The Robert Blog
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The Robert Blog

Perspective From A Father Of Three Premature Children

Today is my youngest son's fourth birthday. We will be celebrating with a party at a local indoor kids recreation center, complete with jungle gym, movie room, pizza, cake, and a "grab-nabber" game.

I've posted on the blog previously about my family's involvement in the March of Dimes and their fundraising. Each time we celebrate a child's birthday in our house, my wife and I are reminded of our three wonderful opportunities to be parents. It's something we lose sight of way to often, namely the other 362 days of the year. It real easy, after the years, to forget that advances in medicine, and the hard work of a few doctors, made all of the annoying days possible. Some readers know exactly what I'm talking about, having been through the exact same experiences as we have. I'm asking you to be just a little more patient and understanding with your kids today. Some parents never got to take their baby home from the hospital. We did. We show our gratitude by doing our best to ensure greater opportunities for future parents of pre-mature babies. 

I'll spend the day reminding myself that the number of pieces of cake my son has for his birthday is beyond insignificant. Tomorrow, I'll go back to being the strict dad. 

Posted by Robert at 2/21/2010 3:00 AM | Add Comment

Business travel always sounds glamorous until you have to do it.

My past traveling for business can be summed up in two words: sporadic and overnight. I would travel maybe twice a year, most times as long as a week. Beginning this year, I will be travelling for work at a slightly higher frequency and will be making more single day trips.

Recently I made my first foray into the world of "round trip in a day travel". I have just a few observations on this.
 
I believe I lost six months off my lifespan from this ridiculous travel itinerary. I didn't travel that far: Newark, NJ to Raleigh, NC; Raleigh to Charlotte, NC; Charlotte back to Newark. I wasn't awake all that long that day either, from 5AM to 11:30 PM. It was like each thing I did just increased the drain of everything I had already done by an exponential power of ten. I ran out of reading material and grabbed stuff off the chairs in the concourse (you will not find me recommending New York Magazine, ever). I ate Popeye's Chicken at the terminal. I consumed lots of caffeine in very small cups. 
  
By some odd scheduling quirk, my connecting flight through Charlotte was the same plane I was on both coming from Raleigh and going to Newark. I wasn't as freaky as the other people on the plane about making airline connections as I knew myself and this plane were going the same place. However waiting on a tarmac in Charlotte for 30 minutes to take off for a 20 minute flight makes the "cargo" a little restless. I do think it's odd to get off a plane just to get back on a plane. Key technical issue I learned - when an airplane pilot turns off one engine to save fuel while waiting, the reading lamps and air conditioning on that side of the plane don't function (at least that's according to the US Air personnel on the plane I was on).
 
I also came to a stunning conclusion about airports - lots of them look alike. I haven't been in that many airports, but Raleigh and Charlotte could have passed for the same place, and both resembled Pittsburgh, which was very similar to Phoenix. My thought on telling any airport apart from another is the food and shopping selection. Charlotte had a NASCAR Shop and a Bojangles restaurant, while Pittsburgh had a Quaker Steak and Lube restaurant.
 
Not that previous week long business trips I had taken weren't much better. Here are some of the highlights.
 
Sunday - Extended travel via a late night flight to some remote location complicated by an understaffed rental car desk and a hotel not having a reservation for your room.
Monday - Early wake-up so that you don't miss "Invitation Only Kick-off Breakfast with Regional Vice-President", getting-to-know-you activities with the same 20 people you've been with before, Monday night dinner with the meeting facilitator.
Tuesday - Wake-up with three pain-relief pill headache caused by excessive beverage consumption with the meeting coordinator.
Wednesday - The traditional "I know it's 5:30 and you are all tired but we really need to complete this subject today so we'll stay here until we wrap it up, beside you are only going upstairs/around the block/on the shuttle" announcement.
Thursday - Over breakfast, wondering if you will ever see your family again. Over last-night-at-the-meeting dinner, celebrating the announcement that causal dress is in effect for getaway day.
Friday - Agreeing with other participants not to ask any questions so that the meeting doesn't last one second longer than it has too.
 
I know this discussion can only go so far. I chose my career and the travel arrangements that come with it. Compared to the guys on Deadliest Catch, my job hazards are pretty insignificant. Would I trade this for flipping burgers? Not a chance. The days I find myself taking solace in the opportunity to fold down the tray, lean the seat back, be served a fresh beverage and enjoy the in-flight entertainment in peace and quiet far outnumber the others. It's at that point that business travel is a small, but valuable, perk.

