I reclined on the bed in my hotel room in Florida unable to sleep. I decided to turn on the television and saw John McCain take the stage in Arizona. He began his concession speech to multiple boos. But he raised his arms and quieted them. He continued with his words and gave what is one of his most eloquent speeches. I commend him for his civility and nobility. On this day, I suggest you listen to his words:
Showing posts with label Election. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Election. Show all posts
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Florida Day Three
Here I sit watching the talking heads talk. Wolf Blitzer. Anderon Cooper. William Bennett. James Carville. Obama now has more than 200 electoral votes. Democrats have drubbed the Republicans again in both houses. And I'm tired. Because today was all about work.
Woke up at 6:15 ET. That's 3:15 PT for all you who are just getting to work. Worked out. Made it down to the lobby at 7:45. Checked the restaurant. No one there. Waited in the lobby. My party eventually made it down. Three high level officers from my company. Two from Lone Star. We ate breakfast. An interesting conversation at which to be a fly on the wall. And yet there I was. Didn't understand about a quarter of it. And then just listened to the rest.
Left at 8:45 and arrived at the office at 9. Accredited Home Lenders, the name of the company. Originally, an originator of sub-prime mortgage loans. Suffice it to say, they aren't originating anymore. We walked through the front two doors and proceeded to our left, passing cubicles of people. We veered right into the conference room. Nice chairs. Overall, a nice office.
The very knowledgeable site manager walked us through the office. At first, we saw a group of men and women working busily. We passed the front doors and saw a slew of open cubicles. No, it wasn't a slew, it was a ridiculous empty space. In all, this office, which can seat 250 people, houses only about 50. That leaves 80% of the office left empty. Demoralizing.
We made our way back to the office and proceeded to have meeting after meeting. Some with people on the phone. Other with people in the office. How to integrate our initiative into this empty office. How to make it profitable. Money, money, money, money...
I spent the day writing. It is said that scribes were historically not as important as their leaders. Well, I spent the day as 'not as important'. No problem. Unlike in history, scribes can now work themselves into positions where they are the leaders.
But that's what I did. I wrote.
The day ended. I cannot yet say whether it was a success. That will depend entirely on the outcome. Today was just the beginning.
We departed in good spirits and proceeded to have a good dinner at a restaurant called Fish Bones. I had a Bison Ribeye Steak. Tasty, though too much fat.
And up here into the hotel. My last night. I have packed. I can't say I'm particularly looking forward to returning to work. I am, however, looking forward to seeing Joseph, the pups, and the kitties. It's time to go home...
But, for now, I will watch as history is made and Obama - seemingly - will take the presidency.
Woke up at 6:15 ET. That's 3:15 PT for all you who are just getting to work. Worked out. Made it down to the lobby at 7:45. Checked the restaurant. No one there. Waited in the lobby. My party eventually made it down. Three high level officers from my company. Two from Lone Star. We ate breakfast. An interesting conversation at which to be a fly on the wall. And yet there I was. Didn't understand about a quarter of it. And then just listened to the rest.
Left at 8:45 and arrived at the office at 9. Accredited Home Lenders, the name of the company. Originally, an originator of sub-prime mortgage loans. Suffice it to say, they aren't originating anymore. We walked through the front two doors and proceeded to our left, passing cubicles of people. We veered right into the conference room. Nice chairs. Overall, a nice office.
The very knowledgeable site manager walked us through the office. At first, we saw a group of men and women working busily. We passed the front doors and saw a slew of open cubicles. No, it wasn't a slew, it was a ridiculous empty space. In all, this office, which can seat 250 people, houses only about 50. That leaves 80% of the office left empty. Demoralizing.
We made our way back to the office and proceeded to have meeting after meeting. Some with people on the phone. Other with people in the office. How to integrate our initiative into this empty office. How to make it profitable. Money, money, money, money...
I spent the day writing. It is said that scribes were historically not as important as their leaders. Well, I spent the day as 'not as important'. No problem. Unlike in history, scribes can now work themselves into positions where they are the leaders.
But that's what I did. I wrote.
The day ended. I cannot yet say whether it was a success. That will depend entirely on the outcome. Today was just the beginning.
We departed in good spirits and proceeded to have a good dinner at a restaurant called Fish Bones. I had a Bison Ribeye Steak. Tasty, though too much fat.
