by the incomparable Dr. Seuss

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.

You’ll look up and down streets. Look’em over with care. About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.” With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you’re too smart to go down a not-so-good street.

And you may not find any you’ll want to go down. In that case, of course, you’ll head straight out of town. It’s opener there in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen and frequently do to people as brainy and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen, don’t worry. Don’t stew. Just go right along. You’ll start happening too.

Oh! The Places You’ll Go!

You’ll be on your way up!
You’ll be seeing great sights!
You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.

You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed. You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead. Wherever you fly, you’ll be best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don’t.
Because, sometimes, you won’t.

I’m sorry to say so but, sadly, it’s true that Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you.

You can get all hung up in a prickle-ly perch. And your gang will fly on. You’ll be left in a Lurch.

You’ll come down from the Lurch with an unpleasant bump. And the chances are, then, that you’ll be in a Slump.

And when you’re in a Slump, you’re not in for much fun. Un-slumping yourself is not easily done.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked. Some windows are lighted. But mostly they’re darked. A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin! Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in? How much can you lose? How much can you win?

And if you go in, should you turn left or right…or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite? Or go around back and sneak in from behind? Simple it’s not, I’m afraid you will find, for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused that you’ll start in to race down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space, headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.

The Waiting Place…for people just waiting.

Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come, or a plane to go or the mail to come, or the rain to go or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow or waiting around for a Yes or No or waiting for their hair to grow. Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite or waiting for wind to fly a kite or waiting around for Friday night or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake or a pot to boil, or a Better Break or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants or a wig with curls, or Another Chance. Everyone is just waiting.

No! That’s not for you!
Somehow you’ll escape all that waiting and staying. You’ll find the bright places where Boom Bands are playing. With banner flip-flapping, once more you’ll ride high! Ready for anything under the sky. Ready because you’re that kind of a guy!

Oh, the places you’ll go! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. And the magical things you can do with that ball will make you the winning-est winner of all. Fame! You’ll be famous as famous can be, with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

Except when they don’t. Because, sometimes, they won’t.

I’m afraid that some times you’ll play lonely games too. Games you can’t win ‘cause you’ll play against you.

All Alone!
Whether you like it or not, Alone will be something you’ll be quite a lot.

And when you’re alone, there’s a very good chance you’ll meet things that scare you right out of your pants. There are some, down the road between hither and yon, that can scare you so much you won’t want to go on.

But on you will go though the weather be foul. On you will go though your enemies prowl. On you will go though the Hakken-Kraks howl. Onward up many a frightening creek, though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak. On and on you will hike. And I know you’ll hike far and face up to your problems whatever they are.

You’ll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You’ll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)

Kid, you’ll move mountains!
So…be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ale Van Allen O’Shea, you’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!

I don't need no stinkin' GPS

So mom called over the weekend. She's in Spain with a friend (what a life) anyway, we kvetched more about my trip and this insane flying schedule I have in February. Then, it came time to discuss her time at my house.

"I need a map. I need to know how to get places."
"Mom, I have a GPS in my car, it's a directional device, you'll love it"
"I don't know how to use it. What do I need a GSP for?"
"It's GPS and Joyce will show you." Joyce is a friend mine, locally who is going to look in on mom from time to time and make sure she's not, well, lost :)
"Is it a computer? I don't think I like that"
"Mom, it's easy, I'll preprogram places in there, like Coronado..."
"I need directions to Coronado, wait, let me get a pen, you can tell me right now..."
"Mom, I'll plug it in on the GPS, it'll be easy." tho I am already beginning to think this is a bad idea...
"Why do I need a GSP?"
I'm counting to 10. My mom is great, of all the things I love about her, I love her confusion most of all.
"Mom, you know what, forget the GPS?"
"So can I have directions?"
"Yes, mom, I'll leave you directions, don't worry."
"And a map?"
"Yes, mom, and a map."

That afternoon I gave in, bought a map. The young kid at the counter didn't even know what it was: "Wow, I didn't know we carry these! Don't you have a GPS?"

Mom 1
Technology 0

I'm officially impossible to live with

Last week when I was in NY I got to attend the NYU faculty dinner and orientation. I was so blown away by the event. (someone called me Professor!!) I think it's finally hit me. WOW, I'm teaching for NYU. Really? How did I get here? How did I find my way to this station in my life when I'm being invited into such a prestigious school?

I am always amazed at my many blessings - where this lone little company started from all those years ago, based on a whim really, an idea, and a hope for a better life.

I'm amazed and grateful - and thrilled, yeah that too - this adventure will be one of the most significant of my life and for my business.

