Postulating in Cleveland!

I’m writing this mostly for the folks I met from Prentice-hall this weekend. Fun!

However, I am sure they are convinced that I’m a dork. Two reasons I believe this:

First, I went to Cleveland, in February, and my warmest article of clothing is a sweater. It wasn’t snowing where we were, as indicated on weather.com but it rose to a blazing 32 degrees on Friday. My sweater was about as effective as the mesh-coverall my wife wears to the beach or lake. It was the first time I was in really cold weather since I started shaving my head 4 years ago. Noticeably missing from my wardrobe was my knit-cap and fake dreadlocks. I didn’t even have a standard beanie-cap.

As any expert physiologist will tell you, you lose 70% of your heat through your head. Okay, I made that percentage up and I don’t actually know if it would be a physiologist who would tell you that. But it is someone who spends considerable time in a white-lap coat, reading charts and postulating! (the use of word postulate is for Ramona).

Ramona and I discussed how repeating the word postulate starts to make it sound like some back-alley, disgusting activity and that you shouldn’t postulate at dinner, certainly not in mixed company.

I usually shy away from wearing a beanie the first time I meet people anyway. Certainly not in a business context. Between my shaved head and goatee, I tend to look like I’m about to carjack someone anyway. When I add a black beanie to the mix, I become absolutely sinister.. Sure, I’m usually smiling but with the beanie it just makes me look crazed.

I’ve been thinking that maybe combo colored beanie might be better. Green and yellow – something disarming. Then, when I do need to carjack someone, they won’t expect it.

This might be the look I need.

In addition to the “no coat in Cleveland” example of geek-hood, there is my stubborn usage of my wife’s Jordache, feminine garment bag. It has a soft pinkish impressionist flower print over subdued green tones. Quite pretty if you ask me. I tote this thing proudly through the airport, hanging on my rolling laptop case, like a gender-confused metro-sexual (that was for the crew driving back to the airport). Now, I know what you’re thinking. He also colors his wife’s hair and likes cooking. Don’t get me started on the Chinese Zodiac (inside joke).

I made it through the 14 hours in Cleveland without freezing. And the derisive glances from other, boring black garment-bagged business men didn’t even bother me. Brutes! They were just jealous. Me and the ladies, gallivanting through the airport to catch our plane. I’m sure it was a fetching site.
I hope it was as fun for the PH folks and that I am invited to postulate in another town.

...For Dummies...

We’ve admitted that we are book geeks and probably spend more time than is healthy at book stores and libraries. That is a given. However, we are astute enough to realize there are some books that should never have been written.

Here’s one of them…

First, let’s paint a picture…

Your depressed, checking out of life, napping until noon, unemployed and unmotivated. Your friends and family aren’t calling and you feel like ending it all. In a rare and uncharacteristic burst of lackluster ambition, you pull on your unmatched slippers, draw the pull-string on your pajamas under your protruding beer gut and wallow to the bookstore.

You are going to help yourself dammit!

You stumble with listless lack-of-purpose into the self-help aisle, past cheerful & wealthy Dr. Phil and Wayne Dyer. You don’t need platitudes. You definitely don’t need “if you believe it you can achieve it” rah-rah and other blathering chants. You need facts! You need a plan of action.

And then suddenly you see it. It is both a conformation and the final straw in your banal existence.

That’s right! Depression for Dummies.

It’s bright yellow cover, familiar and nauseating after you had purchased and subsequently lost your life savings using the “Investing for Dummies” and had spent thousands on hackneyed projects after reading, “Home Improvement for Dummies”.

This book successfully summed it up. You are depressed and you are dumb. Look at the cover. That's what people see when they see you. Now you know why they don't want to talk to you...quite frankly, your depressing.

When I saw I started laughing, right there in the store. The pensive and sheepish guy next, waiting for me to put down "his book," just ambled away in a jilted, stooped-shouldered walk. When I showed my wife, she laughed too! I’ll be honest, I didn’t look inside the book. I would rather imagine the chapters…

- Chapter 1: You are a loser and nobody likes you
- Chapter 2: Depressed and stupid; the spiral downward
- Chapter 3: Why you are doomed to Fail and other affirmations
- Chapter 4: Box Cutters, Carbon Monoxide & Other Useful Ideas…

The rest of the book could be blank journal pages and they could provide a leaky pen.

The image above includes the link to the Amazon page but as of this writing the page said, “Only 5 left in stock—order soon.” It will probably be sold out by the time you try to buy it. Just in case you can't get it, visit despair.com for products you are sure to love.

Maybe I’m too sensitive but doesn’t anyone else see this as strange.

