On The Fly

In this episode - Free Agent . . . Are you waiting for a job description? Do you take the initiative to provide outstanding customer service? Who is your customer anyway? Reality check - in business and life as individuals, we are President & CEO of our own personal services corporation - Free Agents . Responsible for the brand called You! The most valuable corporation in business today. Whether you're a free agent (between jobs), a producer, or a player, you are free to sign with any club or franchise. Whatever your current status, believing in yourself and your potential is important. It’s been said, “Today, loyalty is the only thing that matters.” It isn't blind loyalty to a company. It's loyalty to your colleagues, loyalty to your team, loyalty to your project, loyalty to your customers, and loyalty to yourself. It seems each of us must discover this fundamental truth repeatedly throughout history. William Shakespeare said it so eloquently; “And this above all, to ...

On April 6, 2013 , an at times poetic interlude of authors, geologists, gemologists, hobbyists, and lovers of that rare and beautiful mineral corundum (Al 2 O 3 ), met to celebrate the late author and collector of gemological literature, John Sinkankas. It was a wide spectrum of gem enthusiasts that attended the Eleventh Annual Sinkankas Symposium - Ruby . The event is co-hosted by the San Diego Mineral & Gem Society and the Gemologicial Institute of America (GIA). This one-day only event took place at GIA world headquarters in Carlsbad, California. The conference organizer and master of ceremonies was Roger Merk, who serves on the board of directors for the San Diego Mineral & Gem Society. This celebrated day was devoted to sharing the collective knowledge of rubies, and presentation titles included; Mineralogy and Geochemistry, Geology and Ruby localities, the Implications of Optical Orientation, the Ruby Mines of Nepal, Rubies of Afghanistan, Photographing Rubies for Th...

He was never on Facebook, not Twitter or LinkedIn yet he was one of the most connected people I knew. He loved life, treated people with the utmost respect, an avid reader, a true educator, and a wise man who knew how to make everyone feel special. Every birthday, which he always remembered, his special gift to me was books, printed books, not electronic, subjects designed to broaden my understanding. He would send me articles on business, technology, sports, and politics. He always encouraged me to grow, to learn new things, to write, to always be me. “Never compromise your Midwest values, never stop being Patrick.” Always smiling and laughing we met for lunch when he was in town. It was always at 11:20 a.m., he wanted to beat the crowds. That hour together we always laughed, never about gossip, never at the expense of another, a deep hearty satisfying laugh, the kind that when you part you’re smiling inside. After lunch he would  insist on driving back along the Carlsbad coast....

Dana Point Harbor “It’s five degrees (-15 below Celsius), winds over 20 mph, a wind chill of fifteen below zero, and snow accumulating up to up to six inches - it’s too cold to go outside!” Just got off the phone with my mother in West-Central Illinois - hello winter . While the majority of the U.S. (30 States) is suffering through frigid cold temperatures and snow we can only guess what it’s like from television. Meteorologists calling this a Polar Vortex, brutally cold air from the Arctic gripping the country. Concurrently in Southern California we’re looking at crystal clear light-blue skies, 63 degrees fahrenheit, west-north-west winds at six miles an hour, perfect weather for our weekly Sunday bicycle ride. How is this possible? It’s probably a blessing (for the rest of the country) the weather channel does not highlight our weather conditions in Southern California. For those deprived of sunshine allow me to paint you a picture. Preparing for our morning ride, I glanced ...

Don ’ t be alarmed, yes, it ’ s me, I ’ m the ravishing beauty on your wrist, and my name is Jade. I know just what you ’ re thinking - how can this possibly be - this bracelet is talking to me? People don ’ t realize it but we try to talk to your species all the time. It ’ s just that most of you are too academic to listen. If I reveal my inner secrets to you will you share them with your world? I am what your species calls a mineral; one of over 3,000 known minerals, and a gem among gemstones. Most call me Jade. However, gemologists classify my family into two species, nephrite and jadeite. I realize that my cousin, nephrite,  has slightly different characteristics. But what does that matter? We ’ ve been around much longer than you. Grab a seat and let me tell you my story. My interest in your species began in ancient Burma (Myanmar), where the majority of my species is from. I am utterly fascinated with how your people respond to my beauty, mystique, inherent value, ...