The Human Capitalist

It Happened Again...

No...this isn't a cheap attempt to increase my viewership with a picture of a good looking girl (although I'm sure I will probably get more hits than ever today).  Another person I know is appearing on a reality show.  First, it was Andrew Firestone, of The Bachelor fame, who I went to same college.  Now, Staci Flood, a former high-school classmate, is on a new MTV reality show called DanceLife (lots of channel surfing last week allowed me to stumble onto the commercial).  I have a few friends that are professional athletes, like Joe Nedney (childhood friend) and Brady Clark (college friend), and a few extended friends like Jeff Garcia (rival high-school QB), Phil Purcell (father of fraternity brother and generous donor of Notre Dame football tickets) and Janet Carroll (met at a Yankees Game last year) but no dance reality show friends.  Hopefully she gets famous and I can sell my high school yearbooks for a profit!

Footnote: This post was written over the holidays minus any libations.

The New Holiday Card

Last year, it was boxes of popcorn, Starbucks gift cards, and Harry and David baskets.  This year, it's video greetings.  This one happens to be my favorite...

On The Road Again...

As you can tell by the lack of blog entries, I have been traveling for the past few weeks.  Last week it was the Oracle HCM User Conference in Orlando.  This week it is the SAP Analyst Conference in Las Vegas.  I will post more about each later.  Nonetheless, I thought I would share some things heard coming and going from Vegas...

At the airport upon arrival...

"...I can't wait to win my money back from last time..."
"...the casinos owe me some money..."
"...I love USC this weekend..."

At the airport on the way home...

"...I should have left the table when I was up $800"
"...at least the drinks were free"
"[bleep]ing USC..."
"I'm never coming back to this town"

I guess the casinos are a little like enterprise software vendors. They enthrall you with glitz and glamor, take your money, and leave you a bit dazed and confused (this is a joke of course)...but at least the drinks are free!

"Man Laws"

I love the "Man Law" commercials by Miller Lite.  The latest one is probably my favorite...don't fruit the beer!

Room with a View...

Trying out the new camera feature on the Blackberry Pearl (yes that is the Washington Monument in the background)...

What Happened to Line56?

Can someone say over-cluttered?  Looks like these guys aren't taking any lessons from Google...

7 Days, 8 States

New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Michigan, Texas,  Illinois, Rhode Island and Connecticut.  My travels have included trains, planes, cabs, vans, subways, cars and I even ran 16 miles in our annual Reach The Beach road race.  I am also working on some great stuff including an HR services & outsourcing study, some upcoming research on performance-driven compensation and a stockpile of blog posts.  Thanks for your patience.

Synchronizing Talent & Performance Management

Enough said...

       

On The Bench This Week

On a much-needed vacation in California this week (although the vacation has turned into partial work and client visits).  After the "Boston Massacre" during the past few days, the Giants game on Wednesday should provide some much needed relief.  By the way, I just downloaded Qumana so hopefully I will be able to write a bunch of posts on the return flight this weekend.

Do You Know Who John Juanda Is?

Last year I wrote about "great jobs" and featured a friend of mine who has a great job --- NFL kicker.  I found my new favorite profession --- Professional Poker Player. 

I had the chance a few months ago to briefly meet John Juanda on a flight from Providence to NYC.  John is recognized as one of the best poker players in the world.  He was en-route from Foxwoods to NY for a few days (underground games) and then on to Monaco to play in a huge poker tournament (for those that don't know, Foxwoods is the largest casino in the world, located in of all places, Connecticut.  With over 6 million square feet, Foxwoods generates nearly $500 million in tax income for the state and employees over 20K employees...I digress).  Although our conversation was short it was very interesting to hear about his lifestyle, ideas thoughts about this poker phenomenon (more corporate sponsorship), and this new emerging "profession".

More digression....I would love to see the job requisition for "Poker Player"...

"Must be able to work long hours and capable of absorbing large risk that may affect your compensation.  Desirable attributes include lying and coercing for personal gain.  Can wear cowboy hats and sunglasses while working.  Drinking on-the-job optional..."