Back in the UK!

Hey Folks,

Obviously, I haven’t written as much this time through. Partly, because I have to accomplish a great deal more in a much shorter period of time. And, partly because last time through I began writing, and as individuals began to communicate to me that they looked more and more forward to them, I began to feel a certain sense of responsibility for giving you something great to read.

So, this weekend, I decided to put a short collection of experiences and anecdotes together, and while I cannot promise a great read, I do hope you enjoy the read:

So, I had to activate my Oyster card last Thursday. If you recall, the oyster card is the swipe card that us locals use to enter and exit the tube each morning. So, I get my first oyster card a week or so ago, and I get right up to the window, and there is a clerk sitting there behind the plated glass and he has his pinky so way far up his nose that he had to be hitting the back of his eye, or the bottom of his brain. If you take a second to look at your pinky, the digit itself bends in two places…imagine that it was beyond the second bend. And, it wasn’t like when we made eye contact, he pulled it out of his nose in embarrassment. He was so committed to what he was doing, or just so flippant about his obligation to serve me in any proper manner, that he just left it up there while we were talking. I was waiting for him to laugh, or for me to laugh and then him to laugh, but he didn’t, I didn’t, but he did do every bit of work with his free hand(left). Eventually, unraveling the finger from what might as well have been a bowling ball sitting on top of his shoulders.

So, Friday, I get up there again, and different guy, but he is eating an Orange with his hand. And, as sticky as Orange is, if I had to choose between the two alternatives, that would be the sticky I would choose. Right? So, I order my pass and it comes back to me, just soaked in Orange. I had a suit on, and nowhere to wipe it, so I get down to the platform, and I am looking for something to wipe this on, on or around one of the seating areas…and I found a £5 note. So, go figure.

I went to Compass that morning. I rather enjoyed it, except for the fact that Kenexa acquired Prove It! in 2000, rather than 2001. I think it is an ingenious idea, and I have worked for some big organizations, and had never been through anything of the sort. And, particularly for a new employee, this is invaluable. I happened to attend in the new London office. And, I was pleased to find that as you approach it, it looks a great deal like the Wolf Building. It is a loft building, with the same amount of floors, narrow hallways, winding stairs, lots of nooks and crannies, a really trendy receptionist with think glasses and a beehive hairdo. The only difference is that it is super, super modern. It has the ambience of a center city lounge, with great breakout areas, internet docking areas, hypnotic lighting. My suggestion would be that the 340 North 12th St Associates fly Flo Dallas out here for two weeks to take pictures and notes, and I am telling you, The Wolf Building with the same modifications would be the most coveted place to work in Philadelphia. And, you see it in the architecture, the design, the clothes…all it really takes is spending some time here to determine what works, and it would translate nicely in Philadelphia, as eventually it always does.

So, I leaved the London office and get on the train toward Piccadilly. And, I am immediately targeted by an older man in shabby clothes. Not shabby to the point where it looks like he lives on the streets, but shabby to the point where he probably wasn’t on his way to a sales call, or date. And, he is pointing at me, and he is walking up to me, and he is loudly asking who is the best boxer in the world. So, I am cool, because I can handle myself…and if any of you doubt that, just ask Jason Jones, what it is like to tangle with the beast. I respond “Ricky Hatton”, and he screams “Nooooooooooo, Lennox Lewis.”, and he puts his hands out to pump fists with me, a fist which reads “H-A-T-E” with one letter on each knuckle. So, I give him a solid shot, a respectable shot, and then he gets up out of his seat hand puts his fists up. Meanwhile, I have to toll you that I have done just nothing to provoke this. So, for that split second I am thinking, do I get up and engage him, and then this mid-50’s English woman, who has probably seen this two dozen times in her day, just starts shaking her head and mumbling something, kind of like a growl and starts hitting him with her newspaper. And, he scurries away like stray cat. Now, when I tell that story to the guys around the gym at home, it will have a very different ending, but I trust you guys, and in that vein, hope that we can keep this between just us.

Saturday morning, I woke up to what was arguably the best sports viewing day of my life. I shouldn’t even call it morning, it was like 1:30. But, the days are very long out here and I use the weekend to recharge. And, somehow, this time through, I screwed up my sleeping pattern, and haven’t slept much at all during the week. I am pretty sure that a couple of nights I didn’t sleep at all. This has never ever happened to me, but I can see why it becomes a problem for people…you go one night without sleeping, and have some slight difficulty falling asleep the second night, and then you overthink why you cannot fall asleep, and then you find yourself trying to fall asleep, you are looking at the clock to see how late it is getting, and then the next thing you know you are looking at that same clock, but it is not quite as hard to see because the sunrise is helping shed some light on it. The third night I worked out for about an hour at 10:30 PM, and chased it with a glass of whine in a plastic cup, and still no luck…and then, luckily, without by about the 5th or 6th day my body just caught up, and thankfully things have leveled off. Let’s hope that never happens again.

So, Saturday morning, golf match-play championships for £1,000,000 first prize, 36 holes per day, followed by England v. Estonia in the football(soccer) World Cup Qualifying tournament, and England v. France in the semi-final World Cup Rugby match, in France. Aside from about a 30 minute run, I spent almost the entire day in front of the tele. And, it was time well spent, there was a competitor from the United States in the golf finals, whom I had never heard of, named Hunter Mahan. England beat Estonia 3-nil, and Wayne Rooney scored his first goal in International play since 2004. They will advance to play Russia, in Moscow on Wednesday. And, in the best game of all, England upset France in the Rugby semifinal. This is a very big deal, they will play in the World Cup Championship this upcoming weekend, against France, in Brazil. Among other things, this makes it a very special time to be in the United Kingdom. Imagine the week leading up to the Phillies or the Eagles in the World Series or Superbowl, and multiple that excitement X the excitement of an entire country. Even the Crickett team won their series v. the West Indies. And, I learned an interesting thing about Crickett, which is that in a “best of” series, even if the series is decided early, they play the series out.

And, for you non-sports fans, yesterday, I went to Harrod’s. It’s obviously a must-see if you are a shopper…and a multi-millionaire. It is an experience, I believe it is 5 floors, complete with 18 or so restaurants/bars, a spa, an arcade…and so forth. And, it is smaller than other departments stores that I have been to in the U.K., but is just happens to have the types of brands and clothing lines within those brands that you just aren’t going to find anywhere else. There is a French bistro across the street called Rouge, which is set up like Rouge in center city, almost to the chair(this is no doubt where Rouge on Rittenhouse had its inspiration)…so, I sat outside and had lunch while watching Rolls Royce after Mercedes after Bentley arrive and drop off passengers of all types. It was one of the most interesting people watching experiences that I have ever had, and one of the most inspirational moments I have had as well…for no good reason other than it would be a nice treat in life to be able to walk through that men’s store and outfit yourself with everything that you happened to see and like…because I happened to see and like just about everything.

This week, I have a handful of appointments with large staffing organizations, and hope to hire on Lead Generator. I also have time with Phil Stewart and Troy, who both happen to be over here. And, I am in conversations regarding Dubai and Brazil, while, in the meantime, we are attempting to staff up Australia. If time and experiences permit, I will send another update.

I miss you all, and look forward to my first day back. Pulling my car into a parking lot full of falling rocks, and walking through a thick cloud of dust first thing in the morning never sounded so good. My expectation is that I will extend my stay, but be home mid-to-late next week. In the meantime, sell hard!

JV