If you are like me, you eat both breakfast and lunch at your desk. You may even skip meals all together and instead graze a little throughout the day, all the while working, never pausing to actually enjoy ‘meal-time’.  Once in a great while, when I indulge and leave the office for 45 minutes or so, the computer is never left behind. Along it comes to accompany me at a nearby lunchtime destination. It is not so much that I fear I will miss some ever-important work-related email, but more of just a habit to continue working on through the day. I am so used to  constantly ‘doing’ something, that even at home I have a magazine or some other reading material with me at the dinner table. And this is only when I am in fact at the dinner table, having dinner, instead of snacking in front of the Tv.

I, like most Americans I suppose, am accustomed to the lifestyle of go-go-go all day long, never pausing to take a break, enjoy a meal or the company of another. Anything other than that feels wrong, like if I stop or slow down, I am slacking off somehow.

So, imagine the state of shock and awe I found myself in during my recent first visit to Europe, immediately upon arriving at our destination in the south of France, and sitting down to an elaborate 2-hour lunch, complete with multiple courses (and multiple bottles of wine). And this was just the beginning. Every meal in France was long and leisurely, and afterwards everyone would just return to going about their day.

And then came Spain. Ohhhh Spain, where everyplace from the sleepy villages along the Mediterranean coast to the bustling streets of Barcelona, virtually shut down between the hours of 1:30 and 4:30. The beaches, the streets, restaurants and bars, even banks and supermarkets are all deserted in favor of this wonderful phenomena, the ’siesta’. Everything closes so that Spainards can return home to relish in delicious food and the company of loved ones, and then- this is the best part- retreat to a mid-day nap before returning to finish the work day!

At first this lifestyle seemed so odd and unusual. But believe me it did not take long to become accustomed to it, as you can observe from the photo above. And then to realize how right-on it is! Europeans sure have a sense of what is important in life. It is taking the time to enjoy it, rather than rush though it like a mad-man (woman).

I don’t know if there is anything that could change the fast-paced American work ethic, but I hope that one day we learn to embrace some of what the Europeans could teach us. Until then, I have to work on the small ways to integrate some of that into my hetic lifestyle. I would love to hear some suggestions from those of you who have found ways to indulge in your own sense of ’siesta’.

Book of the week: Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. I should call this the ‘book of the summer’ because it took me that long to read it in its entirety, but if you enjoy long stories that you really become invested in, this tale that takes place in the 1100’s will suck you right in and even leave you wanting more!

We received a small package in the mail yesterday that really got me thinking about Sixthman and our community. As a company one of our main goals is to bring people together in a unique environment that allows them to enjoy the music they love with other music enthusiasts. Through these unique experiences, we want to build a strong community of people both on board and off board. We love knowing that through our experiences people meet new friends and reconnect with old friends! One of the ways many of our guests stay in touch throughout the year is on our event message boards. I have the honor of being a part of the Simple Man message boards and help answer any questions that they may be posting. Through the message boards I have really gotten to learn more about our Simple Man guests and their wonderful sense of humor. Steve can confirm their sense of humor, I have come to the conclusion that picking on him is one of their favorite past times.

So back to the package; as I racked my brain to come up with an idea of my blog a small brown package arrived addressed to Sixthman. It is from one of our Simple Man guests and frequent Simple Man message boarders. I recognize the name and open the package. Inside there is a note and a small dude on surfboard. A little confused, I read the note included long story short these wonderful Simple Man guests had bought quite a few of these figurines and sent them to all the Simple Man frequent message boarders across the country. Their only request was for us to take care of our adoptee and give them new homes. As soon as I got done reading the note I hopped on the message boards to read through the thread about the dudes. There are four pages of pictures, creativity names and in depth stories of injury due to the postal service. To join in on the activities, Kelly and I grab the  camera and took a picture of our dude outside the big yellow house.

I just want to say Thank you to the Simple Man message boarders for involving us in their silliness!!

I am a natural born skeptic. I just can’t help it. I always have been.

So when I was old enough to figure out that you had to love someone an awful lot to get married I was always asking my mom “How did you know you wanted to marry Daddy?” And the only answer I ever got was, “I just did.”

