knock knock

seriously, i'm here. have been, just intentionally blacked out the Woolard Speak for a while. not sure i want to be back on the blogger train, but it's depressing to realize how long it has been since i've really posted. so here goes.

i've been twittering a lot more lately, basically due to its ease and my propensity for shorter engagement. i like following friends and inspiring stalk-ees via twitter and have been updating frequently.

frankly, i think i've just been overwhelmed by other things and in order to keep my head in one piece, i've re-prioritized. both work and life have organically moved me toward the real world. real people, face-to-face conversations, sweat, tears, sounds. and i think i prefer it to capturing thoughts here.

work has been nuts to say the least. staff changes, new business and increased client responsibilities. i've been drained, and i'd like to say it's in a good way. i think it is in most instances. the other instances make me want to close the laptop at the end of the day and not open it back up until i have to. might be one reason for the lack of blogging.

i've also been overwhelmed by an Achilles injury that occurred after the Dallas Marathon. i'd planned to run four marathons in TX this winter, but only got through two - and an ultra (keep forgetting that little 31-mile trail jaunt). being unable to run most of the winter has been good and bad. good, in that i've focused on strength training and cycling. bad, that i feel my normal outlet for stress (see above paragraph) has been eliminated. good news is, after doing everything according to the recommendation of my massage therapist and chiropractor, the running hiatus has paid off and i'm back on the road and trail, feeling like a complete man.

probably the most overwhelming happening was my dog Monk being diagnosed with two different types of cancer. Lymphoma and Mast cell. two surgeries and much recovery later, he's doing quite well all things considered, although we're dealing with a very real prognosis of months, not years.

as the temps hit 60 today and i reflected while at the dog park (a place a few months ago seemed like a fantasy trip) i realized it was a long winter in my life.

a few more updates before i turn my attention to the DVR'ed Paris Nice race (yes, i caved and got cable):
Interwoven Threads is keeping on keeping on. Just made another donation to an increased stable of great partners: reStart, Thresholds, Feeding America, USD 500 Homeless Liason Office . sales have slowed since the economy has tanked, which is concerning, as the recipients of Interwoven customers' kindness are those who are hardest hit when the economy goes south.

though work has been busy and my island of planning has been lonely of late, it's good work and things that i enjoy. additionally, i've been involved in a few pitches and new clients that fit my real-world interests perfectly. i'm ushering Barkley's cycling sponsorships again this year. look for hot new team kits racing across the US and abroad this year! i love this stuff and am honored to be part of two talented efforts. check them out: Hincapie/Gary Fisher presented by Barkley
Hincapie Development Team

what else? i moved from auto-drip to French press. i'm drinking more wine than beer. and maybe with the help of both, i'll try to post more often.

a tale of two marathons

the alarm went off at 4:30 a.m. this morning after i'd had only two or three hours of sleep (after celebrating the Kansas victory over North Carolina). an hour later, 12 folks from our usual running group and a few great additions arrived at Kansas City's Boulevard Brewery to embark on a 43 mile relay to Lawrence's Free State Brewery. also in attendance was my mother who for the next nine hours would be supporting my dad with a menu of foods, and Hammer products. here's where the story gets good: dad ran the entire length of the race. by himself.

we'd organized the teams in the hope that some of us could accompany dad on each of the 10 course legs. well, that plan was shot to heck - in a good way - and most of us did multiple legs ensuring that dad was never out on the course alone. big props to the folks running today for such an amazing amount of support.

so that's tale one. dad runs an ultra-marathon for the first time, six minutes under his goal time of 9 hours.

tale two involves yours truly (it's my blog) and starts with my lacking amount of rest and ends with dad busting out an 8:54 ultra after cutting minutes off his final five mile splits, cutting his measured 11-12-minute-mile pace and hitting the last leg hard at 8-9 minutes.

i knew i wanted to finish the race alongside my dad. i also knew i wanted to get in as many legs as possible. all mileage totaled, i ended up running 26 miles today and feel pretty dang good this evening (thank you, Fat Tire). i had no intention of hitting a marathon distance, and even less intention of trying to pace dad in the last leg as he kept knocking up the speed, completely full of juice even after 40 miles of hills, rough gravel and schizophrenic weather.

to say i finished the race exhausted is an understatement matched only by the amount of pride i felt to be able to run more than half of today's race with my dad. this man is a beast in Brooks.

the last leg of this race was one of the best sporting moments in which i've participated. getting my dad to his goal isn't something i take lightly and my nerves were almost as exhausted as my legs as i paced and pushed and in the end, tried to keep up with him to the finish.

