Work(s) in Progress

This post will self destruct in 2 months...

2012-11-23T00:17:11-07:00

It is with very mixed feelings that I am in the process of closing Work(s) in Progress after almost 8 years and moving the existing content to my personal website.

I'm trying to consolidate all of my various on-line identities. It's easier/more cost effective to move the TypePad content over to my personal website than the reverse.

I have not been writing much publicly for the last few years. My last position was incredibly visible in the community; and, it did not seem appropriate for me to blog about much of anything unless it was for work on a work related platform.

I am grateful that TypePad makes it so easy to export all of the content and comments to other formats. I will miss the incredibly simple user interface which made it so painless to add widgets without breaking the format/utility of the overall design.

I am not sure how long Google will cache this page...the original will self destruct sometime in February when I cancel my TypePad account.

Slowly Getting Faster

2012-10-23T22:54:56-06:00

I ran the Boulder Half Marathon on Sunday. It remains one of the prettiest courses that I have ever run (2011 slideshow). It was a perfect fall day. The temperature at the start of the race was perhaps 50 rising to the mid 60s by the time I finished. The sun was bright. The leaves on the trees were all reds and bright yellows. The route passes by many farms and horse pastures. Brightroom has not yet posted race photos, so I may update this with a link when they do.

It's funny, I've been consistently running since the fall of 2004, but still feel like a novice. I ran my first event, a half marathon, in May of 2005. I completed it in 2:08:24, middle of the pack for my age and gender.

This year I have been focusing on incrementally improving my speed. I've run three half-marathons in 2012, each one, slightly faster.

2:07:30 - February 5, 2012 in Tallahassee, FL
2:06:29 - September 23, 2012 in Jackson Hole, WY
2:05:15 - October 21, 2012 in Boulder, CO

It's funny, even this small improvement moves me from the bottom half to the top third (34 of 103) for my age/gender.

My 10k times are similarly infinitesimally improving:

0:59:48 - March 14, 2010 Boulder, CO
0:58:25 - March 31, 2012 Tallahassee, FL
0:56:07 - April 28, 2012 Tallahassee, FL

I’d like to get my half marathon time under 2 hours. I have been steadily improving the pace at which I can run a single mile or two, but keeping that up for 13.1 miles is not something I have been able to sustain - yet.

Any advice for improving my speed/stamina more quickly?

A Quick Trip to Maui

2012-10-23T00:30:53-06:00

Until last week, I had only been to Hawaii, once, a few years ago, on a whirlwind trip to Big Island, Kauai and Oahu. Last week I had the opportunity to enjoy a weeklong decadent stay in Maui. While Kauai remains my favorite for its serene natural beauty, Maui was delightful.

We stayed at the Ritz Carlton Club & Residences in Kapalua with a friend who is a member there. This is a photo from our room’s balcony.

This place was literally post-card perfect. Every blade of grass, every bush, every tree, every pool was immaculate and flawless. An endangered monk seal basked in the sunlight on our beach for a day. Sadly I did not get a photo. The adjacent Kapalua Spa and fitness center was an oasis with modern equipment and few users.

We did several touristy things:

rented stand up paddle boards from 808boards to use daily. The boards were delivered to our hotel. The valet would drive us and our boards to the beach and collect us later when called. I continue to be impressed by the level of service provided to us on this trip.
drove to see the volcano in Haleakala National Park (an impressive 10,023 feet above sea level)
enjoyed a sunset cruise on the Trilogy IV . The hors d'ouvres were terrific. Pretty day; nice sunset.
took a doors off helicopter tour with Alex Air over Maui and Molokai. I loved flying over Molokai under the mist to see the waterfalls and other sites such as the turtle shaped island below.

But mostly we ate. And then ate some more. I wish I recorded the food and wine in more detail.

For breakfasts we enjoyed the Sea House, Longhi’s, the Gazebo, Java Jazz and Aloha Mixed Plate. Of these, my favorite by far was the fried rice plate at the Gazebo. Absolutely worth the wait. If you want smoothies, home baked treats or French Pressed coffee, Longhi’s is the place. For higher protein, gluten free, paleo friendly fare, Longhi's is definitely NOT the place. Many told us that Aloha Mixed Plate was THE PLACE to go for local cuisine but the day we were there they’d sold out pf the Loco Moco and other traditional items.

