Changing and setteling in

My new job is going well. I am treading lightly and seeing who is an ally, who is a doubter and who I need to get on board. Stokes is different and I am trying to develop a strategy that will be effective in enticing everyone to pull together. The county is divided by its own mountain range and this division is both geographical and theoretical. The people have different goals and finding a common link will be a monumental task.

Three weeks since I turned fifty and my Heels won their sixth national championship (1924 does count). I get to celebrate for at least 49 more weeks before anyone else can claim the title. It feels great.

I attended the 31'st edition of our Syndicate weekend last week. This is a group of guys that only have as a link their love for Teague Dorm in Chapel Hill and each other. The group that attends is from about 45 to 55 years old. There are teachers, lawyers, law-enforcement officers, stock-brokers and corporate executives. What is amazing is that the group has been coming back each April for this long. The genesis of this group goes to the domination of Teague Dorm in intramural sports, beginning in 1970's and continuing through the 80's, until the dorm became co-ed. There was a streak of I believe 9 years and 12 of 13 being campus overall intramural champions (we lost the one due to a really bad call in a softball game but that is another story and I still remember the umpires name.) The powers that be tried to stop the streak by dividing the dorm into two units in 1977 and what happened? Teague finished first and second! There were some really good athletes and many like me who were just ok but loved the competition. I saw a 5'6" guard get all in Lawrence Taylor's face in a basketball game and underdogs pull off victory's. Mostly though, I saw a group of guys support one another and create a unity that has lasted most of our lifetimes. I hope we make another 30 years.

The House is coming together

It has been a lot of work but our house is coming together. We have painted most everything that isn't moving (and the dogs when they get in the way), have redone a bath, along with a few other items. I love this place but it is time to move on. It has a lot of memories and it is always tough to leave an area you know. Home, however, is where my wife and I lay our heads. I don't like being on the road during the week and not being home with her.

Fifty doesn't recuperate as quick as 30 or 40 did. I painted and worked hard Thursday and Friday. Today, I just haven't had any gitty-up. I glad I don't have to work tomorrow. It is Easter and along with thinking about the reason for the celebration, we are going to my Mom's for lunch. I love a big crowd and too much food. I hope mom is around for a lot longer. She is amazing and has been the glue that has held a family together.

Happy Easter!

Happy Birthday to me Tar Heel litany

Here it is my 50th Birthday and it is time to update the Tar Heel litany. So here goes:
6 National titles (1924 counts)
18 Final Four appearances (Recprd)
10 National title games
102 NCAA tourney wins (Record)
27 consecutive years in the NCAA tourney (Record)
45 Jerseys in the rafters
More NBA first round draft choices than I can count.

I can't wait to see what the next 50 years has to bring.

Entering Cyberspace

Just set up a facebook page. What an incredible network. It is amazing how quickly the social networking on the web is changing the way we conduct business. Now people are putting information about jobs on twitter, I can get in touch with people I went to HS with and even put out feelers for jobs. Wow!

I will be setting a facebook page up for Stokes County this week and look for ways to market the county outside of the normal channels. I hope to get in front of the curve and not get run over by the masses

Able to breathe

The Heels survived to make it to their 23rd sweet 16. I'm not sure what the selection committee was doing making LSU a 8 seed. They have a really good team and a very good coach. They looked a lot better than 4 seed WF of 5 seed FSU.

I have to question though why Roy had to call his seniors out. If they don't know by now that the next loss is their last, they have real issues. The Zags are up next and we are an early 9 pt favorite. I think LSU is about on the same level and if we play well we win. Go Heels and I can at least rest until Friday. I think I will put some ice on my toe, maybe it will help Lawson get better.

The Best of All Days

Nothing is ever any better than when the Heels win. The only thing that can come close is when Dook loses and when the Heels beat Dook, it really makes my day. This win gives us 4 of the last 5 and puts Rat Face at 32 and 34 against us (not sure if that counts the year with the bad back)

This group of players has had a great run. To be 27-3, against the competition they have played and with the big bulls eye on their back is really special. I have tried to take Coach William's advice and enjoy the ride. I just want it to last nine more games and end with a W. The Heels play with class and win or lose, I am proud to be a Tar Heel!

