Utah & Wyoming October 15, 2007
I had occasion last week to be in Salt Lake City on business, and with a couple of hours to spare at the end of one of the days, I took a drive up in to the mountains. This is a shot from the set, of Echo Reservoir - if you click on it, you’ll see the rest of the shots, and you’ll also notice that this is one low on water reservoir!
Great drive up and back down the mountains though.
Or not… September 21, 2007
Change of plans - my trip to Denmark is at least postponed, if not canceled. Hey ho…
Tags: Denmark Copenhagen Travel
One Week From Today… September 17, 2007
I go to the country this flag represents.
Spending a month in Copenhagen on assignment. Currently doing my research on what I want to see, where I want to eat, and so forth.
Tags: Denmark Copenhagen Travel
Manager Tools Effective Managers Conference, San Antonio September 13, 2007
Subtitle: "What I Did Last Week"
So, last Tuesday I traveled to San Antonio, for the Manager Tools Conference. If you’re not listening to the (free!) weekly podcasts from Mark Horstman and Mike Auzenne - you don’t know what you’re missing. In fact, if you’re not - go check out their "Basics" post here to get ready access to their core casts. Did I mention they were free?
Two days doesn’t sound like much, does it? And yet, that was quite possibly the most useful, focused and well-presented training - in anything, let alone management - that I have ever been to. And I’ve attended a lot of presentations, seminars and training over the years. Here’s the rundown of the conference content:
- Introductions (2 hours, 100+ attendees, outstanding process & technique)
- One on One’s
- Feedback
- Coaching
- Delegation
- Effective Performance Management
- Time Management
- "The Effective Manager’s Week"
… and Q&A. Lots and Lots of Q&A, to the extent that poor Mark had almost lost his voice by the end of Thursday! Seriously - the benefits that those sessions brought to the conference cannot be understated, and the availability of Mark & Mike (not to mention the able assistance of Mike S, Steve and Kate) until late in the day was very much appreciated.
Mark & Mike have six of these conferences planned for next year - across the US, in Europe, and in Australia. I cannot encourage you strongly enough to check out their (award-winning) podcast, their website, and their discussion forums for more information.
(I got to play tourist as well…):
Rolling down the highway July 21, 2007
Amusing myself with a camera on the trip to Georgia and back. Tripping it remotely when I thought I might catch something - not my most successful set of photographs, but it made for a diversion en route.
Change of Direction May 4, 2007
OK, here we go again, but for real this time, honest!
I still have a consultancy business, but it’s “on the side”. I’ve done a couple of things under that banner, and I’ve got a couple more lined up, but while I (really!) liked the freedom and independence, I (really!) didn’t like the marketing aspects of it.
So, it’s secondary.
In light of that, as of next Monday, May 7th, I’m taking on the position of Professional Services Consultant for the iDatix Corporation, based in Clearwater, Florida. iDatix is in business automation, and to quote the website “Our product line consists of over 11 products that have been organically designed and developed with principles of ease of use, seamless integration, and accelerated deployment in mind.” It’s a great opportunity to get back in to an aspect of work that I really enjoy, while working under the auspices of an established company, rather than starting from scratch. I really enjoyed the feeling I got from the folks that I met there so far, and I’m looking forward to a long and enjoyable time there.
In terms of the next ITIL map that I was going to post up here, that’s still in the “to do” pile, partially worked on - it’s not going to be an immediate priority, as I’ll have to come up to speed on iDatix’s product line. It’ll appear in due course, however.
The other thing I see with this opportunity is the ideal time and chance to completely restart my GTD/time-management process; while I’ll still be somewhat welded to my Blackberry and Microsoft Outlook, I’ll be starting out partially paper-based, I think - I remember seeing someone else’s implementation a while back that looks ideal for the type of work I’ll be doing. More on that to follow.
Hearts Go Bumpity-Bumpity… March 7, 2007
Another gap… Apart from setting up a consultancy with a new client, I’ve been taking some medical training, and that included CPR training at the Healthcare Provider level. Passed that with 100% - I’ve got some reminder notes that will end up on here as a MindMap shortly.
Softly, softly… September 15, 2006
Thanks for the comments wishing me luck in the job interview, both here and direct. I appreciate it.
Situation at the moment is that I’m heading back for a second interview next week. It looks promising, and it’s certainly a position that I’m interested in. I’m not going to write about it specifically just yet, for the obvious reasons. I’m currently working on the documents that I want to take with me to the interview, to act as a differentiator between myself and any potential competition.
More news soon, I imagine…
Distinct Lack of Writing… September 5, 2006
I’m still around, but the work I’m doing right now just doesn’t lend itself to being able to write on here as well. I’ve got some (non-technology or management related) training coming up from next week that may lead to some interesting topics and/or photos - we’ll see.
Apart from the work I am doing, I’m also in heavy jobsearch mode, and that isn’t really blog suitable either.
But “I’ll be back”, as the man said.
