Kyoto, just for one day

After a long day of travel Saturday I got to the hotel showered, ate (Tebasaki, a local dish of spicy fried chicken and sinus clearingly good) and went to bed. Yesterday I had a couple of hours of work to get done, but aside from that I got to play tourist. I looked at a map, checked the train timetable and was soon bound for…

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I could do this every week

Tonight was dinner at the Japanese restaurant in the hotel, a very good Japanese restaurant. It actually turned out to be a very formal meal. There were five  of us dinning this evening and we had a waitress (that’s not the correct term, but I’ve no idea what is) that was dedicated to our table. Akemi poured the drinks and stood at the head of…

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Letting the train take the strain

I’ve done a few trips on trains recently; Everett to Seattle for a football game was rather a nice and low stress way to get to the game. Other than in airports and subways it was the first time I’ve ridden a train in the US in about 20 years, and that was between Boston, New York, Washington DC and my one long Amtrak “adventure”…

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Konnichi Wa

Days like this give those stressful days with all the bad stuff and accusations a more healthy perspective. It’s been an up and down week. Rough at times and wonderful in other moments, both personally and professionally; it’s nice to be around people who look after what they need to do. I’ve a lot of confidence in the people around me, and that feels rather…

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Is that a Lotus… Or a Lotus?

Lotus is an old and storied name in F1, it’s history at the top level goes back to 1958, they raced out of Kettering Hall untill insolvency caught up with them at the end of 1994. During that final season they went through a series of pay drivers partnering Johnny Herbert for most of the year and for the first time in 36 years failed…

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Today…

Today is mums birthday; it’s been a somewhat tough day. I spoke to dad this morning and no question he feels it more than anyone today. He was planning on going to the crematorium where her ashes were spread, but was not up to it, I think that added to what he felt today. I miss mum, and it’s mostly the small things that keep…

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With apologies to Crash Davis

As a PM here is what I believe I believe in… The church of the Project Charter Defined deliverables Listening to the experts Small teams with big white boards Understanding where value is added by the process Old fashioned, but effective to-do lists Pain is there to remind you what you did wrong next time you try it Post-it notes, many, many post-its in different…

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Deck the Hall Ball

I’ve been told I’m a little late to this particular party, but better late than never I guess. Last Wednesday the Black Keys (along with a few others) played WaMu Theater in Seattle as part of the “107.7 The End” pimped Deck the Hall Ball. The Black Keys were really good, very polished. Somehow it’s the first time I’ve really heard their music, let alone…

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Judy Garland Christmas Special

Seattle has a vibrant and very deep theater and music scene. I have talked about music before, and there is much to talk about, but I’ve not mentioned the theater too much. Tonight I got taken to one of Seattle’s smaller venues, the Open Circle Theater on 2nd Avenue in Seattle, close to a couple of my favorite music venues, Tulas Jazz Club and The…

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