Feeling Old

I had my first day of really hard work since my surgery today. I hurt everywhere but my hip. I guess that is a good thing. It is so odd that my brain thinks I am 20 but my body if rapidly approaching 50.

Fifty doesn't sound nearly as old to me as it did ten years ago. I think with a little bit of conditioning, I can take several years off my actual age. I was able to work for six hours of pretty hard labor before I called it a day. Thank heavens for vicadin and hot water.

Rainmakers

I was talking to a friend at a conference last evening and asked what had led to a nearby county firing their ED Director. She didn't have any inside information but she said that from reading between the lines they wanted a rainmaker. Someone to come in, walk on water and make big deals happen with the flick of a finger.

Wouldn't it be nice if that could happen! The reality of the matter is that for things to change, you need to be willing to work hard, sell your community, work harder, have lots of product to sell, work even harder and be realllll lucky. There might be a few folks that can come in and bring business with them but they are beyond the reach of most rural areas.

I will continue to plod away, like the workhorse I have been compared to and lets see who has the most success. Another friend said last night that you can do our job without an ego ( and that is probably the best way to do it) but you can't do it without passion. As my wife is fond of saying, I don't just take things seriously, I take them personally (and not just about my Heels)

So keep trying to make it rain but you better be willing to outwork the plow-horses or you will end up finishing in second place.

News Update

Just getting settled in my new job. The lessons keep coming. It doesn't really matte where you go, people are pretty much the same. Most are good and you can trust them, then there are the others. The get in a position of authority and it goes to their head. It certainly happened in Caldwell County, I have seen it in Greensboro (the commission chair made comments to the effect of we don't have anything happening in economic development, why do we need an economic developer).

I have what I like to think is a logical. I try to break things down into reasonable steps and then proceed down a path to a logical completion. It drives me batty when decisions are made based on faulty logic.

The regular season in college basketball is winding down. It looks like Carolina and Dook will battle for the title. I hope Tyler drops 40 on them and the Heels win by 25. Have I mentioned lately that I don't care for Dook. I believe they embody all that is wrong with our country today. Go Heels!

A-Rod and Congress

Will all issues we have to deal with as a country, why does the US Congress need to ;hold hearings on this matter? Don't you think they have their hands full in dealing with a financial system that is imploding, two wars, out of control spending and an approval rating in the teens.

Let sports take care of themselves. People know that many baseball players were juiced up and most don't care. Here is a novel approach, take care of the issues that the American people elected you for and leave sports to the players and the fans. Don't waste anymore money on congressional hearings that take us nowhere!

Just in the Nick of Time

That is how I feel about leaving my job in Caldwell County. This entire week has been dominated by news that the Caldwell County Commissioners are going to vote February 16 to effectively destroy the Planning Dept. in the county and to severely limit the ability of the environmental health department to do their jobs.

These actions, if carried out will set progress back in Caldwell for many years. Who wants to build in a county that can't or won't enforce the rules on the books? I know I wouldn't. This is not a rational act and while it is within their authority, I hope something can happen to change their minds.

Even worse than this, is their efforts to roll-back wages of about 250 of the lowest and most under-paid workers in county government. These folks have been working for significantly less money than the average pay of workers in comparable jobs in other counties. This increase just brought them to a minimum and they are still near the bottom of the wage scale. These increases were long overdue and these actions seem punitive to me. There have been several options put forth to help avoid this action, but these have fallen on deaf ears. These include a general, across the board pay decrease to employees or other cuts in government services to help make up projected budget shortfalls. These have been largely ignored. It brings to mind a favorite quote that I have heard about the how frustrating it is to have a logical discussion with an illogical person.

Now is a time to work together, not to drive a wedge between good people, trying to do a good job. If these acts take place, I hope all county employees and their families remember "Who to Trust" in 2012, when these three come up for re-election. I am, afraid that by then, the damage will already be done.

Lessons in Advetising and Customer Service

I made a visit to pick up a new cell phone today. You would think this to be a simple and trivial process. Wrong! The first store had one person working and he was having a difficult time. We waited twenty + minutes for him to finish with the people in front of us and when it was our turn, here come bad mullet hair and wants to step in. If that wasn't bad enough, they didn't have the free phone the advertised and I was in no mood to wait on a rebate.