And up here into the hotel. My last night. I have packed. I can't say I'm particularly looking forward to returning to work. I am, however, looking forward to seeing Joseph, the pups, and the kitties. It's time to go home...
But, for now, I will watch as history is made and Obama - seemingly - will take the presidency.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
A Brief Word: The Vote
Joseph and I prepare to run errands, so I must make this short.
For those wondering where my weekly picks have gone, they'll be comin' round the mountain this evening...
As some of you know, I'm going to Florida tomorrow and I'm returning Wednesday. That means, of course, that I won't be here for the election. It also means I wouldn't have been here to vote. Since I do not vote by absentee ballot - as many in Washington do - I must vote in person.
I therefore left work early yesterday and headed down to Renton where sits the seat of elections in King County. As expected, the place was packed. I filled out the paperwork to vote electronically and began my stay in line. I brought a book, of course, but I must admit that I was rather too fascinated with the likes of the people. The complainers. The texters. The mothers with their six children. The barely-able-to-walk. The students. The little old women handing out candy. The mask-wearers (it was Halloween after all).
After a 45 minute wait, a plump woman came down the hall and called out for those who chose to vote electronically. I and six others - out of the 50 standing in the hallway - walked with her. In the early voting room, we found that there were, in fact, two ways to vote.
1. Vote electronically and have your ballot cast before your very eyes.
2. Vote by paper. This means sitting down at a desk with a nice young man and reviewing exactly what you need to do in order to fill out the paper ballot and put it in a box designated for voting.
I will never understand why people are so afraid of automation. Can the vote be lost in the electronic machine? Sure. But can't someone just choose not to acknowledge a written vote too?
In any case, while others waited 2-3 hours to vote, I was able to vote in just under an hour. And that suited me just fine.
Washington is talking about going to all absentee ballot. I'm not personally in favor because I think the vote is a communal activity. It's not a waste of our time to stand in line for a period of time and involve ourselves in government.
In any case, I can now disregard the political ads - thank God - and move on to Election Day when we'll discover who our next president will be. Among other elected officials.
Oh, and of course I voted for...
Did you think I'd actually tell?
For those wondering where my weekly picks have gone, they'll be comin' round the mountain this evening...
As some of you know, I'm going to Florida tomorrow and I'm returning Wednesday. That means, of course, that I won't be here for the election. It also means I wouldn't have been here to vote. Since I do not vote by absentee ballot - as many in Washington do - I must vote in person.
I therefore left work early yesterday and headed down to Renton where sits the seat of elections in King County. As expected, the place was packed. I filled out the paperwork to vote electronically and began my stay in line. I brought a book, of course, but I must admit that I was rather too fascinated with the likes of the people. The complainers. The texters. The mothers with their six children. The barely-able-to-walk. The students. The little old women handing out candy. The mask-wearers (it was Halloween after all).
After a 45 minute wait, a plump woman came down the hall and called out for those who chose to vote electronically. I and six others - out of the 50 standing in the hallway - walked with her. In the early voting room, we found that there were, in fact, two ways to vote.
1. Vote electronically and have your ballot cast before your very eyes.
2. Vote by paper. This means sitting down at a desk with a nice young man and reviewing exactly what you need to do in order to fill out the paper ballot and put it in a box designated for voting.
I will never understand why people are so afraid of automation. Can the vote be lost in the electronic machine? Sure. But can't someone just choose not to acknowledge a written vote too?
In any case, while others waited 2-3 hours to vote, I was able to vote in just under an hour. And that suited me just fine.
Washington is talking about going to all absentee ballot. I'm not personally in favor because I think the vote is a communal activity. It's not a waste of our time to stand in line for a period of time and involve ourselves in government.
In any case, I can now disregard the political ads - thank God - and move on to Election Day when we'll discover who our next president will be. Among other elected officials.
Oh, and of course I voted for...
Did you think I'd actually tell?
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Corporation... Continued IV
Work... Exertion of effort directed to produce or accomplish something (Dictionary.com).
So, if I'm not accomplishing anything in particular during my day, even if I'm exerting myself constantly, can I consider it work?
The last time we chatted, I spoke more about Six Sigma and the company vision. Well, I'm proud to announce that the company now has a vision. I can't say that I'm overly proud to announce what that particular vision is, but we'll get to that.
