You're an IDIOT!

What are these people thinking? I always thought it was quite straightforward. When you renew your vehicle registration, you receive a new registration sticker in the mail, and then you stick it on top of the one that is about to expire...showing only the most recent and current registration sticker.

Well I guess it isn't so obvious. I have been trying to get some pics for weeks now to show you all what I am referring to, but since I barely drive, I often don't have my camera, and moving vehicles are hard to take snapshots of while driving...here you go.

I have seen up to five registration stickers on a single plate in Florida. Crazy! For anyone who has more than one registration sticker showing, YOU ARE AN IDIOT.

1. Read the instructions.
2. Get some common sense.
3. Stop trying to show off that you paid for your vehicle registration multiple years.

Only in Florida!?

And for your viewing pleasure...

4

3

2

I did a quick alteration to everyone's plates I have displayed to protect their identity...not like I know who they are.

Sweetwater Tavern

I ate another great burger in the Detroit area this afternoon. Previous memorable experiences I had at Miller's and Red Coat had me ready for a cheeseburger once I landed in town for Christmas break.
We ended up choosing Sweetwater Tavern in downtown Detroit. The selection started off on a positive note with a meter parking spot instead of being forced into the surrounding pay lots. Upon entry we quickly noticed that the establishment allowed smoking throughout but later learned that this was the last 3 weeks before the smoking ban goes live.

I ordered the Sweetwater Burger sporting bacon, swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, and their special sauce on the side - it also came with fries and a side of coleslaw. The menu boasted of fresh meat daily from somewhere local and I was ready. My plate was served cooked to order with my medium rare burger and fries. I started off cutting it in half and noticed something special about the sesame seed bun's appearance. It was either dipped in butter or oil which was definitely recognizable by the taste.

The cheeseburger was great and only cost 8 or 9 bucks. We also saw signs out front offering a free shuttle to the local sporting venues. Definitely a great spot to revisit.

Getting scores on your mobile phone

If you are looking for college football scores or any scores for that matter try out m.SI.com. I worked through a few sites during this season and ended up using SI's mobile site at it is easy and quick to navigate and provides you with what you need to know.

If you find a better one, please let me know. This is for regular mobile Internet browsing - not a mobile app.

Interesting coaching situations at the end of the NCAA football 2009 season

The 2009 NCAA college football is ending with another onslaught of head coaches and schools parting ways. Nearly all of the men so far really didn't have much say in the matter. Before you read any further, please know that this is a mini Bobby Bowden tribute. Yes, I am a Gator fan, but this man deserves it.

So far we have separation between:

• Charlie Weis and Notre Dame,
• Steve Kragthorpe and Louisville,
• Mark Mangino and Kansas,
• Bobby Bowden and FSU,
• a handful of Georgia Assistants being shipped out,
• as well as a list of others from different schools.

I, like many recognize that this is merely a component of the college football business. But this year is starting to stand out. Someone to to step up and speak to the obvious. There can only be so many undefeated and #1 schools every year. I know that you can only be the best by striving to be the best, but recently it seems like expectations are in some cases ridiculous. In my opinion, the schools should let the scenarios play out a bit longer. Let's talk about the 3 biggest names to date: Charlie Weis, Mark Mangino, and Bobby Bowden.

Charlie Weis. Yes, I know every big school wants to be #1. Or, at least in the mix annually. But the way Notre Dame heaps on the pressure is just ridiculous. Not to say a 6 and 6 season should be acceptable, but maybe you are just in a rut right now. Your NBC contract irks me every time I think about it. Join a conference already. Wake up Notre Dame, you are not college football. You are just one of the 100+ teams. Maybe if you joined the Big East and stopped stacking up your schedule you could get back on track.

Mark Mangino. I know little about this situation and can't even tell you Kansas' win loss record. But why is everyone thinking the same thing except those with the decision making power at Kansas...hello, you are a basketball school. Mark was doing a good job.

Maybe I'm getting softer in my older age or maybe I just don't have all of the information the insiders have. Or maybe I have been focusing on the Gators and watching the long overdue Charlie Strong about to get his own squad. But as of tonight I think that at Mark Mangino should have stayed. And as for Notre Dame, it's not just the coach - there is a lot more to it. I know you have a tremendous following domestically. So what. Do you really think bringing in another coach is going to get you in the BCS game within 3 years? You are an educational institution after all. Study the odds, study something, it isn't going to happen. It is going to take some time and more importantly someone to realize that.

This brings us to Bobby Bowden. Yes, if you know me personally you know that I always start my FSU smack talk with something to the matter of FSU being a girls school, since it started as a an all women's college. I put the I hate you act on with the rest of them on game day. However, I still have a lot of respect for the Seminoles even though I am a true Gator fan. Especially for Mr. Bobby Bowden. One could claim he invented football in Florida. He has more wins than any other college football coach except JoePa and numerous consecutive seasons with top 10 teams. I just feel strongly that the man should have had a better exit AND on his terms. If he wanted one more year for the next five years than so be it. There wouldn't be the brand of FSU football without Bobby Bowden.

Thank you Bobby Bowden for what you gave the game and the State of Florida. And I hope you go out for another coaching job and whoop up FSU.

Credit to Whig.com, where this picture was pulled from.

Random Burger Pics

I recently went through my burger pictures and realized that I had previously not posted a handful of meals. Below are some leftovers that I may have referred to but never posted previously. Enjoy!


First up, Mr. Joe's in Southfield, Michigan. I recall the great sweet potato fries. The burger was okay and came at a very cheap price.

The popcorn they served at Mr. Joe's when you sit down is a nice treat as well.

Miller's Bar in Dearborn, Michigan remains one of my favorites. The things that I remember distinctly are the honor code when paying for your meal. You just walk up to the bar and tell them what you had and they ring it up on an old cash register.

Each burger at Miller's comes to the table in a paper wrapper without a plate. There are stacks of patties ready to go by the bar. And are cooked tens at a time on a flat top. A soft squishy bun and a perfect burger. The exterior of the joint is very plain but well worth the visit.

