What a great opportunity to "Grant a Wish". This is a contest by Sears to win a $100.00 gift card. http://therealtimjones.com/2008/12/16/grant-a-wish-with-a-100-sears-gift-card/ Head for this site and participate in the contest. I entered by ordering four snow shovels for the folks up north. Sorry South Dakota guys I'll be sending them to Minnesota and North Dakota if I win. After all that is the real North!! Hope you are having a great season up north. We had snow last week and it almost brought New Orleans to a standstill.
The New Orleans team continues to work hard on the UPK and works hard to stay focused on the UPK. Food can also become a focus and guess whose plate this is? If you guess right, you will get the opportunity to go with the team to the local truck stop for lunch if and when you get to New Orleans.
Christmas is just around the corner and New Orleans has dressed in it's finest decorations for the event. The Cajana Team thought it would be an opportunity to show our Christmas spirit with a tree. Now we all know that Cajana is new so the agreement was we would be frugal, but we do believe Bob took it a bit too far when he found us our tree.
Sharon wanted something a bit larger and more flambuoyant, but considering our frugal approach decided we could all just walk by the large tree at the Renaissance. I was looking for the Christmas goodies but found none under either tree. I guess this will be another year of coal and an onion for me.
So, what was the airplane book this week? Shack. I am still pondering the book and it gives you pause. Very different from what I expected at the beginning of the book. Is it worth the read? I would have to say yes.
We are back in the Big Easy and it is cold. We were discussing Christmas presents today and Bob said he was going to buy Kathy a snuggie...but she decided it might be too warm for Georgia. We did decide however, that it would be great for the South Dakota Crew. So if you want to keep your wife, or significant other in cozy comfort, take a look at the Snuggie on this site. You'll find lots of other TV offers here as well. Click on the TV Offers link and take a look at Bob's suggestion.
If you want something really special go to the LUSH link on the blog. Sharon, Kathy and I have tested many of these products and can vouch for the bubble bars, bath bombs and stocking stuffers. So get busy and buy those extra special presents now without fighting the crowds.
The team looked pretty happy and we did manage to capture Bob's best side!! We didn't leave him behind as you might have thought from the photo. It was a busy week in the Big Easy. Lots of work was completed on the UPK training documents and modules. The iterations will continue as changes are made prior to "GO Live". The team managed a dinner at "Crazy Johnnies"...back in my old neighborhood. Pretty much the same except for a large new parking lot next to the shopping center. The evening was spent discussing NFC requirements and documents. Did have a bit of time to discuss the meal which consisted of good meals for most all concerned. The sirloin was tuff but the mushrooms and chowder made up for the shortcoming.
The airplane book of the week had nothing to do with team building, motivation, or management. It was strictly an escape novel with a Florida setting. It was written by Tim Dorsey who has a rather unusual sense of humor which makes for a good read on the plane. No concentration, just light reading.
The Cajana Team was in two places this week. Three of us were in New Orleans and our developer was in Sioux Falls, SD. It is a challenge to work from two places but the week went well and we accomplished some work on the transition document. The team is still working to get clarity on the requirements of NFC and their agencies as we move forward into EmpowHR 9.0. We work at the NASA facility in New Orleans which is in the picture. It looks a long way off as we are not allowed to have cameras on site.
The facility is a long drive in the morning from Metairie past where the old Six Flags Amusement Park is located. The rollercoasters are still standing but the park is no longer open so they look like large giant caterpillars standing in the distance or magnificent sculptures.
New Orleans looks very different from my last term of duty here on the SPAWAR project. Damaged homes that have not been torn down or renovated and many areas in significant disrepair. We see so many broken windows and buildings with parts missing as we drive to work each morning.
We did manage a dinner out this week but for the most part went back to the hotel at the end of the day. Even though you only see a part of Bob's plate, believe me it was empty at the end of dinner. The entertainment at dinner was also quite engaging. The airplane book this week was "Shut Up, Stop Whining & Get a Life" by Larry Winget. Larry is a popular speaker and has some great advice in the book. The title sounds a bit harsh but has good information on listening and who to listen to, and how to live by design, not default. It is a down to earth approach to work, relationships, business, money and even religion. Larry is known as the Pitbull of Personal Development. The book may make you better or it may tick you off but it is worth the read.
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