Sometimes we just wanted fun food – and people recommended Scoops and Ulu Lani’s shaved ice in Lahaina. We tried both. And on a hot day, the flavor combinations were unique and delightful. Many restaurants serve Lappert’s Vanilla Ice Cream (available at Scoops) as part of their dessert masterpieces. It was strange to choose something more exotic and then wonder whether the plain vanilla might have been more enjoyable. Yes, it’s really that amazing. Vanilla. Who knew?

Some days we had up to 23 people in our group including up to 8 children between the ages of about 6 months and 7 years old. Many of these places were not prepared, even with reservations, for groups of this size/composition. For dinners our group size ranged from 2 to about 10, and several of the restaurants were among the best I’ve ever dined at.

Several people recommended Mama’s Fish House in Paia, and even without a reservation, we received great service and food. While the wine list was less extensive than some of the other places we enjoyed, the ceviche was great, and the service outstanding. Our server talked me out of an entrée sharing that most customers left much of the meal untouched and recommended something likely to be more enjoyable by a mainlander.

We had two meals at Sansei (a sushi place) and the food was terrific. The only downside was that they clearly make a lot of tempura; I strongly recommend a shower/laundry to remove the “fried food” aroma that will permeate your clothes and hair after dining there. Our meal at the Pineapple Grill was below expectations, but that could have been due to the number in our party, especially the kids. We had wonderful, elegant, extended dining adventures at Merriman’s, Banyan Tree and Lahaina Grill - great wine lists, creative food, and impeccable service. Outstanding meals all; and, my favorite depended on my cravings.

Great vacation.

Icarus Rising

2012-10-11T00:04:28-06:00

Why did Icarus need to fall? I remember translating (from the Latin) the myth of Icarus in Ovid’s Metamorphoses as a young girl.

It seemed natural and obvious that Icarus should fall. What hubris! How dare he try to fly so high?

And yet, I also grew up hearing the tales of Horatio Alger (myths even) that suggested that with hard work, strong ethics and perseverance a person could overcome their humble beginnings and become more, succeed based on their own merits. It’s pretty much the American Dream that "life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement regardless of social class or circumstances of birth."

And at least here in the US, we seem almost compelled to root for the underdog wanting him/her/them to overcome their preconceived disadvantage. See e.g. this article.

However, we want those less fortunate to succeed, but not too much. Some call this Tall Poppy Syndrome which is mostly "used in the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other Anglosphere nations to describe a social phenomenon in which people of genuine merit are resented, attacked, cut down, or criticized because their talents or achievements elevate them above or distinguish them from their peers.”

We’re rooting for you, until we hate you, and start wanting you to fail or fall.

I took a visionary leadership class in business school taught by a wonderful professor, Edward O’Connor. We built our own personal 5-year plans based on our values, purpose, vision. I blogged my project and experience in his class.

While this was years ago, I still remember that one of his values was excellence, and he really did not care about the time/effort needed to produce excellent work, only the beauty of it. At the time I struggled with HIS value. I remember being one of those students in grade school, high school, who could produce relatively (compared to my peers) outstanding work with minimal effort. Indeed, I skipped second grade & senior year of high school. And yet, I always felt terrible out-performing some of my classmates who I knew worked so much harder than I had, who in my mind, deserved a better grade given the effort they had put in.

Even then I wanted to soar, but not too much, not too easily.

Screw that.

I started a company last week, Icarus Rising LLC. I chose the name, for all of these reasons, more than two years ago, but was contractually barred in Florida from starting a business while working for my last employer. The company has now been registered with the Colorado Secretary of State, and has secured its unique Federal Tax ID number.

When I left Tallahassee, my assistant gave me an inspiring handwritten note on a card which stated "leap and the net will appear." I keep it on my dresser so I see it every day.

FLY. WIN. SOAR. EXCEL.

I still have many details of this new company to sort out, but the purpose is clear!

Fall in Yellowstone

2012-09-28T10:56:34-06:00

I took a quick trip to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming this past weekend. I recommend taking more time - a week at least, two would be better.

I plotted a leisurely route mostly avoiding interstate, and generally not covering more than 300 miles a day.

