Merry Christmas 2010

I hope this finds all of my friends and family well and happy as we enter another holiday season! And, in a sure sign of the times, I'm attempting to send out holiday wishes to everyone in this new format - via my blog.

Some of us remember years when we spent hours selecting, writing, stamping and mailing holiday cards to dozens, maybe even hundreds, of close friends and family members. Heck, for some of you, that may still be true. But just as cars replaced horses, e-mail replaced carbon paper and my Kindle has replaced most of my book buying, it's now time for this blog post to replace the annual card-mailing ritual.

There's one definite advantage apparent right away: Instead of saving up all that's happened for a single one-page note, I can write when I feel like it - and you can read as you feel like it - from among my blog posts.

Interestingly, it's been a few months since I last wrote. New job, new town, new (rental) house, new chorus to sing in - all have conspired to keep me away from this blog. We just concluded the Christmas season for the Capital City Men's Chorus here in Austin with a concert last night and it was fantastic to be able to be in that environment yet again. I've sung with choruses in San Antonio, Denver, Atlanta and now Austin (along with a great amount of singing throughout high school and college), and there are few things in life that give me greater enjoyment than to add my voice to a beautiful song.

Life in Austin is settling down nicely, although I still look to the northwest, to home, to Denver. I'm lucky enough to be able to travel about once a month back home to see Bill, Gary and the gang, and it's possible that I might be able to work virtually in another six months or so. Stay tuned to see if I might get back to Denver sooner rather than later.

Austin is a fun city in a unique state. There is a wonderful "live and let live" vibe here, possibly due to the mammoth University of Texas campus, which skews the city young, bright and forward-thinking. Weather-wise, it's actually similar to Atlanta: Scorchingly hot summers, but wonderfully mild winters with nary a trace of snow to worry about. Austinites tend to make up for the lack of snow by overachieving on their Christmas lights - they are literally everywhere in every neighborhood!

Come February, I'll ramp up the job travel again - off to our many domestic call centers scattered from Arizona to Iowa to Florida, as I continue to build leadership training and revamp the new hire training. Much as I miss Noble in Atlanta, I feel that I've taken a step in the right direction by getting back west. Those of you who live in the west know what I mean - something about the ability to top a rise and see the sun as it touches the horizon, instead of being able to see only to the next group of houses or trees.

Now that Facebook and other social media have really taken root online, it's easier than ever to stay in touch and reach me - look for my FB profile, or my LinkedIn profile for those of you who are primarily business colleagues. About the only folks I know who might not be celebrating this latest holiday season is the post office - rapidly becoming the buggy whip makers of the 21st century!

Look for me online and say hello, and as we close out 2010, I wish all of you a Texas-sized holiday season with fun, food and those you love close by. Onward to 2011!