The press in Riga isn’t cold. It is a misconception thought by many including myself that Latvia is basically Russia.
While there were periods of Russian occupation, Latvia has been and throughout its history regarded itself to be independent. Telling of its ties to Europe and not Russia is the 3 euro cost for a double espresso. In January 2014, Latvia officially adopted the euro as its currency further marking it’s integration into the European Union.
Another interesting tidbit of information is that Latvia has one of the fastest Internet download and upload speeds in the world. Nothing says Western ideology than Wi-Fi.
And for the final point further proving the atmosphere is far from icy is the architecture. The old town has cobbled streets and quaint buildings that resemble Prague not Putin making it a worthwhile place to visit, even if only for a couple of days.
The Press in Riga
Book Signing by Demand
I officially launched my book, Everyone’s Advice Is Wrong . . . Including Mine, last Saturday and the response has been overwhelming. We almost crashed the Amazon site in a matter of hours. Sarcasm aside, I am genuinely moved by the showing of support by so many.
The two requests since I put the book on sale are:
1. Will you send me a free copy since we went to summer camp together?
The reality is that I only receive $5.22 profit from a sale so it’s not like I’m racking in the dough from my end. Also, like I wrote before, my intention isn’t to make money, it is to sell as many books as possible to parlay it into a bigger deal to write more books in the future. Sending books for free won’t count towards my sale/NYT Best Seller quota.
2. Can you send me an autographed copy?
That’s a fair request if you want my serial scribble corrupting your hard copy. But it does make the whole thing more special, especially if we did go to grade school together or however we are affiliated.
That’s why I’m pleased to announce that this Saturday I’m not only giving away 100 copies for free but I will also be there ready to sign them.
The book signing will take place at the State Department store between the hours of noon and 6PM.
Here is the address and location on a map:
I Love Sweden!
I love Sweden (exclamation point) because it is Sweden! And I’m not only saying that because I left the bar at 5am and they played a delicious combo of hiphop and house.
I say it because it is a country that is as all countries should be: peaceful, beautiful, and inviting. Everyone is friendly and everyone is accommodating. Let’s contrast this to Scottsdale, Arizona where superficially everyone may be ‘beautiful’ but, that adjective aside, they lack a far superior attribute better known as character. That attribute is something nicer. I call it lovely.
Seriously, the city is pristine compared to the rats and garbage in New York and the buildings are, as George Farah would say, “beautiful”- there goes that word again.
I’m not knocking my home country because I do love the United States but, at the same time, wonder why we can’t be a little more gentler, a little more welcoming, a little more, as we once were- American.
The Book Is on Sale!
The time has come to cash in on my writing. I say that in jest but it is awkward to ask anyone to purchase something that you have personally created.
In the last two years of writing, editing, and publishing I have experienced all sorts of emotions. Happiness because I can put words together to make sentences to make paragraphs to make chapters. Anger because I still find imperfections even though I have read it 1000 times. Resentment because I wasn’t signed by the biggest publishing firms.
And now relief that it is over.
That feeling lasted for two seconds as I obsessively check the sales figures to see how far I am to becoming the next New York Times Best Seller. Calm sets in again as friends send me their amazon.com confirmations that the book is on its way. I actually get paid almost double if it is purchased directly from the publisher but no one can beat Amazon’s convenience.
But cash money was never my motivation for writing this book and it still isn’t. The inspiration came from my friend Brent Dutcher to whom I wrote the following dedication:
I dedicate this book to my buddy Brent Dutcher, who may be the only person who ever reads it, if he even does. I have spent the last three four years trying to convince him that life should be dictated on his own terms and that he does not have to settle for the corporate grind. I hope by reading this book, he is inspired to sell the Trailblazer, leave Michigan, and roll the dice on himself.
Now, my effort has shifted from editing and publishing to getting the word out to as many people as possible because I really believe that the book is funny yet inspirational, witty yet serious, self-help but not smug.
So I humbly ask all my readers to buy a copy, read it, and tell me (and Amazon) honestly what you think. I love the compliments and welcome the criticism.
Jack on the High Seas
Me and John Daniels. That’s is who accompanied me on my overnight journey from Helsinki to Stockholm. The cruise from Finland to Sweden is supposed to be a ‘party’ boat and in some ways it was and in others it was downright silly.
The boat leaves sharply at 6 something, nobody seems to care as everyone make a rush to the Duty Free store to buy up the alcohol. It’s a toss up if Duty Free is worthwhile when traveling to many countries, but in Scandinavia it is a must. Alcohol and everything cost way too much in general, so the quasi discounted prices were a nice change.
I purchased a personal size Jack and prepared myself for the restful journey. That quickly changed when I met Italians, Germans, Swedes, and Fins, who were on board to do one thing- get plastered.