moreover, my mom's support of not just my dad, but our entire crew, was astounding. she is the matriarch of our running group and she's so very appreciated.

here are some pictures. i'm sure my dad will post a recap on his blog soon. the day was full, tiring and a real friggin' blast. congrats, dad.

so that's the tale of two marathons. one, my dad's, was a well-trained-for ultra. mine, i'll call accidental, but more enjoyable than any 26 miler i've done to date.

pre-race

the first leg (needed some headlamps)

the scene at each leg station (note Ma Woolard's attire - she was a beacon of sustenance from yards away)

the ultimate soigneur (and Casey waits for scraps)

last leg on the never-ending levee trail
finisher. i don't think he's sweating.

psycho wyco winter run

The crew beforehand, still clean. Kevin's either following his heart to my shoulder or his hat's stuck on my CamelBak.

i joined a few of my friends to run the psycho wyco winter trail run on saturday. i ran this last year, and then did the summer version in july. the trail conditions this year surely beat the ice we ran on last year, however, the snow pack, slush and mud mixtures made things interesting.

my goal was to break two hours, which i did, coming in at 1:54. yeah - for a 10 miler! crazy slow. i had an average 11:23-per-mile pace. i thought without the ice i'd be much faster than my 2-hour time last year, but this year's mud and slush slowed me down...as did the hilly course.

another very well-run race by the Trail Nerds...great job guys. they took great care of the runners, providing everything from sports drink to lentil soup to coffee and donuts. that, however, wasnt' enough. we hit up Room 39 after the race for some much-deserved food and much-needed bloody Marys. more than anything, it was great to run this tough race with a good crew of people. here's to a nice cap on the winter racing schedule.

this is the second trail run i've done in my new Montrail Highlanders. i swapped them in for the Vasque Velocity kicks and have been really pleased.

parting inspirational shot


and an actually inspirational shot, via the Soiled Chamois. i love this poster for so many reasons.

what i'm digging

time for another random sampling of the things i'm currently digging.

music:

nada surf, lucky. one of my favorite bands finally releases their much-awaited album. play the first track, See These Bones and tell me it's not the best intro to a song you've heard in a good long while.


jack johnson, sleep through the static. this green advocate put his money and music where his mouth is by creating a "green" studio. his label and its artists are following suit. traditionally mellow surf tunes.

guitar, tokyo. i found this artist via pandora. i love traditional japanese music, especially koto and shamisan instrumentals. guitar blends this with some german techno. seriously. it works.

stuff:

magnetic curtains. until i realize my dream of living in a warehouse nestled against the Rockies, i'm not sure i have a real need for these, but they look functional for offices or other large spaces in need of division. what a no brainer. (via designverb)


green collar jobs. i'd be more inclined to consider "green collar jobs" as those more in innovation than maintenance, but i do like where this is going and it's obviously one more way "green" is blending into the mainstream.


the kansas democratic caucus. my friend celeste has a good recap of the evening here. you're looking at the Obama line. as reflected in the results, there really wasn't a Clinton line to speak of.


kc multisport spin class. photo via little miss runner pants. this has proved to be well worth its cost of participation. had to miss Tuesday's class due to my participation in the political process, but i'll be back in the saddle tonight.

connections

i have an entirely online kinship with Olivier Blanchard via his great Brand Builder blog and a few meaningful career conversations over the years. his is a blog i check the minute it goes live with an update in my Bloglines. i link to him frequently, we exchange comments and e-mails. i've failed to link to his business-partner-in-crime Roby's blog and i guess it's just simply time to do that. (and yes, both Olivier and Roby take phenomenal cycling photos and are based in the kick-assery state of SC).

Roby - whom i do not know - is in Afghanistan in defense of our country. did you get that? both Roby and Olivier have served their countries, which gives them bigger cred than i, and i have been absolutely leveled reading Roby's blog posts and looking through his photo galleries. Roby and Olivier both have insane photography skills, in addition to their marketing strategy and implementation abilities, those photography and writing skills are featured in Roby's documentation of his time in the "'Stan."

if you follow Olivier's blog, you'll know he is a no-B.S. guy, who sees marketing and his work through an incredibly clear lens. Roby's blog and gallery are equally frank and feature a look at war in a very human and real way.

give Roby's blog a look - it'll keep you grounded. and make sure you check out Olivier's blog for some in-yo'-face marketing speak.

