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It is hard being on the road over 200 nights a year...away from your family, isolated in many ways. It definitely isn't for everyone. This blogs represents the thoughts of just one such person. Read along and find out if the road is for you.
This is my new blogchalk:
United States, Georgia, Gainesville, Unity of Gainesville, English, John, Male, reading, RE Investing. :)
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Friday, October 04, 2002
Batteries are weak! (1 Ago)
Did you ever feel if you get through a particular day or event, everything would be “ok”?
Well, today was that day for me. I have been logging additional hours with this particular client (and for the first time, billing for the extra hours I have been spending there).
They have some drama going on with their third management re-shuffling of the players since May. I had gone to lunch with the System Admin, AR Supervisor, and Accounting Manager and listened to the pending changes that were coming in the next few days.
But as usual, I digress. Around 2 :30 this afternoon, I could tell my batteries were running low. People don’t realize how much energy this job needs and takes out of you. People continually bombard you as you pass by them with questions and problems. Multiply that by 9 branches that are calling you all day and you literally don’t have a moment to yourself. (One reason that I normally have lunch alone!)
It was about that time that I felt if I just got through the day, the remaining time wouldn’t be that bad. But at this late point in the week, it isn’t going to make much difference. One good thing though, they said they wanted me back. We’ll see. Sometimes clients tell you one thing to your face and another to your boss.
I have begun to rethink my position about long stays with clients. I call a long stay anything over 3 days in a week. I had looked at other consultants who work on Da Company’s other product and envied them with their weeklong stints in one location. My thinking was that it would be a little less wear and tear on the body with the additional flights that seeing 2-3 clients in a week brings on.
While it is nice that you don’t have to pack up and get on an airplane, seeing the same folks for 5 days is a bit longer than I would like. It is not that it is boring. This week has been anything but. It is just if you are there that long, you start to get drug into the politics and BS of the company. I can do bad by myself and already have enough BS with Da Company that pays me, so I really don’t need to get brought into someone else’s. Which also makes me wonder if I could actually go to work for some company on a 9-5/5 day a week basis. I will give it some thought.
On the spur of the moment today, I sent (Julie) some flowers today with a note “Just because”. I know she has really hacked me off lately, but on the other side, things are getting better and maybe I can close the gap with some effort on my side. As always, we will see.
Where does the time go? I went for a drink (actually several) with a couple of the people I have been working with this week. The one guy ordered the largest margarita that I have seen in my life. Bob was part of the “re-shuffling” mentioned above. Phyllis is the SA and convinced me to have a “swirl” margarita. It was very good. Bob actually ordered a second, but since it took so long to get there, the waiter “comp’d” it and we all put a straw in and drank away. Which seemed like a good way to end the evening.
Tomorrow, TGIF!
posted by John Panico at 4:05 AM
Thursday, October 03, 2002
Manifesting your destiny? (1 Ago)
This was the earliest I finished at the client’s this week. I am normally an 8:30 to 5:00 type of guy. It is not that I usually mind staying later, but my clients usually start looking toward the door at around 4:40. And make sure you aren’t close to the exit at 5 or you may have footprints all over your back.
This client is different. I have got off at 7:00, 8:00 and then 6 this evening. I was a little apprehensive after talking to the system administrator last week. But I must admit that although very busy thus far, it has been an enjoyable week. I haven’t got to the Rock and Roll Hall yet, but when you get out as late as I have, you not only don’t have the energy to go, you don’t have the inclination either. And when it closes at 8, you don’t have time to see anything anyhow.
If I continue to manifest things the way I have recently, things are going to get really interesting here over the next 30 days or so. (At least that long!) I was thinking about my customer Ed in Sun Valley and wondering how he was doing, how his business was and if there might be a place for me to land out there with his company.
Yesterday, Ed just called me out of the blue and told me he had been thinking about me for a week (just the timeframe that I had been thinking about calling him as well). We talked about a variety of subjects (quality of life issues vs. money, etc) and even spoke how things might work out if I came there (it was even his idea for me to come there!). We said we would keep in touch and left it at that. As luck would have it, I am working in his old hometown of Cleveland this week and he told me a couple of places to go.
I have also been thinking about Rick a lot lately with the idea of calling him when I had a few minutes to see how he was doing. Lo and behold as I am cruising Best Buy for a camcorder, he calls me. As luck would have it, I have a client that is pretty close to him that I will be spending a week at next month. He offered me to stay at his place, so that will be a pretty profitable week as well as fun.
Now, if I can manifest an investor for my business, then I am really going to see some changes happen!
Other than that, today has just been a day and evening to cruise a little. Sometimes, you spend so much energy when you are at the clients, answering questions, fixing problems, coming up with work arounds/solutions for resolutions to your products inadequacies, that you just use up all of your energy. So if you can pace yourself throughout the day/week, you will feel much better come Friday. And that (pacing) is what I did today. Nothing too strenuous and certainly a lot less energy fixing issues than I have expended the last two days.
The other pleasant surprise was lunch. Unlike Debbie, I am not one of those consultants who rate their clients by the lunch they buy. In fact, I actually prefer to eat lunch alone. When the client comes with you, you find yourself never getting a break from the questions/issues that come up. But today’s lunch was different. The system administrator, CFO, and AR Manager went to lunch with me. And for once, I just listened to their gossip about the changes being made at their company and about their co-workers. I enjoyed listening so much, that I paid for lunch.
Made a couple of changes to the site. Hope you like them J
posted by John Panico at 4:58 AM
Monday, September 30, 2002
I am back at it. (1 Ago)
Today is Monday, so check out the Monday Mission.
The last week or so has been very interesting. Sorry for no entries. Between time issues and not having access to the internet, I just never got to the blog.
In some ways, I am at the same exact place I was at six weeks ago. And that is frustrating. I was looking at the house in St. Augustine and put in an offer on it. Two others put an offer the same day as mine. I have been keeping tabs on it, and as luck would have it, the house is still available. Not one of the offers was accepted. That gives me more confidence that my original offer was probably a fair one. Should I move there or stay here in the area? On top of that Eddie from church is back trying to get me to buy her house as well. I told her though that if she wasn’t interested in investing in the coffee house, I wasn’t interested in her house. And she said she would get back to me later in the week. If that doesn’t come through, I have actually had thoughts about staying in the area, because I know it better in terms of finding a location for the coffee house.
But it was also a week for learning that looks can be deceiving. I went to the Georgia Guidestones last weekend. The Guidestones are America’s answer to Stonehenge. It was a group trip that had about 15 of us going. So the women rode up by themselves and the guys took another car. A friend of mine who outwardly looks like he has the world by the tail opened up his heart and his feelings to the guys on the ride up. It was amazing to note that he had experienced some of the same things I have. The other guys chimed in about some of their experiences as well and it made me feel that I wasn’t alone in my emotions/thoughts. Here I thought I was the only bozo on the bus.
Overall, I have to say that I am feeling satisfied and content at the moment. Thinks work wise could be better (reading Natasha's blog last week about job offers gave me thought of changing jobs again, but other than that, things could be a whole lot worse and I am grateful for the things I have. And the fact that I am just a couple weeks away from vacation in Puerto Rico seems good at this point in time.
It may take me a day or two to get back into the swing of things blog wise. I am in Cleveland all week. It has been a long time since I have stayed a whole week at one client. Today was hectic and literally non stop. This client has 9 offices and made a major upgrade of 5 levels, which in this case is huge. But we got through it and although I got out at close to 7 this evening, am happy with the direction things are going.
I am going to take some time to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this week as well as going to see my Aunt in Youngstown. That is the good thing about staying in one place all week. You can actually do a couple of things.
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