It has been three weeks on the proverbial nose since I last brought you word of the happenings on the 9th floor in the Darth Vader Building. The CEO and President went to Dallas to suggest a strategy for moving the company forward. The strategy focused mainly on acquiring new bankruptcy servicing contracts so that the company does not have to attain the capital to purchase accounts and wait inordinate amounts of time for the return. Lone Star thought it a good idea; better stated, they thought it one good idea.
It seems - as a I discussed last time - that collecting on bankrupt debt promises to become a heck of a lot more difficult in the coming years. Especially for those companies - mine - that collect on unsecured bankrupt debt. In short, debtors have to pay back their debt now. And most don't have the money to pay back all the debt. Some declare bankruptcy. Most of those who will declare bankruptcy will have very little money. Those who do have a little money will concentrate on paying back the secured debt. What does that mean for companies that are collecting on unsecured bankrupt debt (that's us)? Zilch. Nada. Zero.
So, Lone Star said that servicing is a great idea since we wouldn't have to put up any money; we'd just get the fees. But it can't be the only idea. A company that can't diversify in tough times is doomed to failure. And thus, Ed and Rui returned talking about servicing non-bankrupt debt. In short, collections. Dismissed bankrupt accounts (accounts belonging to those who could not sustain a bankruptcy for whatever reason). First and second lien mortgage deficiencies. Second lien mortgage delinquencies. Don't ask me the difference between deficiency and delinquency, I haven't looked it up yet.
Combine this 'suggestion' from Lone Star with the fact that our company is also in the process of becoming interconnected with two other Lone Star subsidiaries: Accredited Home Lenders and CIT Bank. I'm presently working on a project for CIT Bank out of Oklahoma City. But I'm not going to talk about them at any length here since I'm already far too wordy.
I will, however, talk about Accredited Home Lenders. Lest I get some of the specifics wrong, let's just say that Lone Star owns Accredited (it is more complicated than that). Accredited - one of the premiere subprime home lenders for the past 3-5 years - can no longer originate subprime loans. Go figure. They have consolidated, significantly. They once had three offices packed to the gills with employees in Cincinnati, OH; San Diego, CA; and Lake Mary, FL. They have necessarily consolidated down to one office, San Diego, where they will work their much reduced portfolio of accounts. That leaves the Ohio and Florida shops to close.
Well, Lone Star and our company leaders had an idea. We could take over one of those offices for our own new collections line, especially since those offices essentially specialize in the types of collections - except for dismissal collections - in which my company would like to be involved. In the process, we might even be able to save a few jobs down in Florida.
About two weeks ago, I was invited to a meeting that included about 14 other people in the company. It was in that meeting that Ed - the CEO - made the announcement that we would be opening a new office in Lake Mary, FL and that it needed to be operational by the end of the year, i.e. 12/31/2008. Rui - the President - was put in charge of the effort to give birth to the new company.
After that meeting, everything took a turn for the incredibly insane. Rui asked my boss if I could be the Project Manager that helped to lead the way into Florida. My boss agreed. And so, my projects are being offloaded one by one as I ramp up for work on this new business model.
Oh, and have I mentioned that 40% of my weeks these past three weeks have been devoted to Six Sigma training off site? And it's supposed to be next Monday and Tuesday too. But no...
I'm going to Florida. Leaving on Sunday. Coming back on Wednesday. Just found out yesterday.
Crazy turn of events.
And then I remembered, voting! I need to vote. So, that means voting will need to happen in the next couple of days before I leave.
Finally, a coincidence. This will mark the second time in my life that I will be just outside Orlando for an election, I who have no real connection to Orlando in any way, shape, or form. I was there 16 years ago visiting Disney World, and on the final night I watched as Bill Clinton became the first and only Democrat I've ever seen elected to the White House. Odd...
Well, there you have it. My life is nothing if not consistently interesting. For now, I exert significant amounts of effort and feel as though I am accomplishing next to nothing...
More to come...
So, if I'm not accomplishing anything in particular during my day, even if I'm exerting myself constantly, can I consider it work?
The last time we chatted, I spoke more about Six Sigma and the company vision. Well, I'm proud to announce that the company now has a vision. I can't say that I'm overly proud to announce what that particular vision is, but we'll get to that.