Posted by Robert at 8/26/2009 7:00 AM | Add Comment

A link to a stroy about innovation

 


I read a really great
article today. 



 



"Recalling the Apgar Score's Namesake"



 



It's on WSJ.com. 



 



You could also send
your search engine looking for results for "Virginia Apgar" and
gather up a few more pieces on her life, her medical career, and a stamp.



 



I found the article
great for many reasons. It framed the sexism that existed once in the medical
community here in the United
States. It reflected how the medical
community, at one time, had a few priorities out of line. Most of all it showed
how innovation, the kind that can save lives, can happen in the
smallest time frame. 



 



People tend to think
the greatest ideas came from scientists or other researchers putting in long
frustrating hours in dark cramped development centers. Or maybe they come from
a garage or built in the basement by some tinkerer who has devoted years to
building a better toilet paper dispenser. Some world changing ideas do come
from these places. Others, just sort of show up in a second of opportunity.
Those are the stories I appreciate. 

Posted by Robert at 5/26/2009 8:31 PM | Add Comment

Happy Memorial Day to you!

I don’t work the Friday of Memorial Day = weekend. Let me tell you why.


Back in 2000, I was working on Long Island, living in Queens, and dating a girl from New = Jersey, who, of course, liked to spend the Memorial Day weekend with her friends = on the Jersey = Shore. SO of course, being the = great boyfriend that I was, I committed to getting to her house on Friday night to go to = the shore.


First, it took two hours for me to get home from = work, thanks to a trucking expert who was able to jack-knife a tractor trailer = truck right in the middle of the Long Island Expressway. My usually trip home = was about 30 minutes.


Second, the normal one hour trip to New Jersey became a three hour = stand still. At the time I had no cell phone, so it was a most unproductive three hours. = This was also before GPS systems were popular, so at least I didn’t = have to


After arriving in New = Jersey, I became the passenger for a two hour ride to the Jersey Shore. At least I wasn’t diving for that part and I wasn’t = alone.


Total car time – seven hours. = Yuck.


Since that year, I’ve taken the Friday of = Memorial Day weekend off from work. I live in New = Jersey, and I make the trip to the Jersey Shore long = before the rest of the world. Total trip time 2009 – one hour. Yes, = it’s with the same girl. Things change, but they stay the same. =


Enjoy, and stay safe this weekend. =

Posted by Robert at 5/22/2009 6:01 AM | Add Comment

I'm  keeping the corporate jet, because I can!

I consider myself a free market believer. Commerce should be conducted with minimal regulation from government. Give me enough regulation to provide a level and legal playing field. Extortion and price-fixing is out,  safety of all workers is in. Give me credit for innovating and a punish me for discriminating. Beyond that I want government regulation out of my way. Don't cap my profit margins, dictate my salaries, limit where I can sell my product, take my employees for recognition, or challenge my mode of transportation.

What is being witnessed in the present market conditions, in my opinion, could be considered steps toward socialism. How the business environment got here is a combination of more factors than we would want to believe. Take the situation with mortgages on private residences. I will not call it a housing crisis because we are not short of houses for people to live in. I will also not call it a mortgage crisis because a fair amount of people don't have problems with their present mortgage or getting a new mortgage. My unofficial survey of everyone I asked (I'll admit the sample set is not large enough and the self validated responses cannot be confirmed) shows that no one has a crisis in their mortgage. What does exist is a confluence of good ideas and bad execution. For a timely and wide reaching re-cap of all of these factors check out this item from Time Magazine "Blameworthy - 25 People to Blame for the Financial Crisis" and this series from The New York Times "The Reckoning".
 
 
Keep in mind that socialism is, technically speaking, the step in between capitalism and communism. Will there be a full blow revolution in the United States leading to the fall of our government and a classless society? I don't believe it possible, but one guy predicts disaster of the U.S. in 2010  (surprise, he may know the U.S. better that we know ourselves). In the meantime, we can read editorials lamenting the social costs of bailouts .

Posted by Robert at 2/15/2009 8:00 AM | Add Comment

Taking advantage of the Political Climate

Oh those tricky, tricky, Republicans! I find this = very funny. I don’t mean to offend (or support) either party. I just = think it’s good marketing given the present political climate. =


GOP = Valentines.

Posted by Robert at 2/12/2009 9:50 PM | Add Comment

I LEGO N. Y.

Oh the genius of an artist. Boys will love this, but = girls, not so much.


