had become an expert at guitar. How did he get there? When you watch him play, you know he loved it… so there is the passion. He does things that are amazing, both technical and innovative playing… so there is the skill. And I once heard a story about how he played so much that they had to super glue the calluses back on the tips of his fingers… so there is the commitment. Want more proof of commitment, just look at his guitar (Lenny)…

Passion + Skill + Commitment = Expertise

The question I want answered– will I ever be as good at something at SRV was at playing the guitar? Watch the video below… He was really amazing.

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CMM June 6th, 2008

Personal post. I don’t think you’ll find anything business oriented in this writing.

This weekend gives me the opportunity to participate in the wedding of a close friend. This is kind of a special wedding for a couple of reasons. First, this friend is someone that I met a few years back when we both worked in Washington, DC for LeadAmerica. Almost from the start our mutual interests tied us together… baseball, country music, and the outdoors. Regardless of the distance, we remained very close friends and our paths have found a way of crossing from time to time. When he called me around 16 months ago at around 1am and informed me that he had bought a wedding ring, I was both excited and astonished. This was, after all, one of the friends that I expected to hold Fort Bachelor until the very last possible moments. After years of patience by his girlfriend (and some careful coaching by his father), he accepted that he was ready to take his relationship to the next level. The second reason this is a special wedding is because it is located in middle-of-nowhere Iowa. Getting here required two flights, a shuttle, and a four hour car ride.

So here I am, sitting in a deli in downtown Milwaukee enjoying a cup of coffee and free wifi. Across the street, another old friend is wrapping up his day as an associate in a law office. Once he gets off work, we’re loading up and driving four hours to the middle-of-nowhere Iowa to our friend’s wedding. It will be a fantastic weekend, and I am very glad I was able to make the trip.

My trip up was a little adventure, with an exceptionally long flight. It allowed me to finish the book I was reading– The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. I’m not gonna lie, I had to fight back tears a couple of times. I moved on to Little Green Men by Chris Buckley, my favorite modern political satirist. I also managed to tear through the Wall St. Journal, which had a very interesting but brief comparison of John McCain and Barack Obama. Lastly, Knoxville received mention in national news twice. First, it was the subject of a New York Times travel article on the wonders of Knoxville. We even got a new nickname– The Couch. Second, one of our local companies, Goody’s, is rumored to be filing for Chapter 11. Now to be clear, Chapter 11 is not lock the doors and liquidate the assets; it is more accurately described as a court assisted reorganization and debt forgiveness. Regardless, I hope it isn’t too upsetting to the many locals that report to work at the headquarters in West Knoxville or the many stores across the nation.

Lastly, I left The Girl in Knoxville with our new dog, Gibson the Beagle (named after the guitar company). So far, getting him oriented into our situation has been very rewarding and fun. He came from the pound and was taken from an abusive situation. Having him with us and showering him with love and care has really helped this shy little boy to develop a personality. He is already recognizing that he is a part of our “pack.” I miss The Girl and The Pup… but I think I’ll be okay for the weekend.

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CMM January 9th, 2008

Well, it has been a few weeks since I’ve posted thanks to the swamp of holidays, moving into a new apartment, getting a new car, and starting a new job. Over the new year so much new has come into my life as a consequence of taking this next step. I’ve jokingly told the girl that she upgraded boyfriends over the past couple of weeks.

Really, the girl has been such an incredible help making this move possible. Not only did she practically pack my apartment, but she also came back early from being with her family to help me move, unpack and organize my new apartment. To top it off, she cooked some awesome meals and made cookies for my first day at my new office. I’m excited about the next couple of months of her life as she wraps up her graduate degree and makes some career decisions. Hopefully I can be as valuable to her.

Also, my parents and family have been very supportive and helpful with making this transition. I’m blessed to have something so strong and wonderful to come from.

So now I’ve taken the next step and settled into an area. I’ve got a great apartment, a good car and an awesome job with a really great team of people. The work is personally rewarding and I’m excited about the opportunities on the horizon.

So, quick recap of three headlines that deserve commentary…

• Iowa Caucus and New Hampshire Primary– Proof that the media and the pundits don’t know their heads from their elbows half the time. Drama-queens and tea-lead readers. Even though I’m a Thompson supporter, McCain gave an awesome speech in New Hampshire last night.
• Writer’s Strike– I don’t really watch enough television to really be affected, but I’m amused by Hollywood getting a taste of its own medicine. It would be nice to have the late night and SNL writers back… And “Heroes”… And “The Office.”
•  Steroids in Baseball– And I thought it 100% natural for 40 year+ men to throw 96 mph split-finger fastballs and people to have arms with a larger circumference than their head…

That’s all I’ve got time for now. With my work, I’m sure I’ll get back to my usual dribble of business and political commentary. Also, with my new Blackberry 8830 I’ll utilize twitter (see side bar) for more routine updates.

PS: Just watched the UT men’s basketball team win against Ole Miss at the buzzer. Go Vols!

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