This map was created on myscenicdrives.com. My travelling companion was testing out a new bike, so this is what I saw for most of my drive.

We stopped for a meal at bistro c.v. (the food here was amazing) in Steamboat Springs, Colorado before continuing on to our first stop in Vernal, Utah for the evening.

This time of year in the Rockies is simply breathtaking. The mountains are exploding with color.

Our next stop was Teton Village, WY. I booked us an Urban Studio at the Hotel Terra for two nights. The hotel was great (clean, modern, great amenities), but the wall bed could have been a bit more comfortable. We had dinner at the Westbank Grill. My buffalo tenderloin was amazing, but the rest of the food was less spectacular than we'd anticipated.

The next morning, I ran the Jackson Hole Half Marathon.

Conveniently, the race ended near our hotel, and there were shuttles to the start in downtown Jackson, WY. This was a small race, with just a few hundred runners, over a beautiful course. There were signs warning us about bears everywhere, but I didn't see any. I'm very pleased with my overall time (2:06:29) given that I intended this race as a training run for the Boulder Half Marathon that I'll do in late October.

We spent the afternoon exploring all of the unique geysers and pools near Old Faithful. I took hundreds of photos as the landscape was simply so unique, in many ways, otherworldly.

Old Faithful was impressive, if very crowded.

I was fascinated by the chromatic pools and thermophilic organisms growing in and around some of them.

Some of the pools are not only (boiling) hot, but also very caustic. In some areas, you can see the trees have died not from fires but from exposure to the pools.

While Old Faithful is the best known, there were many other geysers in the park that would suddenly start spraying as you walked by.

I loved the colors of some of the pools.

The Snake River winds its way through Yellowstone as a beautiful contrast to all of the otherworldly landscapes.

On our drive to Yellowstone, smoke from various forest fires prevented us from getting a good view of the Grand Tetons. On our way back, some of the smoke had lifted.

As the sun was setting, we also caught sight of a male elk calling to his harem.

Our next stop was the Ferris Mansion Bed & Breakfast in Rawlins, Wyoming. I am not normally a bed & breakfast person but this place was awesome. Of all of the accomodation choices in Rawlins, Ferris Mansion is the best rated of them all whether you are looking at tripadvisor or hotels.com. The ratings are well deserved. And even in town, I tried to make friends with the wild-life.

We discovered a hidden gem in the small town of Rawlins. There is an authentic (and outstanding) Thai restaurant within walking distance of Ferris Mansion: Anong's Thai Cuisine. This was one of the best meals on our trip.

On our drive back to Colorado, we lucked out and spotted a moose.

He was moving quickly, so I'm glad I was able to get a picture of him.

This was my first trip to Wyoming. There are now 11 states in the US that I have not yet visited: Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota, Oregon, Alaska, Montana, Minnesota, Michigan and Rhode Island. I will eventually get to them all but I already want to go back to Wyoming - so pretty.

Bridal Veil Falls

2012-09-08T22:46:08-06:00

I love Colorado in the Fall. It's still warm and sunny but there is a crispness to the air; the leaves on some trees are just starting to turn. I love the sounds and smells of the dry leaves as the wind blows.

One great thing about being between jobs is that I have an abundance of time to explore, and to exercise. I got hooked on hot yoga in Tallahassee. I miss my teachers at Hot Yoga Tallahasse and Journeys in Yoga. But, I have found an amazing studio in Denver - iLiv Yoga. I generally don't prefer a strict Bikram class or the traditional series, but these teachers (and the students) are incredible and inspiring. I have been getting leaner & stronger - defined abs are maybe 5 lbs away, but these teachers and students are on a whole different level - full body muscle definition, on women, without looking gaunt or starved down for some specific fitness event. This is just their base level of fitness. I asked one woman, after she exited the shower yesterday, what else she did to stay in such great shape. She's active (it's Colorado: hikes, bikes, walks) but for the last 10 years it's been yoga, "a lot of yoga." For the first few classes I have needed to readjust to the temperature and altitude. In Tallahassee, due to the high humidity, most teachers keep the "hot" classes under 100 degrees. Here in Denver, with the lower humidity, some of the teachers are cranking the heat up to 110+. By the time we get to Camel pose, I have literally been seeing stars. Love it.