Naturally, my reaction was to roll my eyes and announce to the world that I didn’t believe you could “just know” something that important. And what’s more, if “just knowing” was the only proof you had to go on, then I was never going to get married. The whole concept sounded ridiculous to me.

Well….enter Rhett McAllister. Thirteen years ago he walked into the common room at the UNCG School of Music. We started chatting and there went my cynical notion of relationships all together. We have our great days and our rough days (sometimes some REALLY rough days), but either way every day is worth it. And guess what? I just knew.

I hate it when my mother is right.

You’d think something like that might have decreased my doubting Thomas tendencies but no….whenever my mother told me that it’s possible to love someone you haven’t even met yet I thought, “Yeah, right.” But now, see there’s this little girl…

I haven’t met her officially and I don’t even know her name yet, but I can tell you a few things about her.

I know she likes The Weepies, Tom Petty, Sun Kil Moon, fried chicken and spaghetti. I pretty much live for her every movement (which feels oddly like gas or popcorn popping), she gives me really bad heartburn and let’s just say that she’s making bending over a bit of a challenge. Rhett tells her about his day every night before bed and sings silly songs to her. And my mother has already bought her more clothes and toys than should be allowed by law.

And last but not least….. I can’t wait until we meet face to face, because I think I love her more than I have ever loved anything in my whole life:

Apparently a mother knows. I think my skeptic days are over…..maybe…..

There was never a point in my life growing up that I remember actually believing in Santa Claus. It seems like everyone has this really traumatic story of the moment they found out Santa Claus wasn’t real, but I remember my parents telling me that Santa is an idea, and we all hope he’s real, but he may not be. My parents were really into setting realistic expectations. I guess that’s good- I never had any unnecessary let downs that everyone else seemed to get.

I did have some pretty irrational beliefs that no one else seemed to have, though. Until I was in high school, I thought it was possible to set a car on fire with a cigarette. You know how people throw their lit butts out the window? I thought  the butts would get sucked under my car and set the thing on fire.  Once I was in high school, I realized that it was irrational and I let it go. Until my dad heard about it. Like most of my problems, I blame my parents.

My dad was teaching me to drive, and I told him about it, my car fire fear, and we had a laugh. He said, “Oh, Barb, that really CAN happen! That’s what’s going on every time you see a car on fire on the side of the road!” Please remember, I lived in suburban Augusta, GA, and we NEVER saw cars on fire on the side of the road.

A few years later, I went to college in Atlanta. Within the first few months, I was riding on the downtown connector in the hot hot heat, traffic at a standstill, and there was a car on fire on the side of the road. It was probably due to a cigarette being thrown out of a window somewhere

I also have an irrational fear having to do with a big hairy hand and public restrooms, but that’s another blog altogether. What are your irrational fears?

Often I am asked why companies aren’t “jumping in the boat” to become sponsors for our events. It has been our experience that sponsors present the objection that our events engage only a few thousand people at one time, and that since our guests come from all over demographically speaking, we are too big for any one region to support and too small for national budgets. In response to these objections, I always ask the company to consider the value of having their product in the hands of people who are having the time of their lives, of tapping into an active community and having a genuine conversation with potential customers, earning their trust and arming them with knowledge and passion to share with peers. What could be more valuable than that?

Most of the time, it ends with them looking elsewhere to get a banner at a festival of 50,000 people because of the cost per thousand . However, I believe that this is finally beginning to change as major brands are seeing the value of Word of Mouth. We had no choice to but to build our business by leveraging the power of Word of Mouth and take it very seriously that 75% of our guests hear about us via an artist or a friend.

For instance, this theory makes sense when I think about the the last 10 things I spent my time and / or money on…..

Leapin Lizzards – a good friend told me about this place a mile from my house that was a great place to take the kids to enjoy their “bounce houses and blow up slides”. Been there 2x in 2 weeks.

Facebook – had 3 conversations with different people in one week about their experience on Facebook so I finally dove in.

IPhone – saw all the commercials but held off my decision to purchase until I spoke to a few peers who were having a good experience with it.

Case for IPhone – asked our IT guy which case he preferred and he recommended the Agent 18 hard case.

