The Launch Pad

In This World

2010-03-07T20:57:00.000-06:00

In this world man must either be anvil or hammer.

HWL

What's For Dinner: Chicken Saltimbocca and Orzo

2010-03-04T20:22:00.004-06:00

March One

2010-02-28T23:31:00.004-06:00

January in the books. February in the books.

I think a lot of people that have been watching the economy for different reasons have been waiting for March/April to come around. I have been waiting as well for this time period because I think this will be a pivotal few months on the productivity and recovery of the economy. If you were to ask me how this month and Q2 will go I don't think I could give you a logical or emotional answer. I just don't know. I do know that in 2008 this was the time that a lot of people were scratching their head and wondering what was going on. It is absolutely within reason that 2010 won't bring significant changes but nobody wants to talk about that.

As for me personally, I have a lot going on at the beginning of this month that I hope will turn my situation around. If nothing else, I am hoping that something will come my way on contract to buy me some more time. This could turn any day, at any moment and I hope that it does.

Let's see what March will bring.

What's For Dinner: Best Braise Yet!

2010-02-21T21:31:00.003-06:00

Thank You Mr. Internet Hacker

2010-02-18T22:29:00.004-06:00

So do you REALLY want to be me?

Don't ask me how it happened but somebody hacked my Yahoo account this week. Tuesday morning I woke to a constant stream of phone calls of people checking on me to see what was going on - like I am coherent at 7:00 AM sans caffeine. I went to my computer to find out that I had an email from Yahoo notifying me that my password had been changed. The next email stated that another email had been added to the account as the primary method of communication effectively locking me out. Meanwhile the phone is still ringing constantly with people mostly telling me to check into the situation. A couple of people sent the actual email to me and I suppose that did nothing but piss me off. Mr. Hacker, if you are going to run a scam for money from my friends and business contacts, at least use a believable story. Saying that I am randomly in "Wales" with "my family" and "crying as I type this" does not fly.

So two days later it is all resolved and the account is back in my control. What a pain, like I needed that this week.

February 9, 1932

2010-02-09T21:56:00.004-06:00

Mom was born. Happy Birthday Mom.

So long ago. So very long ago. My days of growing up in Mobile with Mom and Dad seem so long ago it is almost as if I was another person then. I suppose I have not really "looked back" since I packed the car and headed to Auburn back in 1988. My life has clearly been driven and focused in my own word and now it's hard to get out of my world and get back home as much as I would like to. It's actually kind of hard thinking about not being there because I do miss Mom a lot. This would all be much easier if she would ever come and vist me in Houston but - that is simply not going to happen. It is hard to understand that but it is something that I have simply come to accept.

Hey Said, She Said: Twenty Years

2010-02-08T23:57:00.001-06:00

She Said: If you could go back 20 years, what would you change or do differently?

He Said: (insert silence)

She Said: Second Chance

2010-01-31T11:46:00.004-06:00

"Life may not give us do-over, but it does give us another chance with each new day. It's up to us what we choose to do."

Pointing Towards The Sky

2010-01-28T21:31:00.002-06:00

I need air.

This week has been building in a good way up until to today. There has been a good bit of positive energy with the week kicking off with a second round and strong potential. My days have been fairly busy with a lot of productive networking and calls. Today was a bit different because I woke up at my normal time but I had no motivation to grind out another day. I am tired of it all, just tired and I know this is not good only being a month into this. More so, everything seems to be at a point where I am waiting. I suppose there is a point where you can only do so much. I am just hoping everything shakes out next week.

As much as it seems like there is always another company to contact or research, I realize that you can only do so much. I need some air. I need to get back in the sky and work this out. It's been over a month since my last single jump and maybe November since I have done more than one at a time.

Danny

2010-01-25T22:39:00.003-06:00

Gotta get me one of these one day.

January Passes Along

2010-01-20T22:50:00.004-06:00

Two weeks down and the third is almost in the books for the new year, however, somehow it feels like we are two months into the year. I have managed to get a lot done in a very short period of time so far and the job search is in top gear. I am pursuing many, many things right now but I would be wise to remember the length that previous searches have taken.

The conversations that I have with senior people have all been good and positive, but it's their own perception of the market that I really find interesting. You ask people about the job market and everybody will say things are better and 2010 will quickly turn around. Then asked about their own company and how things are and if there are jobs you will get stories of lay offs and hiring freezes. So my collective knowledge from hundreds of calls and emails flies against their perception. All that I can do is keep moving forward as best I can knowing this could turn around at any moment for me.

I am constantly reminded that no matter situation I am in I have to do more than everybody else. The unemployment rate for black men with college degrees is TWICE that of of white men with comparable levels of education. The disparity in the unemployment gap grows as the level of education increases for black men. This shows that closing the education gap does not close the unemployment gap which is completely counter intuitive. I am not getting on my soapbox about this, it's just a fact. It's a fact that we don't want to talk about in our presumed successful post civil rights, race neutral world. But this is the reality that I am waking up to every morning.