It has been three weeks on the proverbial nose since I last brought you word of the happenings on the 9th floor in the Darth Vader Building. The CEO and President went to Dallas to suggest a strategy for moving the company forward. The strategy focused mainly on acquiring new bankruptcy servicing contracts so that the company does not have to attain the capital to purchase accounts and wait inordinate amounts of time for the return. Lone Star thought it a good idea; better stated, they thought it one good idea.
It seems - as a I discussed last time - that collecting on bankrupt debt promises to become a heck of a lot more difficult in the coming years. Especially for those companies - mine - that collect on unsecured bankrupt debt. In short, debtors have to pay back their debt now. And most don't have the money to pay back all the debt. Some declare bankruptcy. Most of those who will declare bankruptcy will have very little money. Those who do have a little money will concentrate on paying back the secured debt. What does that mean for companies that are collecting on unsecured bankrupt debt (that's us)? Zilch. Nada. Zero.
So, Lone Star said that servicing is a great idea since we wouldn't have to put up any money; we'd just get the fees. But it can't be the only idea. A company that can't diversify in tough times is doomed to failure. And thus, Ed and Rui returned talking about servicing non-bankrupt debt. In short, collections. Dismissed bankrupt accounts (accounts belonging to those who could not sustain a bankruptcy for whatever reason). First and second lien mortgage deficiencies. Second lien mortgage delinquencies. Don't ask me the difference between deficiency and delinquency, I haven't looked it up yet.
Combine this 'suggestion' from Lone Star with the fact that our company is also in the process of becoming interconnected with two other Lone Star subsidiaries: Accredited Home Lenders and CIT Bank. I'm presently working on a project for CIT Bank out of Oklahoma City. But I'm not going to talk about them at any length here since I'm already far too wordy.
I will, however, talk about Accredited Home Lenders. Lest I get some of the specifics wrong, let's just say that Lone Star owns Accredited (it is more complicated than that). Accredited - one of the premiere subprime home lenders for the past 3-5 years - can no longer originate subprime loans. Go figure. They have consolidated, significantly. They once had three offices packed to the gills with employees in Cincinnati, OH; San Diego, CA; and Lake Mary, FL. They have necessarily consolidated down to one office, San Diego, where they will work their much reduced portfolio of accounts. That leaves the Ohio and Florida shops to close.
Well, Lone Star and our company leaders had an idea. We could take over one of those offices for our own new collections line, especially since those offices essentially specialize in the types of collections - except for dismissal collections - in which my company would like to be involved. In the process, we might even be able to save a few jobs down in Florida.
About two weeks ago, I was invited to a meeting that included about 14 other people in the company. It was in that meeting that Ed - the CEO - made the announcement that we would be opening a new office in Lake Mary, FL and that it needed to be operational by the end of the year, i.e. 12/31/2008. Rui - the President - was put in charge of the effort to give birth to the new company.
After that meeting, everything took a turn for the incredibly insane. Rui asked my boss if I could be the Project Manager that helped to lead the way into Florida. My boss agreed. And so, my projects are being offloaded one by one as I ramp up for work on this new business model.
Oh, and have I mentioned that 40% of my weeks these past three weeks have been devoted to Six Sigma training off site? And it's supposed to be next Monday and Tuesday too. But no...
I'm going to Florida. Leaving on Sunday. Coming back on Wednesday. Just found out yesterday.
Crazy turn of events.
And then I remembered, voting! I need to vote. So, that means voting will need to happen in the next couple of days before I leave.
Finally, a coincidence. This will mark the second time in my life that I will be just outside Orlando for an election, I who have no real connection to Orlando in any way, shape, or form. I was there 16 years ago visiting Disney World, and on the final night I watched as Bill Clinton became the first and only Democrat I've ever seen elected to the White House. Odd...
Well, there you have it. My life is nothing if not consistently interesting. For now, I exert significant amounts of effort and feel as though I am accomplishing next to nothing...
More to come...
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
A Political Take
Instead of a video this week, I give you an animated short from JibJab. I rather think it a balanced view of the election to take place in 13 days and 3 hours from now.
My thanks go to Twiggy for sending this...
Vote Here
My thanks go to Twiggy for sending this...
Vote Here
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