I'm also still running. I'd like to get my half-marathon time at or under 2 hours. My last, in Tallahassee, about 6 months ago, was 2:07:30. My last 10K was 56:07, so I think it's feasible, eventually. I'm signed up for the Boulder half-marathon next month. I am still feeling the altitude a bit but I'm going to go for it. We'll see. I've also switched over to Newton running shoes and am slowly changing from being a heavy heel striker to a mid-foot striker. I still have to think about every step, as well as my hip alignment, but my feet and knees now feel great after a run. Newton Running, in Boulder CO, offers a weekly running clinic, but I have not yet made it to one but allegedly, it will help me to increase my pace by at least 1 minute per mile. Soon.

In the meanwhile, I am just trying to get outside as much as possible. Today I drove up to the Rocky Mountain National Park near Estes Park and hiked to Bridal Veil Falls. Luckily for me, there are complete websites dedicated to "day hikes near Denver" that allow you to sort for length, difficulty and natural features (e.g. waterfalls). I wanted something somewhat challenging but not scarily so. This was about 6.2 miles total as an out and back, with the elevation increasing about 1000 feet over the path to the falls. Only the last 0.4 miles or so, after the sign telling you to leave your horse behind, got fairly technical. Even though it was a perfect weekend day - mid 70's, sunny, I passed at most a dozen people on my journey.

The trail was easy to follow and very well marked along the way.

The trail followed the stream and there were numerous peaceful water features along the way.

While not majestic, the falls were worth the hike.

In another week or two the aspen are going to be spectacular. They are just starting to turn gold.

And you never know when you are going to see a bright spot of color.

It's good to be back.

Choices, Chances, Changes

2012-09-04T22:25:07-06:00

A few months ago, someone important to me sent me a quote without comment: “There are three C’s in life: CHOICES, CHANCES, & CHANGES. You must make a choice to take a chance or your life will never change.”

I promptly printed this out and hung in on my refrigerator near a postcard from a friend of mine (Greg Giesen) who runs a leadership program (leading from within; next session Sept 12-14) that asks simply “Are you showing up in life as the person you most want to be?”

The last two months have been a blur.

After 18 months in Tallahassee, FL. I quit my job.
I spent a few weeks in Thailand doing the REI Thailand Multisport Adventure. More about Thailand below.
I have moved back to Denver, CO and am now actively job hunting.

Thailand was awesome. I participated in both the Northern (Chiang Mai – 8 people, 2/3 guides) and Southern (Phuket – 4 people, 1 guide) portions of the trip. We hiked, biked, kayaked, rode elephants, zip-lined (added on at our request), had a cooking class, watched a live Muay Thai boxing event (again added at our request), toured numerous caves, Buddhist temples and other historically important locations.

The Northern journey included some singular experiences like having a village dog companion that routinely accompanies tour groups on a 2 day 20 km journey through the jungle and finds his way home again solo.

I ate my body weight in delicious Thai food and exotic fruits. I’m personally addicted to Longan. I think I ate hundreds of these. I love the feel in my mouth. The flavor/texture is similar to Lychee. We also enjoyed Rambutan, passion fruit, dragon fruit, pomelo (hurrah to the people who peeled it for us), papaya, Thai pineapple, wild bananas, etc.

One hour of Thai Massage or Thai foot massage is available everywhere and cheaper than a beer. Seriously.

I have been asked whether I would recommend an REI trip like this. Absolutely. If you are visiting a place where you do not know the language or customs, the guides contracted by REI can be invaluable. I am certain that our group saw places that are rarely accessed by foreigners. REI also does a good job of accurately describing the fitness level needed (activity level) as well as the nature of the accommodations (rustic, hotel, camping, “primitive”, etc.) so that your expectations can be managed accordingly. In general, the accommodations were perhaps less rustic than described. For example, a hot shower, a western toilet or electricity might show up in a place where it was not advertised to be. And, especially on the Northern portion, our guides were incredibly sensitive and reactive to our fitness levels. Apparently they added to the biking for us (versus the last 3 years of travelers) because we were fit enough and added on an afternoon of zip-lining (Zipline Chiang Mai – this place was amazing – 27 platforms with world class staff) and an evening at a Thai boxing match at our request. And, our head guide, “Mr. Pan”, made sure to personally escort us to the airport and our connecting flights on our final day, even though it was his day off.