What's For Dinner: Baby Back

2010-01-14T22:07:00.002-06:00

Day One

2010-01-03T23:58:00.002-06:00

Well that's what is left of Norton all boxed up and moved to an empty office to be shipped off. I will consider this the last look over my shoulder before moving on.

So tomorrow is the first business day of the new year and kicks off my new search. First order of business for me is going to go through everything that I am working on and set some priorities. There are some interesting things before me that could be strong gap fillers or maybe lead towards full time opportunities. It's all different this time around in that the ante for risk vs reward is upped even more and my game is higher stakes. If anything the risk side of the scale could be tipped against me, however, it is way too soon to opine on what might happen. These first few days will be all about getting things in order.

Game plan, check.
Film study, check.
Chin strap, on.

Christmas 2009

2009-12-15T22:00:00.010-06:00

Has it been a year already? I suppose that it has been a year since I have spoken to many of you. I hope that this update finds everyone and your families doing well. For the most part, I am doing well despite some challenging times and life is ....well its good. Things are good for me here in Houston and I am glad that I can say that. On the surface, the unfortunate end of 2009 would seem to betray the good that they year has brought my way, but that is not the whole story. So where have I been? What have I been up to? Glad you asked.

I took a moment to look back at last year's Christmas note from 2008, and then I looked back at the one before that from 2007. They both share the common fact, as is true this year, that I am looking for work. Yeah, three years running, but I will get into that in a moment. Shortly after I posted in last year with you around Christmas, I got a call from Haddington Ventures, a small private equity shop here in Houston. With the Federal announcement of hundreds of millions of dollars flowing towards the energy sector through grant and loan guarantee programs, they had a need for somebody to research and apply for those programs. I have split my year with two of the Haddington start up portfolio companies leading this effort seeking DOE funding. I wrote a $27.5 million grant for the biofuels business and also a $30 million grant for the renewable power project, Norton compressed air energy storage. For Norton, I also worked on part one and part two loan guarantee applications to secure DOE guarantees for about $280 million in debt.

Over all it has been very interesting working in private equity and I have learned a lot in several areas. I got a chance to dig into the biofuels industry and learn a lot about how feedstocks create long term value in that industry. I am also taking away a lot about what it takes to put together a project finance and the right way to negotiate with the DOE when it comes to raising funds. All of that is a huge plus for my energy career. So why am I in the market again looking for a job? Well, Norton was sold to FirstEnergy early December. I had hopes that we would capitalize the company, finish development and EPC, build the project and there would be a role for me there on the team. But that was not to be, and there is no work for me going forward at Haddington. Things have ended on an amicable and good note with respect to my contract which is good. As always there is more to the story, but I won't dwell on any of it here. Buy me a beer and I will tell you the whole story. I certainly can't hide the fact that this is very hard to go through yet again.

Mom is doing very well and her medical situation is much, much better. The doctors are very happy with her recovery and I hope and pray all of that is put to bed for good. As for me, I am doing just fine. Not a lot has changed with my day to day life in Houston. I am still pretty active at Texas Children's helping out with the foundation. My on unit participation has slowed with them taking a very guarded approach to H1N1 and protecting the patients. As for fun stuff, unfortunately there were not a lot of fun get away trips this year to report on and that two week vacation that I have been waiting on remains elusive. I have been very focused and busy at work on many applications so that has taken a lot of time this year. Easily one of the best get aways that I did make was an all too short three day trip to Cabo for a wedding. This year was also my Kellogg 10 year reunion so I went back to Chicago to catch up with the Kellogg Family. The "just for George vacation" will have to be on the list for next year.

Having the contract job this year allowed me to get active again skydiving after tapering my jumps off end of 2008. Because of the contract job not providing much long term security, I did not commit to a four way team at the beginning of 2009 for the entire season which was a disappointment. Fortunately there was plenty to do in the sport other than membership on a team and I have logged just over 500 skydives to date. I obtained my coach rating which is the first instructional rating allowing me to work with some skydivers just starting out. I also was asked to fill in as a substitute for a couple teams that were training on occasion.

By far the coolest thing I got to do in the sport was compete at the USPA Nationals which was held at my dropzone this year. It's difficult to convey the magnitude of the event in a short explanation, however I would best sum it up by saying the event attracts the best skydivers from around the world. During the two week competition I would estimate that there are well over 6,000 individual skydives made across all of the disciplines. I participated on a four way team that competed as a guest team because of our international members from France. We did quite well given that we did not train and had not previously jumped together. I wrapped up the year jumping at the Ballunar Festival at Johnson Space Center which was lots of fun. It's not often that you get to jump at a place that you have previously worked for two days in front of hundreds of people.

Well that sums up much of the update from me on the year. Please stay in touch and post in from time to time. Let's see where 2010 takes us. Closing it out with some video of my skydives from this past year. You will note that some of the video is first person POV made with a GoPro mini camera mounted on various locations on my harness or helmet. You can find me in the rest of the larger formations in black with black/red/gold container. Have an awesome Christmas with you family and loved ones.

