Yup-date

Yup...time for an update! So, since the last time I wrote, what have you missed. Dominick, my youngest son graduated from boot camp and is now at Fort Sam Houston training to be an Army Combat Medic. My oldest son, Anthony well, lets just say I'm very pleased with where things are at today compared with 120 days ago...THANK GOD!

I'm in LA (Culver City right now) trying to get some business moving for my employer. I was lucky enough to have breakfast this morning with two old friends that I have not seen in nearly 10 year. They didn't seem to have aged a day! How the hell do people do that? I've got freaking gray pubic hair...is that supposed to be fair? Anyway...I digress.

Visited a few potential customers and found that while 3D is making lots of noise, it's not generating a lot of revenue. Not for hardware and software providers anyway. The camera guys are doing ok since if you're going to shoot in stereo you need two cameras but, the rest of us....not so much. I'm headed to an event on the Paramount lot tomorrow and Saturday. All the right people will be there so I will do that voodoo that I do so well and try like hell to sell something!


I've been working out hard. Committed myself to 3 months of Crossfit, 5 times a week, three days on, one day off, two days on, one day off. I finished just before leaving on this trip. I feel great, lost 5 pounds, 3% body fat and two inches of my waist. It's nice to fit in the "skinny" clothes again! I'm telling you, I swear by Crossfit. I did modify my diet but, nothing crazy. No bread, rice or white potatoes of any kind. Tried to stick to lean meats, fish and chicken with lots of veggies. Now, when I get home from LA I think I'll change things up. I want to get back to fighting. Just have to see how I can modify my schedule to get started again.

Anyway...that's it for now...I'll try to be better about the updates! RIGHT!

Wow but it's been a long time!

I'm just going to use the excuse that I've been busy....It's no lie! I have been running and gunning for the last few months. Things are good and look like they are just going to get better. That's a very exciting prospect for me.

More to come...you'll just have to wait for it....

What A Day

Without getting into details let me just say that I had a very interesting day yesterday. I was under a significant amount of pressure to accomplish a difficult and very personal task. Success meant having to to get over a number of hurdles that I had no control over. Everything had to come together by 3pm or it would be an epic failure.

From the start, I had people telling me, "There's no way this can happen today." I must have heard that 5 times between 7am and 3pm. Every time I heard it, the words were spoken by the "hurdle" themselves and every time I heard it, somehow, someway, I got over (or past) it.

Like everyone, I face daily challenges. Most of them I knock out with little effort or thought. Some, I have to wrestle with to complete. Others take more time and finesse. This challenge, well, as I sat in my car, driving home at 3:05pm, I realized I had little to do with the fact that it was successfully completed. Help came from above. Yup...I truly believe that all my angels, especially my sister Camille, poked, prodded, nudged and did what they had to to help me. I drove home with tears in my eyes and a feeling of deep appreciation that I have not felt in a long time.

You may think this is weird. I kind of do but, it makes me feel good believing it's true.

It's been a while since I've posted. Frankly, the time has just flown by. The holidays were just a blur but, they were also very peaceful. I'm so very glad that 2009 is behind me and I'm looking forward to a great 2010.

I was just in Las Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show. The business I was there to conduct went pretty much as planned. A couple of last minute meeting cancellations but, for the most part, I got more accomplished than I expected. I have a couple of pending opportunities that I believe will make my company very happy.

So...the video...While at CES, I stopped by the Taser booth. I noticed people standing in line and just out of curiosity I asked what was up. Turns out these people, about 30 or so, men and women, where waiting in line for their chance to be "tased". Ok...I thought the same thing...WTF is up with that??? Anyway, I shot video and posted a sample above. Had I really been thinking I would have taken video of many others being tased and then compiled a new 12 second film. Maybe next year?

Not the greatest picture in the world but, you get the idea. Last night was the FitandFearless Christmas party. Julie and I had a blast. The place was perfect, the tapas were awesome, the adult beverages were cold, and the company was spectacular.

Big thanks to Jeff and Kersten for everything!

It Is Friday!

So, this past Wednesday was fight night. Smaller crowed than usual but, this time, Heath joined in the fun. I'm sorry that I didn't get to spar with him but, after seeing him in action....I don't know. Maybe it's better he just beats on everyone else and leaves me alone. The boy can kick!

I gassed again a couple of times which frankly is embarrassing. I've worked pretty damn hard on my cardio so it kills me that I can't keep up with these young mofo's. Other than gassing, I felt pretty good about the way things went. Still have crap kick defenses but, I'm getting used to being kicked and countering with a flurry of punches over the top. Jason Fry laid a beatdown on my with front and round kicks but, I was able to punch him in the black eye I gave him last week. Sad but, it did bring a smile to my face...