My “Bug Out Bag” - Hurricane Preparation Time April 27, 2006
I’ve been acquiring supplies over the last couple of weeks in advance of Hurricane Season 2006, the official start date of which is June 1st. The team at Colorado State University are this year predicting 17 named storms, 9 hurricanes, 5 of Category 3 or higher.
I was going to write a much longer post, or series of posts, on risks and responses, and the planning around that, and under what conditions I’d stay put, and under what conditions I’d evacuate, but that could easily lead to some back-and-forward arguing that really wouldn’t be productive - everyone has to make their own decisions, and based on facts at the time that you can’t always plan for.
So, what I thought I’d do instead, is post some pics of the gear that I’ve acquired, and a list of the “72 hour bag” contents. In putting all this together, I decided that:
- when purchasing “gear” (the bags, etc.), I wanted to go with a “system approach”, rather than mix-and-match. This makes for compatibility, expansion if necessary, and also relatively easy replacement if necessary.
- if purchasing “stuff”, aim for things that can be repurposed during or outside of hurricane season.
- caveat: if repurposing /during/ the season, it has to be readily replaceable, not specialised.
(an example of that last one - a jar of instant coffee left aside can be used in a camping/fishing/hunting trip, because it can be easily replaced at almost no notice. An MRE put aside for evacuation shouldn’t be used on that trip, because replacing it /isn’t/ a five-minute job).
Now, everything that’s going to be listed below is just the “worst case scenario, put it on your back and walk out” bag(s) and contents - in addition to it all, I have plenty of water and canned goods, lighting and power solutions, and so forth, at my apartment. You can also be assured that all my plans lead to me ultimately driving away, rather than walking away, if it comes to it, but “you never know”.
So, on to the pictures and such. For “gear”, I chose Maxpedition equipment, based on reviews, comments, and a couple of samples that I was able to see locally. I ended up ordering all the stuff I’ll mention below from Knifeworks, and was completely satisfied with their service.
The pictures below are on Flickr; if you click any of them, you go to the Flickr site, and each image has “notes” on it that I’ll also cover below - and in more depth.
Left-Hand Side View
I started with the Vulture-II backpack. This is designed as a three-day backpack, and is exactly the size and general design that I had in mind. Covered in attachment points, it has a main storage space, a secondary storage space, a slash pocket, and a hydration pocket. The hydration pocket was the first thing I fitted, with a 3 liter CamelBak Omega. That’s what the blue tube is connected to. With the backpack loaded, the tube is tucked away over and into the left-hand shoulder strap, out of the way.
Hanging on the left-top of the pack, you can see a “Mega Rollypolly”. This is an all-purpose sack - stuff a ziplock of ice in there, or some cold cans, food, whatever. It’s there when you need it. It comes with a thigh-strap, and this is currently looped around the backpack’s main strap, and the handles of the attached Proteus Versipack as an additional retention measure.
That Proteus Versipack is in “storage” mode at the moment - clipped to the bottom of the backpack. In actual usage, the bottom of the backpack (the actual underside, not the back) would have a sleeping bag attached, and the Proteus would be detached and worn as a waist pack. The theory is that we’re talking “worst case scenario” thinking here, and there are scenarios where you might want to drop the main pack, and still have some things with you. Not an ideal situation, but sometimes necessary. The Proteus is exactly the right size to hold some things like wallet and keys, a couple of food bars and a rain poncho, a knife and utility tool, and if you’re so inclined (and legal to do so!), a handgun and ammunition. I did say we were talking worst-case here, right? There’s a better head-on shot of the Proteus in the third shot.
Right-Hand Side View
Over on the right hand side of the bag, in a universal pouch, there’s a “shaker flashlight”. Never needs batteries, just shake it a few times to generate the electric current needed. Not the brightest flashlight on the planet, but some light is always better than no light.
You can see the other side of the Proteus from this angle, and also the additional water bottle that is carabinered onto a hanging strap of the bag. Again, this is “storage” mode - for actual wearing, the bottle would be full, and in a pouch that is currently tucked away.
.
Back View
Full-on view of the Proteus, clipped securely to the main bag. Here you can see in the center the mini rollypolly. This is the baby brother of the one shown in the first picture - it expands to be exactly the right size for a water bottle. The bottle, plus the CamelBak, put the recommended 1 gallon for one day requirement of water directly available.
So, what exactly is IN all this lot? Quite a lot, actually… Without breaking it down in to what is in exactly what pocket or compartment, here’s the complete list, as it stands at the moment:
Personal Care
1 bottle Advil
1 bottle Essential Vitamins
1 ziplock containing toothbrush, toothpaste, razor, shave oil, deodorant
1 7-day container of prescription medication
1 change of outer clothing
2 changes of under clothing
Personal Support
1 ziplock of essential paperwork (insurance policies, birth certificates, etc)
1 ziplock of comfort items (in this case, a couple of cigars, lighter and cutter!), with space for last minute “grabs”.
