Well, another stay in Charlotte begins. The window air is running (got the temp down 5 degrees in less than an hour – I can almost breathe!), the DVD is playing since the over-the-air broadcast doesn’t work, and dial-up returns.

The four of us once made the drive from Huntersville, NC to Morgantown for a football game in five hours flat one Saturday morning. We thought that was kick ass at the time. Today, without driving very hard, I made Morgantown to Mooresville in 5 1/2 hours flat. So much for memories.

I can sometimes be melancholy, and I figured out today how to tell when the grip is tight – it’s easy to get into Tom Petty tunes.

Dumb-ass driver moment of this trip to date. I followed two vehicles down 77, traveling roughly around 80mph, when I figured out that one of the drivers was thirsty. I know because the passenger of the vehicle in the fast lane handed a bottle of water out the window to the driver who stuck his arm out his window. It only took them two tries to get it right.

Time for a soapbox moment:

Adam Jones. Pac-man. What the hell are you thinking? Wait, my bad – you’re not.

You had it all. Lightly recruited out of the roughest parts of Atlanta, you pull a switch at the last second and leave Georgia Tech for West Virginia. The change of scenery will be good for you and give you the chance to get your life back on track.

Except for the bar fight at Dr. Johns. Who knows if the full truth will ever be known about that night, but you ended up with a record at Morgantown City Hall.

Then you go out and absolutely tear up Mountaineer Field. You made us all forget about the other quality defensive backs – heck, most defensive players – by making incredible hits, impossible interceptions, and all around dazling play. You take the biggest jerk of 2003 – Kellen Winslow Jr. – completely out of his game on national TV in the Orange Bowl and almost helped WVU score a monumental upset. Gobble gobble!

You develop a terrific reputation off the field with the fans and sick children at Ruby. You make us forget about the pool cue and the crossed arms in the end zone. Most of us cried with your picture the day you decided to go pro. Tennessee takes you sixth in the NFL draft. Mountaineers everywhere are cheering for your success.

Then you get caught up in incidents with your possee. Atlanta. Nashville. Pot. Fights. Flinging borrowed cash from your agent. You take on a bar owner who just happens to be real tight with most of your new teammates. You do all this BEFORE signing your rookie contract, and now you’re not in camp with the team that took a flyer on you.

It’s not too late, Pac. Your fans wearing Old Gold & Mountaineer Blue want to cheer for you, for you are one of us. More importantly, we want to see you get your life back in order.

Grow up man. It’s not too late.

Now THIS could get me interested in a World Cup…

Berlin readies giant brothel for 2006 World Cup

I also like this line from the article – ” Dortmund, one of 11 other cities to host World Cup matches, has said it will install drive-in wooden “sex garages” in time for the tournament in a bid to keep the trade off the streets.”

Futbol!!!!

Modern organizations rely on teamwork, collaboration, and goodwill to accomplish goals & tasks. It’s not a real big secret and is a trait that most managers strive to develop. It’s not hard for individual contributors to buckle down, listen to the needs of other teammates, and do whatever is necessary to help out in order for the group to move forward. Again, most everyone knows this, and many folks get paid good amounts of money by exhibiting these traits.

Given this, why in the hell do some people still not get it? I just dealt with someone this morning who, when I asked “Can you help me or guide me to someone who can,” came back with “I used to have this, but it’s in my old office and I don’t know who I should call.” No follow up. No “let me see if I can find you a name.” Nothing. I’m then left to piece together a trail (one that already exists somewhere) and possibly blow my timeframes because someone else won’t show me the same courtesy I show to my other teammates.

No wonder productivity is one of the biggest workplace issues. Some people just don’t get it.

An interesting story today…
Report: Bin Laden Cocaine Plot Fell Through
The crux of the story is that Bin Laden wanted to buy lots of cocaine from Colombian druglords, taint it with poison, and sell it in the US to unsuspecting users – the goal being to kill thousands of Americans.

Not to be callous, but I have to plead indifference to this “plot”. First off, I don’t do drugs so I’m not exactly worried about buying a bad bag. Second, I can’t help but think that this might do much more good on our “War on Drugs” than any Nancy Reagan or egg-frying commercials. Personally…if I were a coke addict I’d be more liable to stop if I watched someone keel over real quick after hitting a tainted line.

I also find it interesting that the plan failed beause the druglords vetoed it – they didn’t want to screw up the US coke marketplace. Much more profitable to sell a product that slowly kills rather than have a competitor that snuffs ‘em out within the hour.