The Friday Feeling

2009-12-11T15:58:00.002-06:00

It's back. Maybe I am just having a bad day (and I am certainly allowed that), but the frustration that I remember on Fridays during my job search is back and bigger than ever. This is hard. I don't know how much I have in my tank this go round. I can only hope that this will be over quickly.

What's For Dinner: Dr. Pepper Braise

2009-12-06T14:11:00.002-06:00

Bigger

2009-12-01T21:50:00.003-06:00

Yes I'm grounded
Got my wings clipped
I'm surrounded
All this pavement
Guess I'll circle
While I'm waiting
For my fuse to dry

What's For Breakfast

2009-11-28T17:30:00.002-06:00

Facing The Music

2009-11-23T16:59:00.005-06:00

OK, it's official now.

Link to sale of my project

This will mean that I am moving on....again. The story of my life is one that no author could ever imagine. After Calpine and Enron, this will be the third holiday lay off for me in 8 years. I will spare you the total job count in the last ten since grad school. Bad things happen to good people and despite the bad and all the struggles, I know I am still blessed. This is far from a pity party and more of a call to arms. I know this enemy. I have fought in these trenches. I know the rules of engagement that determine the winner of this battle.

I am a survivor. I will survive.

That Which I Can Control

2009-11-16T20:18:00.006-06:00

Interesting times here on this end. Winds of change. Things beyond my control. Meh - it's probably just life.

Transmissions are still very much overrated and that whole situation is not sorted out believe it or not. "Stuff" and "things" rarely get under my skin but this whole thing has had me preoccupied in a lot of ways. I don't want to think I am getting taken advantage of but I have let a lot of stuff slide with these guys and they have had more than their share of miscues in executing on getting my trans fixes. I am just hoping that it's done and put to bed for good middle of this week. Could I still be going through this next week? Geez, how bad would that be.

Lots going on at the office these days with a transaction I am working on. I wish that I was more in the loop with everything going on, but I suppose there is a reason that has not happened. Hopefully that reason is a good reason, but then again, I could be worried about nothing. Given my track record with Novembers and Decembers I certainly am not naive about the frailty of employment, however, but I want to still have faith that things will work out for the best. There is a shoe that will drop. I just wish that I knew if it was going to drop on me.

Transmissions Are Overrated

2009-11-05T19:08:00.001-06:00

I think that is all I have to say about that one.

2009 Ballunar Festival at NASA JSC

2009-10-26T20:25:00.004-05:00

Cool Pics from Nationals

2009-10-22T21:02:00.005-05:00

First Point: Results

2009-10-18T23:12:00.006-05:00

The last week has been all over the place. I pretty much have spent every day at the DZ for one reason or another, but what an experience it has been. I have tons of pics to share from Nationals, I will post those soon.

The past week has been all about the weather here. Saturday and Sunday were totally weathered out and we got no practice jumps in. Those practice jumps would have been critical for us because we had never jumped before as a group. Monday through Wednesday were completely hit or miss with weather. Monday only saw one round completed. Tuesday we got four rounds. Wednesday we finally finished the last five rounds. All said, the team did really well and totally exceeded my expectations. We averaged just under five points per round and if we were not a guest team with international members, we would have been about twenty second out of thirty some teams. Not bad in my book. I learned a lot and will be able to take a lot of experience away from the event.

This is a pretty unique sport and I suppose that you have to be around it to understand. This event brings the best of the best and everybody is part of the same community. Golfers don't have access to Tiger Woods. Tennis players can't roll up to Pete Sampras. This week I got to meet and hang out with the best of the best including meeting Cheryl Stearns. Awesome.

First Point!

2009-10-08T23:10:00.004-05:00

So a bit of a break from the norm for me. A much needed break actually from applications. The USPA Nationals (US Parachute Association) will be at my dropzone this year and I will be competing with a team. It's kinda hard to describe the event but this is where all of the different disciplines in skydiving come together and compete. There is a whole lot more that you can do in the sport than fall and all of the different disciplines are here. I will be competing at the intermediate level in 4 Way formation skydiving. The scale of the event is huge. Teams come from all over the world to compete for fun as well as teams representing their country, The Army Golden Knights for example will compete in 8 Way.

Maybe the best analogy I could give to describe the competition might be comparing the event to a site or event where a single Olympic sport might be held. There are a hundreds of competitors alone as well as judges, planes, the whole nine. From what I have heard, there are over 70 Four Way teams registered and each of those teams makes ten competition jumps. To make that happen, planes will be taking off about every 5 minutes. The whole event to complete all of the disciplines will take two weeks. You do the math.

If anybody out there wants to follow along, you can check out:

Spaceland Blog

USPA Competition Page

My team name is First Point in the Intermediate 4 Way Discipline. There are links for video and scores on the USPA page. We will be practicing Saturday and Sunday and compete Monday and Tuesday. By no means will we be a top team, this is just for fun. Most of the teams train for months and months where we will only have two days. Wish us luck!