Photo of our guide Mr. Pan about to teach a cooking class to the group at the Eco Lodge.

The Northern portion of the trip was 5-star; awesome; worth every dime; met or exceeded any expectation I had, even though it rained every day and this part of the trip could be called “10 ways to get muddy and scraped up in Thailand.” I expected to hate (or perhaps endure) it but loved every minute except for about 20 minutes of crazy technical mountain bike riding through a muddy corn field on the narrowest single track I’ve ever ridden.

Thailand is a beautiful country (hundreds of photos here) with wonderful people. I could not take enough pictures.

The Southern portion which I expected to love (sunny days, boating, snorkeling, beaches, kayaking) was OK. And 90% of this was the guide or should I say my lack of appreciation for our Southern guide. He was late to collect us from the airport and unapologetic about this. Indeed, several odd roadside detours and stops were made taking us from the airport to our hotel. This experience set the tone for all else that followed. Sunsets were missed; restaurant reservations were not made; itineraries changed hourly and the “staff” members were treated more like slaves than partners or employees in our adventure. I realize this is my American value system and bias coloring my experience but I felt very uncomfortable that the hired help would literally wait to obey. For example, they would be instructed to prepare/deliver coffee or breakfast but would not also deliver cups or plates or silverware until or unless the head guide would OK such behavior. So we as “guests” could watch our food get cold as we waited for our guide who was often on a smoke break to remember to complete his instructions. After our experience in Chiang Mai, which was amazing, in some ways this part just sucked, at least for me. The sights near Phuket were incredible.

In terms of geographic and tidal knowledge, our guide did take us to some hidden gems – lagoons, caves, vistas – where our tiny group was completely alone compared to some areas with hundreds of tourists vying for a single location/cave/beach but this did not make up for (at least to me) his abysmal treatment of his employees. I’ve seen dogs treated better. These men literally would not eat until he gave a command that it was allowed.

And perhaps some of my lack of appreciation for the Southern portion of the trip was my getting sick. I spent my last day in Thailand in a Phuket hospital getting an appendicitis ruled out. The Phuket hospital was a 5-star resort experience. The hospital was clean, modern, efficient and smelled great. Escorts were provided between each doctor. They were extremely courteous even though I was dirty from two days of camping/ocean activity, still in my bathing suit, and somewhat disoriented from dehydration. The doctor there sent me home with 4 drugs, a CD containing the ultrasound images of my abdomen in case my symptoms got worse traveling home, and a hospital card to speed re-admission inside Thailand if needed. The whole process took less than 2 hours and cost a whopping $165 US without any special travel insurance. As much as I was underwhelmed by my Southern tour guide, his boss escorted me to the hospital and back to my hotel. Thank you. Perhaps not surprisingly, I was grilled on my experience with this guide and learned that hospital visits such as mine were not uncommon for his tours with many tourists admitted for multiple days. I’ll blame my sickness, but I did not express my true feelings to the guide’s boss during this inquisition. But I will say, that my REI assigned roommate and I said daily to each other on the Southern portion “I miss Pan.” (our Nothern guide)

Some obvious differences between Northern and Southern Thailand include: dogs (north) vs. cats (south); Buddhist (north) vs. Muslim (south); Jungle (north) vs. Beach (south). Your mileage may vary but I loved the North.

I had two 6 to 8 hour layovers in Bangkok. I wish I had more time. I spent both layovers grabbing a nap and a shower at the Mariya Boutique Residence at Suvarnabhumi Airport -for about $30 to $40 US this hotel is maybe 10 minutes from the airport; free shuttle; free internet; the hotel is clean; has hot showers, western facilities; free coffee. What more do you need?

I am hooked on travel bloggers such as Nomadic Matt. I want to see more.

A few years ago my amazing virtual friend Mel (from the UK) and her partner Mark visited me in CO (photo from the Rock Bottom Brewery).

Mel died suddenly and unexpectedly on July 14, 2012. She was not yet 40. I will miss her and her words. I am so glad that she and Mark got to tour the globe for a year, rather than making it something that they would do eventually, before her passing. I am so glad that I got to meet her in person. I am sorry that I did not get to see her again.

