Posts Tagged ‘Work’
The Downside Of The Applause Meter
Last week, I volunteered to participate in a video testimonial shoot for a well-known suite of software that provides real-time web metrics: unique visits, page views, video streams, etc. Yes, I love the camera. I enjoy talking about my job. And I appreciate the ability to gauge and measure success. But I had an ulterior…
Read MoreLiving In The Fish-Eyed Lens, Part II
I was in the frozen food section, just a few aisled off course in the neighborhood Food Emporium (list: coffee, half & half), when I remembered. “You’re not a Juice Head,” Snooki said. “You’re a Lean Cuisine.” More than 48 hours after the Grammy red carpet closed, it’s still coming back to me. “MTV News’…
Read MoreGoodnight Moonlight Baby
Last night, I bumped into Justin Bieber just seconds prior to his VMA performance of “Baby.” Just twenty-four hours later, my own baby was back in my arms. This year’s awards marked my first prolonged absence from Maggie since she was born. I was in Los Angeles just five nights, but the days were jam-packed…
Read MoreWhere Are You Calling From? (Or, Virtual Rock & Roll)
I probably should have known better than to be working on a new album during MTV Video Music Awards season, but here I am, knee deep in “Forever Young” with less than two weeks to go until the channel’s big night. The timing was, of course, to be expected. As my colleague, Rachel, put it,…
Read More“Hope For Haiti Now” Behind The Scenes
Some twenty-four hours after its original airing, and some 150 miles from the earthquake’s actual epicenter, I finally watched the “Hope For Haiti Now” telethon. Like most of these sorts of live productions, it’s rare that I actually see the event itself. Friday night, I was at Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens, one of four…
Read MoreThe Future Needs A Big Kiss
I woke up at 4:36 this morning, then spent an hour and a half tossing, turning and rolling a thousand work-related worries over in my head. We ended the year on a strong note, delivering success metrics well above our ambitious goals. But media and technology are changing quickly (so much so, it occurred to…
Read MoreUp In The Air
I accrued 49,000 AAdvantage miles this year. Not Ryan Bingham numbers, to be sure. But enough to get myself to Puerto Rico and back (if I could only find available departure dates). His is a familiar world: the poetic geometry of the Midwest from 30,000 feet, the satisfaction of finding one’s name on the Hertz…
Read MoreMazel Tov!
Way back in 2000, my then-boss foisted an interview on me with a recent college graduate named Jonathan. “Trust me,” he said. “This guy’s cover letter was so over the top, you’re gonna’ love him.” I won’t front; I was dubious. But sure enough, the kid had moxie. So we hired him. In his first…
Read MoreGoodnight, L.A.
The American Airlines Admiral’s Club is actually kinda’ rockin’ right now. I’m gonna’ put occupancy at 74%. And I’m also gonna’ bet half of those are on my midnight red eye. A guy in a brown sweater and wire-framed glasses just ladelled some Ranch Dressing onto a plastic cup of carrots and celery. A woman…
Read MoreOk
Last Monday afternoon, some 24 hours after my record-setting (well, my record, anyway) New York City Marathon finish, I settled into the massage table for my annual deep-tissue rub down. My masseuse, Elana, was strong, driving her elbows deep into my hamstrings and calves. Somewhere between my shoulder blades, just before gingerly flipping me over,…
Read More