Hey there kids. I'll get right into this one.
So - I went to the gym for the first time in like 3 weeks yesterday. This is due to the fact that 1) I work so freakin much out of town that I'm never in town to go to the gym and 2) there was the whole "home for the holidays" thing.
So, cool. Gym. Running on the treadmill. Sweet. I'm looking around because I'm not to the point that all I can do is stare straight ahead, because I'm so exhausted... that point comes about 20 or 25 minutes into the run... And since its the gym in Lincoln Park in Chicago, there are a few girls around who are what one might call "attractive". They're wearing some type of black stretch pants - which I've really got to find the guy who makes them and the girl who made them popular and thank them both, many times over - and they're what they call "working out". And it got me to thinking...
So I think there are two types of girls that go to the gym. There are those trying to truly improve themselves by going in and working hard and sweating and burning and toning and lifting and stretching and doing great things. Then... there are those who go to the gym thinking that they are improving themselves by getting on the treadmill and walking at below normal pace. They move to the elliptical and do 20 or 30 minutes on that while they're talking on their cell phone! These same folks go over to the weights and do curls and shoulder lifts for another 20 minutes with 2.5lb weights. They run through weights so quickly that they barely actually lift anything!
So what you're telling me young lady is that you spent 2 hours at the gym and burned maybe 20% more calories at the gym than you would had you just stayed at home? Really? I'm sure while you're talking on your cell phone you're telling your friend how hard your working out at the gym. I get so frustrated by these people not only because of the disrespect they show while chatting it up about LC, Audrina and Team Heidi, but the waste of time that they call going to the gym.
Listen, I'm not going to say that I'm the healthiest individual in the world, or that I work out all the time and am in perfect physical shape. But when I do go to the gym, I'm sweating my guts out; lifting, running, stretching, pulling, and working hard. I make it worth my membership to be in there for 2 hours every time I go.
So for all of you ladies who like to take the cell phone with you to work out... stay away from me - there's no reason for it, and you might as well just stay home and talk to your friends there. And if you're going to go to the gym, work hard while you're there. No pussy-footing around. Grab some weights, lift 'em, leap on the treadmill and run like you mean it. One of the sexiest things that I've ever seen is a girl sweating her heart out, working hard to improve herself.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
You know what's cool?
Me!
I'm awesome!
Okay, so I'm mostly kidding. Kind of.
Kids, today's (tonight's) post is going to be about the things that I do that are cool. Mostly having to do with my job and the people I work with.
I work for XOS Technologies, Inc. And we are cool. We are a technology company that specializes in preparing coaches for game planning and with the help of new technology helps them teach their players in more efficient and effective ways. One of the news stories that was just published the other day was an AP story found here. It features one of the cooler things that we work on, and even though its very much still in infant stages, I can just imagine how great it will be in a couple of years.
I just left Anaheim where me and a bunch of my jerksquad co-workers were out entertaining, showing and teaching coaches about some of the new products we're coming out with over the next few months. Its exciting times right now at the company because if we're successful with this new product launch... well... XOS could become even more dominant in our market.
The market itself is pretty competitive, but its competitive like the SEC is competitive. We have one major competitor, and a handful of minor competitors, and we HATE our major competitor. Its to the point that I don't even mention the name of the company... and just refer to them as the nerd squad. (Kinda like when Woody would say "that team from the north"...) We're the company that acts like Boiler Room where we're all loud and obnoxious and funny and overall generally awesome. They're the company that says they do things the right way - all on the up and up of course - and try and throw everyone of us and our employees under the bus. Whiny weasels. But this competition makes it fun, and makes it great to be apart of.
The people that I work with are pretty awesome as well. There's always different personalities of course - just like any company situation. Some of the folks are okay, but most are pretty great. This is the time of the year where we are all coming together as one - and trying to make progressions toward making our company better. Our CEO just sent out a memo stating the exact same thing - we are all apart of making this company better, and everyone that is apart of the company knows that. Its good stuff.