I = Lego New York

Posted by Robert at 2/6/2009 9:51 PM | Add Comment

A few website recommendations for you


Just wanted to bring everyone a couple of items I’ve read recently = that I found really interested and wanted to share.

 =

Thanks goodness we have a Wii in our house - Playing Video Games Good For = You?

 =

I like this idea - <= font color="#3366ff" face=Garamond>President-elect Obama = names Nancy Killefer as Chief Performance = Officer

 =

At one time using a mouse was pure science fiction. Check out the video = link -  The Greatest Product = Demo Ever and What to Learn From It

 =

CNBC makes those late night hours watching TV valuable - CNBC.com's "As Seen On TV" = Bracket

 =

Escape from the news and check on the news – Happynews.com

 =

Regardless of your political affiliation check out these two sites - The White House and C-Span. Both bring an amazing amount of factual information.

 

I'll be back real = soon. 


Posted by Robert at 1/21/2009 11:17 PM | Add Comment

The countdown to Big 2

For about three weeks now I’ve been rolling = over in my head what I wanted to place on the blog about the financial assistance = that the Big 3 auto makers are looking for. I had to address how I feel about = this, and complete some research that would go into supporting my = opinion.


On the first item, here is the shortest version of my opinion. I’m offended and insulted buy this situation. =


I’m offended because as a taxpaying US citizen, I have to ask = “When will companies stop getting on line for their handout?” I’m = a believer in the free market ideas, and when that means you have made bad = decisions, you have to pay the price for them. If the price is standing up in front of = your employees and saying “We made mistakes, they weren’t on = purpose, and we are really sorry, but as of Monday we are out of business”, = take it like a grown adult. Stop the stream of companies running to the = government for their infusion of cash because they are too big to fail. It’s = not about size, it’s about politics.


I recently completed my second college degree; an MBA = with significant emphasis on business and global strategy. I’m insulted by the = automakers because I know they have a lot of MBA’s at the top of their = companies and they all are making the mistakes that MBA programs teach you address: = innovation, leadership, strategy, brand management, and business communications. = Right now these guys couldn’t get credit for like experiences or test out of = a pre-requisite class. Bob Nardelli got tossed out of Home Depot and Alan Mullaly = didn’t leave Boeing in the best of shapes. These two al least got the negotiations = part right. Remember, Nardelli left HD with a huge package and Mullaly can = afford the $1 salary with that signing bonus he got for joining Ford. Rick = Wagoner just appalls me. He has an MBA from Harvard Business School. The HBS model for MBA studies is the cornerstone for MBA level = instruction, including almost all the work I did for my MBA. I know the level of = critical analysis that is expected. Rick and whoever reports to him have not been operating at that level. Maybe Rick should have kept up on his = subscription to the Harvard Business Review.  For $109 a year, GM’s collapse = could have been avoided.  


As for the second item on my list, my heart felt = thanks goes out to John Helyar and Doron Levin at Bloomberg.com. Although not = specifically for me, they did a lot of research into this situation and came out with = this (Already Bankrupt GM Won’t be Rescued by U.S. Loan) excellent piece. = Somebody has to do the hard work. I sure don’t have the time. =

Posted by Robert at 12/14/2008 9:43 PM | Add Comment

Seasons of Love

Thanksgiving for 2008 has come and gone. Although I have
plenty to be thankful for this year having the super large lottery jackpot
winning ticket would have been nice. Finishing a graduate degree, changing
occupations, and taking on this blog just weren’t satisfying enough..


 


It’s all part of human nature, to want what you haven’t got,
to covet thy neighbor’s cattle, to be in the other half of the world, to have
the greener grass. Recently (and again) I was subject to family members (the
people you can’t really choose to avoid) complaining about not being born into
rich families on wishing their last names were “Trump” or “Entenmann’s”,
although I haven’t heard anyone wish they were a “Ford” lately. Although there
are a few rich families that aren’t struggling now (the Johnsons come to mind,
all those adhesive bandages made somebody very rich), somebody had to start the
family empire. Why put energy into complaining who you aren’t? Use that time
and creativity to make yourself someone!


 


How
do you measure a year? Give yourself the task of improving your position in
one year. You have between today and this day next year to make yourself and
your world better. I measured the year between Thanksgivings in web hits. Was
it worth the effort? Every second How far have I come? Further than I would
have come if all I did was complain about it. The journey of 1000 miles begins
with buying a ticket for the bus ride.


 


Happy belated Thanksgiving! 

Posted by Robert at 11/28/2008 10:55 PM | Add Comment
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