Lunch at the Knutsford Plaza Hotel: B***, you don't know my hands - Part 1

Prelude: I went to lunch with coworkers and was part of a conversation that was in judgement of dancehall. The conversation went something like this. “You go to these dances and it’s amazing. The women are dressed like… And they have their hands on the floor… And they are dancing with a man who has them bent over. I mean it’s nothing I would ever do or you would ever do, but they do this, like, every week. I mean, Jake and I go and see this every Friday.”

This is my response.

Keep Calm and Put Your Hands on the Floor 

Part 1

You know very little

About my hands

Where they’ve been

Where they will go

Don’t judge

The five fingers that built the house

You run from

B****, You don't know my hands Part 1-4

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4

7:30 am Route Taxi to Boys' Town: I hitch hike to work everyday

Picture courtesy of Jamaica Gleaner

I'm on the way down to the government yard. I stand in a common area outside a parking lot made into a market place, a car pulls up, I get in and I say where I'm going. This is the informal taxi system of Kingston.  I have come to enjoy the 3 minute cruise up White Road that connects Cross Roads to Trench Town. I never know if I'm going to hear the latest dance hall mix, the news, or crooning of Anita Baker. Once I got over the fact that I get into a random car with 2-4 other individuals and pay a man with no official title a dollar, I appreciate the ride to work.

Trench Town Reading Center Thursday Motivation

Route Taxi to Canada Day: Painting Schools and Pruning Shrubs

“This is the hardest you probably ever worked in your life” Good ol’ Mr. K. Good

Painting Schools

No Water

The Canadians come

Paint the school

With no paint

No brush

No water

Only the photographer

From Jamaica Gleaner

Observe

Water soon come

Blue truck hums

Fill the tank

Now water

Special delivery from the Caribbean Sea: Mo and Bo

Two days ago Mo and Bo were two happy doctor fish swimming in the Caribbean Sea with their friends Jo and Ro. Last night Mo and Bo became my dinner. Prior to yesterday evening, all of my fish came filleted in vacuum sealed packets from the grocer. So, I had to face little Mo and Bo staring at me as I prepared them for my Jamaican steamed fish dinner. 

Mo and Bo, scaled, gutted, and cleaned

Vegetables and spices that made Mo and Bo taste yummy

Dinner: I had to cut their heads off just to finish the meal.
Don't yet have the chef's touch for display :) 

The meal was delicious. If anyone out there in cyber world needs to get over beheading innocent animals, find a scotch bonnet pepper and pimento seeds. I think I might fry Jo and Ro.

The recipe can be found on YouTube here. Pepper sauce is a substitute for Scotch Bonnet if you can't find it and I did not add crackers. 

30 minute walk to Eccles St: Wait, there is no HHonors?

I went to a 5 day training course with Cuso International to prepare for my upcoming volunteer engagement in Kingston, Jamaica.  I knew very little about the world of International Development, so the training was useful. Plus I got a chance to see a little more of Ottawa. Ottawa it is the capital city of Canada and a big place for government and international relations. The city is known for the Rideau Canal which turns into the largest skating rink in the world during the winter. Luckily, I experienced beautiful spring climates and clear skies because adjusting to the non-profit, international development world was enough.

In my own busy bubble prior to training, I remember jotting down my hotel, Embassy, and consciously putting my Hilton Gold card in my wallet so I can attach status to the reservation. Little did I know that the Embassy Hotel was not a Hilton branded partner and would be more of a reminder of my student hostel days than my travelling consultant ones. The accommodations were clean and convenient, but I will have to get used to a world with no room upgrades. 

Flight 032 to YOW: The feeling when I got the cool overseas project and when reality set in

Flight 748 to MDW: Interviewing and Tourism in my Home City

Last week I found myself in Chicago for an interview. I have wanted to do work in international development as part of my New Year, Old Me initiative. After several months of dedicated focus, I was interviewed for a position with Cuso International in Jamaica. Ironically enough, the interview brought me home. It was very nostalgic as I did an outfit check with my mom while eating whiting and toast for breakfast. I had a very similar routine for my interview with Accenture in the Chicago office 3 years ago. Home base has always been the best launching pad for me.

