David E. Gordon's Blog, page 6

Inspiration for Writing

I started a new job this week, working once again in “the city”. For those of you not familiar that is center city Philadelphia, as opposed to New York City. My commute is a little bit longer, but I have a 30 minute train ride – each way – which gives me time to write, think, or just relax and read a good book.

I also have a short 15 minute walk between my office and the train which is nice. Even though it is the city and there are cars and dumpsters everywhere impacting the “fresh air” it is still nice to get out. To let the air blow through my hair – assuming I had any. It gives me a chance to blow the daily cobwebs of life from my mind and truly start each day fresh.

It also gives me a chance to look at society around me and think about how we interact with people and how that has changed. As I walk down the street, past the tourist family holding tightly to their kids’ hands, past the other businessmen and women in suits, past the joggers and the strollers. I notice one thing that is consistent with almost everyone.

Almost everyone has a phone in one hand and their earbuds or headphones firmly planted on their heads and in their ears. I do the same myself, enjoying the time to listen to my favorite songs, or just let my iPhone choose for me. I do it, because like the air it drowns out the “noise” of life and let’s me escape for a bit.

But, I still find myself looking around at the rest of the people and I wonder. Even in myself, am I escaping from them or just into my own thoughts? For me, it is into my own thoughts. I have found in the past week a renewed vigor in my writing. And where I was somewhat stuck, I now feel alive again and more a part of my new story than before.

In a recent interview I was asked – where do I get the inspiration for my story? The answer is simple – just look around. There are so many stories all around us. Sitting beside me on the train, walking against the traffic light in a rush to get someplace, or just standing looking at the dress in the window.

In that same interview I was asked – when did I first feel like a writer? I am not sure when exactly, but I do know that it is days like today that I feel more like a writer than ever before. And as many authors have said over and over again. Writers write. Or as Steve Berry once said in an interview – you have to write every day so that the little voices in your head will quiet down.

So, quiet down little voices. I am writing. Again. Every day if I can. 

Here is my interview with David E. Gordon

Originally posted on authorsinterviews:

Name David E. Gordon

Age 51

Where are you from? I was born and raised in Scranton Pennsylvania, but now live in Washington Twp (Southern) New Jersey.

A little about your self `ie your education Family life etc

I am a corporate finance professional with an MBA. I used some of what I have learned and seen over my career to help with this first novel. When not writing I am a husband to an amazing wife and my best friend, and a father to two incredible young adults – 22 and (almost) 16. I enjoy golfing, cigars, poker, and spending time with family and friends.

Fiona: Tell us your latest news?

My big news is that I have just released my first Novel Cutter. This went from me telling a story to actually publishing it on Amazon, B&N, and iBooks.

Fiona: When and why did you begin writing?
I…

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Shirley Mae Run for Breast Cancer 2013

The below was something I wrote shortly after I did this 5k in May of 2013.

Let me start by saying that I am not a runner. I am 50 years old, but don’t consider myself old. Not by along shot. Even though I say is not a runner I have done a few races. But more for the sake of trying it and finishing than to win. In 2010 I ran a half marathon at Disney World, and that should have taught me not to do them anymore. It was 30 degrees or so, and it rained, snowed,and sleeted… Yes, the worst weather Orlando had seen in 30 years. The next time was better and I did a relay half marathon in Disney World. That time the weather just perfect for running a race. A couple of years later I ran what was a little short of a 5k in Pitman,NJ on July 4th. Of course, that day it was about 100 degrees but again… I finished and that was the idea.

Today was different, it was my second running in the Shirley Mae Foundation run for breast cancer awareness. It is a 5k which is run in Atlantic City. Last year was beautiful with a warm sun shinning brightly, lots of crowds and music. Today was a little different. Today it rained, a lot. But it was a beautiful day. There were lots of people and everyone was there for the same reason, to help raise money. I was there with family and friends and that made the day even more special. Some of us walked the mile or so, but I chose to run the 5k this year.

So, I picked up my bib and T-shirt and we all gathered getting our music and watches ready. As we stood waiting for the start we hoped the rain would hold off. It drizzled… Ok, that was not bad. So we moved under a building overhang and waited for the start. Still hoping the rain would not start. Then the announcer told the runners to start, and at that moment what had been a drizzle turned into a downpour. In moments we were all wet, and that quickly changed to drenched. But we all kept running… It was a beautiful day!

As I ran I had to stop once to switch the music track I was on, I needed something with a little more punch. I jogged and I power walked, and I got wet… very wet. But, it was a beautiful day so I ran on. I passed the end of the first building and with the open space came a howling wind that seemed to push the rain sideways through the thinning crowd. After a few more yards there was another building to block the wind, but the rain continued to fall. It didn’t matter, since I was already drenched so I kept running. It was a beautiful day!