Anyway, I have a big customer demo to do today and hopefully good results will lead to a wonderful start to 2010. Christmas party tonight with the Fit and Fearless crew which promises to be fun. Should all lead to a nice pre Christmas weekend full of shopping!

Fight Night

Several weeks back we kicked off "fight night" again. It's not a class where you are taught to fight by an instructor. It's pretty much like on the job training. An experienced instructor coordinates the partnering but pretty much, it's anything goes. All stand up, hands and legs. 16 ounce gloves, shin pads, cup, mouth piece, headgear if you so desire.

So, after the first couple of weeks that I've been able to attend, what have I learned about my declining skills? A few things for sure....

#1 I'm old
#2 I'm slow
#3 I bruise easy
#4 I recover slowly
#5 After 5 rounds, two minutes seems like a lifetime
#6 My kick defenses are non existent

Thankfully, my vision is good so I can still pick out an opening or two (watch out for the big over hand left). I'm also smart....I stay away from those that are much younger and much less experienced. It keeps me from getting hurt. Damn kids these days and their head kicks!

Anyway, we're on again tonight. Ahhhh....my moment of zen begins at 7:30pm CST.

Hotel exercise room and crazy stares!

I'm up in Portland, OR for the Supercomputing show. I got up early this morning, well, more like didn't really sleep last night and decided to go down to the "exercise room". It's like 6am when I get down there. Three guys are in the room. Guy #1 is 60ish, walking on the treadmill. Guy #2 is 40ish just booking on an elliptical machine. Guy #3 is maybe 30 and is on the Universal weight machine.

Me, I get in the zone. iPod cranked up with one of my favorite workout playlists. I jump on the treadmill for the "run a mile as fast as I can run it" warmup. I Ran by A Flock of Seagulls is blasting in my ears. I finish the mile in just under 9 minutes (yes, that's fast for me), jump off the treadmill, grab 2 35# dumbells and 1 50# dumbell and go right into a WOD of 21, 15, 9, Thrusters, Swings (with the 50# dumbell) and pushups.

Now remember, I'm old...I have to stop and rest several times during the WOD and even made a trip to the trash can when I thought I was going to puke but, I'm moving through the WOD pretty quickly. I finish my last pushup and just drop to the ground, arms and legs splayed out like I was dead and ready to have a chalk outline drawn around me. About that time, Long Road to Ruin by the Foo Fighters is on (love that song!). I role over, eyes closed, breathing heavy. I smile, proud of myself for finishing and finishing as fast as I did.

I open my eyes and Guy #3 is bent down over me looking like he's about to start CPR. I still have the iPod blasting so I can't hear what he's saying and he starts to yell, "Are you OK! Are you OK???" I pull the headphones out of my ears, tilt my head and look at him (like my female beagle does when you say the word cookie to her) and say, "I'm fine, what the hell is wrong with you?" He actually extends a hand to help me up and goes on to tell me that he stopped his workout about the time I went to the trashcan thinking I was going to puke because he'd never seen anyone do a workout like that before. I then realize that Guy #1 is standing on the stopped treadmill staring at me and Guy #2 is on his stalled elliptical doing the same.

I wound up spending the next 15 minutes catching my breath and explaining to the three of them what Cross Fit was. All in all, an excellent way to start the day!

More Travel?

Just got back tonight from a great trip to the home office in Nashua, NH. Weather was good, business was better...Now I'm home long enough to do my laundry and repack for Portland, OR where I head on Monday for the SuperComputing show.

I missed working out this week and really missed Wednesday night's fight class. I'm going to bring some stuff with me so I can workout next week. The hotel has a gym which makes it a easier to knock out some crazy Cross Fit workout. No gym at the hotel this week which means if I want to work out it's Bas Rutten on my iPod and frankly, I've done so much Bas his voice is getting to me. Sorry Bas...

Anyway, Julie is still at her mom's and I am the worlds worst bachelor (0r maybe the best). I have no clean clothes, no clean dishes and the house smells funny. Whats up with that???

I Lied...

Yup, I had the best of intentions when I said I would keep up with this blog but, nooooo....I haven't been able to pull it off.

I've been busy with work (always a good thing) following up on trade show activities and working with partners to find new ways to generate revenue. These are still challenging economic times for most businesses. I remain very positive and keep thinking of different ways to work with my partners to generate incremental business.