Computer Bag – a friend was raving about his new Oakley bag and how well it worked for him. I ordered one on-line and love it.

Jeans – asked the girls in the office where I could get a good pair of dress jeans. One of them recommend a boutique in Atlanta I had never heard of.

Harvard Business Review – at a breakfast meeting, a colleague mentioned that the articles in this magazine were very helpful for him, so I subscribed.

Wii – my neighbors would not shut up about it. Its the best family video game I have seen.

GMC Acadia – saw one in an airport and asked my wife to consider it. She went to drive one and loved it.

Kindle – Haven’t bought it yet but plan on it when I can afford it. Our pastor told the story about how he wanted to hate it but after trying it was hooked.

While all these purchases weren’t 100% influenced by Word of Mouth, it certainly played a crucial role in making the final decision. Lets hear about your last few purchases and the role Word of Mouth played in it.

-Andy

My best friend Barbara and I have a game we call Proof of Life.  If ever one of us was kidnapped or in a hostage situation, we could confirm that the other was alive by asking the kidnapper a proof of life question, only the other would know.  It is fun to play, and it brings back some funny memories that the two of us have shared over the years.  Here are a few question and answers that would serve as proof of life between the two of us.  They are hilarious to me, but probably don’t make any sense to anyone else.

1. What do we call the store owner at the antique barn?        Merve the Perve
2. What is Janice’s drink of choice?     Jim and Tomics
3. Who wanted Christmas kisses?    T-Bone
4. What was the name of the drink Billy invented to bring to Fantasy Fest?     The Leg Spreader

I have expanded the game to my friends at Sixthman.  Lets see if they can answer their proof of life question below.  I will post the correct answers in the comments of this blog.

1. What article of clothing does Joy like to wear on plane trips?
2. What personal item did Peter have kidnapped and held hostage?     
3. What is the name of the condition Barb gets after eating too many gyros?   
4. What nickname did Andy earn on Jam Cruise?  
5. What item did Lauren keep eating on poker night during BGW?  
6. What is the name of Michael’s new favorite duet?    
7. What holy grail item does May need to win Dead Armadillo?     
8. What fantastic feat did Jana perform after meeting her boyfriend’s parents for the first time?  
9. List the progression of Steve’s nicknames as listed on his Sixthman hat.  
10. What body part does Jodi have a phobia about?    
11. Who did April challenge to a dance off?
12. What item has Red specifically asked for in her new office?
13. What would Kelly always choose over cool whip covered treats?    
14. What is the craziest book Jill Mac owns?
15. What is Laura’s mother’s nickname?
16. Which word makes Ashley cringe?     
17. What was Melissa’s punishment for losing a bet on the Florida game?    
18. What did Nora accidentally mail out to a cruise guest?
19. What is Carla’s favorite movie quote?   
20. What topic did Pam’s son sing a song about?   
21. What band does Nikkole secretly love?
22. What animal is Michelle afraid of?
23. What sport does Caro Lisa love, but is horrible at?  

Joy has asked that I put a disclaimer regarding this blog:  “Our proof of life questions have changed since the posting of this blog.  So please don’t get any smart ideas about kidnapping any of us.”             - Jill B 

I’m always looking for the next challenge. I’m never happy succeeding at what I’m doing. If I’m able to succeed, it’s not challenging enough.

I’ve also wanted to do something to give back, be it time, energy or money, to those who have not been as fortunate as I have been. It’s so easy to get caught up in the stresses of your own life, and consequently lose perspective of what’s important, and forget to be thankful for what you have in your life and your ability to help others.

So I’ve been searching to find this greater experience that will challenge me to be a better person, and what I’ve found is Team in Training (TNT). For those who aren’t familiar, Team in Training is a national organization that raises money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). LLS is a non-profit, voluntary health organization whose mission is to cure leukemia and its related cancers and to improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

The Team in Training program has trained over 360,000 people for endurance events. Participants, such as myself, receive professional training for their long distance run, walk or triathlon. You and a group people who are training for the same event work with a coach to increase your endurance for your race. They offer classes on nutrition, running, footwear and fundraising. In exchange you have a minimum amount of money that you must raise for LLS. They set you up with a webpage like mine, http://pages.teamintraining.org/ga/atlh08/lauramacqueen and will even pay to mail your first 100 fundraising letters. Your Team also has an Honored Hero who is someone who is fighting leukemia or lymphoma who will come to events and group training sessions.

