Back from Chicago

Well, almost. I'm writing this on the plane and it will post when I land. I actually just read a cool article on wifi on jets. United will have it for a bunch of their domestic flights in 06. Its already working well on a bunch of International routes. I'll be able to blog in flight. Just what everyone wants.

My meetings went well yesterday and it turned out Jud and his brother Mike were in town for Neocon, a gigantic furniture conference. I followed them around to industry parties last night after dinner with my agency guys. Good times.
Mark Carpenter
General Manager and Director
Web Strategy and Operations
www.aarp.org
--------------------------
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld (www.BlackBerry.net)

This is the photo I was talking about that I couldn't upload Saturday or Sunday. Something wacky goin on. Anyway, we took the kids to the pool Saturday where I was able to test out my new "freebie" water proof digital camera. It sucks as a camera but you can take it in the pool, so it has that going for it. Sam loved the new water slide but Dylan opted to hold off using it for now. I'm sure he will be an old pro by the end of the summer.  

I was walking from my hotel to the Euro offices this morning and noticed this from Chicago's Red Eye newspaper. I decided not to spend the 25 cents for the rag but felt it was worth blogging. At least my blog is pretty clean considering this... 

Blue chicago

Blue chicago
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

Jud and mo

O'hare

O'hare
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

Waiting for gate

Coldplay

This new album by Coldplay is kind of boring. I must say I like the new Wallflowers much better and that White Stripes album has me confused. I need to listen to it again.

I bet kumie likes Coldplay. Oh yeah, the new Better Than Ezra album rules.

Good times.

Mark Carpenter
General Manager and Director
Web Strategy and Operations
www.aarp.org
--------------------------
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld (www.BlackBerry.net)

Picasa and Hello Pissing me off

I have some nice shots of all of us in the pool yesterday but I can't get them uploaded due to some wacky glitch with Hello. This post is in lew of seeing actual pictures which is what everyone wants to see. Hopefully soon.

Mark Carpenter
General Manager and Director
Web Strategy and Operations
www.aarp.org
--------------------------
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld (www.BlackBerry.net)

The boys hit the library this week with Blanca and she's beginning to take a bunch of pictures of their week days with my slightly older Canon digital camera. I guess that's the advantage to have 4 or 5 useful digital cameras in the house. Hmmm, maybe I need another new one. Probably not... The boys actually look studious in this shot. I'll post a couple Chuck E. Cheese shots on the web site. More soon...  

New members all the time

Fun fact

So Mike Lee and Erik Smith from GBN had dinner tonight at Bistro Bis on Capitol Hill. Erik ran the scenario planning sessions on the future of the web the last couple days and he and Mike debriefed me on all the good stuff that happened. It's really exciting stuff and just the beginning of what should be some fantastic future scenarios GBN will deliver later this summer. Nicole, Me and the boys are going to visit Erik in Emoryville over the 4th of July weekend we are in Berkeley. (Emoryville is just down the street)

The other exciting part of dinner was that Hillary Rodham Clinton had dinner right next to us. We had a good time trying to figure out where and who the secrect service agents were but didn't really nail it down. Mike took a sneaky picture over Erik's shoulder since neither of us could actually get up and ask for a shot. http://hiptop.bedope.com/pics/111828356296E40F8-1.jpg Eric is the guy, Hillary is just behind him.

Oh yeah, I shot 80 this morning at Brambleton. I played with a few guys from my e-business council who are meeting tomorrow in Reston. I'm going to miss the meeting, too much to do.

More soon.

Not surprised

I guess any airport named George Bush International is going to have problems. I swear I've always had delays or problems whenever I've gone through there. My United flight was delayed two hours so I jumped a Continental direct to DCA (Reagan National, scary going from Bush to Reagan). I'm about 45 minutes as I write this and all in all I should get home earlier than the original flight.

The two days at Personalysis was useful and thought provocing. Phillip Bailey was great to work with and helped me with a ton of insights into a number of my relationships. I'm tired now but feel pretty good about how I can use this information to be more effective at work and home.

I'm golfing with my e-business exexcutive buddies. Then I'm having dinner with Eric Smith from Global Business Networks. He's been running the scenario planning workshop for my group at aarp the last couple days.

As predicted, not a lot of good pictures from Houston.

More soon.

Mark Carpenter
General Manager and Director
Web Strategy and Operations
www.aarp.org
--------------------------
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld (www.BlackBerry.net)

Omni houston

Omni houston
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

Bad bar art

06-06-05_1128.jpg

06-06-05_1128.jpg
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

Houston we have a problem

Actually Houston is the problem. Hot, humid and full of strip malls. I told Sam and Dylan I was going on an airplane and Dylan said "bye,bye, papa, see you later". I don't know where he hears this stuff. They've had two trips to the airport this weekend, one for me and one for Nicole. They must think we just need to go on an airplane every once and a while or we are going to go see grandma since that's the only places they go. I don't think they have a sense of distance or the understanding that the world has time and space constraints. The trip to a PRK is the same as the one down the street as it is to one in Berkeley or Wayzata. It's all very simple.

If I find anything interesting in Houston, I'll take a picture and blog it. Don't hold your breath.

More soon.

Mark Carpenter
General Manager and Director
Web Strategy and Operations
www.aarp.org
--------------------------
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld (www.BlackBerry.net)

My friend Jessica and I took the boys on a Metro ride to Pentagon City to buy pretzels and socks. It was really about the train ride while mama made her way back from Charlotte. Nicole was actually only gone 8 or 9 hours. We dropped her off at the DCA around 7:45am and she was back at the house by 5pm. Jessica and I blew bubbles for the kids after the train ride. This is Sam reaching for something that is going to disappear.

Train station

Train station
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

Again friday

We went down the street to the Alexandria Train Station to watch Choo Choo's tonight after work. It's quite the hot bed of train action. You got VRE trains, Amtrak and accross the tracks a bit, Metro. The boys even got a ride on a station luggage cart (modified golf cart) from the station guy. We then went across the street to the Masonic Temple and climbed a lot of steps. I'm putting some more pictures up in my flickr account. You can access flickr from durpenters.org. I'm a little exhausted from the Provider Conference yesterday and trying to pick all the right words to say this afternoon at Laura Rossman's going away party. She was my first boss at AARP and was there for 15 years. I think my comments went over well and I didn't cry so I got that going for me. I'm going to miss her..

Ronald reagan building

Where i was speaking

ASI Provider Summit

I'm at the AARP Services, providers summit all day today. I walked to the Reagan Building this morning from AARP headquarters and realized how seldomly I leave that building during day. I usually drive in, park in the garage, head upstairs and go back to the garage for the drive home. The Penn Quarter nieghborhood where I work has really grown up and is quite vibrant. I need to get out and walk more aften during the day. At least until it's 100 degrees and humid.

I'm speaking today at 2. Time to get pumped up and sell the digital future of AARP.

Maor soon....
Mark Carpenter
General Manager and Director
Web Strategy and Operations
www.aarp.org
--------------------------
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld (www.BlackBerry.net)

Morning walk

Navy memorial