Working In Mexico City - Day 1 June 24, 2007

The first of a series of blogs on a working trip to Mexico City.  I am sure you will all find this riveting in formation, and will look forward to the next day. 

 

Traveling

Today, Sunday, I got up early at 5:00 am and quickly got dressed and finished packing for my trip to Mexico City.  I tried to get breakfast, but remembered that I needed to drive fast, because this was an international flight.  I left home at 6:02 am and arrived at the Airport at about 6:45 am.  I quickly went to the ticket counter, and there was a long line.  Fortunately, the started allowing international travelers to check in by a kiosk like national travelers, so I was not only able to print my ticket but to check my passport as well, so that I could quickly get to my gate.  After passing security I arrived at the gate with about 10 minutes to spare before they loaded (7:30 am) for an 8:00 am flight.  So I was able to buy an Egg McMuffin before I boarded my flight.

Arrived at Dallas Airport at 11:10 am.  Took the train to a different Concourse arriving at my gate at 11:40 am just 10 minutes before the plane started loading for a 12:10 flight to Mexico City.  I arrived in Mexico City at 2:40 PM. In the Airport in Mexico City, I had to wait with everyone else to go through Immigration and Customs.  The line was really long.  1 and 1/2 hour later I had finally made it through customs.  Outside, a driver was to be waiting for me with a sign with my name.  I saw no one.  After about 15 minutes, I received a call from the Hotel saying that the Driver had been waiting since 2:40 and was wondering if I had left.  I told them where I was, at Gate E3 outside of Customs, as I was instructed to be.  She then told me she would send him my way.  After another 15 minutes of looking for him, I saw a new man with a folder looking around.  I thought I saw Barrett on the folder written in pencil.  He was not holding the folder up, so I went and asked him if he was looking for me.  He then took me about 100 yards down the hall to where another place was marked E3, and introduced me to my driver.  Finally, I was able to arrive at the hotel at 5:00 PM. 

In Mexico, I called my work associate and we went out for dinner and discussed the training plans and other things we needed to accomplish on Monday and through the week.

Church

Since it was Sunday, and I did not get a chance to attend our church meetings, during the flights I listened to part of the New Testament on mp3 files I had downloaded from the church web site. I was able to listen and repeat as necessary, where I felt I did not hear or understand well, from Acts 11 through Romans 11.  I had not read these parts of the New Testament in years.  It was very good.  I especially liked reading about Paul's travels, miracles, visions, imprisonment, angelic rescues and teachings.  Reading some of this with the understand we also have from the Book of Mormon and other scriptures, it is hard to understand how other religions can not believe some of our doctrines.  Especially when it comes to things like personal revelation, ordination by one with authority, baptism as an part of repentance rather than as infants, and other items. 

The Hotel

 The Hotel was a real surprise, it is very nice hotel in the best part of Mexico City, but it is very European/Scandinavian/Modernistic.  All of the furnishings are very modern and cold looking.  Halls are dark with strips of red lighting down the halls.  The room is very comfortable, but again modern and cold.  It has a huge shower area, with marble floors and walls and a complete wall of windows, with a large plantation shutter.  There is one shower head from the ceiling to the side, with a marble post in front of it that has two additional shower heads that spray on your legs and your stomach or bottom.  You can clean all of your body parts at once.  Oh! I forgot to mention the large Mexican Hammock in my shower area as well.  I guess we are supposed to shower then lay in the hammock while we dry off.

It does have a 32" HD TV and DVD player. 

Having stayed up until 1:00 am the night before, woken at 5:00 am I decided it was time to go finish a few e-mails, update my blog  and go to bed. 

The pictures below are of the Hotel, and the view out of my shower window. 

Free Misplace slideshows, photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Never Prepared for the Event

Ever since we had children, it seems that we have never quite been prepared for their events. Linda will declare that this is one of my weaknesses. That is probably true since she always plans things out in advance. This is one area, where she has let me fail a number of times. Recently was one of those times.

David had his lats choir concert in High School. He was given a solo. As we had to hurry and leave, I quickly checked my video camera bag, and then after a quick review of several tapes, could not find one that I had copied to somewhere else so that I could re-use the tape or one which had space on it. So I decided, I would have to record it on my digital camera.

We went to the event, then of course, had to take a few pictures here and there. About the time that his solo started, which was near the end, I started recording the solo in video mode. Linda also had her brand new digital camera and was taking pictures, and I thought recording also. About 15 seconds into his solo, of about 40 seconds, my card ran out of space. Linda thought she might have caught it, but was unsure. The result was that we only captured 15 seconds or so in less then ideal detail.

But what we did get, I share with you all

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

He was pretty good, huh! Too bad we didn't get more detail. It is also too bad, he would never expand on this great talent earlier.