Following the interview, I decided to take advantage of being in the downtown area and went to the Willis Tower Sky Deck for the first time. Feeling high from my interview, I decided to literally take in the view.  

5:15 pm train from Medical Center: The battle with Outlook calendar

I am big on networking. Maybe a little too big. Lately, I have been trying to get myself out there in an effort to connect with my dream role. My strategy has been to use existing connections to talk with people who seem to be “living the dream” and then ask them how they do it.

The biggest challenge is getting time with the people who fit my criteria. Apparently, passionate people are very busy. In the past 7 days, I have had to reschedule 4 appointments with 3 different individuals. It seems as if my networking is mostly with the Outlook calendars filled with busy blobs of blue blocks. Today, I decided to take a different approach.

My new approach:

·         Lead with my meeting objectives

·         Be super flexible, understanding, and positive

·         Make Outlook my friend not enemy

·         Be prepared to have impactful conversations and act on the results

·         Be FLEXIBLE! My dreams are worth it.

8:47 am train to North Springs: What it's like to be the "subject matter expert"...

3 pm company shuttle to Technology meeting: Working together to accomplish done

I’ll tell you how I really feel…

Most Ridiculous Quote of the Day: If you haven’t done it, it’s not done. You can complete all the tasks, but it’s still not complete. So it’s done, but not done done.

**Explanation of done for a new process implementation**

Grounded in Atlanta: Small Lesson Fresh from the Oven

So yesterday evening, armed with a bunch of ripe bananas and shelled pecans, I went on a mission to make banana nut bread muffins. The objective was to make moist muffins that could be breakfast food over the next couple days. The task was easy enough, but the challenge came when it was time to crack the shelled pecans sans a nutc racker.

With my pink hammer from my Black & Decker standard toolkit, a towel, and a bag, I successfully cracked the pecans. I then went about separating nuts and shells and dropping into my recipe. I executed this process quickly and with haste. In the oven at 350 for 60 mins, and I had completed my mission.

For the most part…. Fast forward to breakfast this morning and me taking a bite of a delicious muffin only to find the smallest shell mid-bite. Biting pecan shells is not pleasant and the reminder to pay closer attention to detail is duly noted.

 

Flight 772 to Providence: Stepping in the shoes of a Superstar Sales Representative

Side by Side Y-Jacking with an agent selling premier services to a customer.

Courtesy of http://www.liveops.com/liveops-address-contact-information

 

How it goes down in real life:

Agent: Premier Services!This is the best agent ever, how can I help you?

Customer: Hello, my bill is to high. What can we do about lowering it?

Agent: Let me transfer you to my Retention department. Thanks for calling Premier Services.

How it goes down in my head:

Agent: Premier Services!This is the best agent ever, how can I help you?

Customer: Hello, I lost my cat & I see one of your trucks in the neighborhood. Can you help me find it?

Agent: I can help with that.

Customer: I also need you to fix my hedges, your tech trimmed them.

Agent: Sir, you need to let the tech in to fix the cable too.

Customer: He looks like a shifty character. My wife said never talk to strangers

Agent: Sir, who wears the pants in your house? You or your wife?

Customer: Well my wife was right that time I only watched the first 3 minutes of the Mighty Ducks, and said I deserved a refund.

Agent: Ma’am we cannot control what the people on duck dynasty say

Customer: I’m calling 911

Agent: Sounds like a plan. Thanks for calling Premier Services. Have a wonderful day :)

***Big shout out to the sales agents who shared their wildest experiences with me on a Wednesday afternoon***

 

7:03 Red Line to Lake: New Year, Old Me...

After spending 5 fabulous days going after some of my goals and getting rest, I do not feel a need to redefine my whole self for 2014. I am perfectly OK with the old me, I just want to be an upgraded version. I am also very grateful for paid vacation. There is nothing that is more spectacular than unplugging for a period of time. During my time off, I realized that there is a such thing as being too busy. As I plug back in to the Matrix, I am paying attention to the small stuff that I've put off in the last few days months. It can be as simple as forgetting to cancel one of my two recurring subscriptions to in-flight wifi, checking my voice mail and returning Papa's call, or submitting my performance objectives for the year. This stuff seems unimportant (with the exception of calling back Papa), but it still needs to get done.

So here's to the small stuff. Cheers.