Christy's in Starkville, Mississippi was supposed to be one of the best burger stops around. I found it mediocre but worth the stop in the small town. You can see here in this out of focus picture that they sure do serve up a classic presentation.

And then there is Jack Fry's. A classic establishment in Louisville, Kentucky. They serve a good burger topped with caramelized onions and mushrooms tucked below the cheese. This is a great place but potentially better visited for steak or a glass of wine.

El Rey de Las Fritas in Little Havana, Miami. I probably will not find another burger like this anywhere else. But I will be back to 8th Street to eat one again. The patty integrates beef with chorizo and is topped with a plethora of shoestring fries sandwiched between Cuban bread. I found this place through A Hamburger Today with an article referencing Food Network's 50 best burgers. Don't forget to try the Materva. This Yerba Mate drink is tasty.

Corner Bistro. A long term burger destination with recognized aficionados. My experience there was not so good, but I'm hoping it was an off day. Here is a shot from the outside when I was in New York and had 2 and half burgers for lunch at Shake Shack, brgr, and then Corner Bistro.

My last pic is from Kingdom. I remember my Kingdom burger to be very good. It came out in a red basket and was prepared pretty much how I would write up my favorite burgers. Condiments, temperature, and bun.

Burger Honorable Mentions

I took a few minutes today to review the plethora of burger pics I have stockpiled away and again realized I don't yet have a way to categorize burgers not made from ground beef originating from bulls or cows. I still do not intend to add them to my 'rated' list as they are not true hamburgers, but they should not be forgotten.

Bison from Proof

The first worth mentioning is the Bison Burger from Proof on Main in Louisville, Kentucky. This burger is prepared about as close to perfect as could be and if it were chuck or sirloin I'd have to slide someone down from my current top ten. Not sure how high up I'd go, but it would happen.

They serve their bison burger with a slice of Tillamook Cheddar atop sandwiched between a toasted bun illustrating the perfect burger to bun ratio. It is presented sliced in half with a heap of shoestring french fries overflowing from the center of the plate on to the crest of the grill marks on the bun.

I order medium-rare as it is perfectly cooked every time. Pink and jelly-raw in the center and seared on the top and bottom. They provide a fancy orange sauce as a condiment. I have never been sure if I am supposed to spoil the burger with it or use it for the fries. Since I despise ketchup, I dip my potatoes right in 3 or 4 at a time. I forgot to mention the bacon - a smoked hickory flavored bacon that is very crispy if not just overdone - on purpose.

I highly recommend this burger and the restaurant. The hotel that sports this hot night spot of a restaurant/bar looks like a great time as well. It is called 21C. They have a mini art museum in the lobby that always has different exihibits every time I dine there. If you are a man, you must use the men's restroom off of the lobby. You'll know why after you go #1.

Someday I'll get my own pic of their burger. I always just dive in and forget.

Lamb @ Green Street

Another good burger that I had within the last few months was at Green Street in Coconut Grove, FL. I don't remember all the particulars about it except for it being a great lamb Burger and that it made me motivated to try mixing ground lamb into my home creations more often. I do have a pic that I took with my aging smartphone. Enjoy.

A Math Degree

I ran across an article today about careers that make money due to a math background. I found the topic interesting figuring I have a degree in Mathematics. You can click HERE to check it out for yourself.

One thing they don't talk about at all in the article is how the achievement of a Mathematics degree really teaches one how to think. I probably wouldn't get an advanced calculus or abstract algebra proof near correct if I had to right now, but I sure do approach challenges at work methodically from start to finish.

The article lists 10 money making paths, but they fail to mention that your analytical skills can be applied to various career tracks. If you can make it through 4 years of 3000 and 4000 level math classes you'll definitely come out on top of the pile as far as analyzing problems and coming up with optimal solutions in the workplace.

The Ultimate Gift

The Ultimate Gift would be South Beach Wine & Food Festival Burger Bash Tickets. Every year the ticket price goes up and the amount of time they sell out in goes down.

This year's general admission is $200. Check out the actual web site yourself for some good burger pics. It appears that they have changed up the competition this year from popular burger joints to top chefs.

I'm trying to save up for my wedding next year so I'll be passing it up again.

Starkville

I'm headed to Starkville, Mississippi tomorrow to attend the SEC football game this weekend with Florida at Mississippi State. I am really excited to meet up with 5 of my good friends for this road trip and to experience my 6th SEC stadium.

I have already started scouting out burger joints and it looks like Mugshots is on the top of my list.

The Sweet Daddy @ Genny's Diner in Louisville

Today I accomplished a new feat. Something that I thought was previously not able to be accomplished by my slim 173 pound soaking wet body. I finished an entire Sweet Daddy at Genny's Diner.

Genny's is one of those places that I have said I wanted to go for some time, but previously had not gotten around to it. It is an old school local establishment on Frankfurt Avenue in Louisville, Kentucky. The truth is that I was always unsure of my ability to conquer the burger feast I encountered today so I put off the trip. I made the lunch appointment with a great guy from my work site in Louisville a few weeks back as I know he enjoys burger joints, would potentially cheer me on, and not let me leave there without achieving the goal. Everything worked out and I would probably not have made it to the finish line without him.

This is how it went down...

I looked up the menu this morning to remind myself of what sweetness I was in for. Genny's menu declares that the Sweet Daddy weighs in at 1 1/4 pounds topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, and mayo. Cheese is $2.50 extra. I'll come back to the weight of the meat shortly.

We arrived, parked right in front, and snapped a few pics. My colleague encouraged me to get crazy with the pics as he knew what I was in for. We entered, as we learned throughout our dining experience, through the wrong door. I say this because we sat next to the correct entrance and they had one of those super annoying Halloween witch noise makers and it went off for every patron entering the diner. The place was empty when we went in and I asked the young waitress if we could sit wherever we wanted trying to make light of the emptiness.