BUT WE LOVE HIM AND WILL MISS HIM WHEN HE LEAVES HOME! JUST AS WE LOVE AND MISS YOU ALL!!

What Does Your Father Do?

Both my wife and my children have asked numerous time what I do for a living. When people ask them, the have a hard time explaining it, because I have a hard time explaining it.

I am going to attempt to write it down in as short an explanation as possible.

I develop the methods or steps and tools that help the consultants at the company I work for, currently QAD, Inc, to quickly understand our client companies business operations and determine how they can be improved to result in cost savings and improved profits by installing and making use of features of the company's software. This includes improving the business processes by which our clients Plan their business product needs, take customer orders for product, purchase needed components of the ordered product, manufacture the product, and then deliver the correct product in the necessary time. My job not only includes defining the methods and tools to be used, but the training and supporting consultants to do this job more effectively.

In Short, I am the Consulting Methodology and Development Manager for an Supply Chain Management Software Company.

A simple view of a Supply Chain

A more complex view of a Supply Chain that shows at a high level all of the details our consultants must be able to help our customers improve

I am also a Realtor/Real Estate Investor who finds/buys bargain Single Family homes and either rents them or sells them through a Lease with an option to buy to people with marginal credit.

A Father's Day tribute to Mom.

As I have reflected on Father's day this year, I recognize that I would not even be able to be called Father if it were not for Linda who has consented and taken on the enormous but rewarding role of Mother. While I have had the more simple role of going off every day to make a living so we could all eat, sleep, and play in comfort. She is the one who endured the months of pregnancy, the pain of child birth, the anxiety of children's health concerns, the frustration of cleaning up after the messes left by 5 children who gradually learn personal responsibility. She is the one who spent late nights helping (doing) children's last minute school projects. She is the one who bought the groceries and prepared the meals until she got so tired of it, that she doesn't want to cook any more. She is the one who taught our children to read, write, draw, talk, write, and clean up after themselves. She is the one who made sure you were where they needed to be, doing the things you needed to do.

I am a proud Father. I have 5 wonderful children who, so far, have turned out as very good people. But when I look at my 5 wonderful children and 6 beautiful grandchildren, I realize that each of you are a primarily a product of Mom's contributions with a little bit of my seasoning. Linda is a wonder. She is organized, disciplined, honest, forthright and caring. She smother's you with her love as she still calls and is an integral part of each of your lives. She is the one who communicates and pulls us together as a family. I regretfully admit she is the one from whom I experience most of what has and does occur in your lives. I want to change that a little and become more involved in the lives of my children. But I am very grateful that I have a companion like Linda who has blessed both your lives as well as mine.

So while it is Father's Day - I want to celebrate Mom, who has made me look to the world like a good Father.

Story Time

One of my favorite activities with my grandchilren is making up and telling them stories on the fly. You never know how the story will end, or what will happen. The last time I got to do this was last summer in our back yard, Madison and Carter camped out in the back yard with me, and we had treats and watched a movie projected on a sheet on the patio. They wanted to see another movie, but it was getting late so I told them a story. I can't remember how it went or how it ended, but I know it included a little boy and girl camping with their Grandpa. They always seem to want another story afterward.

I am not going to tell one of my own stories here today, but I am including a story for my younger grandchilren that I found on the web. So for my grandchilren and children with love:

Pirates Treasure
Written by Carol Moore
Illustrated by Aura Moser

"Ten steps from the porch and twenty steps from the rose bushes," growled Bluebeard in Jimmy's dream one night. "There be treasure there! Aawrgh

So the next day Jimmy began to dig. He dug until the hole was deep and the dirt pile was high.

He kept digging. The hole got deeper and the dirt pile got higher.

He dug until the hole was deepest and the dirt pile was at its highest.

He sighed. "I'm too tired. I can't dig anymore." Then he spied something...

...but it was only one of Woofy's bones. Instead of treasure, all Jimmy had was a dog bone, a hole, and a big pile of dirt to fill it in with. He thought "That pirate lied to me!"

But when Jimmy's mother saw what he had done, she clasped her hands and smiled a smile from here to Sunday. "Oh, thank you, Jimmy. I always wanted a rhododendron bush planted just there. Here's $5.00 for digging that hole."

~ The End ~ ~

Happy Birthday Blythe

To Blythe: (Emily you will have to show this to her and read it to her)



Though you are across the world and we can not see you in person, you are on our mind daily.



Grandma Barrett and I (Poppers) love you very much and wish we could be there to play with you and hug and kiss you on your birthday.



But since we are not there, we can only say to you " WE LOVE YOU"


Keep that sly smile !


Take this Link to your Birthday Card