I passed the first mile in about 13 and a half minutes which didn’t feel bad. So I kept running. The rain kept coming so I focused on the boardwalk and even looked at some of the houses around me. As I entered Ventnor they became more like beach houses and a little nicer than Atlantic City’s high rises and worn out motels. One such house had a dozen or more garden statues around the patio and balconies. Statues of small children playing all around, it was curious but very nice. And it was a nice distraction from the squishing of my soggy socks and shoes against the boardwalk. It was a beautiful day!

I saw the flashing light ahead signaling the turn around, the half way mark and so I jogged on and around the turn keeping up my pace. I continued to switch between jogging and walking, keeping pace with an older couple and another woman. The rain continued, but we all ran on. It didn’t matter since we were all drenched. As I ran I watched the rain, thick drops falling straight down and then bouncing back up off the boardwalk. Sometimes it was hard to tell the difference between the rain falling, the rain bouncing back up, and the rain falling from my soaked hat that I wore.

On the way back I could look out over the dunes and see the crashing waves, see the dark gray sky growing darker and blending seamlessly with the angry dark waves. It was another good distraction so I ran on. I noticed the September 11th memorial, and that seemed to add to the day – the weather and the reason for running. I kept up the pace with the other people around me and soon we saw the Tropicana ahead in the mist and rain. I crossed the finish line in a time I was quite pleased with, but it didn’t matter. I had finished and that was my goal. I was drenched but it didn’t matter – it was a beautiful day!

The foundation raised almost $135,000 for breast cancer awareness and research. It rained, people got drenched, but it didn’t matter. It was a beautiful day!

Are We Really Alone

I went away last week for a few days to the shore, well actually to a hotel/casino down the shore. We spent two days at the pool and the one thing I noticed was all of the voices. Loud voices. Not so much people yelling, as much as people just talking loudly. I have been noticing this more and more lately and I am starting to think about how much we as a “people” have changed.

As I lay by the pool those two days and closed my eyes I felt like a super hero, or at least a dog with super hearing. I felt like I could hear a variety of conversations that were going on all around us. If I kept my eyes closed I could actually pick out specific words and almost hear full sentences. It wasn’t that I was eavesdropping to be nosey, but just more attentive to how loud some people can people.

It isn’t that they are yelling at each other, it was just people speaking loudly. And what struck me so much was that it was if they had no consideration for others sitting around them. I mean, do I need to hear the one guy talking to a business partner about missing documents, or the other guy talking to his mother about dinner. And those were just the phone calls. There were a lot of people sitting together and having friendly conversations and they were just as loud.

 I think that part of the “problem” is the over-abundance of cell phones. They are so common these days that we have become accustomed to having telephone conversations with anyone and anywhere. I don’t mean to pick on cell phones or technology in general, but I think that it has impacted our ability to recognize boundaries or privacy. 

It’s kind of funny that with all of this technology we are closer to our friends and able to communicate with so many more people in an instant. Simply type your status, hit send and “poof” everyone knows what you are doing. But, I wonder if we are really closer or just able to communicate faster. And it is because of this that I think we have lost a certain amount of privacy. 

And with all of this communication I also wonder if we have lost some of the closeness that we had before with our friends and family. I wonder if we still have the ability to actually pick up the phone – in private – and tell our close friends and family our biggest troubles. How many posts do we see on Facebook or Twitter that say – I am having a bad day and need a hug? And if we did how many would respond?

Don’t get me wrong, I am not giving up my cell phone either. I just think it would be nice to actually pick up a phone and have an honest conversation with our closest people. Or better yet – meet them for coffee, breakfast, or whatever. Not because we are hungry, but so that we can sit face to face and talk. I named this blog “Are we Really Alone” because there are days when I think that we might actually feel alone. Maybe that is why people talk loudly – so they won’t feel so alone.

Billy Joel Concert

Billy Joel – enough said, right? I dare anyone to tell me they have been to a bad Billy Joel concert. Of course, I have only been to a few. But every one of them have been awesome. Here is a guy who has been performing – and entertaining – for so long that it’s amazing. And he still appears to enjoy it. We went to the concert in Philadelphia, at Citizen’s Bank Park.

We met some of my wife’s friends before the concert for a little tailgating and it was nice to just get out and relax. It was threatening rain all day, and even hit us a few times early in the day. But, during the concert it never rained at all. In fact, it was a nice evening – a little humid but nice. The stadium held about thirty to forty thousand people, and they were all ages. There were teenagers on up to people in their later years.

He went on almost exactly at 9pm as scheduled and played for a little more than two hours, with only a short five minute break. Well, unless you count the song by the roadie “Chainsaw” as a break. Chainsaw sang Highway to Hell and was actually pretty good. He wasn’t the only special guest for the evening.