At certain points in time this place was apparently hopping but was shut down recently due to a fire next door - which is another story. And they no longer serve alcohol, hence, why I dropped the 'Pub' from the name. But, it is obviously back open now. We got our menus, I ordered a lemonade and he ordered a cream soda. We glanced over the menus while waiting for our beverages. Since my order was predetermined - I momentarily tried backing out but circled back rather quickly - he selected the medium 10 oz. burger combo with fries. I ordered the Sweet Daddy solo because I knew I had some work ahead of me and I really don't like fries all that much anyway.

When my monstrosity arrived with a long bamboo skewer spiked down the center I knew it was going to be tough. Seeing pictures online are one thing, but this meat pile was something else. I still think if his was 10 oz, then mine was 30 instead of the advertised 20. The Sweet Daddy comes with 3 burgers stacked with condiments on the top and bottom and a soft bun anchoring it's position. You really need 3 or four hands to work this food for 4. I stuck to my routine and stabbed it with my knife to cut it in half. I added nothing outside of what it came with. I ordered it medium expecting medium to medium-well. My fancy is always medium-rare, but I didn't want to take any chances getting sick while gorging myself. It came out medium-well as expected.

I came out of the gate strong and ate nearly all of the first half with the exception of some lettuce and tomatoes that slipped onto my plate. It was a true challenge to maneuver this beast. I could hold and squeeze it no problem, but fitting it into my mouth was not possible by any means. I worked the stack well without much going anywhere other than my plate or mouth.

The second half came naturally as well. I was feeling good. I eat a lot of cheeseburgers and a lot of food in general. I tried to keep a good pace on the rest but slowed near the end. I cut the remaining second half into a half of it's own and worked most of it with a fork. When I got down to the last piece of patty I debated over and over if I should throw in the towel fearing to be sick at work later. With solid encouragement I ate every last bit of meat. After breaking through and finishing the mission at hand, I continued on with some of the lettuce and tomato scraps since I was in zone. I hate wasting food. I always tease my fiance with: "That (insert animal name) died for you." Most of the time I mean it, I really don't like wasting food.

The moral of the story is that I ate a whole Genny's Diner Sweet Daddy buger. I wouldn't rate the burger on my top ten list, but the experience is one that I will always recall. I don't know if I'll make it back because I already ate enough for three trips and I really believe I had well over 20 ounces of meat. I hope you enjoy the pictures I posted throughout.

Click HERE if you want to see the whole slideshow.

Delayed in ATL

Here is a snapshot from my morning spent in the Atlanta Airport (ATL).

The rainy weather created a challenging Monday morning travel scenario. Circling around in a holding pattern in order to get in line to land, delayed flights, cancellations, etc... When asked, the gate agent for my connection she said that I missed the door closing by about 4 minutes. I already missed the original departure time and wasn't sure if the time of the monitors was accurate so I didn't bother running. The last time I ran in an airport with my carry-on, laptop bag, and suit I thought I was going to die and it turned out I had about 15 minutes more because there were 10's of people that were late as well. I vowed from then on not to run anymore. I don't think even if I did run today that I would have made it. I walk so fast and I really didn't lose any time through my concourse journey. We'll, I'm off to Louisville for work...

(written at 12:00 pm ET)

Thinkertoys

It's not always about how fast you solve the problem. Many times it's more important how you apply lessons learned to find the best solution.

Thank you Thinkertoys.

Customer Service - Part 1

I believe that the more one focuses on customer service and continually en grains service excellence in their daily habits both professionally and personally it will become more natural if it wasn't already. But, this is just picking the low hanging fruit, of course the more you do something the easier it becomes.

For those that think customer service is only for those with a job titled 'customer service' or in a support capacity you are dead wrong. Everyone is in the business of customer service. Whether it be a client from work, your boss, a co-worker, a subordinate, or even your family, one should always be providing the highest level of service that they can. Anything less is simply displaying laziness. If you continue to put the effort in you will be surprised at how others adapt and to see the morale change.

A Consultant must be motivated and hungry with a destination in mind.

If you've ever looked at my profile, you know that I earn my money as a consultant, specifically in the areas of learning and performance management. My job is very rewarding mainly due to the projects I get put on and of course the great clients I learn from daily. If you are one of those customers surfing the net and have found me...thanks for everything at work.

I thought I'd share a post I put on my work blog hidden behind a firewall. Of course, I'm sure it's worthy of some editing, but it is a blog post after all.

A Consultant must be motivated and hungry with a destination in mind.

After being in the consulting business for a few years I have realized the following:

• Verbal and written praise from peers, direct reports, managers, other colleagues, and clients is just as good as a simple pat on the back,
• Contract extensions and requests for advice and guidance down the road are the real indications that you are doing your job – the right way,
• You are only worth merely a slice of what you are billable for annually, and
• As I’ve said for a while now, the true test lies within your ability to continually prepare at least 2 protégés to replace you.

Continued positive feedback from co-workers is nice and accolades from clients might make you feel even better, but all these performance review ‘print-outs’ do is credit you for doing your job. Any consultant should know that if you are not getting positive feedback from clients on a regular basis something is wrong. You shouldn’t need ‘that-a-boys’ to prove you are out there hustling through the airports and burning the midnight oil. Check your demeanor, your actions, and the way you conduct business. By no means should you ever solicit positive feedback. Of course it’s okay to slip in the routine, “why don’t you tell my boss that?” upon receiving deserved compliments. But seriously, you should be setting the bar so high that compliments actually start to diminish and become rarer. A consultant’s above average performance should be routine and expected. If not, maybe you should get a day job.

Customers display their true recognition of your value by continuing to subscribe to your services rather than hiring a contractor or full-timer to do the same work you do for a third the cost. This is the true definition of an appreciated consultant. I think that this spans all industries and continued renewal of services speaks volumes. There aren’t always opportunities to continue projects or just keep your warm body around – that’s understandable. The repeat customers are the payoff though – these are the ones that really trust you to make them shine. However, if you can get the clients you worked with a few years back to call you for advice and guidance, you have really accomplished something. That is the true display of respect and admiration of your work. It won’t come easy, but this should be your goal. You will have to stay in touch yourself. But if you lay the ground work, the stars will a line. Just wait it out and work hard.