Choices, chances, changes…what are yours?

A Tour of the Southwest and Beyond part 1

2011-03-05T17:52:17-07:00

I am finally coming up for air after figuratively holding my breath for the last 6 months while my job search and transition was on-going. After 15 years of working in Denver, Colorado I recently made a big transition (January 3) to take a new job in Tallahassee, Florida. After 15 years in Higher Education and non-profit, I find that working for a governmental organization in Florida is different.

I've had days of training on Florida's Sunshine Laws. Indeed, there are many websites dedicated towards understanding and complying with the various rules. I still don't understand the nuances of everything but the short version is (1) all the restaurants know that buying someone lunch generally breaks a gift rule so they always offer separate checks; (2) all board meetings (of my org) are open to the public; (3) I can't meet with more than one board member at a time without inviting the public and giving 72 hours advance notice and an agenda; and (4) I can't transmit any messages or information between board members. And finally given my role, I had to file a public financial disclosure with the state within 30 days of my arrival. Luckily I was warned about this because there is a fine of $25 per day for being late.

More about the job in a future post. The short version - it ties together everything I'm passionate about - entrepreneurship, economic development, creating opportunities for others, new technology, basic research, and building bridges between higher education, business, and government. The potential is simply AMAZING. Specifically, I am the new (60 days in) Executive Director of the Leon County Research and Development Authority which currently runs a 208 acre technology park - Innovation Park - in Tallahassee, Florida.

Given that I had 90 days to job search, I knew it was likely that I'd need to leave Colorado and the Southwest. And with a new job, I would not earn vacation time for quite some time. There were so many places I had not seen so I planned a variety of road trips both locally and within the greater USA.

First stop, St. Croix, USVI - I visited here annually as a teen to see my uncle when I lived east of the Mississippi. This was my first trip in years. It was great to reconnect with old friends and return to vistas unchanged. My uncle was in the hospital during most of my trip. That bit was hard. But the locals were friendly - always saying "good day, good afternoon, good night" in greeting. This picture was taken from an amazing sail boat "Bad Girl" at Buck Island looking over at St. Croix. We spent the day swimming and snorkeling.

After St. Croix, I planned road trip #1 - Great Sand Dunes, Ojo Caliente, Sante Fe, Taos, Garden of Gods.

I used Ojo Caliente - a cell phone,and mostly internet, free artesian spa, as my home base for this trip. I had a suite with kitchen and two beds. This trip was all about the hiking and soaking in the artesian spas. I really had no interest in the shopping, especially art & leather & jewelry, or museum touring available in Sante Fe and Taos. I did visit the Geogia O'Keeffe Museum but it was not my thing.

I loved running up the Great Sand Dunes that seemed so incongruously placed in Southern CO. Everyone I met at the highest peak was from Boulder CO, laughing at the "tourists" who could not find their way to the top. From their vantage point, only 10 to 20 percent of the visitors made it to them with most turning back.

While my goal on this journey was solitude and introspection, I did have a fellow traveler take my photo at the Garden of the Gods. Not quite as primitive as the Great Sand Dunes, but majestic in its own way.

Transparency

2010-09-07T21:45:21-06:00

How much is too much?

I came of age reading Robert Heinlein. This fostered in me an innate understanding of and respect for those people who choose to live off the grid, on cash, and resist a microchipped, google earth mapped, future where personal privacy is not possible. This lifestyle choice is rapidly vanishing.

In general, especially as we become more tolerant of the differences in each other, I'm OK with the loss of privacy and the growing transparency with which we must all live. Indeed, I've chosen to blog, and participate in facebook, twitter, linked-in, flickr, plaxo, etc. There is a lot of me on the internet by choice.

And yet, with all of these public access points, I have been largely able to control what information is displayed and how much to share with whom.

Because of my recent change in employment status, I have been applying for interesting work from Seattle to Geneva. I realized recently that the employer for one of the jobs I applied for posts almost all proceedings online, in virtually real time, including my recent job application (as well as those of the 4 other candidates they might move forward with). No subscription or password needed (for the ultra curious, my job application is tucked in this 226 page PDF board meeting packet). And I find this to be unsettling. On the one hand, I now have the names, contact information, job histories, cover letters, salary histories and resumes of my competition. But so do they. Unlike me, most of the other candidates appear to currently be in stable positions. Did their employers know they are looking? Oops. I guess they do now!