as an onlooker, it's cheesy for me to wish Roby the best. but i am serious when i say i hope his ability to document the war is disseminated farther so others can benefit from these up-close-and-personal accounts of a life that preserves the lives we lead stateside.

escapism

i've opined on this blog on the love i have for travel and more specifically, the feeling you get when you GO. the change in lighting as you cross from the terminal to the jetway. the welcomed thud when the airplane's landing gear first hits the destination tarmac. the first step out of a hotel in a new city. a stamp on the passport. it's a feeling that is in every way freeing, overwhelming, invigorating and empowering. you're moving. escaping. going.

i needed an afternoon break from a couple projects and grabbed some stale joe and jumped onto the Influx Insights blog, finding a great post on escape, just when i needed a mental vacation. not only does the post feature one of my favorite authors and stories, Thoreau's Walden, VW's nightdriving spot is embedded.





in short, a British theater company is performing Walden in a parking garage. more here at the BLDblog. a juxtaposition of Thoreau's focus on solitude and nature and the man-made concrete incubator that is a parking garage. it got me thinking of how i define escape. the important act of clearing one's head and experiencing a freshness one can't get just by cycling through life. not literally cycling, though, as it's quite a great escape. how do brands allow for escape? how do our hobbies, likes and activities provide a window into what our soul fights to make constant?

Walden in a garage, awesome. the veedub spot, equally insightful. both underline what I think was one of Walden's main points: awareness.

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived...

Walden was certainly a precursor to modern stories of solitude. just re-reading the excerpts in the BLDBlog made me think of the way I felt while reading Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer and now as I read Desert Solitude by Edward Abbey. so where are you trying to go? where do your customers want to be transported? and most importantly, for your wallet, how do you get there (and get them there) without booking a cross-Pacific trip?

Big finish in the Arctic Challenge

what was billed as an "Arctic Challenge" was unseasonably mild, which only dulled the pain of a very tough trail running and mountain biking course. first, big kudos to Patrick and Joel of KC Multisport on a very challenging and well-organized event. it's the first of what i hope is an annual occurrence. really nice job, guys.

the race consisted of two run stages, which were mostly off-road, and one mountain bike stage, which was filled with slick, icy, slushy, muddy trail conditions and many dismounts to hike to checkpoints along the way, or carry/walk the bike through un-ridable conditions.

i teamed up with my buddy kevin, who had stellar orienteering skills and pushed me past a pulled thigh injury i incurred the night before. thanks to some great anti-inflammatory drugs and a good Ace-bandage tape job, i was good to go.

the race was peppered with 17 checkpoint areas, which were marked by an orange kite (small) normally off the trail and into the woods. we relied on a map, instincts, compass and orienteering skills to get from checkpoint to checkpoint.

the first run section was tough, mainly because we hadn't really warmed up and were immediately headed into a hilly route. we came in right behind the leaders at the transition area, feeling pretty good about our positioning going into the bike section. at each transition area, a team-builder was presented. from building a perfect square out of imperfect shapes to a word find to our worst task: balancing and walking as a team on two boards.


hitting the bike section gave my thigh a chance to recover, which felt nice until we got onto the snowy-slushy trail. i've never seen that much mud and crap. it was one of the toughest bike rides i've had.

we moved into the final run knowing we'd broken from a pack of teams and only passed by a couple teams finishing the other way, giving us the momentum we needed and the fantasy of standing on some sort of podium receiving flowers and kisses from pretty girls in cycling jerseys (did not happen, but we got some great chili at the end). we did however have a couple pretty girls cheering for us the whole way, which really helped. it was fun to participate with two other friends, Caroline and Joel, who were part of a very strong coed team (even with Caroline riding on slicks!).


we ended up coming in third in the men's division, which was a pretty sweet finish considering the strength of the competition. many of these folks are in my KC Power Hour spin class and almost all were experienced multi sport athletes. with a number of cuts and caked-on mud covering my legs and pretty well physically spent, we all headed to Barley's to refuel.

Andree

this is one of those posts i don't know how to correctly write. i am posting for my own benefit, largely, and for the memory of a dear friend who passed away this morning. but i think i'm mostly posting to raise awareness of a disease that is so brutally inclusive.

