The Otemachi Building is a mass of concrete, nine stories tall, in Tokyo’s financial district. It is (or was) the location of the headquarters of my company. The Otemachi Building is scheduled for demolition next year. Today is the last time I am going to be in this building. I’ve spent at least 100 days […]
Name That Band
My wife and I play a game called “Name That Band”. When we hear a song, the first one who can identify the band (or artist) challenges the other one to “name that band”. For example, if “Stairway to Heaven” is playing at the supermarket, I will challenge her, and hopefully she knows that the […]
Globalization
I attended a wedding over the weekend. The father of the bride noted that guests travelled from 12 states and three countries to attend the wedding. My daughter is leaving next week to study in Italy. I’m going to Japan again for business soon. It’s the 20th time I’m going to Japan. My father drove […]
Retiring
In the past month, two people have asked me when I’m retiring. But neither one called it “retiring”. They called it “transitioning”. I’m assuming they meant “retiring”, and not “dying”. —– I know three people who retired in their 40s. They were successful business owners who sold their businesses. They played a lot of golf, […]
The Watering Hole
The Watering Hole When I was young, I used to watch wildlife shows on TV. I remember watching “Wild Kingdom” (with Marlon Perkins). For a little kid from Northeast Philadelphia, watching wildlife on TV was as close to the real thing as I could get. Marlon Perkins would narrate each episode, and his younger sidekick […]
Giving Birth
My oldest daughter was born on July 19, 1995, twenty-one years ago today. I was lucky enough to be in the delivery room for her birth. Men have only been allowed in delivery rooms since the mid-1970s. I don’t know anyone who is my fathers’ age who has witnessed the birth of a child. I […]
When The House Lights Go Down
I love to see live sports and entertainment. One of my favorite things in the world is the buzz in the crowd right before the show or the game begins. The seats are full, the crowd is electric….and then the house lights go down. I love that feeling because at that moment, anything is possible. […]
The Chore Store
I was on a tour recently in Japan, and the tour guide noted that there are three main convenience store chains in Japan. They are 7-Eleven, Family Mart and Lawson. The tour guide noted that each of the chains has over 10,000 locations in Japan. He went on to explain that convenience stores in Japan […]
Pandora’s Box
Pandora’s Box is an idea rooted in Greek mythology. The box was something that was opened (against advice). After the box was opened, there were unintended consequences. I am fascinated by unintended consequences. I’ve written about them before. I was prompted to write about this idea last year, when a pilot locked himself in an […]
Politics As (Un)Usual
My family attended a graduation party on Friday night. We have been friends with the hosts for 20 years. The party was wonderful- good friends, good food, good fun. The hosts are local business people. They are the kind of people that you want as next door neighbors. They coached little league games, and volunteer […]