Boyz 2 Men also joined Billy on stage and sang Longest Time a cappella with him. It was absolutely incredible to hear the different voices all blending together as one. Everyone was into it and cheering and clapping throughout the song. Watching four entertainers snapping their fingers and moving to the beat, and singing the song was almost beyond words. They only sang the one song together, but it made the concert all the more memorable.

He also sang Goodnight Saigon which is a great song. But, what made it even more incredible was when he turned up the lights about half way through and we all saw that he had brought out a group of veterans and active duty military from all branches and seemingly different eras. The sight of this group of guys standing up there, arms around each swaying and singing the song along with Billy was almost overwhelming. The entire audience standing and clapping continued through the end of the song with chants of “USA”.

Billy sang a lot of his and our favorites – although my wife says she wished he sang Captain Jack. But, I guess we will settle with his greats like Pressure, Entertainer, Moving Out, Allentown, Don’t Ask Me Why, River of Dreams, and Still Rock and Roll. He ended the concert with Only the Good Die Young at about 11:10 more than two hours after starting.

But, for me the best and most telling part of the concert is whenever he plays Piano Man. It is for me the most iconic part of his concerts. At least to me. To see him stop playing the music and let the crowd – the entire crowd – sing parts of the song together. Well, it is truly an amazing sight. For anyone who has never seen Billy Joel in concert I strongly recommend it.

Commuting

We all do it, twice a day. To and from work. Driving from home to the office and then back again. If you are like me you try to relax, but that doesn’t always work so well. I have had good commutes and bad commutes, but none have been shorter than thirty minutes.

As much as I complain about my commute, it isn’t as bad as some other people’s commutes. And it is something that I consider whenever I take a new job. You have to. What difference does it make if the job is a good one if it takes hours to get there and back? Or you get so stressed out that by the time you get home you are a bundle of nerves.

It isn’t always the distance, or even the traffic. It’s – well, how do I put this politely – the stupid people. Here are a few of my pet peeves, and hopefully you will agree with me. And hopefully you aren’t the person in front of me. If you are then I am the guy behind you making faces at you.

I don’t know why I bother, because obviously the other driver is clueless and as my wife tells me – it can’t be me. They must all be the bad drivers. I mean really, how hard is it to keep up with traffic. Or use a turn signal. Or keep up with the people in front of you so that it all keeps moving.

Here is a quick question – turn signals? That’s it, that’s my whole question. Why don’t people use them. Let the rest of the world know what you are thinking! At least then we would know when you are going to cut us off.

I read an article once that a simple tap of the breaks can slow traffic for hours. I drive home from the airport, across the bridge and head towards the shore. Do you have any idea what this is like on a Thursday or Friday evening during the summer? And why do I feel like no one else is in any rush to get to where they are going?

And ladies – what is with the makeup? It’s hard enough to drive and drink coffee some mornings. And yet, I seem to get stuck behind at least one woman almost every morning who insist on putting on their makeup while they are driving. At least they are doing it between traffic lights and not on the highway. Which almost moves slower that regular street traffic.

My new commute will be much better, in some ways. But I am sure it will still be trouble in other ways. But, it is all part of the job. Truly. And it certainly isn’t as bad as my last boss who drove 75 miles each way. The bottom line is that we all have to deal with the commute, so the next time you pick a new job make sure you can handle it. Or at least live with it.

Technology

I was sitting at the kitchen table tonight playing with my two nephews who are seven and four. What struck me was that we were playing on our iPads. Watching them both play rather skilled hand-eye coordination, puzzle, number, and words games made me think about technology and how it has impacted our lives.

This is kind of humorous as I sit here typing this blog on my iPad using a bluetooth keyboard, with my iPhone plugged in beside me, and a FitBit on my wrist. All three of which are synced and sharing data instantly between them. And that gives me pause as I consider just how embedded to these tools.

Remember the days when a phone was used for something as silly as making phone calls. Not to age myself too much, but I had a bag phone. And for those of you who have no idea what I am talking about, go ask your parents. Now, my phone keeps my calendar, my contacts, notes, photos, and a myriad of other apps that I use every day.

It is amazing not just the technology that is now in such a small package – unless you have one of those huge Samsung phones – but how integrated our lives have become with the technology. We walk around with our phones in our hands, purses, or pockets and most of us would be lost without them. I can get as much work done on my iPad as I can get done on your average laptop.

But what happens when we forget them, or heaven forbid forget to charge them. Admit it – how many of us have freaked out when we realize we don’t have it and drive ten minutes back to get it. It makes me wonder if we could actually disconnect for a day? An hour?

I think we should all try it. Maybe sit outside in the sun and listen to the birds chirping and the bees buzzing, instead of music. Or maybe watch the flowers and grass blow in the breeze instead of reading that new eBook. I wonder if I can actually do it, ignoring all technology. Certainly don’t need to watch the Phillies lose another bad game.