I travel again the next two weeks. I'm headed back to New Hampshire next week for a few days worth of meetings and then the following week I'm in Portland, OR for the SuperComputing show.

Enough about that. New fight class starts on Wednesday. It will be straight standup, hands and legs with full gear. I'm excited as there are a few people who I'm looking forward to working with. I'm also nervous about all the newbies that will be there trying to impress. Someone always gets hurt when that happens. It will be interesting to see how many people show up for the first class versus the second class. Everybody wants to spar until they get punched in the face. Then, not so much!

Phew!

Got the news last week while I was headed to San Jose that I passed my test! I'm pleased as can be.

Holy Cow!

Well, the test was just 3.5 hours long. I had some early mental issues that screwed me up. Trying to test righty might have been a mistake as Kelly told my my scores where low because of how I was moving my feet but, my partner could have never held pad work for me if I'd gone lefty.

Anyway...it is what it is and it's over. The rest of the test is a blur except for the part where my partner put a choke on me so hard that I have a contusion on my throat. I thought I was going to pass out, throw up, and die all at the same time. The 4 on 1 drill at the end of the test pushed me where I had never been before. There was no time limit. You went until you had nothing left with 4 partners plus Kelly yelling at you as loud as they could. I kept moving through the entire drill though very slowly at the end. I think back on it now and realize that near the end I could not hear anyone. All I could hear was my heart pounding in my chest like a thousand guys with sledge hammers beating big rocks into little rocks. When I was done, I sprinted to the garbage can sure that I was going to hurl. Kelly turned to me and said out loud to the class, "look, Ed's the first one I made puke!" I sucked it back in, didn't throw up and turned to her and said, "NO WAY, I'm not puking!"

Test was over....I ran outside to puke. 15 minutes rest and onto the teaching test. I know I said this before and it remains true. Kelly makes me nervous. I had to teach reflexive defense to a front kick. Fortunately, Kelly took the time during the test to break this down in detail. I locked all her little tidbits in my brain (though I don't know how). I really don't remember doing the dynamic demo at all but, I know I did it. I do know I broke it down well, worked it dry in the mirror and got everyone working. I made corrections to the whole class and some individual corrections as well. Very shortly into my class working, Kelly called time. Kind of freaked me out since I watched her let others go much longer than me in their teaching. Then, she says, "that's it, you're done." I'm thinking I must have screwed up BAD! Everyone who went before me had to teach two techniques! I only did 3/4 of one. CRAP...

So, I'm home, bruised and sore as a mofo. Julie could only laugh when she saw the bruises (that's one of the things I love about her). I'm hurting in a few places I've never hurt before. Just a few special memories that I came home with....20 minutes into day 1 I take a punch to the kisser and my brand new bridge gets knocked out. I go the rest of the three days toothless. The contusion in my throat. I have a bruise on my ribs that is the exact image of little Ron's fist from all the inside defenses with two counters. I have a purple toe on each foot. I have the most curious set of bruises on my left inner thigh. I have an abrasion on my forehead from burying my head into Ron's back during bearhug from behind, arms free. The thumb side of the heel of my left hand is as purple as purple can be. I'm guessing it's from inside defenses. I'm just glad I don't have to shake hands lefty. Bottom line, this was the toughest thing I have done in a long time. In fact, maybe the toughest thing I've ever done. I doubt I passed but, I'm glad I did it and I would do it again. Just not really soon!

Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Day 2 - Everything Hurts

We went from 10am to 7:30pm with a one hour break today. We started out in one of the bag classes and spent 45 minutes of some hard ass cardio. We then jumped back into combos on the focus mits for what seemed like forever. Covered kick defenses, self defense, kicks and the some mock teaching. I'm so tired I can't see straight. I have many bruises and a nice abrasion on my forehead. Otherwise, I feel like a million bucks. I reminded myself that I'm doing this because I love to teach Krav Maga and I know I'm good at it.

Little Ron is kicking ass. He's got more energy than anyone else in Phase.

Tomorrow is the big day. 5 hour belt test followed by our teaching test. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Phase B

So I decided to go to Phase B for Krav Maga. I'm here in San Antonio with Ron Grobman and today was our first day of training. 8 hours of go, go, go but, nothing mysterious, strange or otherwise troubling. Kelly Campbell comes in from LA tonight and will be with us all day tomorrow and for testing on Sunday. It will be nice to see her but, she certainly makes me nervous! Anyway, both Ron and I survived with no major injuries other than my new bridge got knocked out. I'm not even going to try to put it back in until I get to the dentist on Monday.