For all of the gold diggers and hot heads, come on, really are you serious? You can only be paid some small fraction of what you are being billed for. There is a lot of overhead in running a business. If you can’t get with the program, go work for yourself and join the rat race. Nothing is wrong with the system or working for the man. Continue to add experience and credentials to your resume and put yourself in a position within your company to be billed at a very high rate on great projects. Only then will you be able to make the big bucks. You can make this journey an express train, but it’s a give and take relationship. The give portion lies within being billable since you are the product. If your company is not selling the product how do you expect to get paid? Make it easy for your company and sell yourself and then you can start taking, just don’t get greedy. The money will come.

And finally, put yourself in a position to move up. How else can you move on and work on better projects without having replacements. Try telling one of your customers that loves your work and the relationship you have established that, “Oh, sorry, I have to go and work on this better deal with a more important client.” See how that goes over. You should always be grooming someone to fill your shoes and take your place. In order to continue to grow, work on new projects, new technologies, and pioneer new business you will have to have a replacement. If you don’t set someone up to fill the gap you leave behind you will either become stagnant as an expense for your clients or burn bridges trying to move on without meaning to do so.

I love being a consultant and am passionate about the road ahead. I am eager to land my next opportunity from current, past, or future clients or of course from within. I can’t wait for my next assignments.

Fake Lobster Pizza

This past weekend I caved to my fiance's continued request for Red Lobster. If you know me, I do not like to dine at chain restaurants, especially the type that the food probably comes frozen and either tastes like crap, isn't good for you, or costs much more than it's worth. I am happy to say that this was only the 3rd Red Lobster experience of my life as far back as I can ever remember. The first being in childhood, and the 2nd being last year in Ft. Lauderdale. During that experience I was presented with a wonderful skewer of shrimp. It was so wonderful that they interlocked two teeny shrimp looking pieces of meat for every one to appear like normal shrimp all the way up the wooden skewers. What a deceitful trick. I lost what little respect I had for the chain that day. Well, that brings me to my story for yesterday.

I wasn't feeling 100% so I opted for a bowl of gumbo and what they were calling a Lobster Pizza. Let me start by giving Red Lobster credit for the picture, upsell by their staff, and actually the taste. It wasn't bad outside of the dripping oil - but that's normal for many pizza pies with certain mozzarella, so I won't complain about that. The issue I have with this appetizer is that they have the audacity to call it Lobster Pizza as if it's real lobster. The description defines it appropriately with Langostino Lobster: "A crisp thin-crust pizza topped with langostino lobster meat, melted mozzarella cheese, fresh tomatoes and sweet basil..." I can't really complain about the price even without real lobster meat since I pay way more than that for tens of other appetizers or dishes elsewhere. It's the Langostino that gets me. I noticed it before ordering and didn't really let it affect my choice. But when I got my flatbread creation I saw a handful of what looked to be crawfish pieces mixed amongst the cheese and tomatoes. I looked it up later and was even more disappointed.


I learned my lesson. AGAIN. I just don't think I will ever completely understand why she loves Red Lobster and Benihana so much, but I'll leave Benihana for another day. I should talk to her parents about it more as there must be some great childhood memories that stand above this fake food.

If you are curious about these Langostino Lobsters click on any of the highlighted words and see for yourself. They are nothing like Maine, Florida, or Pacific lobsters. I just don't want to explain any more and get all worked up about it. I did find it interesting to read about the class action law suit in California against Rubio's on a similiar topic.

When is enough?

I attended the Florida Gator football game this past weekend in Lexington, Kentucky against the Kentucky Wildcats and I saw the hit that took Tim Tebow out of the game live and then later saw the ambulance drive by with him inside on the way to the hospital. It was a scary sequence of events but not something most of us football fans haven’t seen before. The difference last night was that it was Tim Tebow, our Heisman Trophy winning quarterback, who may now be out for a while. He will most likely be back at the helm for our next game against LSU, but either way, out for a bit – and I am by no means a medical doctor.

We all know that concussions are part of the game of football. One of the ugly parts, but the players understand and choose to take this risk. It’s easy for me to sit here and talk about this type of thing having never actually played a down of organized contact football, but I respect the situation none the less. I bring all of this up because it is going to be interesting to see and hear the commentary the next 2 weeks from the media and other schools regarding whether or not Tebow should have even still been in the game figuring the Gators were up 31-7 in the third quarter and in control of the game.

I think there is a lot more to the situation then people give it credit for. There is of course the primary conversation of whether or not the game was over and then there is the discussion of running up the score. But, I think there is more to it. As far as the game being over, sure Florida was dominating the game, but try and tell either football team that with 20+ minutes left on the clock that the game was over, or the 50,000+ paying fans. Yes, I do think the game was more or less over (where Kentucky couldn’t come back) at the end of the 1st quarter, but there’s more to it than that which I will get to in a minute. As for running up the score, maybe it’s because I’m a Gator fan, I do think it’s okay to score 50-60 points on another NCAA opponent…especially in this specific game against another SEC eastern team. Kentucky is a good squad and is capable of scoring 4 touchdowns of their own. So what am I really trying to say? I guess what I am getting at is that when is it acceptable for a team like Florida to go out there and test lots of their plays? We keep hearing that teams like Florida leave starters in too long, run up the score too high, and the games are more or less over when they are 20-30 points up.

Let’s take a look at the overarching goals at hand. Florida is gunning for another championship, the 3rd in 4 years. So Florida needs more than 15-30 minutes of football to work through their playbook and test out different packages with all of the players. This was only Florida’s 4th game this year. In the first game, Tebow only played into the 2nd quarter. The second game he played into the 3rd quarter. And then Tebow played the whole game against Tennessee, their 3rd opponent. I know Tebow and the other Gator athletes practice quite a bit, but they really need to play 60 minutes to ensure they are prepared for upcoming opponents. I think having an athlete like Tim Tebow in during the middle of the 3rd quarter is completely acceptable when there is a 24 point margin. Yes, it was taking a risk, and yes, this is what will happen sometimes. I’m sure if the exact situation was to present itself again, Urban Meyer and Tim Tebow would do it all over again.

