Today's Reading List

Here are some of the things I have been reading today.

About.com has a great article on what you should do on your first day as a manager.

A First Day Manual for Managers

Lifehacker offers a little etiqutte lesson on remebering and dealing with people's names.

On remembering and dealing with people's names

Finally, 10 easy ways to improve your cooking.

Bucktown Art Fest 2010

Bucktown Art Fest 2010

 

This past weekend, the wife and I (and daughter too) attended the 25^th Annual Bucktown Art Fest.  Despite the horrendous heat, we loaded into our mini-SUV and made the 45 minute ride into the city.  Back in the day, my wife and I attended this particular fest, and loved it.  We even walked away with a few pieces of art which at the time, we both felt was the best artists that the festival had.  This year was beyond our expectations.

 

The wife and I literally saw dozens of pieces (sculpture, art, and photography) that we wanted or could use in our home.  I could have easily dropped 10K on art this weekend if the economy and my wallet were not in the way.  In the end my wife and only purchased one piece of art. 

 

 

This piece was created by Maria Ciaccio, and as you can tell is an abstract painted onto an old window.  The wife and I were totally besotted by the art that was on display in Maria's tent.  Unfortunatley I did not catch the name of the other young lady who was also in the space, but both were very grateful at our purchase. 

 

For the wife and I, there is nothing better than to buy and admire works by local artists from Chicago.  In this instance, we will we thoroughly enjoy this piece for a long time. 

 

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The Dentist

Why is it that if you show up a minute late, the receptionist wants to tear your head off, but if you happen to arrive ten minutes early they act like you are throwing off their flow.

It amazes me that someone in the medical profession hasn't come up with a more efficient way to clear people through a daily schedule. I understand that a doctor has to wear many hats but there has got to be some room for delegation along the process.

Any thoughts?

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Today's Reading List

Here are the articles I am reading today. Hopefully my 5 followers will enjoy them.

The Life Work of a Thought Leader

Great Q&A with the late Coimbatore Krishnarao (C.K.) Prahalad - former professor at the University of Michigan’s Ross Business School. Courtesy of Strategy+Business.

The Complicated Lives of Today's Leaders: Why Being at the Top is Harder Than Ever

An insightful Q&A on ethics, values, and competencies required of today's global leaders with four fellows from The World Economic Forum's Global leadership Fellows Program.

How CEOs Will Use Social Media in the Future

Another interesting article courtesy of Gist. I have no idea how CEOs will pull this off in the short-term but the long-term expectation is that tomorrow's corporate leaders will be twittering up a storm.

The End

Right now I am sitting in the back of a Chevy Traverse riding down Highway 131 heading towards Vail. I may not survive the car ride because my mother in law insists on driving 90 miles an hour on the curviest roads I have ever been on. So if this is the last blog post I might as well update everyone on the trip to Colorado.

Let me start by repeating that I am on a trip with my wife, sister-in-law, and the aforementioned mother-in-law. The three of them together is like watching three chimps try to put together a jigsaw puzzle. These woman refuse to communicate in anything other than grunts and mumbles and hold any information they may have like cold war spies. It is a cluster to say the least and a tremendous source of agitation for me. Add an 8 month old who I have to keep tabs on, and this is as much of a vacation as a dime stint in Folsom Prison.

On Saturday we arrived and drove up to Steamboat Springs from Denver. The ride was ok but being stuck in the back seat makes me sick to my stomach. I must mention that my sister-in-law refuses to ride in the car while I am driving because I get impatient with not having the right directions. That's right, as a 30 year old man I am to take orders from my sister-in-law. It sucks but it seems to be how my wife wants to conduct the marriage. So I take orders, get berated, and crapped on by all woman in the family. Oh well.

So once we reached Steamboat Springs we went to the Rodeo where we enjoyed great BBQ and the show.

On Sunday we awoke to go have brunch. This is another of my in-laws must haves. If there is a brunch or a cheap breakfast deal it is imperative to make the time to go. In this case we needed to take a gondola all the way up the mountain to have brunch, take the gondola all the way down to go back to the condo, then back up so we could hike down. The hike was great and we were starving when we came back down. We grilled kebobs.

On Monday we went white water rafting and had blast. The rapid had one class 3 rapid and several class 2. On the last class 2 the raft guide let us dive from the raft and ride the rapid on our backs. This was amazing.

On Tuesday I hiked the mountain alone and was able to get some great shots. The wife and I went on a little date into town and went to a little make your own steak place. The only bad part was they did not depoop the shrimp, leaving my wife to envy my Ribeye.

This morning we awoke early to hike to a waterfall and then quickly went back to pack, shower, and get on the road. By late afternoon we should be in Denver. Then home in Chicago back where there is work, and chores, and no In Laws.

So we have arrived in Denver after a substantial delay in stormy Chicago. I am ready for a beer but it is way too early for it. By the way I love it when we fly into Colorado and the land is so flat around the airport. Makes me think " That John Denver was full of shit". Weather is beautiful and god bless Jack in the Box for an amazing steak sour dough melt.

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Uggh

First things first, I have no idea why I allow my wife to book early flights. It is now 5:13 and we are on the southside of Chicago heading to Midway Airport. I an tired, the baby is loud, and my mother in law is ever so speedy in the car making my stomach churn. I need a coffee and another piece of nicotine gum.

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