Qwitter?

I've had it. I'm divorcing myself from Facebook and Twitter. After several months of using both applications I'm finding very little value from either. As for keeping in touch, those I care about both personally and business wise know how to find me (and I know how to find them). I am keeping LinkedIn as I continue to find value for business purposes.

I will start paying more attention to this blog which I enjoy writing. It's nice to be able to express myself in more breadth than Twitter allows. So, start looking for more frequent updates with pictures and videos. I will also go back to using the phone (or skype) more often for communications, especially with my family.

I have some interesting travel coming up starting tomorrow night and running through next Saturday, Oct 3rd. I'm going to use this as an opportunity to blog more frequently.

Game On

I'm sitting at the cafe in Barnes and Noble. Had to get out of the house for a while. Julie's working today so I figured I'd do the same. Been focused on all making sure I properly follow up on all the actions from last weeks meetings in Santa Clara, CA as well as getting ready to leave for Amsterdam on Wednesday. As I'm sitting here it hits me...just how many hours I have worked Saturday, Sunday and today. After being a lazy bum for 4 months while I was between jobs, I'm glad I can still take care of business when I need to.

I'm heading to Amsterdam for IBC, the International Broadcasters Convention. This is a huge show that runs from Sept 11 to Sept 15th. I already have a full dance card and am trying to fit even more meetings in. Some of my meetings are face to face follow ups with potential partners and customers. Some of them are just opportunistic introductions. I've also set some time aside to stalk some of the people I could not get meetings with. You know...lay in wait for them to show up at their booth and then pounce!

Well, I've got a lot to get done and a little time to do it so...off I go. Oh, wait...what was that song from Smokey and The Bandit? "We've got a long way to go and a short time to get there..." That's me!

Nashua, NH

It has been a while since I've posted. I started work with NextComputing on Aug 3rd and immediately hit the road. I attended the Siggraph show in New Orleans my first week on board. I exceeded my own expectation for the number of meetings I was able to get done in three days. Given that it was the first time in four months I had to wear closed toe shoes, I was proud of myself. I did bring my flip flops with me and wore them every evening.

So this week I have been in New England. Nashua, NH to be exact. I'm visiting with my new company for the first time. I'm very impressed with the operation and the people. I'm also impressed with my new boss, Bob Labadini (who does not read this blog so don't give me the brown noser crap). The guy has a vision for his company and is committed to success. I like that a lot!

While I was here, I figured I'd drive by the house that Julie and I owned when we lived here in the 90's. I honestly didn't recognize the place and drove past it. Between the new color, new roof and the trees they took down it looked very different but, it looked good. Given the economy up here, I'm betting I could buy it back for what we purchased it for oh so many years ago. Julie would kill me! I would never (never say never Ed....never say never!) live where it snowed again. I keep saying that if we move again, it's further south to warmer weather. Panama...I like the sound of that!

Onward and Upward!

Next Computing...My new job starts Monday. Next has a wonderful lineup of portable high end workstations. Basic premise is that if you need more processing power, memory, I/O, etc than a laptop can provide AND you don't want to lug around a traditional deskside workstation, we have the solution for you!

I will be in New Orleans from Monday to Thursday for Siggraph. I'm looking to meet with potential OEMs who manufacture portable equipment for M&E, Broadcast, Oil & Gas, Medical Imaging, etc.. I'm also looking to meet with ISVs who have graphic intensive applications to demo on the road and, of course, end users.

Call me at 512-217-0461 if you'd like to talk.

Ed

Yikes!

Got myself together and started taking action on a few things that just needed to get done. I pulled together some video footage and edited another 12 sec film. Not my best but, it was something I had to get out of my system. I've started posting my stuff to youtube but for some reason, today it just won't work. The video posted but, won't play back properly. So...that does it. I'm going to try and launch my own website. GoDaddy.com here I come!

On another front, I've had several very good interviews. I have two companies that I'd like to go to work for and two that well, lets just say are not at the top of my list. I have a follow up call on 8am Sunday morning (yes, that's right) which will likely be make or break on one of them.

I've got a list of things to get done before the sun rises on Monday morning. I'm off to get working on them...

I am NOT lazy!

I have had a hard time getting the creative juices going and then today I figured out what it is. I was distracted with the job hunt! It's not that I can't multi-task. It's that I can only multi-task left brain activities. I need to be focused on my right brain and stay there in order to get the creativity engine to run.

Now that I get it, I'm going to try to spend some time there....We'll see what comes of it!