We thanked him and left. Went to a store in another town and were told that they didn't have free phones without a plan, maybe one of our employers had a deal that would help. After finally getting access to the proper program, we were in luck, there was a free phone and for just $40 more a month, we could add another line. Not the $9.99 the advertised but 4 times that amount. I only need the phone for emergencies and I refuse to be used that way. My wife thanked the lady and we left.

Maybe I don't understand how the game is played. I am a simple person and if I am told I can add a line and it will cost XXX, that is what I expect. The old bait and switch is alive and well. It goes from the cell phone industry to the finance industry to the auto industry and I guess people accept it. I thinks it stinks and the American public should say no.

Last Day in Caldwell County Service

I just got home from my last day working in Caldwell County. It has been a wonderful experience, I have met a lot of great people and made a lot of friends. I also don't think I left a day too soon. There are some really sweeping changes on the horizon and in my opinion, not for the better. I will be thinking of my former co-workers every day and my thoughts will be with them.

Thanks to everyone who came to the reception that was held for me. I was so happy that my mother was able to be there. She asked me afterwords what it had cost me to get all those nice things said. It was truly and humbling experience and I will carry those fond memories with me forever.

Now it is on to the future. I start my new job Monday and I hope that I can in some small way help the people in Stokes County to have better lives. I hope that I am leaving Caldwell a better place and that I end up being wrong about the changes that are just around the corner.

Hard Fouls and Fair Play

The end of the game between the Heels and the Woofies got ugly. There was no point to it and this type of thing should be stopped. This is twice this year that a Heel has been hacked at the end of a game by a team that is way behind. I don't mind playing hard. I myself played physically but to try and take a player down is uncalled for. The play against KY cost us Tyler Zeller and may cost us a Championship, when all is said and done. The play today just cost me my respect for McCauley (sp) and Lowe. Roy reacted as he should but everyone else seemed to think the woofies were the injured party.

If you don't want the Heels to try and score, hold the ball at the end of the game and run out the clock. If you want to play ball, play and take your medicine. The next time you "Hack a Heel", he may not take it so well.

I have tried to think of a single play when a Heel was called for a flagrant foul. There may be one and I am having selective memory loss but I can't recall any. Basketball should be a game of fluidity, not the hack and hold it has degenerated into. Go Heels, but don't go too hard, Henderthug is out there, just waiting to once again pounce and hack a heel

Where is the stimulus

I read a good article today on the current state of the economy. It was very concise and accurate about how we got to where we are, the cause and the effect. And finally how do we get out.

It ended by saying that a great deal depends on the POTUS and how he reacts during this very critical early part of this term. He must be decisive, positive and willing to make deals. If there is the slightest sense that he doesn't believe in what he is trying to do, we are in really deep s***.

I agree with this but also think that it is up to us to take responsibility for our actions and not expect to be bailed out. Even at 10% unemployment, 90% of us are working. Lets look for ways to help. We also need to be responsible and live within our means. We need to save, we need to teach our children to be responsible and once again we need to look for ways to help. I am not sure what my way will be. I already spend most of my waking hours trying to recruit new industry and help exiting companies survive. I will make a determination in the near term and share it here. I hope each of you will do the same. Lets pick up our friends and neighbors and show the rest of the world that Americans aren't the spoiled selfish lot they think we are!

Who's the guy on the right

A friend sent me this from a trip several years ago. This is Big John at the Anaheim Airport. I can't think about him, without thinking of my dad or the fact we named our son after one of his characters in a movie, "Big Jake". It is odd that he was so conservative and I am just the opposite and I love his movies so much.

It has been a long dry spell on the blog. For the four or five folks that read it, Sorry! I have been recuperating from surgery and have gone back to work. By the time I get home I am exhausted.

Since we have our new POTUS in the Whitehouse and the theme is change, I thought that change should be my theme as well. I have taken a new position as Economic Director in Stokes County, NC. Stokes is a county located between Forsyth County and the VA border. It has rugged beauty and a lot of potential. I have my work cut out for me but I love a challenge. Starting with ED 101 work, new web site, business directory and business visits. I hope I am up to it. The people seem really great and I can't wait to get started.

On the other hand, I will miss working with my board, my NCIC friends and the other folks from the area. I will still see them but not as often. We have had some good times, great successes but to move up, I must move on. If you aren't going forward, you are backing up. Wish me luck!