The Year of Turning 50

Happy Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Dan Piette) — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 13:56:00 +0000

So this is it.

Today I am 50, and this is the last post in this blog. It has been fun.

When I stated this blog I was wondering if there would be anything of significance happening this past year. As with any year, lots of things happened. Some good some bad.

I lost two uncles this past year.

Doreen had a brush with the health care industry. (We are still fighting over that)

We ate plenty of good meals (too many to link to here)

We experienced fun in Houston and abroad. (more abroad later in the year, too)

I worked and worked and worked.

We celebrated our Fifth Anniversary!

I learned how to make a video and post it on You Tube.

I thought about what happened 30 years ago when I turned 20.

We made our house a protected landmark.

I bought a new car. No, not a midlife crisis. Just a new car after ten years and 140,000 miles on the old one.

We found out that my brother Chas would be getting married and move to Wyoming.

I baked my first Italian Cream Cake for my sweet ever lovin’s birthday.

We had many more good meals in Houston. Here is one.

One of my nieces wanted to cook gumbo, and she got plenty of advice.

It was a good work year. We added an investor, and opened several offices.

We went to NYC and the Rodeo in the same month. Click here to read about both.

Spring came early and with plenty of flowers.

We celebrated birthdays and weddings and more in Door County, WI. It was a blast.

We made another trip to Europe (work) and took some time off in Lisbon, and had some time in Paris

About two weeks ago I was named to the board of directors of a Geophysical Acquisition Company.

And that brings us to the end of the year.

We will be going to a wedding and then a nice dinner this evening to celebrate the birthday.

It was a very good year.

This is the last post here. I will now move back to my normal blog. Come visit me there.

What's for dinner?

noreply@blogger.com (Dan Piette) — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 11:41:00 +0000

My brother Matthew has a cool thing on his website where he talks about what he is cooking that evening. I don’t have an interesting spot like this, but last night we had a grilled bonanza.

Doreen’s friend Paul was in town from San Francisco, so we had him over for dinner. We decided to grill some steaks, and since we didn’t want to waste charcoal, we decided to grill some other things, too.

So we grilled asparagus, corn, and portabella mushrooms. It got a little crowded on the grill (a standard Weber kettle grill) but it all turned out delicious!

51 weeks

noreply@blogger.com (Dan Piette) — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 03:04:00 +0000

I only have one more week in my year of turning 50. I am trying to figure out if the dividing of our age into decades is an artificial construct, or if we can learn something from these divisions in our lives. I am not deep enough to quote Rilke or something from Gail Sheehy’s books, so I will have to make do with my own pitiful observations.

I have been trying to remember back on earlier, significant birthdays. I sort of remember the first time I had a two digit birthday. That would have been in 1967 (obviously) and I probably celebrated it in Franklin, LA. But in all honesty I cannot recall anything beyond that. Did it make a difference? Certainly not.

The next significant (though not round) birthday would have been my 16^th. That is when I took the driver’s test (and passed on the first go). I can remember the test, I can’t remember anything after that.

In Wisconsin when I was a youth, the drinking age was 18. So of course my 18^th should have been memorable. I remember going out to dinner with my folks, but that is about it. No, I didn’t get drunk, it was just a nice meal where I had my first legal beer that I shared with my father.

I turned 20 while living in Illinois. I don’t remember that birthday at all. There is probably a good reason for that. There was not too much to do there, so we didn’t do much.

I turned 30 in Houston, right after I first moved to the Houston Heights. I think it was not celebrated, as we would have been poor because the house was a stretch, and we also had another house that had to be rented out. (That first house in the Heights was purchased for $112,000. You can’t buy dirt for that now)

40 I remember quite well. I spent the day alone trying to have an existential crisis. But mainly what I had was a nap.

And that brings us to 50. The search for meaning in the numbers has turned out to be fruitless. How about a search for meaning in the decades?

When I was a child, I acted as a child. No need to go into that.

In my 20s I got out of college and went to work. I held three jobs – Exxon Minerals and Exxon Synthetics as a Mining Engineer, David P Cook and Associates as a Customer Support Rep, and Terra-Mar as a, well, whatever it is I did there. (Sales, Development, Management). I was still optimistic enough about the world to believe that it was rational.

I was wrong about the rational part.

