life on a base

first things first this guy has the right idea!

I am "stationed" at an army base in St. Louis this week. I am teaching a class at the USDA. I have not had many (no) experiences hanging out at a base. I have to be honest. The place scares me. there are gigantic white halls that seem to go on forever. All rooms are coldly named by a letter/number combo like h-412. My car was checked for explosives as I entered. As usual, with government agencies, the staff doesn't want to hear a word from me that may involve giving them more work to do. Needless to say, the class is going just ok. The person who brought me in is very intelligent and I can sense her frustration with the fight I am getting from every single person in the class. Every single person, that is, besides the old man in the corner who's mouth is always 1/2 open and seems like he may keel over any second. He somehow missed his cushy government pension and kept on going. (There is always this guy in these classes I teach at government agencies).

I had a crazy weekend (if you wanna call it that). Worked till midnight on Friday; got up went to the gym (great run); came home and took care of whatever home stuff I could do in 6 hours; packed for this week. Proceeded to pick up friend at the airport, jetted to SC and got my get down on. Had a weird but wonderful evening; am making a new friend; so impressed by this person; surprised I am even writing it so publicly. Anyway, strange and twisted time. Had an errand to run first thing in the morning yesterday. Friend needed to ride back over the hill with me. Told person it was time to go and was told that it wasn't time yet and could I return after my errand to pick person up. Actually did that, was the right thing to do, turns out. Picked up my rider, headed back over the hill, dropped rider off, drove to sfo, hopped a plane to St. Louis. Here I am!

(Thanks for being you!)


Wisdom springs from meditation;
without meditation wisdom wanes.
Having known these two paths of progress and decline,
let one so conduct oneself that one's wisdom may increase.

today was spastically wonderful

I have been working at Adobe for almost 11 years now, but have been in the consulting group for about 1.5 years. I have not really worked in my own office since then. I usually have assignments at government agencies or banks or insurance houses. These are not usually happy places to work. This week I am assigned to an honest to goodness silicon valley semi-startup company. It has been a long time since I felt the passion and the urgency of such a place. I know that this may seem a bit over the edge here but it has been absolutely sublime to be submerged in an environment where everyone is invested and passionate about their work. I have been detached from such an environment for long enough to really have forgotten what it was all about.

I have been hearing a bunch of rhetoric (as have you all) about American ingenuity. I have thought it BS until this week. It does still exist and in the same place it always was for the last 20 or so years, right here in Silicon Valley!

Go us!