The Business Trip from Hell – Part 1

The Business Trip from Hell – Part 1

It’s 2:45 on a Thursday afternoon in March 2010 and I’m wrapping up a three-day workshop at the Pratt & Whitney plant in Lonquille, Quebec.  It’s my favorite workshop with one of my favorite audiences. Even though Pratt is my favorite client, the group in Montreal...
Buried Treasure

Buried Treasure

When I tell people I’m originally from California, the usual reaction is “oh that’s nice,” but their body language and facial expression tell another story.  It’s the same look you get when you discover that missing package of hamburger meat a week after you left it...
When I Was Your Age…

When I Was Your Age…

It’s noon on a hot July day in 1990 and I’m standing at the ATM at the Wells Fargo Bank in Cerritos, California getting some cash. As I punch my PIN into the keypad and watch my account pop up, all looks normal.  About $60.00 in checking which is ok since payday is...
The Ten Commandments

The Ten Commandments

It’s March 1973 and I’ve just gotten my very first eye exam.  The eye doctor dilates my eyes, which is unfortunate because we’re about to have a special afternoon watching The Ten Commandments at a movie theater.  I wasn’t born yet when it came out originally in...
The Hip Man, 2.0

The Hip Man, 2.0

I’m sitting in the treatment room at the orthopedic department of Johns Hopkins in Baltimore.  It’s early 2012. For years, my left hip has been in throbbing pain.  It’s bothered me on and off since I was stationed as an oral surgery technician in Long Beach in 1989. ...
The End

The End

It’s a Spring morning in 2011 and I’m standing outside the Verizon Center in Washington DC. I’m here for an event called Get Motivated!  It’s part rally, part sales pitch with a bit of religion thrown in right before lunch. For just $1.95, I purchased one ticket and...