Highlander remake

Oh. My. God.

This could be bad...

Never Eat Alone

Last week, I had my first pivotal experience in business and social networking. It all just clicked .

A coworker came to the warehouse and asked me if I could spare a few boxes. Her roommate had put her in a difficult spot and she had little time or choice to move. Of course I agreed to help. We receive hundreds and hundreds of boxes a week, it's not like the bookstore can't spare some. Most are just recycled anyway.

Plus, having also experienced a sudden need to vacate a house (that or live without utilities for the rest of the month, eek!) and find a new place to live on short notice, I offered to put her in touch with a housing agent I had become acquainted with. Within a few minutes, I had them on the phone together and my coworker had a promising lead for a new place to live.

In the future, my coworker, who has worked in the music industry for most of her life, may become a valuable resource to my friend (want a back-stage pass to your favorite band's concert? Ask the person that knows the band!). Or vice versa, my coworker my know someone that needs a new place to live and offer to call on this housing agent.

Or, they may never talk again.

The point is to bring people together, as described in the book Never Eat Alone. Keith Ferrazzi describes his secrets of success, building it one relationship at a time. While some build their careers through Networking, Keith Ferrazzi has built his career AS a Networker. He is known as the guy who knows everyone, able to pool the right resources with the right people.

How did he achieve this?

Years ago, a bit younger and a lot less successful, Keith came to his boss and said, "I want to make it to the top. I want to be a great leader. I have what it takes. How do I make it happen?"

Keith's boss asked him to describe why he thought he had what it takes. So, Keith described all of his accomplishments. His boss listened, then gave the response that changed Keith's life.

"You've described to me all the things YOU have done. That makes you a great worker. But if you want to be a great leader, you need to build teams. You need to bring people together."

Keith took the advice to heart in what may be a controversial act, blurring the lines between friendships and business relationships. Everyone becomes a potential asset to gain from, offer to, or bridge a connection between.

Some of his ideas seem counter-intuitive, such as Pinging, a process that builds relationships one small email or phone call at a time instead of one long meeting at a time, or Managing the Gatekeeper, where he insists a secretary may be the most important person you meet.

His style, like the chapters in this book, is short and to the point, but all the more effective because of it. Thanks in part to his coauthor, Fortune Small Business editor Raz, Ferrazzi's book becomes an example of Networking in action, a well-written, anecdotal account of a style anyone can employ.

Well, that depends. Do you masturbate a lot?

I discovered an odd bump on my hand. My hands have been through some wear and tear, and the internet informed me this thing could be latent scar tissue.

Seems like ever since I opted for medical insurance, I use it more and more often. So, rather than sit around wondering what this thing was, if indeed it was scar tissue or some new form of cancer they could name after me, I went to the local clinic.

The doc took a look and said, "Yeah, that's a wart."

I see. "Listen," I said. "I've never had a wart before. Is it possible to transfer one to the rest of my body?"

"Well, that depends. Do you masturbate a lot?"

Not since they replaced Jennifer Connelly in the new Hulk movie. Keep Ed Norton, he'll rock. But though I love Liv Tyler, Jen has been my gal since Labyrinth.

Then again, this guy can't seem to keep his hands off himself, and look who he's sitting with.

The doc said it could take a while, up to 3 years, to disappear on its own, unless I opted for the liquid nitro treatment.

A nurse brought in a styrofoam cup of liquid nitro. The doctor scraped as much of my hand away with an exacto knife as possible, then grabbed a q-tip, dipped it into the nitro, and dug it deep into my hand.

I have never felt such an odd, invading sense of pain.

To top it off, while the doc worked on me, the liquid nitro began to eat through the cup!

"Oh, heh," he said. "Guess that means it's time to stop."

I was notified by my Hobbit that I was tagged in her blog, so now I have to complete a mem (whatsit?).

The rules are:
1. Pick up the nearest book.
2. Open to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people, and acknowledge who tagged you.

The nearest book was Star Wars: Legacy of the Force: Exile.

Booster finally sat again and fixed a glare on Corran. "But you didn't bring my grandchildren."

Corran folded his arms.

WTF?! I am not smart enough to know how that relates to my life, so I'll offer a 2nd selection from Harrington on Cash Games, Volume II that I think more easily translates.