I hope Tim Tebow ‘s head is okay and he is able to quickly to recover from this injury. But, I think the critics really need to look deeper into the situation before criticizing what Florida Football and many other schools are doing to prepare for a title run.

Florida @ Kentucky '09

I have been working in Louisville, Kentucky every other week for over a year now and made sure to get tickets to this past weekend's NCAA football game with the University of Florida at the University of Kentucky down in Lexington. Below are some of the pictures I took on Saturday. Not the best photography, but something to share. It rained almost all week before and some more the morning of the game. We were lucky during the actual game time to see the sun and not have any rain.

The cloudiness in some of the pics is actually some smoke from a cannon or fireworks.

No more myspace

Well. It was only a matter of time. I finally pulled the plug on my myspace account. I was a few years late setting one up anyway. I love the idea of social networking, hence this blog site, but the idea of a myspace or facebook doesn't sit well with me for some reason. Both of those mediums are great in concept and work well for millions of others.

One can't beat the ability to keep up with current and past friends and acquaintances the way that those sites provide. I was able to reconnect with several friends from the past which was great, but since I got to a point where I was only checking my site once every 2 weeks or so, just to see if I got mail, I closed the book on it. I know that there are privacy settings and ways to keep non-'friends' out but it's just hard for me to have pics out there on the internet that are no longer mine. As well as a profile that quickly becomes out of date.

I'm sure this sounds a bit weird. Especially since these social sites are now the norm. I am at a point where I want to focus. I want to retain LinkedIn and of course this site, so I made a choice. I'm still on my second cell phone - how odd is that? You should see the beat up thing. It still works, so why change it? What does my smartphone have to do with myspace? Nothing. I guess I'm just tired and rambling.

So, for now it will be Michael Michael and LinkedIn for me.

War Games fans.

Attention War Games fans. Why didn't anyone tell me?

Apparently there is a new version or remake of War Games and it's called War Games: The Dead Code. It appears to have been out for over a year now - I just happened to catch it on the Sunday Night Movie on The CW while looking for other NFL games on TV. So I guess since it was published in 2008, I must be the last one to know.

I'm not like most youths of my age declaring The Breakfast Club or Ferris Bueller's Day Off as my favorite movies from my adolescence. I always watch War Games whenever it reruns on TV as it defines a fair slice of my interests as a youth and I always enjoy watching him talk to Joshua.

I'd have to say the top 3 movies of my childhood are:
Donald [Duck] in Mathmagic Land,
R.A.D., and
War Games

Headed to Lexington

Well, the 3rd weekend of college football is over already. Me and the rest of the NCAA football fanatics wait all year for the season and then it just goes by so fast.

Florida pulled through and beat Tennessee as expected but not by the margin that was widely predicted. The upsets came this weekend with Washington over Southern Cal and Florida State beating up on BYU.

I am really looking forward to attending next weekend's Florida game at Commonwealth Stadium against the Kentucky Wildcats as it will be the 5th SEC stadium I get to visit. And I have tickets ahead of time. Having tickets before the day of a Florida game is a rarity for me as they are always so hard to get. Or should I say, how expensive.

I will try to post some pics next week.

Happy Late Birthday to Blogger!

I noticed the piece of birthday cake on the Blogger logo today and investigated. It turns out it is Blogger's 10th birthday. Happy Birthday Blogger!

NCAA Football Week 1 2009

There are only 2 more games left to finish off week 1 of college football. Tonight's Labor Day showdown with Miami at Florida State and Cincinnati/Rutgers. With that said it was nice to see the SEC go 11-1 Thursday through Sunday. Our only loss was Oklahoma State beating Georgia.

Football season is back!

I'm an interrupter.

I often find myself in a situation hearing: "I didn't finish (what I had to say)." I wish I didn't interrupt others so much but at least I recognize the problem and continue to work on it. I have good pockets of time where it doesn't happen regularly and then other days when I get on streaks.

If I had to guess, I'd say it has been going on since nearly middle school. I don't know why I say that it been that long other than I know it's been a while. My pendulum swings between having too much to say and thinking I'll forget my thoughts if I don't jump in the conversation. Sometimes at work I am a real 'pause pouncer'. It's tough sometimes to tell when someone has finished their thoughts or is just pausing for a moment. I normally figure it out too late.

Well, at least I'm working on not interrupting. I'm looking forward to the day when I can say: "I used to do that."

NFL Network is a gift.

I just recently realized that we now have the NFL Network. Although I really think it is some big tease just for pre-season football, it has been nice. All of last year we did not get NFL Network on tv in my area (south Florida) without paying extra. So I never check the channel. Of course, the first several months when it went from free to pay by channel a couple of years back I used to check hoping it would be back all the time, but not recently. So a few weeks back when my brother from New York was visiting I walked into the living room and saw football on and the NFL logo. I was like, "What. What is this?" And of course he said, "It's NFL Network." Duh.

So there you have it. Comcast is giving us NFL Network again in one of the basic or extended cable packages. I just wish someone told me sooner. Let's just see if it lasts past the first week of the season. Thanks either way Comcast. Football everyday on tv is the best.

Google Voice

Sprint Early Termination Fee Decision

Have you ever had to pay to get out of your cell phone contract? Check out this article regarding a recent settlement for past Sprint customers and early termination of their contracts. How awesome would it be if we, regular citizens with cell phones, no longer had to have 1 or 2 year commitments with wireless providers.

I understand the concept that customers need to help pay for the wireless provider subsidizing the cost of the device over 2 years, but, if you are unhappy with the service then you should be able to get out. Hopefully this will not lead to any increase in monthly costs.

I'm long overdue for a new device and can't wait to take advantage of the 30 day trial period that most wireless providers offer. My problem is that I can't pick between the Apple iPhone and Blackberry Bold.

Check out these sites to get some of your money back if you have had to pay Sprint over the last 10 years some form of Early Termination Fee.

