A month in a few paragraphs

I lost motivation to update my blog for the past half month due to arduous hours in the office. To catch all my faithful readers (the two of you ... thanks mom and dad), after a grueling few weeks in Scotland, I was sent to Florida for a week long conference and training session. I thought the week would be spent learning from some great leaders at GE while enjoying the sun, relaxing at the pool, and catching up with some great friends. Unfortunately it did not work out as I hoped. I ended up spending a total of two hours outside in the sun and never saw a beach. But, I did get to have some other great experiences albeit few and far between many meetings, presentations and projects. Lets step back in time and I will walk you through the highlights of the past month.

Royal Lochnagar: Two weeks before I headed to Florida, I went to my first scotch distillery for a tour. The Royal Lochnagar scotch is famous as it is the Queen of England's preferred and blessed distillery as it lies just over a ridge from Balmoral Castle, the summer and Scottish resort home of the Queen. The highlight of any scotch tour became clear immediately, the amazing smells of a distillery. From the earthy caverns of the storage areas where the scotch rests for 12-18 years, to the warm germinating smell of the barley maturing, and the steamy smell of mash being fermented into steam in stills, a distillery is a nasal delicacy. Maybe I just liked it because I loved the soap section of Bath and Body Works as a kid. I know, I am weird.

My last weekend in Scotland and my top Scottish photo: I took this one up in the Grampians while hiking, its a gem, don't you agree?


Off to Florida, My Birthday and Sawgrass: Our tri-annual conference was at the famous Sawgrass resort in Jacksonville Florida. The course is famous for its floating island green on the 17th hole and as the host of The Players Championship on the PGA tour. My 24th birthday (May 22nd) fell in the middle of the conference, conveniently on the same day as a large party hosted by GE at the TPC Sawgrass clubhouse. I celebrated in style at a 70,000 square foot Spanish villa mansion on the legendary course. I was surrounded by 450 GE friends flown to Jacksonville for the conference. I also was lucky to celebrate with my best FMP friends who joined as visitors. My parents and family sent me very thoughtful cards and I had a ton birthday wishes on my cell phone and facebook. I also celebrated with cake and champagne in the resort jacuzzi thanks to my parents who had room service deliver the treats. Thanks to everyone who made my birthday truly memorable.

Jacksonville is quite nice ... full of old people, golfer tourists, tan fake women, and swamps. Honestly, I really did have a nice time, it is a very modern city with a laid back atmosphere. The weather is perfect with bronzing sun year round. Glorious golf courses and sandy beaches are everywhere. And there are a ton of old people. Lots of old people. :)

Oh, I forgot to mention, congratulations to Stephen Grambling and team for their second place in the slider eating contest at the resort. 14 sliders in 4 minutes ... horrifically American, but still impressive.

Back to Scotland: I am currently back in Scotland for a few weeks, then off to Angola for work. Below is my housing and rental cars, its great working for such a generous company.

The Pagani, a fine Italian car designed by an Argentinian, is my teammate Ed's. I got the Koenigsegg, the worlds fastest production car. There is nothing like dusting sheep in this fine Swedish machine. My room is up near the turret on the castle, I can see Norway when the weather is clear.  I wish...  Actually, these shots are from Balmoral Castle, the summer home of the Queen.