Andree Rice died this morning outside of seattle. her family was with her. her wonderful husband Bob, her spirited daughter Madison, her mother and sisters and others. her breast cancer had ebbed and flowed substantially since her 1999 diagnosis. the entire time i've known her, since working with her in the Breast Cancer 3-Day, she's battled challenges related to breast cancer. the entire time i've known her, however, not a week has gone by without an e-mail - largely to a group of her "angels" as she called us - updating us on her procedures, treatments, health and most importantly, imparting a joy and wisdom upon us that seemed unfairly backwards. it was she, suffering, gutting it out, who carried us, who didn't understand the things she knew well, and weren't living the life she was reveling in.

it was Andree, who was the true angel in the equation.

the above photo was taken during the Seattle Breast Cancer 3-Day. that's Andree, in the yellow poncho being interviewed live for one of the station's morning shows. it's a picture that cracks me up each time I see it and think of it because of the back story. Andree, a jubilant, infectiously beautiful breast cancer fighter volunteered to be a media spokesperson for the Breast Cancer 3-Day while I was working PR for the event. we had a few calls, did the requisite media training (which she didn't need) and spoke on the phone a number of times prior to the event. it was as if i was her best and only friend (a sentiment many have attested to since), which ended up being one of her best traits. when we finally met on the event, we embraced like it'd been forever since we'd last spoken, although i'd been pestering her (and her husband) about interviews for weeks.

i think she even brought me chocolate-covered macadamia nuts from her home state of Hawaii that morning.

well, one of the TV stations wanted to include a walker in a live feed the first morning of the event and i wouldn't think of having anyone else go live but Andree. she attracted and engaged everyone who spoke with her. problem was, she got caught up in friends, emotions, hugs and the crowd and was exceedingly late to our meeting place. i later realized that asking Andree to simply walk to a meeting place is lunacy, as she'll find a hundred people and things to discover along the way. when we finally met up, we were minutes, literally a couple minutes to air time. the station's producer was screaming at me on the phone, the reporter was e-mailing, the rain was coming down and we were nowhere near their designated satelitte feed.

the producer gave me an out, saying we could do the interview over the noon show or some other time, but i wasn't - nor was Andree - going to have that. we pulled maneuvers reminiscent of stunt films, laughing the whole way, getting drenched in the process and clipped her mic on her with mere seconds to air, at which time she - fully composed and without a hint of the past few minutes' craziness - nailed an interview and melted the cameraman's (and anchors') hearts.

it is a memory that i will always chuckle at and hold dear, as it encompassed the wellspring of life Andree exuded at all times.

i'm sad that wellspring seems dry tonight. i hurt for Bob and Madison especially. but at the same time, i know it to be true that in just the three years i knew Andree, she has changed lives. she has raised awareness of the importance of breast health and prevention. she has encouraged living and promoted love. and all things considered, it's a joy to have been part of that party.

god bless you, Andree. thank you for all you've made me understand.

you can learn more about the fight against breast cancer, breast health information and prevention at komen.org. now's also a great time to think about honoring your loved ones who have fought or are fighting breast cancer - or celebrate your survivorship - by participating in the Race for the Cure or the Breast Cancer 3-Day.

saturday tunes

i've had a super-productive saturday morning. as most mornings go, it began with the Monk-dog burying his head under the covers, then jolting it upwards to jar me awake. may have been that i just felt under the weather this week (or that it's now saturday), but I bounded out of bed and took him into the backyard to drink some coffee (me) and partake in some squirrel intimidation (him).

filled some interwoven threads orders (preparing shipping packages gives me an insane amount of joy) while listening to the new Radiohead album (for the love of God, this is a great effort). i especially love the model Radiohead experimented with, in offering the album for any price the consumer wanted to pay. not only did that reap great pr and sales, it only encouraged folks to buy the album in box-form when it became available in the real world. it's currently numero uno on the Billboard chart. victory! here's the band's special NYE video, Scotch Mist. amazing....



just downloaded the new album from Coconut Records - actor Jason Schwartzman's one-man (with help) band. it's stellar. great weekend music. it's amazingly ADD in its sound, moving from mellow and melancholy folk (think Ben Kweller) to funky dork (think Weezer). i'm loving it. it's a nice surprise to find an actor making quality music. i got impatient and bought the album from iTunes, however, if you buy it from Coconut Records, Schwartzman throws in a Polaroid Pic for your extra consumer effort. check the below video for one of my instant favorites from the album:



here's what i'm not going to do this weekend. too cold to jump on the trails. i think part of the cold i battled last week was from inhaling too much mud last saturday.


instead, i'm headed to ibex to climb with a friend (her first time bouldering!). should be fun.

have an invigorating weekend.

things i'm diggin'

it's been a while since i've posted random recommendations and interests...so here we go:

1) Peter Bjorn and John.



