My Last Day As Slacker

Everything has an end. Only the fool thinks he's invincible and I'm all but a fool, just a simple slacker soon to be retired.

What a journey this has been. Spending all my time just slacking, contemplating, listening to my own thoughts, exploring every angle and letting time flush through my life like blood through my veins has been the purest form of luxury. I've felt pleasures beyond my wildest imagination, lust that goes beyond earthly desires and light that is brighter than the sun.

I'm relaxed, re-energized and re-born as I stand here before you. My mind is pure and my heart is full of passion. I'm ready to fight the evil empire until justice is done.

Vacation Separation Anxiety

- Why did we have to leave Los Cabos?, I screamed when waking up in the middle of our first night at what we currently call home.

The Margarita is still so clear in my mind, as the sun and the sand. I'm going through a severe vacation separation anxiety attack right now. I need my daily Cohiba, lunch Bandera and afternoon Siesta.

I can already feel how the cold, damp San Francisco weather is sucking me into it's deep dreadful jaws. How the "No Smoking"-signs grow bigger, how the evil eyes are being magnified when mentioning the pure pleasure of a cigar. How the traffic jams are jamming all senses and I'm bumper-to-bumper with crazy, stressed-out, angry people driving Mini-Vans and SUV's.

I'm trying to hold onto the memory of sand inbetween my toes, of the smooth taste of a tequila anejo or reposado on my tongue mixed with lime and salt, and of the sun heating up a sun deprieved body until the cooker plings "Ready - the roast is done".

But it gets harder and harder for every minute. I can feel how my tan is slowly disappearing, melting like an icecream left in the sun. Every force in the universe tends to find it's equilibrium. The context defines that equilibrium and figthing it is useless, a waste of time, a mad man's job.

But better mad than pale, I think and head slowly to the humidor to light up my morning Cohiba.

Cabo San Lucas

Yeah, it's that time of year when we are celebarting our anniversary. It's actually the first time. The celebration of anniversary is a big step in life. It means exchanging the celebrations of all the big moments of bachelerhood to one single one: your marriage. Your anniversary is now what GMT is to time: ground zero.

We are doing it in style this year by flying down to California Baja and Cabo San Lucas or what is more known as Cabo Real. The Windows of Paradise is our destination. Why? Cause the make they best Margaritas in the world. Believe you me. Just cause you crunch all your past celebrations into one doesn't mean that you lost the feelin' for what's good in life. Marriage just sharpens your teeth but doesn't make them whiter.

You Know You Need To Get Back To Work When...

1. You start to organize your contacts in the Address Book into categories (Friends, Family et cetera).
2. You are contemplating re-wiring the surround sound system.
3. You are organizing your shirts per color, size and style.
4. You are actually folding your underwear when laundered.
5. You look forward to answer mail from solicitors - in writing.

Waiting For The Postman

The daily errands are done. The pasta is cooking on the stove. The wine is uncorked and ready to be enjoyed. If only the damn postman could be here. I'm eagerly awaiting three new Netflix movies to be enjoyed in the solitude of my own comfort (i.e. the missus is in New York).

I deserve some last slacking after last night when I stayed up late and read up on global management and the new pivotal capabilities. Yes, it's that for many undefined area of international business knowledge, cultural adaptability, perspective-taking (spatial intelligence in m y own words) and playing innovator. The author of the book argued that it's beyond the basic MBA studies and business skillset. Well, I wouldn't argue against that.

When researching for more resources within the area of global management - from a managers perspective - I realized how few books there are. Noone has really attacked the subject. It could be cause the academia within leadership thinks that it's like managing domestically or it could be that the area and expertize is just in it's infancy. Well, after 6 years as a global manager I would argue the latter.

Well, I know what I'm doing. Or at least I've a good sense of what I'm doing. Or something to that extent. Let's just say that directionally I'm on target.

Movies To Slack To

I'm eagerly awaiting a new batch of 8 movies from Netflix. I returned all of them during last weekend and have been restless since then.

It's always such a pleasure to grab the mail to find that red envelope stuck inbetween nasty bills and wasteful catalogs. You know it's good news but not how good: Is it the action adventure or the romantic thriller? The suspense is always killing me.

But sadly to say, as my extended vacation is coming to an end so is my 8 movies-at-a-time subscription. It's actually expiring tomorrow so I really hope I get my new batch by then.

See I have found out that if you cancel your subscription you get to keep the movies you have at that point for about a month. That should keep me going well into June.

Two Weeks Left

When I look back at my time off it's hard to imagine the reluctant sentiment I felt in the end of February. It was still officially winter and I felt pretty much like the old palm trees outside our house: gray and scrubby.

These very same trees are now standing straight and proud; letting their green leaves sway in the spring wind and hosting flowers bursting to blom. I'm in the same joyful state. I feel rested, relaxed and reborn. I'm looking forward with excitement to rejoin my collegues and slay the evil dragons wherever they might be.

- So you have learned nothing?, my inner voice echoes in my head. Well, I do but we'll see if we can go from theory to practice, I answer the voice.

To find happiness through the balance between work and family is no lesser than art. It takes integrity to dare, ambition to want and strength to carry through. But you reach a point where it becomes crucial for everyone that you do, especially in a wired / wireless world where your PDA is your office and always on. It's also a challenge when your work is your hobby and your curiosity and eagerness to learn is not following the industrial 9-to-5 schedule. Innovations or ideas are hard to schedule.

The technological breakthroughs should liberate and not confine but seldom do - at least not in a world where testosterone is the fuel. And I have to admit that also my tanks are full.