In my 30s I worked. This is where I really “grew up” professionally. I had a short year at Terra-Mar, and then I worked for Landmark Graphics in Houston, Caracas, and Singapore. That was a good run. I turned 40 just after that deal was done. I would venture that I learned more and worked harder in my 30s than in my 40s.

My 40s have been a pretty good decade. I worked for Bell Geospace, initially as the VP of Sales, then the Chief Operating Officer, and finally as CEO and took them though a Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. After that I goofed off for a couple of years. Then I took a job with Input/Output as a Business Unit Manager. Now I am the CEO of OpenSpirit Corp as well as a Director for PGS.

So what did I learn?

You are not always right
The world is not rational
The US is as close to a meritocracy as you will find
Houston, TX will give you all the opportunities you need to pursue your dreams
It is better to be lucky than smart
Fortune favors the prepared mind (Louis Pasteur) or
The harder I work, the luckier I get (Satchel Paige)
Most importantly: Grab a hold of the one you love and never, ever let go.

My dream of sitting on my front porch thinking great thoughts get closer and farther everyday.

Good short article about what VCs want

noreply@blogger.com (Dan Piette) — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 14:07:00 +0000

Are You Sexy Enough to Attract Venture Capital? - Small Business Focus - Entrepreneur.com

Mathilde, meet Hippolyte

noreply@blogger.com (Dan Piette) — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 18:36:00 +0000

Not your average Tom, Dick and Harry - Polly Vous Francais?

The History of Dog Domestication

noreply@blogger.com (Dan Piette) — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 18:35:00 +0000

The History of Dog Domestication

Garbage

noreply@blogger.com (Dan Piette) — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 02:49:00 +0000

We have little rolling dumpsters here in Houston. The city picks them up with one man trucks.

We have one rolling dumpster, and Silvia, who lives in our garage apartment has one as well.

We seldom fill up even ONE dumpster, but today we had two at the curb.

Someone stole one of our dumpsters!

How low can you possibly go to steal someone’s dumpster?

Picasa Web Albums

noreply@blogger.com (Dan Piette) — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 20:02:00 +0000

I have posted many more photos at our Picasa Web Album. You can see them by clicking on the Picasa Web Album link to the right--->

V, The Movie

noreply@blogger.com (Dan Piette) — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 19:30:00 +0000

Ellie May, did you see the Cement Pond???

Lisbon Pastries

noreply@blogger.com (Dan Piette) — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 00:15:00 +0000

This is a little out of order, but this is a photo of some of the pastries that Lisbon is famous for. We would eat these every morning.

They have a custard filling, and a very flaky crust.

Delicious!

I don't think we had a bad meal in Lisbon. Big places, small places, expensive or cheap. They are all good.

Paris - The V

noreply@blogger.com (Dan Piette) — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 23:45:00 +0000

We woke up at about 4:15 from a night of fitful sleep. I am not sure why neither of us had a good night’s sleep. Doreen usually sleeps like a soldier after a night patrol. But I seldom seem to be able to get through the night without waking up at least once.

But we had our breakfast treats and our coffee and grabbed a cab (waiting at the airport at 5:30!) to head to the airport.

One of the things we had to do the night before was to offload much of our luggage. You need to understand this: We do not travel light. It doesn’t help that I had to work for five days, but we had to visit three cities (one of them twice) and make do with what we carried. So on our outbound trip we had one suitcase that was 23 Kilos, and one that was 21. The limit is 20k per person. Continental doesn’t mind as we were flying biz, but Air France was not happy. I am not sure how we got away with it from Paris to London, but as I said earlier, we got nicked for £63 from London to Lisbon. So we were determined to NOT hit that limit again.

We unpacked an offloaded a bunch of stuff to our carry-ons (now how silly is that? The stuff was still in the plane. Just a different part of the plane) and made them VERY heavy. But instead of weighing in at about 47 (our London weight) we hit 37 Kilos. We paid for it as we walked, though.

The Lisbon airport was very nice. They zipped us through all the formalities and even let us use the lounge without a hitch. Probably not well trained.

We got to Paris and had no real problems getting our luggage or a cab. (traffic was terrible on the outbound side, as it is the biggest Arms Trader’s convention in the world going on here right now – the Air Exposition) As we got close to our hotel, the roads just stopped.