Sprint ETF Settlement Site

Associated Press

2 recent burgers...

I have been so busy lately that I have a list of blog posts to write up. So, I figured that I'd start with a couple of recent burgers.

The Trainer at The Sports & Social Club in downtown Louisville, Kentucky
I ate at The Sports & Social Club with my friend and we both ordered The Trainer. The Trainer comes with a fried egg, bacon, mushrooms, cheese, red onion, tomato, and lettuce. The burger i was served was cooked as I ordered it, but I can't say the same for my friend's though. Mine tasted pretty good, not a top ten, but worth ordering again. Besides...it's not all the time that you can get a fried egg on top of your burger. Below is a phone camera pic. Here is yet another reason why I should be getting more serious about purchasing a new smart phone.

Cheeseburger at the Stand in New York City
I did not take any pictures at Stand...why bother? Adam Kuban's picture on their home page is enough. I started with a strawberry shake and was quite pleased. I found the straw interesting. It was huge, wide enough to pull up a good size piece of fruit. The cheeseburger was very good. The overall modern yet retro look make you feel like you are at the right place. A painted cow marks the entrance and the open kitchen in back flanks the other end. The staff seems on top of their game. I would note that the presentation is what stands out. Nothing in particular, just consistancy and care put into every plate. A display of quality from the moment of entry to the first bite.

Food

Sometimes I ponder between my desire to host a cooking show and being a restaurant and hotel evaluator. But then I realize it's just a fun dream. I'd be more or less horrible in front of a camera, so maybe the silent 'shopper' is more for me. Maybe someday.

More about food... I made some really good chicken thighs last week lathered in a chimichurri rub. Have I ever told you how much I love using my cast iron blackening pan? I can't wait to try it again with some herbs that have not been in our cabinet for years. I am also looking forward to trying to make some artichoke fritters. Here is a picture of the ones I had tonight at the Bristol in Louisville. Their appearance and texture is quite similar to conch fritters down my way. The older I get the more I like artichoke.

(sorry about the bad pic from my phone)

KET, the local basic cable type channel has had some interesting old school Julia Childs shows lately. I particularly enjoyed the Emeril episode I say yesterday. He made this huge crawfish boil with shrimp, crawfish, corn, artichoke, garlic, potatoes, asparagus, green onions, and some other goodies. Both Emeril and Julia put a brown paper spread over a table and dumped the edible delight in a pile and went to town.

Interests no longer linked in profiles...

Unfortunately, the ability to quickly link to other blogs on Blogger with similar interests by going from profile to profile by keywords is currently not working. I can't wait until this is fixed as I like to surf among my fellow "Gator Football" fanatics to see what they are up to.

Here are 2 links providing updates from Blogger.

-1-

-2-

Trust Me

What happened to Trust Me? I was just starting to get into it a few months ago and now I never see the show on the air anymore. I liked the marketing and advertising education they were providing me.

Hopefully they will make it back to prime time.

Maintaining your PC

I was talking to a friend over the weekend about their PC not performing very well and we began talking about how to maintain the equipment's performance. My recommendations are in line with what I understand to be generally accepted as best practice. What I do breaks down into about 6 major steps. Here they are...

You can google each of these section titles yourself for more information. This is more or less targeted on what you need to be maintaining and cleaning up regularly.

Browser Temporary Internet Files
Go into your default browser. For that matter, all of your browsers. Navigate into the Tools and Settings and clear or delete you Temporary Internet Files. You should really have this set to delete every time you close the browser or on a regular schedule about every week or so. You can research more information regarding what is stored here on your own. I am not a security expert, so I am not going to make up a list.

Browser Cookies
This is more or less the same as above. You should be deleting these regulary as well. Either every time you close your browser or on a regular schedule. Deleting your cookies can be done from within the Tools and Settings area of your browser as well. If your browser presents the options, you should also remove any history, saved passwords and other web information. If you are thinking, "Why would I want to do this?" Ask yourself, "Do you write the password to your garage door entry pad on your garage door?"

Operating System Updates
You should be checking your Operating System for updates every few months if not a lot sooner. For example, if you are a Windows user, go to the Windows Update site and run the wizard to check for updates.

Antivirus Software Updates
You should be checking your Antivirus company for updates as well.

Third Party Utilities
There are other third party tools to help you clean up your system. CCleaner is a great example.

And if you get really adventourus, investigate all of the programs you have set for startup. This can be found in MSConfig (Go to Run > Command Prompt > msconfig > Startup). But, be really careful as there are lots of items to screw up here.

Keep a note pad close by

One of my favorite aspects of staying at a hotel is the pad of paper accompanied by a pen somewhere in the room, some places even have two, and my favorite placement is the one closest to the bed.

This personal preference goes back to my college days when classmates and I would always keep paper and a pen by the bedside to help solve theorums. You're thinking...huh? No really, I was a Math major and we used to go crazy trying to solve theorums and come up with solutions to problems all the time and the worst event was when you woke up in the middle of the night with an answer and then went back to sleep without writing it down.

So this is why we started putting a notebook or tablet close by when going to sleep. This way we'd have an immediate opportunity to jot down our thoughts if we woke up. I still incorporate it into my routine especially when I am on the road for work at hotels.

...Or maybe it's because I'm OCD and don't like forgetting things.

SEC Football Stadium Sizes

***Updated 24 September 2011***

The last post I wrote got me thinking about stadium sizes, particularly the SEC stadiums. After reviewing the sizes of the largest college football stadiums I learned that 4 of the largest 10 (including NFL) are NCAA SEC stadiums as well as 7 out of the top 25.  Rankings are based on capacity and not record crowds.

