simplicity, balance, and humor.

OK, I’m going to tell you something about passion that you already know. At least, I hope you already know it. Tonight at our swim team banquet, I couldn’t help but think one thing—where would I be without the passion and hunger that a sport like swimming etched into my brain? Continue reading →

Yes, folks, I make New Year’s Resolutions. I figure since I’ve started keeping this tally, I will share my goals. This is more for myself, so please work with me, and don’t laugh.

1. Run a half Ironman
2. Swim a lifetime best in the 100 freestyle
3. Bench press 200 lbs.
4. Go to sleep with a clean condo
5. Fall in love
6. Buy a BMW
7. Volunteer at least 10 hours per month
8. Launch a scalable Web application
9. Close my first sale at ExactTarget
10. Never eat alone!
11. Speak at some sort of engagement (MeetUp, social event, etc.)
12. Be more active in the community
13. Write in a blog every other day (I’m trying, I swear!)
14. Conduct a swimming stroke clinic
15. Conduct a swimming conditioning clinic
16. Do something aerobic every day!
17. Do laundry every two weeks
18. Grocery shop every two weeks
19. Learn how to cook at least 10 regular meals (current skill set includes Spaghetti, Smoked Sausage, and many platters of Skillet Sensations!)
20. Sleep at least 6 hours per night. I’m failing that one miserably as we speak. D’oh.

It literally takes me months to finish a book—and I don’t read much. So when I do actually pick up and finish a book, it is probably a good one. One of my latest endeavors was the bestseller Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi, an incredible book about building your network and using relationships to not only help yourself, but to help everyone else along the way. Continue reading →

OK, back to it. My next corporate buzz words featured only at Eprugh.com are “time suck” or “timesucker”. I’m not exactly sure who started using this as a logical and acceptable buzz word in the corporate world, but doesn’t this seem just a little bit juvenile to anyone else? For those of you who don’t know or haven’t heard the term, it is a waste of time or a tedious and pointless task that accomplishes nothing. Continue reading →

So to delve a bit into the root of my corporate buzz word satire, I’d first like to mention that I do use some of these words personally. I only think it’s funny that everyone uses them, and some of them don’t make a lot of sense, and some of them are kind of funny, but one thing is true about all of them—they are corporate! On to the first buzz word, even though it’s more of a buzz saying, as it were: “in the weeds.” Continue reading →

So I’ve been working in the “corporate” environment for about 2 months. Not to say that ExactTarget is extremely corporate, but we are a Microsoft house that deals a lot with clients who are extremely corporate. To keep up, we have to make sure we keep our buzz words in tact. Since I am not a fan of buzz words, and was very unfamiliar with many of them, I wanted to flush out what each of them mean to me and perhaps shed some insight (read: sarcasm) as to why they exist and what they mean.

I will admit that using buzz words can reduce the complexity of a conversation and can make things less convoluted—assuming you know & understand what the buzz word means. And that’s like asking someone: “What does Web 2.0 mean?” Different for everyone, and different for every instance of the use of the term.

I’ll look forward to taking you on this wild adventure into corporateland.

You may or may not know, but last year I made a run to be on the Real World on MTV. I was initially contacted by MTV and thought it would be a cool thing. However, after they opened the website to the public, the site became a huge mess to get people to vote for me and I lost interest. I have no idea what my intentions were to be if I actually got on the show, but I thought it was fun to make a run at it. “I’m digressing slightly, so I’ll continue…” Continue reading →

So I have a goal to get back into shape in 2008. Stop laughing. I have been working out decently regularly, but I was thinking of ways to learn some ways to not only build muscle but to lose fat. Aren’t we all? I found that one of the best tools to enhance fat loss is actually just water. Continue reading →

I am not an expert at cold-calling or weaseling my way into the front doors of major brands, but I have garnered a bit of knowledge on how to seal the deal once we’re in. These are some of the things I have found useful in my modest experience in sales & consulting. Continue reading →

I’ve really taken to becoming more involved in the blogosphere. As I work on getting my name, thoughts, and opinions out there, I came across Lucas On Sports and a post about cheating in sports. So I began to think: What is the problem with sports? The big 3—baseball, basketball, & football—are obviously getting the most press. So what makes us all think that there is more cheating going on then in the past? In all seriousness, there’s not. Have we stopped to consider that? Continue reading →