Now, you need to understand that we are staying at a hotel that is way out of our class. Both money and culturally, we just don’t stay at places like the George V. So we were sort of expecting some troubles when we arrived. Oh, we are paying for the hotel with miles. We have more miles than I think we will ever use.

So we finally got to the hotel and had a €58 cab bill for what should have been a €42 cab ride. I was not happy. Then when we walked in the hotel, there were Arabs and security men everywhere. The front desk told us that the new French President (Sarkozy) had asked them to close the hotel and house an Arab delegation to the arms show. Oh, I thought. We get kicked out like the zchlubs we are. He said that they tried to get in touch with us so that they could move us to another hotel. We were unreachable.

So he said, as it is only one night, they would find us a room. And by the way, could he buy us a drink while we waited? Doreen made sure we got the upgrade we used the miles for and he said that was not going to be a problem.

We had a very nice vintage (1999) rose champagne, and then decided to go for a walk. We were told our room, a suite, would be available in about 20 minutes. We said fine and walked out to find a light lunch.

We bought a couple of small quiches and a half bottle of Bordeaux and had a picnic down by the Seine. We wandered around the new Quay Branly museum of native peoples (we didn’t go in) and slowly made our way back.

When we got back to the hotel we were told our room was ready. Room 627. That meant nothing to us, but it should have.

This room is at least 1,500 square feet. We have a powder room, and enormous bedroom (with a sitting area) a huge bathroom, a walk-in closet, a living room, a small dining area, and a work desk as well.

All I can say is, Thank you Sarkozy and the Arab delegation!

quay branly w tour eiffle

noreply@blogger.com (Dan Piette) — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 14:02:00 +0000

more quay

noreply@blogger.com (Dan Piette) — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 13:59:00 +0000

quay

noreply@blogger.com (Dan Piette) — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 13:56:00 +0000

Santa Justa Elevator

noreply@blogger.com (Dan Piette) — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 18:10:00 +0000

We visted the top of this Elevator last evening. It was built by a contemporary of Eiffel (of Tower fame) It was really nice, but I could not even think about where I was. My fear of heights would make me woozy each time I thought about my actual location.

There is a cafe on top, and we had a beer up there. It was an hour or so before sunset and the shadows started sweeping across the city. It was very nice.

Last evening we ate at a fancy place called Olivier's Cafe. The food and service were great.

We have not had a bad meal here in Lisbon.

Walking Around Lisbon

noreply@blogger.com (Dan Piette) — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 18:04:00 +0000

Yesterday we walked around without the camera. Today we made up for that (more later)

The most interesting things that happened yesterday were that we saw a submarine heading down the river, we negotiated for tiles at the Thieves’ Market, and we saw a guy get caught on the train without a ticket.

Seeing a submarine is always an interesting thing. They sort of exude a malevolence that you don’t see in other ships. They exist only to attack from beneath, you cannot couch their activities in a defensive sense. So it was interesting to see it heading out to sea.

We walked and walked yesterday. Up to the Moorish Castle in the city (though we tried to take one of the Trams. The infamous 28). It was a nice walk, and you really got the sense of what a medieval city must look like. Around the castle there had been no renovation, so you got to see all the little higgly piggly streets in their full glory (we saw similar streets today in Sintra)

We ultimately reached the Thieves’ Market – or Flea Market. It was mostly junk. Doreen had been wanting an old tile, so we found one that she liked. The woman was asking €20, which I felt was outrageous. She kept telling us it was from the 17th century, as if that really mattered to me.

She ultimately dropped the price to €15, but I still thought that was too high. We looked at another tile that she said we could have for €4. I said I would give her €15 for the two of them. Oh the caterwauling! You would have thought I was stealing her first born son! She brought her friends over from the other booth. They commiserated, and I held firm. She stated saying how lucky I was to have such a beautiful wife, and how she needed beautiful things, like this 17th century tile. I agreed, and said that she would have them for €15.

More caterwauling and going on, but she finally said that she would do it for Doreen, not for me. She said I was cheap. But my wife deserved these tiles. We all walked away happy – she kissed Doreen good bye on both cheeks.