Tell you what, let me know if you unplug and we can compare notes.

The Ward Family Reunion

We all have families. Some are large and some are small, some are very close and some are far apart. This past weekend I had the opportunity to meet a good portion of my wife’s family. My mother-in-law decided to have a family reunion at her house and despite the weather it turned out to be an absolutely wonderful day.

About 180 people were invited and 125 or so said they would show up, and it sure felt like most of them did. My wife’s grandfather is 90+ year’s old and so it was a great way for cousins to see cousins and for her grandfather to see a lot of family he hasn’t seen in awhile.

The party was supposed to start at 2pm, so of course at about 1230 its started to rain. By 130 it was a torrential downpour – thank goodness they had tents. And at almost exactly 2pm the rain stopped. The clouds stayed for the rest of the day, but that was ok because it kept the heat of the summer sun away.

There were hoagies, beer, soda, cake, pretzels, and lots of other snacks. But mostly, there were people. And not just people – but family. Grandad was the oldest, at 90 plus and there was also the youngest Ward who was less than one year old. It was great to see both of them together. And since Grandad’s name is Hugh we also got all six relatives – including a great-grandchild – who had Hugh in their name.

Young and old, familiar and not so familiar there were families, cousins, aunts, and uncles. And even an honorary family member – a true Sister. Most of the family was amazingly from South Jersey, or maybe not so amazingly. But, there was also family from Minneapolis, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Florida. There were tables and chairs under the tents, but mostly everyone milled around talking. Moving from one group to the next rekindling friendships or just getting to know family yet again.

For someone who has family in New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Israel and who doesn’t get to see his family that much, it was a fantastic day. To see so many family members all come together for the sole purpose of seeing each other. It would make even the Grinch smile. I spent the day taking pictures – both random and planned – and hope that they will be a memory of the smiles and the delight had by all.

Thank you for a wonderful family and for a wonderful day!

The Third Generation

 

The Second Generation

 

The elders

 

The Hugh’s

 

The eldest and the youngest

 

Job Hunting

At some point in our lives we all look for a job. Whether it is a job with a new company, the same company, our first job, or our tenth job. We have all looked for one at some time in our lives. We all know the “rules” and things we are supposed to do.

Make sure you resume is up to date and keep it to one page. Keeping your resume up to date is important, and it’s easy to do. Keeping a resume to one page can be incredibly difficult. Especially if you have been working as long as I have in a professional environment.

I have created a one page profile that summarizes my career. But I always feel like it doesn’t do me justice. So I just use the two page version. Of course, even with a two page resume I still have several jobs that are just the company and title. And it seems to work, and get the attention needed.

Now you have a good resume, with an eye catching summary paragraph and you get the call. You may even get several calls from different companies, which is great. But a lot of the initial calls are from human resources and they all seem to ask the same questions.

One thing I have learned is to really get to know your resume and your career. Sounds silly, but just like your actual job you have to know who you are and what you do. You have to be able to speak to it, so that each time you are asked about it you can answer it as easily as if you were drawing a box on a piece of paper.

Now you actually get to the interview and you are prepared. You know all about you, since that part is easy. Especially since some hiring managers are coached by human resources and have a standard list of questions. Don’t “interview” me, let’s talk about the job and what it will take. You will hear more about my job and what I can do through conversation than just asking questions.

Plus, a large part of the actual job interview should be personality. You may get a great job at some point, but if you don’t get along with your new boss then the job won’t be great. In fact, it will likely get old real fast. And then you will be back in the grind again.

Another important thing to remember about the job interview, aside from knowing your skills and how they will blend with the new job. You also have to know about the company and how the new job – and more importantly your new boss – fits into the company. You have to research the company and know what it is going on.

That way you can be intelligent about the job and ask questions about how it will fit into the company. This is important because it shows the hiring manager that you are interested in more than a paycheck. So, find out how the new acquisition, the new merger, or buy-out will impact your future.

So, here is my bottom line advice for landing that new job. Make sure your resume sells you and your skills and experience. Make sure it is up to date and that you can explain easily what your career is. It shouldn’t take a lot to explain your career and make sure you can sum it up easily.

Know the target company, and if you can use LinkedIn to learn about the prospective manager. Be honest about your skills because if you get the job and can’t do it that will be worse than anything.

And don’t be shy telling your prospective manager that you want the job. If you don’t ask for it you won’t get it. And don’t ever forget to say “thank you”. A simple email back to the hiring manager for their time, let’s them know you appreciate it and again – ask for the job.

Last thing – good luck. It’s not a lot of fun, especially if you are out of work or really not happy in your job. But, remember (okay really the last thing) it’s a job finding a job. But – most important – just be yourself!