Time for a Trip

It is getting to be that time again.  Time to think about another trip.
With Christmas fast approaching, deadlines piling up and winter coming, it is time to start thinking about getting away from here for a week or 3.  We have been talking it over about where we want to go, and what we want to get out of the trip itself.  I have been following Kim and Rob over at  and thinking that one of their trips would be something fun to emulate.It would be different from the last few that we have went on.  Vegging in DR, shopping in NYC, visiting family in Florida and of course Disney.  These were fun, but I think that I need to go somewhere else and see something else.

Punta Cana 2008

So now the question is where? 

I am thinking about a 2 week tour of the Greek Isles, or maybe San Francisco.  Or Spain.  There are a couple of that drive where we go.  I live on the Atlantic Coast of Canada, and don’t want to go too many time zones away.  That might actually negate San Fran from the list.

Timezones are not a big deal for a long trip, but since I figure I will only be able to get away for a week at most I don’t want to spend time recovering from Jet Lag in either direction.  3 time zones I think are max, maybe 4.  So that really limits me to the west coast of Europe and the entire eastern seaboard of NA.

Where would you go?

We really have no idea where we want to go, but we do know that we want to have a blast, and there has to be beaches and warm weather.  the trip is scheduled for February.  So leave us some suggestions and links so that we can get this party started.  Once I know where and when it will be just the motivation that I need to get all of the crap that I have on my plate now DONE.

Cheers,

JM

Weekend over and Week beginning

Where I was on the weekendIt is just about time to start getting ready for the week ahead.  Today I made some great progress with my business plans and starting to put into motion plans that I developed over the last couple of months.

I have re-read the 4HWW, and have developed a list of goals that I am striving for, and bringing the 20/80 to fruitration.  From these thoughts I have started yet another project, yeah I know it almost seems like I am diluting and creating more work, but I think that this project will turn out to be the “one”

For those that don’t know I am an Electrical Engineer by training.  Well, almost I still haven’t finished the paper work to get my P.Eng designation, but I still have a month before my self-imposed deadline.  I am going to start a training course for a very specific field in the electrical industry.  With this course I hope to both help myself by selling packages with it, and also bring more work into my employers coffers by recommending them for the studies.  This is a consulting task that I will end up doing, but I am not ready for the liabilty that this would entail.

Training Courses are the new Black

I have begun the task of the training course by writing a spec for preliminary research, the type of research that should allow me to discover what people are looking to know, and what types of questions they are asking.  This is a very important first step, as I don’t want to spend too many hours answering a question that only I have the interest in.

I have sent this spec to a few of the contacts that I have used in the past and depending on the response and costs I will either engage one of them or open it up to bidding on a freelance site.

From there I plan to start the research, again I will be out sourcing this.  At least at the beginning.  When I feel I have enough of the information I need I will write and format the course.  I will outsource the actual editing and final formatting.  I plan on having a book, presentation, a few tools and an exam to test the “students” knowledge.

I haven’t set a time line for this project yet, that I will do when I have the initial research data.  I will be sure to keep everyone up-to-date on this.

And that first picture? It is a Milk Shed, actually it is THE milk shed of my Grandmother in CB where I was on a weekend not too long ago.