Finally we saw a poor man get busted on the tram (Tram 15). The trams cost €1.30 for a one way ride. They are more or less an honor system. You have to validate your ticket (we would get a day pass for €3.35) at these little machines, and occasionally a guy from CARRIS would come in and check. One of these fellows got on our tram and he checked our tickets, which flashed green (no problem). When he had his back turned, a scruffy looking fellow tried to get off the train at the next stop. The Enforcer saw him, and told the driver to lock the doors. He went back and caught the guy, and fined him €78 ON THE SPOT!!! The poor bum had to gather money from other passengers, all of whom felt sorry for him.

We felt sorry for him, too. But we didn’t give him any money. That was just because he didn’t ask.

Not believing Fernando

noreply@blogger.com (Dan Piette) — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 22:03:00 +0000

Here I am, being skeptical of Fernando's response.

Chatting with Fernando Pessoa

noreply@blogger.com (Dan Piette) — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 22:02:00 +0000

Here I am, making a point to Fernando. He is the biggest poet to come out of Lisbon since Riberiera.

Grilled Sardines

noreply@blogger.com (Dan Piette) — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 17:24:00 +0000

The more we travel, the more our travels are about food. So it is no surprise that we seek out local dishes and try to find something unusual where ever we go.

This is the end result of some grilled sardines. They were great. They have very rich flavor and should be accompanied by a dry white Portugese wine.

Outstanding!

Doreen and Vasco de Gama

noreply@blogger.com (Dan Piette) — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 18:03:00 +0000

Here is Doreen holding hands with Vasco de Gama. (in Lisbon museums, they encourage you to touch the displays)

Doreen's Godchild is named after Vasco. Well, about 475 years after Vasco!

Better photo of the Palace

noreply@blogger.com (Dan Piette) — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 15:08:00 +0000

Check this out, too:

Bad Travel Days.

noreply@blogger.com (Dan Piette) — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 08:57:00 +0000

Sometimes when you travel, it just all goes wrong. And not wrong as in delayed or canceled flights (though that happens with horrible regularity as well) but wrong as in that is seems that the entire travel industry is populated by angry old people telling you to get off their lawn. They are the ones who hold the ball, and they just don’t want to share.

Yesterday we got to Heathrow airport in good time, and get to the Air France (avoid at all costs, by the way) to check it. It seems to be going well except for the fact they simply will not give us the exit row on the Paris – Lisbon leg. (I am 6’6” tall. If you want to see what it feels like for me to fly, go to a first grade classroom – one with those little desks with the attached chair and desk that opens to reveal pencils and books and such. Cram yourself into that desk. Then sit there for three hours while someone yells at you not to get up). OK, I though, we can try to get the exit row in Paris.

Then the real joy of the adventure started. “You are overweight” I was told. Now, I know I can lose a few pounds, but… “You will owe £63.50 for excess baggage” I am elite, I replied. “Not here, you are not”. I was not happy.

We paid, and went through security (zip, zip. Not a problem there. My congratulations to the English Security System) and got to the waiting room. Fun times again. We go to the elite lounge (I am a member of the Continental Airlines lounge) and are refused entry. With a smile. “That card does not work, sir. I am sorry” I doubted that.

But, thank goodness for the Italians! We went to the Alitalia lounge and were greeted by a confused, but friendly woman who let us in gladly.

Now we are relaxing in Lisbon. Seems like a nice place.

Looking South

noreply@blogger.com (Dan Piette) — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 08:07:00 +0000

Lisbon

noreply@blogger.com (Dan Piette) — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 08:02:00 +0000

This is a view from our apartment in Lisbon. This is the Presidential Palace. We are right across the street.

The apartment is in Belem. It is to the west of Lisbon proper, but on a tram line.

Entering Portugal seems to be like entering a South American country. I will write more from my real computer later. this is still a mobile blog

Greenwich, England

noreply@blogger.com (Dan Piette) — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 21:47:00 +0000

The two domes are part of the Royal Navy College. It was designed by Christopher Wren. Up and to the right, out of sight of this photo is the Royal Observatory of Greenwich. Home of the Prime Meridian and Time. (GMT or UTM)

Tonight we walked past the observatory to see the green laser that is broadcast along the Prime Meridian from the top of the observatory. Quite a sight. Eastern and Western hemispheres at our feet