Thinking of our pup PJ today as it wasn’t long ago we had to say goodbye and today is her birthday…
Couldn’t help think this was a sign when we decided last minute to drive to the falls after work yesterday #Exploring #IntentionallyWandering #NiagaraFalls
Found my way to the harbor this morning for a nice run along the shore looking out across Lake Erie to Canada
Early morning run got me outside the downtown of Buffalo for a good look back at the city #running #exploring #intentionallywandering
Clear blue sky above the clouds… #flying
Nothing like a morning run with the sun coming up #running #sunrise
Shhh… Kids are still sleeping and I am enjoying the quiet morning outside while getting some work done.
Rental Car Extras
Over my life, I have traveled to quite a few different airports in the US and overseas. During most of my trips, I need to get a rental car in order to get to my final destination. I just got back from my last trip and this really made me think about how the travel industry (looking at you Airlines) is moving in this direction of buy-ups. As always, Tripp and Tyler have done it again by giving everyone a glips into how it sometimes goes down.
My Thoughts
I have to admit as much as I enjoyed the video, I can’t remember the last time I had rental car issues. However, since travel frequently most companies have my profile on file that allows me to walk up and grab a car and drive away. Avoiding that discussion with a sales agent trying to get me to buy more. I remember when that wasn’t the case and I felt they were trying to sell me every part of the car and all I got was the shell. I just remember being confused what was really included in the quote when I ordered the car.
Airlines are in this game as well but to varying degrees based on the airline, you travel. It seems more airlines are going in this direction as well and it is really disappointing but a the same time I get what they are trying to do. They are trying to make people feel they are getting a great price at the time of purchase only to find out it didn’t include everything. The worst part is all of these “fees” really add up for airlines and more than likely going to the bottom line.
It is very common these days that if you are not a regular flyer or have a credit card for the airline you are flying you more than likely will have to pay baggage fees. Some airlines are now going to start charging customers for full size carry on’s depending on the ticket you purchase (Thanks United!) Then, of course, there have been the odd one from a while back where one airline was charging people to use the bathroom. Yes, the Bathroom. I believe that didn’t stick around but you can see that you need to be careful when booking travel and make sure you know what you bought.
What are your thoughts? Do you think companies should just give you one flat cost and have everything included? Or should they give you a base price and then have you pay for upgrades / additional services.
Class is in session in the backyard single room school house…
I can’t tell you how glad I am that the weather is actually nice light out in the early morning. So quiet and peaceful this morning. #running #sunrise
Dropped these two travelers off at the airport at 5am today. Look out mystery state the Boo is traveling!
Watch out for this one… The names Boo, Gretchen Boo.
Seemed strange having track practice with snow drifts in the background today…
Another early morning flight today but a beautiful day to be flying.. See you soon MSP.
Quick stop in Boston and now on to Buffalo #flying
Wordless Wednesday 04/18
*Will the snow ever end? That is almost 15" of snow that fell over the course of 48hrs this past weekend (April 2018, Minnesota)*
4am wake up to fly again. Will be sad to leave this weather, I feel like it is actually Spring here.
📍TownePlace Suites by Marriott Raleigh CaryWeston Parkway, Cary
Airport seems eerily quiet tonight…
“Bandwidth” by Eliot Peper
Bandwidth by Eliot Peper (@EliotPeper) is definitely another page turner by one of my favorite authors.
*I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy to read but I also bought the Kindle version as well so needless to say it is definitely worth picking up as I still bought my own copy 🤷♂️. *
Bandwidth wastes no time from the first page dropping you right into the action as it captivates your imagination of a world not that far into the future. You will quickly figure out that the main character Dag Calhoon, a lobbyist representing high-powered tech and energy executives, starts questioning the world he has been helping create. In this world, every person has a “feed” (like social media) that is always in people’s minds and is integral to how the world works. As the story evolves, Dag stumbles upon a group of activists that have hijacked people’s feeds in order to sway public options and global markets. He eventually is faced with big decisions as he tries to figure out what is right/wrong and whom to trust.