Is privacy just dead and I should stop looking for it? Should I just rejoice that I made a decision to embrace the technological changes that meant most of us would be living more public and transparent existences? When should a potential employer advertise the candidates and their credentials to their stakeholders? For this specific job, there are 5 candidates remaining (pick me!). Is that too soon? How many is the right number? Should the information ever go public before a person is finally hired?

I had a job interview today locally (3rd interview for the position, today with the president and CEO of the company). And I felt compelled to share that while I was very interested in this local opportunity, I was also looking at other options since at least one other potential opportunity is now part of the vast google record.

I don't know where the line is anymore. I remember loving the concept of complete and total honesty in all things when James Halperin's book The Truth Machine came out in 1996. I have a signed first edition but you can download a free copy from that link. But now I wonder, where is the line? Can there be too much transparency?

90 days

2010-08-03T22:35:58-06:00

What would you do with 90 days?

I am 30+ days into a 90 day "transition" out of my current job. I can remember like it was yesterday my disappointment in thinking that I would not get this job, my dream job, back in 2007. A little time and luck turned things around. I can still remember the excitement of the first week in January of 2008 when everything was new (and apologies, recent domain changes mean all of the links in that old posts will be broken). The best way that I found to describe my job was "I help people make their dreams come true." Best job ever. I am going to miss it.

Just 10 days before I learned that my situation would change I gave this interview on our local news channel related to our annual business plan competition. More info here. 10 days after this moment I learned that my job title/duties would be restructured. I was offered the opportunity to retain a different job but did not feel that I would be the best person for that new position. Some people have told me that I should have accepted the offer in these perilous economic times, that A JOB is better than NO JOB, even if it is a job for which one is not enthusiastic or qualified and that I should have begun job hunting while I was allegedly working at the new job. And there is a part of me that really wishes I could have taken their advice. It would have been the safe thing to do. But at the end of the day, in all things, I am either all in or not at all. When I commit to a job, it's 24/7. I did not feel that I could give that level of commitment to the new position.

And so, a 90 day transition plan was negotiated. So far, I have applied for 14 jobs. I was rejected for 2 of them (ouch but I'm glad they were quick about it); 2 were retracted (i.e. the companies decided not to fill the positions); and, I withdrew my application from 1 of them (decided I would not give it my all). Just waiting on the rest knowing that long waits are not good things.

And suddenly 30 days have passed. Poof. Only 60 days left before things get interesting. And I am pondering how I've spent the last 30 days and how I should spend the next 60. I spent a week with an uncle with end stage renal disease, diabetes, etc. He was in the hospital and it was time well spent. The mother and nephew of someone important to me was in town for the last month and I spent a lot of time with them. Again, time well spent. But I am still thinking about the impact and legacy I want to have. ALL.OF.THE.TIME.

And yet, it's so easy for me to get distracted and for the hours to pass quickly. I recently discovered ReGenenis on Hulu. I watched 6 episodes back to back. I will likely never watch CSI again. While the lab techniques are primitive, the science discussed is rock solid, likely because they recruited great scientific consultants for the show. While ReGenesis has been off air for a few years, I am loving the hubris, the flawed personalities, the total commitment to the work, the agony and ecstasy of the discovery, the sleepless nights, the dreams of research, the desire to make a difference, etc.

I've been closing out an NIH funded research project for the last few years. We are finally almost out of grant dollars. I have very mixed emotions about this. I love watching the scientific drama unfold on TV but the reality of most discovery research is much slower with the potential for a much smaller impact. I want to support discovery research but I don't necessarily want to do it anymore. I prefer discoveries that are in transition to commercialization. Mine was not. I've been working in laboratories since 1985. 25 years. More than half my life. The funding should run out just about when my 90 day transition ends. Yikes.

So many endings coming soon. So much change. I have never had a "break" this long and don't expect to have one again. I like to be busy, to add value, to make a difference. There are only 60 days left. How should I best spend this time? Travel? Spanish Immersion Course? Volunteer? Learn to Surf?