Here are the top 7 SEC stadiums in the top 25 (non-racing).  The first number is capacity and the second if noted is largest recorded crowd.
#3 - Neyland Stadium (102,037 / 109,061) - University of Tennessee
#5 - Bryant-Denny Stadium (101,821) - University of Alabama
#9 - Sanford Stadium (92,746) - University of Georgia
#10 - Tigers Stadium (92,542 / 93,039) - Louisiana State University
#12 - Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field (88,548 / 90,907) - University of Florida
#13 - Jordan-Hare Stadium (87,451) - Auburn University
#24 - Williams-Brice Stadium (80,250 / 85,000) - University of South Carolina


Other SEC Stadiums.  Same numbers as noted above.
Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium (76,000) - University of Arkansas
Commonwealth Stadium (67,606 / 71,024) - University of Kentucky
Vaught-Hemingway Stadium (60,580 / 62,657) - University of Mississippi
Davis Wade Stadium (55,082) Mississippi State University
Vanderbilt Stadium (39,790) Vanderbilt University


And if you were wondering, here is the list of the top ten:

1. University of Michigan (109,901)
2. Pennsylvania State University (106,572)
3. University of Tennessee
4. Ohio State University (102,329)
5. University of Alabama 
6. University of Texas (101,624)
7. Rose Bowl (94,118)
8. Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (93,607)
9. University of Georgia
10. Louisiana State University

Other search words:  biggest, seats, attendance


Sources:  
List of American football stadiums by capacity by wikipedia.org
utsports.com
rolltide.com
georgiadogs.com
lsusports.net
gatorzone.com
auburntigers.com
gamecocksonline.cstv.com
ukathletics.com
olemisssports.com
mstateathletics.com
vucommodores.cstv.com

SEC Homes

It's a perfect day for a football blog post since there are only 50 days until the first NCAA football game of the 2009 season.

This year should be another great year for me. I have a lot to plan for with an upcoming wedding in May, but I am planning on keeping my weekends full with college football.

I have my annual away game weekend planned with my friends in Starkville, Mississippi. And I am going to add in a weekend in Lexington since I will be working so close in Louisville. Of course it is going to be hard to pass up watching Lane Kiffin and Vols come down to Gainesville.

But the real point of this post is stadiums. I was at a family reunion this past weekend and talked at length to a first cousin once removed about NCAA football as he is a big Alabama fan. Since I learned once again that another SEC team has more than one stadium, I figured I would take the time to review all of the SEC stadiums...mainly because I wasn't fully aware. After doing this research I have realized that the stadium in conversation - Legion Field in Birmingham, AL is only sometimes used for the Iron Bowl.

SEC East
Florida - Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field in Gainesville, FL
Georgia - Sanford Stadium in Athens, GA
Kentucky - Commonwealth Stadium in Lexington, KY
South Carolina - Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, SC
Tennessee - Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, TN
Vanderbilt - Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, TN

SEC West
Alabama - Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, AL
Arkansas - Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayeteville, AK and War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, AK
Auburn - Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, AL
LSU - Tigers Stadium in Baton Rouge, LA
Mississippi - Vaught-Hemingway Stadium/ Hollingsworth Field in Oxford, MS
Mississippi State - Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field in Starkville, MS

Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

I was back in my home town this weekend for a family reunion and an old snack brought back memories. The day prior to the family reunion we were attending my brother's girlfriend's sister's high school graduation party (I don't know if that is proper language but you should be able to understand the association). Anyway let's get to the story...

This side of the family has been making cupcakes that look like ice cream cones for years. What you do is take regular old school ice cream cones, fill them with cake batter, bake them like cupcakes and let the batter rise and cool. After they sit for a while you add icing - your choice, just pick one that is the color of an ice cream flavor. While the icing is still soft dip them in sprinkles. Wal-lah! You have yourself cupcakes that resemble ice cream cones with sprinkles.

Make them for your kids and have fun.

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you that we transported them in a cardboard pizza box. Nirchi's pizza is really good square pizza from the Binghamton area if you have never had it.

Is your door open or closed?

Do you shut the door, leave it open, or even shut it part way when you go into your bedroom or a room in your house? I think it is interesting to watch different people's behavior in this nature. Personally I leave the door open unless I'm changing. Sometimes shutting a door partially, but rarely all the way.

I'm curious if this behavior lines up with distinct personality types? Anyone know? Is this an indication of an attempt to keep people out? Or locking yourself in? I prefer to leave doors open because I think that tells others they are open to come in and there is no privacy required.

I started thinking about this when I stayed at my family's house and recognized all doors being shut except mine when they went to bed.

Are you having trouble with your new SD card?

Why does my SDHC card not work with my laptop, PC, camera, or phone?

It took me a little while to figure out why my laptop and smartphone wouldn't recognize the SD card I recently bought. It turns out I bought one of the newer SDHC cards. And with this newer higher capacity technology (2+ GB) comes new drivers.

To cut to the chase...search the support articles on your operating system brand for "SDHC support " or something similar. For me it was Microsoft XP: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/934428.

I have yet to try the patch out because my camera dock and USB cable are at home and I am on the road. I will update this article with confirmation after I complete this. To read up on more information, browse through the support articles of the brand of your SDHC card, your hardware device...or just skip to the OS. A lot of information comes up just by searching with "SDHC".

If you can find an update for Windows Mobile 5.0 let me know.

Good Luck.

Where have all the burgers gone?

...I think they are in my stomach.

I haven't been having regular cheeseburger cravings lately. I don't know what's wrong with me, but so far I am attributing this recent change to the growing size of my stomach. I need to ride my bike more often to the beach or something so I can fit some more cheeseburgers in there. I think next week will finally be my trip to Genny's Diner in Louisville.

Engaged...

I recently got engaged and have been pretty excited about it. I haven't posted anything here because I try my best not to write the names of others and always refer to them in 3rd person without mentioning their name. I do this because they would show up in internet searches and I'm not always sure if that is what they would like.

Anyway, if you would like to get some more information about me getting married, search on the theknot.com for my name. It's going to be a fun journey.

PMP Certified

I finally took my test. I am now officially PMP Certified. The studying was hell and let's just say I should have done a lot more. For those of you preparing to take the PMP exam, get as much advice as you can and study, study, study. I suggest going through tons of practice questions and continuing to do so until your average scores are above 80%. That way you can go in with a bit of confidence. I don't subscribe to any particular study model when approaching the exam but I will say that I read the entire PMBOK and studied nearly all of Rita's book. I took my exam one of the last few days for the 3rd edition.