As Dr Seuss once said, "Oh, the places you'll go..."

Thanks to all of you for your support and friendship but most of all, for being on this journey with me...

Countdown

Is that stupid timer working at the bottom of the page? Really. I have messed with this widget forever and I can't seem to get it to work *sigh* - well, for those of you keeping track I've got 28 days left till I check out of Hotel California.

ACK!!!!

So much packing, so little time...

My Mother Did Not Invent the Internet

My mother, God love her, did not invent the Internet. I say this because well, when it comes to anything online mom isn't the most eager to hop on the latest trend.

Though she did ask me what "a Facebook" was and could she get one.

Don't get me wrong, mom is very talented. She can make a 7 course meal out of tree bark and if I ever get married again, I'm sure she'll sew me a dress using nothing more than scraps of old cloth and dish towels that will rival the gown Princess Diana wore.

I've been trying to get my mom off of her onsie-twosie emails of what she needs during my trip, meaning that she'll send me one email, then another, then another.

So I tried the Google Docs experiment.
It wasn't pretty.

So, I set up the doc in Google, and email her the link with an explanation of what she can do with it.
The first time she didn't know what the link was and she deleted it.
I sent it again.
This time she wrote:
"What will I do with something like that?? I'd rather have a piece of paper..."

OK, mom you win.

Internet 0
Mom 1

*sigh* this might be a long trip :)

California Girl

By all accounts, I had a great childhood. Growing up in Southern California has its perks... the sun shines 360 days out of the year and it's generally always 75 and beautiful. It's hell growing up in a postcard.

....it was the summer of '72 and my mother was young, tall, blond, and tan. After school she'd load up my friends and I and all of our beach gear her convertible while my dad was still at work and off we'd go. We'd all head to the beach before the sunset, homework could wait till later. Our beach of choice was often Huntington Beach, a long stretch of sand that didn't see a lot of sun-worshipers during the week. It was perfect for us. My frequent beach companions were two siblings who lived a few blocks away, Lois and Robert, their mother and mine were best friends. Our moms would sit at the beach, lathering on Coppertone sun oil and sharing the latest neighborhood gossip. When the sun started to dip into the water our moms would pack us up and head home. The sand would stick to me till I got to the house and my mom shuttled me into a warm tub of water to wash it off. Often I'd take whatever treasure I'd found that day, a rock, a shell, and sometimes a washed up trinket that I pretended was from a long-lost buried treasure, washed ashore and certainly worth a fortune....yeah, being a California Girl was a great thing...

Somehow despite the distractions of beaches, sand and surf I managed to get through school. The beach bum life was just a part of who we were, growing up in the '70's in California when life was uncomplicated and easy. I miss the summers with my friends before we worried about things like polluted beaches and skin cancer. It was a great life, I was a lucky girl.

...now as I head off to another coast I have to wonder? Can a former beach bum make it in the big city? I guess we're about to find out...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2CyQ7Eslg4

Operation New York

Pay close attention, this is a precision operation.

When I first started traveling, ages ago for a job (back when I was still in corporate America) I used to be the queen of the list. I had lists for everything from the care of my dog during my absence to the care of my house. I had charts, timelines, and if I’d known how to use it in, I likely would have created a PowerPoint presentation. A friend of mine who also happens to be an FBI agent said “You know Penny, this is not a covert operation, you’re going to Seattle, not North Korea…”

Still the lists persist; I guess old habits die hard. I am still the queen of list creation. Now, years later we have Google docs, List Magic. Let’s face it, 2010 is a list-makers dream come true.

For this trip I’m doing a little house swapping, my mother is going to stay in my house with a friend of hers, they both live in Belgium and her friend has never been to the US. The planning has been tricky. Well it didn’t have to be but mom decided to go price shopping for airline tickets, “I can get a better rate if I leave a week later,” my mother said enthusiastically.

“Mom, I leave then you arrive a few days later, remember? Someone has to take care of the dog while I’m gone.”

Yes, Cosmo is part of the house-sitting mom is doing.

“Oh,” she said disappointed. Let’s face it, mom loves a bargain.

So the planning continues.

My mother’s lists are different, yes she has them too (the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree). Her lists consist of short email blurbs with requests:
Leave out the coffee maker

I need directions to Coronado

How much do I feed Cosmo?

I’ve asked her to save all of her requests to one list and send it to me in one email instead of this scattered list of requests (half of them I’ve lost, please don’t tell my mother). So I’m coming up with some additional options for her. I think we might try Google Docs, that way she can access it and add her ideas and needs anytime her little heart desires.
What a revelation.

Let’s see how this goes. It took mom a year to master email. This could get ugly.