Donuts, Presents, and Dinner

Following my morning visit and photo session with my son, it was a rush to get to the office for a day full of internal meetings and conference calls. My calendar is full of such calls and meetings for the next week and a half due to the usual end of the year chaos and also the additional logistics required by account transitions. While I usually head into these meetings a little sluggish, the morning memories carried through and brought a different light to my day.

However, I had to make a quick stop along the way to pick up a “holiday treat” for the office so off to Wegmans for a box of donuts. With the detour behind me I got back on the road and made it to work just in time for my first meeting. Of course, now I had another errand that needed to get done but with little time to do it… I still had to pick up a “Secret Santa” gift which I needed to have in hand by the end of the day.

A few meetings into the day and I now found myself in the middle of the afternoon without a gift in hand and still a few other errands that needed to be taken care of since I was not going to get back to the apartment until late that evening. And then I thought of a gift that was both thoughtful and something that I could take care of in a few minutes. So I made the long trek to the internet and found exactly what I was looking for… a digital gift card to BedandBreakfast.com.

One item off the list and a couple more to go so I did something that I really hate to do during the week… I stepped out of the office. I was only going a few blocks away to the bank and Home Depot but it is still not something I enjoy as there are a bunch of other things that need to be taken care of at my desk. Thirty minutes later with a new debit card and a back seat full of packing boxes, I got back to the office with enough time to knock out a few items before my next marathon meeting.

By the time that we all walked out of the conference room nearly everything was checked off my list for the day with a few things added for Monday morning (I had to take Friday off). It seemed as though we were all relatively in sync as late in the afternoon, we all gathered around a table and signed our names to the holiday cards that would be going out the following week. 400 scribble signatures later and it was nearly time to head to dinner.

We all met down the road at Bar Louie for a company dinner and party. With drinks in hand and appetizers on the way, we all took turns revealing the name we pulled from the box and exchanging gifts. As it turns out the person whom I had gotten a gift also pulled my name and we both purchased perfect gifts for one another. She was excited to have an excuse to get away and I was happy to have a Phillies outfit for my son!

Everyone was happy with what they received and we all had a good time chatting and relaxing around the dinner table not thinking or talking about work. It was a great night that seemed to fly by and a good way to bookend a day that began with me being able to see my son again. However, this was just the beginning of a long night and a tiring weekend…

Party Time!

Thursday was the first holiday party with my new company and I was late to the office gathering. Fortunately, I had a darn good reason for my tardiness as I was staffing an interview which led me to arrive about 45 minutes after everyone had gotten to the bowling alley. That’s right, we had a bowling party. With the exception of walking around and exploring the old two lanes in the basement of my lodge a few months ago, this was the first time that I had set foot in a bowling alley in about ten years (maybe longer).

It was an interesting experience walking in the doors as the memories of grade school birthday parties flooded my mind as the familiar scent wafted across my nose. This is one of those places that while the technology and the décor may change over time, the atmosphere remains the same. Those pleasant reminiscences only added to the festive night and the great time that we all had, awkward techniques and all.  

However, when you get a group of coworkers together with any type of game or sport as the activity and there is inevitably going to be come competition. While I thought that my competitive nature had long since faded into the past, that night it had a bit of a resurgence as we split into teams of two and started watching the scores add up. What started as simply a fun time for me quickly transitioned to not wanting to finish last and then to wanting to win.

As the night progressed the fire built up as I was not hitting my spots and doing as well as I wanted to. The frustration was a little intense as most of the time I knew whether or not I made the shot as soon as the ball was about five feet down the lane. While it was by no means a great score I still managed to break a hundred in both games and ended the night of rolling having finished second overall. More importantly, my team won by 50 pins.

After a couple of games with dinner interspersed between turns and frames we all headed over to the pool tables where I played a couple of poor games. Still finished 1-1 on the night but completely unacceptable knowing how I used to run the table in a game of nine ball. However, billiards was secondary as we all continued to relax and began exchanging holiday gifts. “Secret Santa” is something that I can’t remember the last time I had the opportunity to participate and even though many of us are still getting to know one another around the office everyone gave considerable thought to the gifts they gave and appreciated the gifts they received.

I gave a gift that I took the time to think about and make sure that it would be enjoyed. Actually, because I am a firm proponent of coupons, I gave a whole bag of gifts while remaining within the predetermined $25 budget. On the flip side of things, I was given a gift that fit me perfectly and something that I have already put to good use (you’ve got to love it when someone gets you the right gift card).

At that point, the conversations continued and we all enjoyed the company of friends, not just coworkers. With hugs and holiday wishes shared by all, we set out on the road knowing that we would see one another early the next morning. Our office is a family, one where we hold one another accountable and make sure we working to our potential (clichéd but true), and that is a rare privilege that I will continue to appreciate each and every day I walk through the door. It’s amazing how a great job can make the holiday season so much better.

Psycho Cyber Monday

Over the last couple of days I have done a bit of online shopping to fill out the rest of the gifts my wife and I have been meaning to pick up for the holidays. It was also a good time to pick up the Secret Santa (or as I call it the Hidden Hanukkah Harry) gift for the person in my office whose name I picked out of a bowl last week. While we were limited in our gift giving last year and we still are this year as well it seems as though the discounts are significantly steeper this year than in any other year I can remember.

Between general coupons and sale prices on specific items the prices seemed to have been at least 50% below the usual cost. Some items were around 90% off. Maybe they were last year’s style or a step behind in the evolution of technology but it doesn’t bother me and you really can’t tell unless you study the products over and over again. So while we may have gone into this shopping season thinking that we were going to spend a bit more, it looks like the budget will remain relatively the same.

One of the interesting things that came about this season is the announcement byAmazon.com regarding the future use of drones for thirty minute delivery. While it is interesting to hear grand ideas being proposed, some would even say a little nuts, it make you wonder if these people have really given enough thought as to the logistics of such a project. In this particular instance, beyond the FAA, regulation, and security issues surrounding such a drone program what is the communications network going to look like to support this endeavor? Based on my experience, this is something that would need a kinetic mesh network (look it up, it is the best option).

It’s the same mentality that overcomes many people during this holiday season when people head into the retail trenches with grand ideas of getting the best possible gift while spending as little money as possible. Inevitably, somewhere along the line, if the right systems and limitations are not in place all those good intentions seem to evaporate. The timing has to be right, the mentality has to be ardent, and the finances have to make sense.

But, if everything is in place, and the right steps are taken, these kinds of grandiose endeavors can be successful and tremendously profitable. Think about the meeting of these two worlds. Image sitting on the train on your way home. You place an order for an ink cartridge you need to get some work done that night. You select the 30 minutes delivery option and by the time you get home you are ready to go. With such a sharp increase in the success of online and mobile sales, the hyper-expedited shipping option could be a game changer in future holiday shopping seasons.

However, I worry. Essentially, the greatest beneficiary of such a program would be the consumer while the greatest liability to such a program is the consumer. If someone is willing to tase a fellow human being in a store I doubt they would have any issue with taking out a drone.