A big sigh of relief from me...as I will be happy to get back to regular life.

Good Luck.

A book about buses...

If I were to write a book or leave a set of instructions for work, managing others, or anything professional in nature, I would probably start with getting hit by a bus. I don't know why but the concept of a bus fills in my analogies from time to time.

When managing others I firmly believe that you have to anticipate the worst and ensure your employees are prepared to fill in or take your place. I call this the hit by the bus theory. Of course the name is not original and for some it means something else. Some even call the same theory or style of management something different. I believe you should always be training 2 to take your place. I also think that most managers are scared of a concept like this. I think they are scared that their company will fire them and have one of their subordinates take their place. If this actually happened I think it would be the result of one of two occurrences: 1 - your company has bad morals and ideals or 2 - you did something wrong not related to someone being able to replace you. If you play the situation out properly, how would one ever get promoted if there is no one to take their place. That's one of the main reasons why I believe in the hit by the bus theory. The other main reason is that you should always be advancing others. No questions asked. It will come back to you. I promise; one way or another. And why should you be training up 2 people to take your spot? Because they need some competition to keep motivated. And what if one of them get's hit by a bus too?

My other bus fascination I tag with is get on the bus or watch it go by. This concept is about you and your career going places. I believe there are opportunities all over. Most of the time you have to find them, create them, or make the best what you have been presented. But my point here is that you can either get going places by your own choice or pass up potential opportunities up and then complain about it later.

I guess my message is to get on the bus because you don't want to get hit by the bus or watch it go by. Laugh or not, I think they are pretty solid. No original but professional styles to stick by.

Hotel workers

I think one of the most gratifying things to do while staying at a hotel is to smile and say hello to the staff. Any of the staff, especially the ones on the lower end of the totem pole. To watch them smile back is just great. There are so many who look down on others for doing particular work or just don't take the time with a stranger that when someone actually acknowledges these individuals it makes it all better...for at least that moment I guess.

I am writing to this topic as a former hotel employee because I can totally relate. And now I stay in hotels for 3-4 nights a week around 23 weeks a year. It really makes the whole experience better when everyone is nice to each other and they truely mean it. Tipping means a whole lot too. It's like Christmas when some hotel employees receive tips. Even if you think you can't afford it, leave a buck or two behind once in a while...you won't miss it. Everyone loves a bonus.

Have you ever heard about smiling while you are on the phone because the person on the other end can see it? Well, do it in person too.

How to get a job in 2009...

I was talking to one of my really good friends the other day about his current job search. We were talking about his resume and I asked him if he minded hearing all of my thoughts. Since he seemed to like them, I typed them up and thought I’d share.

This is my advice when searching for a job…

1 - Establish and/or tweak your web presence. By this I mean a few things.

First, tidy up all of the areas where potential employers will search and/or find your social networking profiles AND establish the ones you are missing. If this is too much effort, just work on the staple ones that you’d prefer to keep (or create). If I were you I’d focus on LinkedIn and Facebook. But these might vary by industry.

Next, monitor and post comments on forums, blogs and similar online public spaces. Use your time online to grow within your specific field or niche. Or take the time to create the new space you want to be in. Read, share, and comment on articles and blog posts. If are not already familiar with the social networking community, you will be surprised with the their nature to reciprocate.

2 - Get out there…I mean this literally.

Put yourself in a position to meet others and future employers. Sit down and think about where your future employer or employees from your ideal company hang out after work or on the weekends. Simply increase your chances. Think of this in a dating context…we all know the guy or gal who complains that they never meet anyone, but yet they never leave their apartment. Put yourself out there and remember to put on a smile and keep a positive attitude.

Do some searches on local conference and training venues. Find out who’s coming to town and what is being offered. You could put yourself in surrounding areas for next to nothing or you could go the extra mile and actually attend – this could depend on costs but is likely tax deductible.

3 - Make sure your resume is up to date.

Let’s be real, is there anyone out there that actually reads every last word on a resume? I guess there might be, but it's probably very rare. So I think you should focus on 3 things. Here's were your marketing skills come in. How well does it represent me? What is the immediate take away for a potential reader/employer? And is it searchable?

Start by doing some resume research online. No, do a lot of research online. Find the articles that focus on the different types of resumes and who each type applies to. Find the one that fits and work on it. And almost more important – get as many resume examples that you can get your hands on.

After you get a really good draft going, have your friends review it. In the past, this is the part that taught me the most lessons. Not about searching for a job, but who your real friends really are. If you call a friend and ask them to take a few minutes out of their day and review the resume you are using and they look it over and respond back with, “It looks pretty good.” You should rethink your friendship with them. And I mean that in all seriousness. If they are your friend and don’t have enough time to help you out with your job search…you can figure out the rest.

Your goal with your resume needs to be similar to a product on a store shelf. The intended reader should be interested from the start. I'm not saying that it needs to be completely crazy good, but I am saying that it needs to get someone's attention. Additionally, when someone reviews your resume, what is their immediate reaction? Is it unprofessional, I want to meet this person, or they must be really old to have accomplished this much. Give it to someone and find out.

In addition to your resume, have some samples of your work ready. This would of course depend on industry but applies almost across the board.

Make sure the contents of your resume are searchable. Try it out. Sit down with a blank piece of paper and pretend you were a recruiter or potential employer seeking to hire “a C++ coder, a HRIS implementation consultant, or a database developer”. Write down all of the phrases, job titles, job responsibilities, and anything else that would describe a well qualified candidate with experience should have. Now how does this list compare with your resume? When you search for each of these in your resume, what do you find? Guess what, in many cases this will be the only chance you have.

4 - Create a baseline.

My last point on resumes is to post a copy. Make sure you have at least one copy out there somewhere. An online classified site or one or more of the big job sites for starters. I’d say this approach is like fishing…it’s a lot harder to catch a fish without having a bait in the water.

Good Luck. And what I didn't say is that it is all about networking. Talk to your friends, acquaintances, past colleagues, and anyone else that may be of help.