Book Geeks

My wife called me while I was at a client’s site the other day. It was obvious that she was very excited but in a place she couldn’t talk. In a hushed voice, but with barely contained enthusiasm, she said…”The new library is open. You have to come down. It is so cool! They have books, DVDs, CDs, everything. And it is all new!”

You see, my wife and I are book geeks. It has been this way since we met. Invariably, a hot date for us consist of dinner and then running to the local bookstore. We walk through the door, say goodbye to each other, and meet up an hour or two later to fight over which books the other gets to buy. Perhaps not the traditional model for a loving marraige but I sure hope I get to fight over books with her for many years to come.

Over the past couple of years, the closest library has been about 30 minutes drive. We love that library and aren’t trying to be disloyal, but the new library is about 5 minutes away.

The New Desert Broom Library is built in a atrium like setting. Free wireless internet, outdoor patios, conference rooms, study rooms, computers, and a computer class. And most of all books!

The bridge entrance to the Desert Broom Library

My wife spent about 4 hours there, with the kids, and then the next day, she went back with me and we spent another 2 hours. I ended up with 10 items, four books on ADHD, as research for my latest book project, a book on business communications (also research for a book project), 4 music CDs (Simon & Garfunkel, John Mellencamp (Cougar??), Sarah Brightman, & James Taylor), a DVD (Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid), a book on Six Sigma (very short, yes!) and a book on consulting.

And apparently, we are breeding a new generation of book geeks. Three of our kids can’t wait to go back. The oldest, is less convinced. If I have imparted nothing else to my children, book geekdom would be a great accomplishment.

Geographically un-tethered income and the lure of the open road…

Laura (Laurie) and I have this grand desire to hit the open road in a Motorhome and tour the US. It is part of the writing dream – the ability to create “geographically un-tethered” income.

Geographically un-tethered. Income you can derive from any locale. Such as here...

Bartlett Lake, Arizona

A few of the places we want to visit…
Charleston, South Carolina – We have a novel idea, kind of a John Grisham, murder, good ole boys club type of story. Based loosely on our family’s past.

Key West, Florida – Yes folks, I’m a Parrothead. This will be religious pilgrimage of sorts – complete with a Duval Crawl and obligatory sunset celebration.

I wanna be there
Wanna go back down and a' get high by the sea there
With a tin cup for a chalice, fill it up with good red wine
And I'm a' chewin' on a honeysuckle vine
- from Tin Cup Chalice – Jimmy Buffett

We’ve had this dream since dating. And yes, after 17 years of marriage and 20 years being together, she is still “all that!!!” I like her. Nope, love her. She’s put up with my crazy ideas and dreams and continues to, for some reason. Gypsy at heart to be sure. And just a little tempestuous – but that is half the fun!

Here is a picture I took of her as she and Sara got ready for school.

A Healthy Perspective on Hyperactivity (ADHD)

9 email queries & 8 snail mail queries went off to Literary Agents for my book, Laughter and Tears in a Hyperactive Home. Over the past 2 weeks I've received 3 rejections. One agent did spend some time on our website, LaughterandTears.com and indicated that she was confident we would find both an agent and a buyer for the project. It was just too far outside of their genre of titles. That was encouraging.

Saturday I received a request for a formal proposal from one of the remaining agents. This, of course, is very promising. I had already laid out the basic elements that are common to non-fiction book proposals and am now just refining it and formatting per the agency's guidelines from their website.

This agency has a decent sales list from last year, which is also good, and is represented prominently in books on agents and at respected writer's conferences.

I hope to have the proposal in the mail this week.

Press coverage and book projects...

Good week for press coverage. My book, The IT Career Builder's Toolkit (Cisco Press) has been covered in the Washington Post (print only), the NY Post (print only), IT World, and the Dallas Morning News.

I was informed the Penn State University has picked it up in some of the IT related classes and hit has been recommended as required reading for the IST (Information Science & Technology) program. Several other colleges are considering it as well. Here's to crossing our fingers and keeping watch.

On Tuesday I sent out 8 query letters on anoter book project. It is a book on healthy parental perspectives on ADHD. Check out laughterandtears.com

Today I hope to meet up with a photographer for the images to If Mom Were President, the poem and children's book.

These projects, along with 3 new titles that Cisco Press would like to see me write, are taking an inordinate amount of mental energy. I am trying to remain patient and put my writing career in perspective. I love what has occurred so far but am high-strung and impatient.

I am still determining what I will do with this blog. It is going to be freeform ideas and op-ed type postings. Currently, my time and effort is consumed with book projects and consulting.