Now... not everything is strawberry's and pixie dust. Here's an overview of what my week so far has been like:
Monday, Dec 31. : Work from home - make 10 calls, arrange a lot of stuff, answer 30 emails. All before 3PM.
Tuesday Jan 1: More calls - only 2, but mostly a day off. Pack for Anaheim.
Wednesday Jan 2: Fly to Anaheim - 8AM flight which means I was at the airport at 6. Early morning. Get to Anaheim and the shit show begins. Lunch, setup demo laptops, start doing practice demos. Dinner. Back to demo prep and many arguments about how prepared we are and what paths we should take through the demo. I stay up until 4AM PST practicing on my own to get it right. Minus the sleep on the plane - about an hour - I was up for more than 24 hours...
Thursday Jan 3: Up and back in the demo meeting room at 830AM PST for meeting. 4 hours of sleep. Meet, argue some more, get real pissed off. Lunch. Hotel staff informs us that we need to move out of our demo suite into some demo meeting rooms downstairs because "we've ruined the integrity of the room". Whatever. The Sheraton Anaheim Convention Center is officially NOT COOL! Move all of the laptops and start demo prep again. Things go well and we're getting prepared pretty well at this point. Dinner. Drinks. Madden tournament in the meeting room while drinking heavily. Throwing football in the room and break the chandelier... guess we ruined more integrity... whatever. Drink until 3AM. Bed.
Friday Jan 4: 4 more hours of sleep. Meeting on Convention Center floor for setup at 830AM. Work our butts off for 4 hours and get lunch while working. Floor setup gets mostly completed by 3PM-ish. Back to the meeting room for more demo polishing. Customers start coming in. Entertain them. Dinner. Drinks. Fun.
Saturday Jan 5: More floor setup at 830AM - lasts about 2 hours. Back to the demo room for final prep. Lasts most of the day. Sales meeting that lasts 4 hours. Lunch and then dinner in there somewhere. More drinks. In bed early (130AMPST).
Sunday Jan 6: Down on Convention floor @ 830AM - AFCA show starts at 9AM. Demos on the floor all day, with a mix of lunch in there somewhere. Show finishes at 5PM, then dinner with the crew, then host a party in our demo meeting room. Awesomeness ensues. Back to the suite for a afterparty party. Stories and good conversation last until 3AM. Sleep. (Apparently I snored for a little while last night - sorry Adam...)
Monday Jan 7: Convention floor again at 830 - quick laptop setup and back at demoing until noon. Go back to the room and pack. Lunch. Get a car from hotel to LAX - fly to St. Louis. Arrive at 1030PM CST. In the hotel at 1115PM CST.
I'll probably be asleep by 2AM CST after I get done with this and get ready for bed. Then tomorrow I've got an install at the Rams, and its going to be probably 10-12 hour days for the rest of the week.
This stuff isn't easy. All of us, including me, work hard and play hard. There are a LOT of long hours. There are a lot of fights and arguments and words said, but its all for the good of the company. And we all know that. I've thought several times that I don't know how long I would make it at this position, but I'll probably keep going until I just can't take it anymore, which at this point, won't be for a while.
Thanks XOS! Here's to 2008!
I'm awesome!
Okay, so I'm mostly kidding. Kind of.
Kids, today's (tonight's) post is going to be about the things that I do that are cool. Mostly having to do with my job and the people I work with.
I work for XOS Technologies, Inc. And we are cool. We are a technology company that specializes in preparing coaches for game planning and with the help of new technology helps them teach their players in more efficient and effective ways. One of the news stories that was just published the other day was an AP story found here. It features one of the cooler things that we work on, and even though its very much still in infant stages, I can just imagine how great it will be in a couple of years.
I just left Anaheim where me and a bunch of my jerksquad co-workers were out entertaining, showing and teaching coaches about some of the new products we're coming out with over the next few months. Its exciting times right now at the company because if we're successful with this new product launch... well... XOS could become even more dominant in our market.