There's a small chance that Player D has been bluffing the whole way and is now prepared to fire a third barrel on the river. But that's a really long shot. Player C has to worry that any bluff on his part will just get called by Player D.

Clearly I am player D, as anytime someone tries to bluff me, in life or cards, I call and cry hah! caught you! Funny thing is how often they show up with the nuts.

Tags to come later. Off to work!

Superman doesn't fly as high as hype

Think back to that day you viewed Superman: the Movie; that day when Christopher Reeve donned those famous red, yellow, and blue tights and made us believe a man could fly.

For years, I wished I could soar through the sky. I dreamed I could break free of gravity to twist and turn with the freedom of Superman.

Finally, that day has come for us all.

And to tell you the truth, it's not nearly as fun as it looks.

Six Flags over Georgia opened one of their latest attractions with the delight of an architect unveiling his new city. Superman: Ultimate Flight awaited us in a faux Metropolis, seen in the distance on the right.

At the entrance, we passed a delightful shop of toys and plush dolls dedicated to the most popular superheroes of today: Superman, Spiderman, Kung Fu Panda, and Captain Jack Sparrow (wtf?).

But I said to hell with the toys, those can wait 'till later, I'm ready to fly!

Thanks to Hobbit's clever idea to arrive at opening, there were NO lines. We went straight up the long walkway, past several pinups of Superman's friends, foes, and allies, and to the ride. Never has my inner geek felt more excited than when the seats pulled my feet off the ground and held me vertical. I laughed at those cautious fools around me, holding on tight to their seats. No, I let go and held my hands out, already imagining what it would be like to take flight.

But after the first drop, the ride held too many twists and turns and was over far too quickly. Most coasters at Six Flags average 1 minute. This one barely clocks half a minute. Granted, we flew in the middle of the rows, so perhaps this, like many coasters, can only offer the full benefit if you sit in the front row. There weren't enough high rises and steep falls for me to feel like I was flying. Instead, I felt jostled about, as though if I was flying well, I had no control over it.

Afterwards, we went on a couple more coasters we had decided MUST come first while the lines were short. Our first long line came without warning. One coaster had no line, the next, at the Goliath, made us wait almost 2 hours. But I assure you, it was worth it. The first drop is the highest in the park, so high you can see the entire landscape before screaming as you fall down a slope so steep it looks sheer.

Next we went to Batman! As you can see, to get to this ride the owners of Six Flags think it is necessary to torture you. They pack as many people as possible into a room that APPEARS to lead to the ride, but really circles back around to the other side of the building, then into a hidden building, before finally letting you see your prize.

The Goliath and the Batman ride take the crown as kings of the park. The ride is designed to propel you at rocket speeds through the coaster course as though you are on a high-speed chase in the Batmobile.

I was just yelling to Hobbit how great it would be to have a Batmobile of our own when, what-ho!, I saw a Batmobile just waiting for us, its owners, heh, distracted by what no man can resist, an Asian woman!

Or so I thought. They did not take too kindly to me stealing their beloved Batmobile.

Luckily, my lady-friend brought her Bat-Befriender. We sprayed some on and became instant friends, inducted as honorary crime-fighters.

The day went on with us riding several more coasters, including Hobbit's favorites: anything that gets you soaking wet.

In all, we spent 11 hours at the park.

If you are planning your own trip, please take these few hints with you.

1) DO NOT park on Six Flags or at the parking lots directly by the park. They charge you between $15 and $20. Even local venues 1 block away are wise to tourists and charge you at least $10. We parked 2 blocks away at a hotel where we were charged a paltry $5.

2) Arrive early.

3) Prioritize what rides you want to go on without a wait. If you reach these rides between 10:00 and 11:00 AM, you will have next to no wait.

4) Decide right now if you want a Flash Pass, an add-on to your ticket thanks to the scarlet speedster that allows you to bypass the long line and often go straight to the front. It's about $40 more, but unless you want to wait 2 hours for a ride, you should consider it a wise investment.

5) Stay all day. For the first and last 2 hours the park was open, lines were very short, so you do yourself a service to be there from open to close.

Otherwise, we spent Friday traveling around Athens to find an apartment. I am happy to say we found one. Housing in Athens is ridiculously cheap! I am in negotiations to solidify where I will work, but with housing set it is almost certain I will move early June.