2) Ergon packs. i tried one on today and wanted to dance in the store.

3) Sunday bouldering.


4) singing Sufjan Stevens in church.


5) church.


6) sending Interwoven Threads directly to unsuspecting Christmas gift recipients. it's like i'm also giving the gift and i like that in a weird voyeuristic way.


7) knowing i'll be in colorado in a bit over a week from now.

some new news

been quite busy between work and Interwoven Threads and preparing for this weekend's Dallas Whiterock Marathon. here's an update, at the Do Better Blog.

bridging the marketing/Interwoven Threads gap, PSFK posted a nice review of Interwoven on its fashion site. additional media coverage is planned for this month. i'll pass it on!

more soon....

Tour of Missour Stage 1

i couldn't have asked for a better day to tool around KC on my bike. the weather is just great, the sun is out. i met my friend moe for breakfast, then rode a new route to work. about noon, i jumped on my bike and rode from the crossroads to the Plaza down main street and was just in time for stage 1 of the Tour of Missouri.

first of all, i was floored by all the people. the turnout was awesome. many people did what i did and biked down - seemed like the easiest thing to do. i was also able to represent the Sunflower Outdoor and Bike gear (there were a ton of Sunflower T-shirts throughout the crowd, guys).

like many of the other spectators, i huddled around Team Discovery's van as they exited one by one and rode through throngs of people to the start. it was nice to be part of what will surely be a historic race for a historic team.

here are some photos. if you're able to run back down to the plaza around 4 or 5, do it. the finish will be just ask exciting as the start of this stage. and surely there will be some great milling about with the teams and vendors. i'll be heading back down there, so look for me in my blue and white kit.

support vehicles lines the plaza

Kodak/Sierra Nevada holds a special place in my stomach

George Hincapie exits the van before navigating through a roaring crowd

right on time, the stage 1 pushes forward

Bike update

worked late tonight, then made some pork chops. yum. after the temperature dropped below 100 (round about 9 p.m.), monk and i hit the garage to work on the western flyer and kill some time before Shinji, my roommate from my japan days, arrives to crash on his way across the country.


monk loves to help...whether he's doing anything other than parking it in the yard or not. i commend him for actually moving a couple times tonight. once when the neighbor kids came over to pet him. the next when my next door neighbor dropped by. i can't blame him though - the heat is horrible.

made some progress getting the three-speed detached from the hub (properly, after some informative reading and a couple near fatal attempts doing it the wrong way). cleaned the chain and rear hub, which was caked in grease and grime...it's still not sparkly, but you can see it. worked a bit on the cogs and then cleaned up the rims, tires. the tires look surprisingly good after a scrubbing...the tubes need replacing, but i may be able to eek out some time on the existing tires. it's amazing what soap and water and a little 409 will do...the bike is in great cosmetic shape - dust and sediment are gone, and a new shine is ready to be admired.

and though i tried to pry the chain lock off, it won't budge without the proper criminal arsenal. that's the major problem left at this point. i can't wait to ride it.

More Starbucks brand talk

First, I'm having mixed feelings about the authenticity of most of what I'm going to link on here, but I believe the overall conversation and content is more important than the parts that make up that conversation. John Moore, at Brand Autopsy (who spent years inside Starbucks marketing dept.) posted this on What Starbucks Must Do, in response to this "leaked" e-mail from Sbucks CEO Howard Shultz. I don't know if the leaked note is authentic, and I really don't care. Its content is important for branding folks/marketers/coffee drinkers alike and it does a great job highlighting the importance of brand experience, especially during brand growth. So take a gander. It'll be interesting to see what John comes up with as he recruits readers to submit ideas for taking Sbucks back to its core.

On a related note, I was in Tacoma, WA this weekend for a quick vacation. I've been to Seattle, but never Tacoma. It's beautiful. Seriously wonderful city. Reminded me of my beloved Lawrence, but with mountains, better infrastructure, water, mountains, better art, mountains, great outdoor community, mountains and mountains.

While I was in Tacoma, one of the people out with us one night mentioned that she knows a barista who works at the Sbucks Howard visits each morning...again, I don't care about the truth of this ("My best friend's sister's boyfriend's brother's girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who's going with the girl who saw Ferris pass out at 31 Flavors last night. I guess it's pretty serious.") but it made me think, a) it'd be good if your CEO interacted with your product daily and b) that's one high-pressure cup of auto-brewed espresso. "I said soy milk. Your mistake cost our shareholders .21 cents. And stop wiping cocoa on your organic cotton apron, don't you know it costs us $1.42 to wash that after each shift? Do you know how much that costs per year? Can I have another scone? And by have, I mean, for free."