I would say Eliot has done a good job in changing the types of books I have been custom to over the past couple of years. Where three years ago I would have said I read more Mystery or Action-Adventure and typically would have stayed away from Sci-fi type books. This book (like some of his others) is not what I would consider your typical Sci-fi books but more “near-term sci-fi” as it seems more within reach in the next decade.
The Future feels closer than you think these days
Even though this is a future-looking book, with everything in the news these days around political, environmental, and social media control issues it almost seems closer than you think. This book has them all and intertwines them into a great page-turning novel. As always with Eliot’s books, this is a very fast-paced story with a lot of twists and turns to make you really think. Not to mention the precision of detail he puts into describing the situations, buildings, food, and drinks that paints a perfect picture of what you should be seeing. Finally, I appreciated the short chapters as I always find myself with interrupting children when finally find time to sit down and read.
I really can’t recommend this book enough and as always don’t want to give too much of it away. So I would suggest you go pick up a copy today!
To make sure you don’t miss out on his next books and sequel to Bandwith titled Borderless, be sure to follow him on Twitter (@EliotPeper) and subscribe to his newsletter from his website (http://www.eliotpeper.com/).
As I mentioned I have read some of Eliot’s books before and wrote about them so if you are interested to check out some of his other books go for it as you won’t be disappointed! Here are a couple: True Blue (A Short Story), Neon Fever Dream, Uncommon Stock: Power Play and Uncommon Stock: Exit Strategy.
Thirty-Seven
Wow is it really that time again? Time to end another year and start the next.
It really seems strange to say goodbye to 36 and hello to 37. I think saying 37 seems so odd to me as it is that much closer to 40 and 30 seems so long ago.
This past year was one of the big ups and big downs. The family road trip that we took from Minnesota to Maine last summer was a huge success and the kids had a blast. In fact, the fear of the 26-hour car ride was very eventless as there wasn’t much complaining by the kids (or parents) at all on the way out or the 2-day trek back. Our family is definitely ready to hit the road again and are making plans for a West Coast trip in 2019.
This past year I did do a good job of slowing my own busy schedule down in a couple of areas (Slowing Down to Redirect). I am going to continue to focus on this going forward as I want to challenge myself in the time I spend in various side/volunteer projects and make sure I am getting out of it what I would expect.
However, this year brought on more sadness as 13-year-old Yorkshire Terrier PJ passed away and now for the first time in 14 years, we don’t have any pets in the house. It feels very quiet and I do miss having a four-legged friend following me around from time to time but I am not ready to get another one yet.
Additionally, not long after that, I had to say goodbye to my Grandma as well. It is not the first death I have ever had to deal with but it was one of the firsts where I actually went to see her days before and tell her goodbye in person. When the person is completely coherent and knows she is waiting for the time, it makes it that much more surreal when you take a step back. There is always things you wish you would have done with the person or talked to the person about before that point but it give you one last chance to say something to them that you know they are hearing and responding to you about.
Right after both of those sad events, I pretty much boarded a plane and had to spend two weeks in Germany on a work trip. I felt bad leaving my wife and kids for so long but it was an experience that I really enjoyed and can’t wait to take my wife to Germany in the future. Almost all of the trip was work-related but over the weekend I spent my time in Cologne which was amazing. It is mind-blowing how much history can be in one city and how far back some of the buildings (and ruins under the city) date. My last whole week in Germany was spent working in our Berlin office, that also was also very interesting as there is so much history in that city from WWI, WWII and the Berlin Wall. In fact, it was interesting just talking to the people at my company that lived through the time the wall was up and how it affected their families.
Towards the end of 2017 and into the start of 2018, my new word that will carry me through is focus. I guess you could say year 37 will be the year of focusing… On what you ask? Nothing particular and everything :)
I am looking forward to what 37 will now bring to me I know there will probably be new adventures and changes of some sort. Describing it as the year of focus will definitely mean that certain things will need to change as I am focusing in on various areas of my life that are most important to me. As always some changes will be quick and others will be a long game approach but setting the steps today for later down the road.
I look forward to checking in next year…