The market itself is pretty competitive, but its competitive like the SEC is competitive. We have one major competitor, and a handful of minor competitors, and we HATE our major competitor. Its to the point that I don't even mention the name of the company... and just refer to them as the nerd squad. (Kinda like when Woody would say "that team from the north"...) We're the company that acts like Boiler Room where we're all loud and obnoxious and funny and overall generally awesome. They're the company that says they do things the right way - all on the up and up of course - and try and throw everyone of us and our employees under the bus. Whiny weasels. But this competition makes it fun, and makes it great to be apart of.
The people that I work with are pretty awesome as well. There's always different personalities of course - just like any company situation. Some of the folks are okay, but most are pretty great. This is the time of the year where we are all coming together as one - and trying to make progressions toward making our company better. Our CEO just sent out a memo stating the exact same thing - we are all apart of making this company better, and everyone that is apart of the company knows that. Its good stuff.
Now... not everything is strawberry's and pixie dust. Here's an overview of what my week so far has been like:
Monday, Dec 31. : Work from home - make 10 calls, arrange a lot of stuff, answer 30 emails. All before 3PM.
Tuesday Jan 1: More calls - only 2, but mostly a day off. Pack for Anaheim.
Wednesday Jan 2: Fly to Anaheim - 8AM flight which means I was at the airport at 6. Early morning. Get to Anaheim and the shit show begins. Lunch, setup demo laptops, start doing practice demos. Dinner. Back to demo prep and many arguments about how prepared we are and what paths we should take through the demo. I stay up until 4AM PST practicing on my own to get it right. Minus the sleep on the plane - about an hour - I was up for more than 24 hours...
Thursday Jan 3: Up and back in the demo meeting room at 830AM PST for meeting. 4 hours of sleep. Meet, argue some more, get real pissed off. Lunch. Hotel staff informs us that we need to move out of our demo suite into some demo meeting rooms downstairs because "we've ruined the integrity of the room". Whatever. The Sheraton Anaheim Convention Center is officially NOT COOL! Move all of the laptops and start demo prep again. Things go well and we're getting prepared pretty well at this point. Dinner. Drinks. Madden tournament in the meeting room while drinking heavily. Throwing football in the room and break the chandelier... guess we ruined more integrity... whatever. Drink until 3AM. Bed.
Friday Jan 4: 4 more hours of sleep. Meeting on Convention Center floor for setup at 830AM. Work our butts off for 4 hours and get lunch while working. Floor setup gets mostly completed by 3PM-ish. Back to the meeting room for more demo polishing. Customers start coming in. Entertain them. Dinner. Drinks. Fun.
Saturday Jan 5: More floor setup at 830AM - lasts about 2 hours. Back to the demo room for final prep. Lasts most of the day. Sales meeting that lasts 4 hours. Lunch and then dinner in there somewhere. More drinks. In bed early (130AMPST).
Sunday Jan 6: Down on Convention floor @ 830AM - AFCA show starts at 9AM. Demos on the floor all day, with a mix of lunch in there somewhere. Show finishes at 5PM, then dinner with the crew, then host a party in our demo meeting room. Awesomeness ensues. Back to the suite for a afterparty party. Stories and good conversation last until 3AM. Sleep. (Apparently I snored for a little while last night - sorry Adam...)
Monday Jan 7: Convention floor again at 830 - quick laptop setup and back at demoing until noon. Go back to the room and pack. Lunch. Get a car from hotel to LAX - fly to St. Louis. Arrive at 1030PM CST. In the hotel at 1115PM CST.
I'll probably be asleep by 2AM CST after I get done with this and get ready for bed. Then tomorrow I've got an install at the Rams, and its going to be probably 10-12 hour days for the rest of the week.
This stuff isn't easy. All of us, including me, work hard and play hard. There are a LOT of long hours. There are a lot of fights and arguments and words said, but its all for the good of the company. And we all know that. I've thought several times that I don't know how long I would make it at this position, but I'll probably keep going until I just can't take it anymore, which at this point, won't be for a while.
Thanks XOS! Here's to 2008!
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