Blogging's been light. I'm busy. I was out of town. And to tell the truth, other things are firing my synapses at a greater rate than Woolard Speak (more on this soon) and the hundreds of blog feeds backing up in my Bloglines. It's a phase. But it's a nice reminder that my priorities are in order.

Listening to - Joe Purdy, Canyon Joe.

Social network realization

After attending my first KC Coffee Morning last Friday, I had a lot of hope for the real-life realization of the conversations I enjoy via the blogosphere. It was nice to sit down with some new co-workers (John, Bruno, Seth, Andrew) as well as a few creatives from the area (Jeremy, Celeste). See, we read and comment. We forward and link. We admire and argue. And normally we hide behind a social firewall.

I've posted before about the power of unplugging and I was affirmed by the conversation and quickly-established relationships at the Coffee Morning. We nerds need to find more opportunities to shake hands, catch rolled eyes, hear laughter and wave goodbye to make our ideas, insights and interest tangible.

I enjoyed by this post from PSFK on social network realization. Good stuff to put into practice.

Listening to: Air, Talkie Walkie

A lazy Sunday and the power of preparation

The Monk dog has a gift for imitating my mood. We both are making good use of the first Sunday in a long time without a long training run. Slept in, made coffee, stood on my back porch while Monk tracked squirrels and I contemplated installing a bird feeder. Then it was back inside to scour Bloglines, my version of the morning paper. When I'm on my computer, Monk's head is normally on my thigh/lap. Much to his annoyance, I moved, which obviously called for a dramatic yawn, a few paces around the office, and now back to his doggy bed, where he's found a rawhide bone.
So, we're enjoying the human/canine version of a lazy Sunday morning. The Houston Marathon is a week away. By this time next Sunday, God and lactic acid willing, I'll be nearing the end of my marathon and Monk will be pacing the kennel at his doggy hotel.

Sitting here with coffee, poached egg whites and a snoring dog, I'm thinking about preparation.

I read a great post from The Final Sprint blog this morning. On Lance Armstrong's preparation and now rough recovery from the great one's New York City Marathon. Titled, "A Classic Case of Too Much, Too Soon?" the post goes through Lance's less-than appropriate marathon training, his successful sub-3:00 finish (punk) and the stress fracture he now has to nurse. I'm a big fan of Lance, but I'm stumped by how such a successful endurance athlete could have ignored one of the biggest tenants of endurance sports: preparation.

Lance's much-publicized training program included a long run of only 13 miles, according to his ex-wife Kirstin, who wrote a great wrap-up in this month's Runner's World (not available online) titled "Oh. My. God. Ouch. Terrible." after Lance's post-finish text message. I require at least four 16-plus mile runs, normally two of those are 20 miles or more, to prepare for a marathon. Even more puzzling is how Lance's training program (assembled, I'm only guessing, by some of the world's best training/medical minds) didn't account for the bone density build-up marathoners must complete to manage the impact stress on the musculoskeletal system. It's almost a beginner's mistake, which really baffles me.

Lance's story is a good example that all of us, in any field or endeavor, must allow for preparation. It's a necessary part of success, but one that, in our rush-rush culture, often is cut short. We seek the action. The moment. The payoff. The "finish." Ignoring the necessary steps, trading details for shortcuts is irresponsible. Irresponsible to your client, your business or your co-workers. What are your professional versions of Lance's stress fracture? What are the goals, big and small, for which you must constantly prepare?

Listening to: Catherine Feeny, Hurricane Glass

An exciting change, and a new bike

2007 will start with an exciting change in my world. I will join Sullivan Higdon & Sink next week as a brand strategist. I've long admired the creative minds and culture SHS is known for, and am excited to jump into the action.

Oftentimes the best opportunities evade the convenience of timing, and though the time at my current post has been brief, I made the decision with confidence and excitement. I get to work with wonderful brands, a group of talented co-workers, inspiring bloggers/podcasters - all within my favorite part of Kansas City, the Crossroads Art District.

On another exciting note, here's my new toy.
I rode this bad boy to work today, soaking up another freakishly mild December day. I always debate days like this, as I enjoy the opportunity to be outside - in December - but lament the climate change. Maybe by riding to work, I can feel a little more balanced within the debate.