1 digital camera, ziplocked
1 cellphone charger, ziplocked
Food and Drink
4 liters water
3 instant meals (just add included water)
Instant coffee, coffee whitener and sugar substitute
8 NutriGrain cereal bars
6 Allbran oatmeal raisin bars
2 Powerbar energy bars
2 cans chili with beans
1 pack beef jerky
4 multigrain energy bars
3 cans corned beef
2 2400 calorie food bars
3 8oz water boxes
Equipment
1 coleman dual-fuel burner, and refuel spout
1 “camp kit” (2 cups, 2 pans, 1 fry pan, 1 combitool (knife, fork, spoon, opener))
1 water purification kit
1 sleeping bag (external attachment)
1 survival blanket
1 rain poncho
1 whistle
1 first aid kit
1 leatherman utility tool
1 folding knife
1 12-hour light stick
50 waterproof matches
1 dust mask
1 pair latex gloves
2 fully fueled lighters (1 lighter fluid, 1 butane)
100′ 550lb paracord
I have a pack of a dozen MRE’s on order, and I’ll use them to replace the canned goods and instant meals that are currently in the pack for “actual use” - I’ll use up the canned goods, etc., on a hunting/camping trip. I wanted to be able to put the pack together without relying on those, as they’re not exactly something you walk into your local Albertson’s and buy! The current pack has 7570 calories of food in it, excluding the special food bars. Add those, and it 12370 calories, for an average of 4123 a day, across three days. Not perfect, but good enough, as they say.
And that, as they say, is that - it’s sat in the closet, ready to go, as and when. All I need to do to is take it out, fill the Camelbak, add my personal papers and prescription medicines, drop my cellphone and such like into it, and it’s ready to go.
Hopefully, of course, that won’t actually happen, unless it’s for a planned trip. But after watching last years storm season, I’m a lot happier having it packed and ready, than I would’ve been without it.
Kitchen Sites April 12, 2006
So, I’m in the market for a couple of new bits and pieces for my kitchen. Naturally, I go to the web to find what I’m looking for. There’s the blindingly obvious - purveyor of almost-everything-under-the-sun Amazon, or brick-and-mortar stalwarts Linen and Things, Bed, Bath & Beyond, or Williams & Sonoma.
But I wanted more… So I went exploring across the web, and here’s a collection of the sites that I found. Haven’t got experience yet of which is better, or how they compare against each other - they’re all stocking somewhat different items, which is good - but I wanted to save the list for the next time.
- www.thekitchenbox.com
- www.chefsknives.com
- www.chefsresource.com
- www.akitchenplus.com
- www.chefknivestogo.com
- www.metrokitchen.com
- www.askthemeatman.com
- www.pot-racks-online.com
- www.kitchensource.com
- www.espressocoffeeshop.com
- www.surlatable.com
- www.discountcooking.com
- www.cutleryandmore.com
The list isn’t intended to be exhaustive; it’s just what I spent time wandering through recently. Any additions, or comments on the ones listed above, are of course welcomed, and encouraged.
A Family Post - Wedding Anniversary Pictures
Posted to give nice easy access to the flickr set that I uploaded of this, this particular photo is my mother (Penny) and step-father (Bill), at the combination birthday-party-for-Bill (I’ll be nice and not post an age here!) and 25th-Wedding-Anniversary-for-them party that I went back to England for at the start of the month.
Still Relaxing March 30, 2006
Vacation is a good thing, and I’m still relaxing in the UK. No substantive posts to come until next week, I’ve decided, but here’s what’s coming up when I get back to the States next week:
- the ITIL series will continue. Problem Management is next, and then one of the biggies - Change Management;
- I’ve just read Six Disciplines for Excellence by Gary Harst (Amazon) and I’ve got a review of that that I need to type up;
- I’ve also had the chance to catch-up on the last few Manager Tools podcasts (yeah, I know, that’s not really vacation listening, is it?!), and I’ve got some notes that I may well pull together into a MindMap and publish, like I did recently.
- and a couple of other ideas that I’ve got bubbling around that may well turn into something sensible here.
Good chance you’ll get to see some family photos in the next day or two as well - sorry about that 
One of the reasons I’m here in the UK is that Saturday is a party for my stepfather’s 60th birthday, and his and my mother’s 25th Wedding Anniversary. Warning: Gary + Alcohol + Digital Camera + Internet Connection Ahead!
Gentle reader, I thank you for your time and attention, and I’ll see you next week!
Brief Hiatus March 27, 2006
The “Family” Category March 22, 2006
I got an email asking me why I was posting the sort of stuff I was, under “Family”, as well as some of the other categories - i.e. shouldn’t “Family” actually be about my family?
Well, that’s one way, sure, and I can see why folks would think that. I’m using it a little differently though - stuff I tag “family” is stuff that I think my family might like to read. That’s all, plain and simple. So, it’s unlikely any of my Blackberry or ITIL stuff will end up under that tag, but random observations about life, or my travels, etc., probably will do.
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