There was a live band and later on a DJ with people from a variety of backgrounds showcasing their best rendition of “So you think you can dance.” This wedding like atmosphere got increasingly rowdy as the night went on as new friends bought shot after shot.
Hours later I was awoken from my dungeon located on the 2nd floor (I believe it is called the hull) to find that we had arrived in Stockholm.
Flying business has its perks but this was a grander celebration.
Welcome to Sweden!
The Press in Helsinki
The press in Helsinki is expensive. A double espresso at the Stringdberg Cafe on the esplanade is a tickling 4 euros and 90 cents.
It does come with a great seat to people watch. Directly across the street is a park that runs parallel to the road in both directions. Locals enjoy picnics, play music, and relax, taking in the last days of summer before they retreat to Lapland for Christmas preparations.
Passerbys are a mix of the business elite, curious tourists, and too many skateboarders for my taste. It’s not just the espresso that is expensive, it’s everything. Beer to food to air cost more money than I’d care to share. Yet even with these unreasonable prices, the people continue to partake in this charade.
Is it normal that water costs 5 euros? Is it sustainable that lunch goes for half a week’s salary? How much is my waiter paid to keep a straight face as she serves me my 12 euro beer?
I don’t get it so I, just like everyone else, pay and walk on.
And Now for your Business Travel Weather Report
I’m watching CNN International waiting to see if the sun ever goes down in hot Helsinki (as it is 11pm over here) when the business traveler weather report came on. I’ve traveled everywhere and still can’t understand the utility of this traveler forecast so I’m going to complain about it and hope that you guys are with me on this.
Let’s start with the map:
Aside from helping me with geography, I can’t understand why a ‘business traveler’ needs to know the simultaneous forecast of Glasgow to Athens. Worse is the arbitrary list of cities around the world which are listed in alphabetical order that serve better as a drinking game of ‘where have I been’ than useful information.
Heat in Helsinki
When you think of Helsinki, hot does not come to mind. I arrived at 9am today and had to walk five minutes from the bus station to the Hotel Kamp, part of SPG’s Luxury Collection.
And let me tell you, it is hot! It’s supposed to get up to 90 degrees today and the sun literally does not go down. Sunrise was at 4:41AM and sunset is at 10:11PM. That’s 17.5 hours of daylight so it will be interesting to see what the nightlife is like.
For lunch I had reindeer meatballs which were rough and pretty much disgusting. And now I’m off to the fortress to see some history, i.e., go to the brewery located on the island.
From there, I probably should take a nap but I am relishing in one of the last days of warmth before the move. Luckily my room came with a library, so I’ll have some books to trick me into sleep.
Wi-Fi: Adults : : Cartoons: Children
It started in Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport then it spread to Las Vegas McCarran Airport. Last week when I was in Detroit Metrpolitan Airport I heard the announcement, “Wi-Fi is now available free throughout the North Terminal.” There’s a fee for everything now including silly departure taxes, so why do more and more airports provide free Wi-Fi? The answer: Wi-Fi: Adults : : Cartoons: Children When we used to take an annual 18 hour trip from Michigan to Florida my parents would dream up innovative ways to keep us busy and more importantly quiet. My sister and I used to write down the license plates of cars that sped by which often got contentious because she wouldn’t share all her recordings, a violation of the Freedom of Information Act. When we upgraded from the Chevy Conversion van to the Toyota Previa, I brought a ‘portable’ TV that had a built in VHS so I could watch recorded episodes of Family Matters and Step by Step. That made the trip slightly more tolerable. The same strategy applies for passengers waiting in the departure terminal. Back in the day, nobody had cell phones to pass the time making them more sensitive to any delays announced by the airline. Passengers sat at the gate anxiously staring at the departure time (not electronically displayed) and dreaded when the airline attendant changed the placard to read ‘delayed.’ Today, everyone’s heads are pointed down at their phone, undoubtedly leaving us all with a degenerative neck condition in the future, as we pretend to care about the Facebook status of our acquaintances. But even spotty 3G service was not enough to keep us distracted from inclement weather, equipment failures, and other random excuses why our flights would not depart on time. So, and I’m serious when I say this, the geniuses at the airlines teamed up with the airport and pushed for free Wi-Fi keeping us constantly busy and unaware. Now, besides being able to read the mobile ESPN page, we are able to blog, watch HBO GO cartoons, and catch up on life as we wait to leave. Evidence to support my claim comes from a personal experience when I didn’t even hear that my gate had been changed because I was too fixated on writing a post about how angry I am. Speaking of which, I need to see if my flight to Helsinki is on time.
Näkemiin everyone!
Hangin On
I’m hangin on to the last few hours I have in the United States for awhile by eating, drinking, and carrying on in New York City. The adventure resumes tomorrow flying Finnair from JFK to Helsinki.
Nothing deep in this post but I wanted an excuse to post a pic.