I am training for the Atlanta Thanksgiving Half Marathon. TNT has given me a training schedule that I’ve been following to a T (granted we’re only in week 2), and I have to raise a minimum of $1500 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Team in Training has already enhanced my life so much. I cannot encourage you enough to find a chapter in your area and help those who are battling these terrible diseases. With organizations like TNT, we are on our way to finding a cure. I feel incredibly lucky that I have had great health so far in my life, but people, such as my Uncle have not been so lucky. He has fought lymphoma twice, and luckily won both times.

I encourage you to find your next challenge. It will enhance your life, and possibly the lives of others as well.

-Laura

So, I spend a lot of time reading about, thinking about, and researching about this thing called “branding.”

Usually, I am doing this with Sixthman in mind, since branding is generally something that companies  – not so much people – do. But when you get down to it, anything can have a brand, even people!

Take celebrities for example. You hear, “Madonna.” You think, “chameleon, risk-taker, mother, performer, strong woman.” Let’s try Johnny Knoxville. Hmmm, daredevil, comic, self-made, frat boy, uhhh, let’s face it  – jackass.

We’re currently working to define Sixthman with five “brand” words like this, and its been a very interesting exercise. We are learning a lot about who we are, who we strive to be, and what we look like to everyone out there.

This got me thinking, what would I look like as a brand?? Is the rest of the world getting what I think I’m putting out there? Am I staying true to my core? Would someone use “jackass” to describe me? Say it ain’t so!! In my personal life, I strive to be genuine, and I think if I took the time to really define who it is I am, I will do a better job of doing just that. We’ve done some tests here which define who we are when it comes to our work life, but I want to focus now on something even more personal.

I’ve taken a stab at what I’d like my five “brand words” to be, but so far I’ve only come up with four. Here’s what I look like so far:  jovial, grounded, adventurous, gentle.

Here’s what I’m wondering:

1. For anyone who knows me, can you think of a fifth? Am I kidding myself with any of the four I have so far?

2. Does anyone know themselves well enough to fire off their five words without laboring over it for hours and hours? If so, share! What’s your brand?

3. If you had to describe Sixthman in 5 words, what would you choose?

I rarely get mistaken for someone who takes the time to reflect internally on life, however, for the last year or so, I have been thinking about this concept called “The Bullseye” that measures 5 categories. Every now and then, I rate myself on each category to see how I am doing with the balance of my life. The scale works like this. Rate yourself on a 1-10 scale in each area. Once you have a 10 in each category, you score a “Bullseye” and you should be master of your domain.

1) Physical – Your overall state of health based on how you feel, weight, fitness and strength. (Not your looks)

2) Emotional – The strength of your relationships with family, friends and co-workers.

3) Spiritual – Confidence in your beliefs and connections with the forces of the universe.

4) Financial – Where you are on the path to escape debt, accumulate savings and live below your means.

5) Mental – State of mind, quest for knowledge and overall sharpness.

I scored myself as a 27 out of 50 possible points.

Are you brave enough?

-Andy

We have had some exciting weeks around Sixthman in the last month, but this week was mine..
 
Monday Aug 11th was a big day in our house. My youngest son turned two and started his first day of preschool. My middle son started Kindergarten and my eldest son went “upstairs” in his school to second grade. WOW how time flies! I remember two summers ago when my baby was born and my eldest started Kindergarten. This time of year certainly is a season of change in our household.
 
This whole week has been filled with exciting events. Each boy has come home with something new to talk about, what they have learned or who they played with. We have even had some tears about not having friends, but in all it’s been great and part of growing up. Anyone who has kids knows that these first few weeks of school can be crazy and stressful but for us it has been fun and exciting as well.
 
 My week ended with Andy signing the lease agreement for our new office space. I was so excited when I left the building this afternoon.  I thought to myself, wow we are growing up and the next chapter is about to begin in Sixthman’s world, just as it had in my little world this week.
 
So tell me, did anything exciting happen to you this week? I would love to hear about it..
 
Pam