Things that I read, and read, and read, and read...

USA Today (yes, I believe everything in this newspaper), FORTUNE, Forbes, Business Week, Inc., Fast Company (hey...I like this kind of stuff), Folio, Advertising Age, The Wall Street Journal, Worth, SmartMoney and the best reads of them all: Outside Magazine, Men's Journal, This Old House and Garden Design (hey, all work and no play make any frequent flyer a very dull person). Reading the newsletters of all the frequent traveler programs falls in the business category.

Favorite Thing To Do

Drink Margaritas with chips and salsa at the Coyote Cafe in the MGM Grand (or the new Border Grill at the Mandalay Hotel), Las Vegas and then run over to see "Mystere: Cirque du Soleil" at Treasure Island (I've probably seen that show 6 times and never tire of it). If you've never seen a show by Cirque du Soleil, then you are really missing something... I've seen them in the U.S., London, Switzerland and Japan and still can't get enough. I have seen their new show, "Quidam," several times, and I can't get over their artistry. It's hard to compare the traveling shows with those performed in Las Vegas, where the theater at Treasure Island was custom built just for Cirque du Soleil. Nonetheless, I am a big fan of Cirque du Soleil. I'm not real big on their water show (O) at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, but did fly down to Orlando to see La Nouba and did like that show. In fact, the trampoline stunts in that show are pretty impressive. I can't wait for my next visit to the Air Canada offices in Montreal so I can take an extra day to visit the Cirque du Soleil facility there (a tip from one of my WebFlyer visitors)!

Second Favorite Thing To Do

Play pickup basketball at the YMCA when I'm not out flying around. While I can't shoot the three-pointers anymore (actually I never had a three-point shot), I do warn you that I'm still there for the rebound. Dennis Rodman doesn't have anything on me, well, maybe a tattoo or two. A few years ago on a visit to the US Airways frequent flyer program offices in Winston-Salem, I was treated by their marketing staff to a Hornets/Bulls hoops game. The corporate seats were at the end of the visitors bench and I was this far (<----->) from Mr. Jordan and Co. Needless to say I was in hoops heaven. That's still one of my best travel memories.

All Dressed Up and Somewhere To Go

How many guys do you know that have Nike listed as the Official Sportswear Company of their business? That's me. I know where every Nike Outlet store is, and I have visited every Niketown in the U.S. If it's got a swoosh, then it's probably got my attention. Maybe it's because their motto is the same drive that keeps this company going...JUST DO IT. When I'm not doing the casual shuffle, I'm a glutton for Perry Ellis dress shirts and ties by Armani and suits by the BOSS. But trust me, I only wear Nike when traveling...it's the comfort zone for me.

After Work

There's really no after work, as frequent flyer miles command my attention 6 or 7 days a week. But when I can, you'll find me at the lake tearing up on a waverunner (Polaris and Sea Doo), sailing with Dennis (Dennis being the first printer we had for our magazine) off Key West on his 54 foot sailboat, or relaxing with a good book - not deep thinking stuff, but the usual big sellers: Clancy, Grisham, etc. A great business book is Only the Paranoid Survive, by Andy Grove, recommended to me by the President of the American AAdvantage program. Also, I'm usually weeding my herb garden or thinking of a new project to demolish my house. Recent projects included converting a bay of the garage to a glass ceiling (gone are the roof joists) reading/sun room and my favorite - building a built-in outdoor grill some 4 feet by 9 feet in size). In the winter I try to sneak away to Breckenridge for my version of speed skiing. I love the sport, although I'm far more fearful of the bumps as I get older. But then again, who's getting older.

Give Me Food

I subscribe to three major food groups: Mexican, Chinese/Thai and Italian. Luckily, I've met some great people in cities all over the world that have showed me where to fill up. Some of my favorites are Zum See in Zermatt Switzerland (on the mountain), Ermitage in Zurich Switzerland, Cafe Pierpont in Salt Lake City, Thai on the Water in London, Marten Trotzig in Stockholm Sweden just to name a few. My overall favorite restaurant is Mi Casa Restaurant in Cabo. Located by the zocalo (town square), it is in an old Mexican church with indoor and outdoor seating. The ceiling is open to the sky and is a really great atmosphere. Strolling musicians and a nice private bar. But if there is one thing I truly crave, it is eating onion rings at the counter at any Hard Rock Cafe. Thinking of food, I'm always looking for new recipes, so if you have any, email them to me.

I've mastered Dim Sum, but I am having problems with a variation of an apple pie that is grilled on my outdoor grill. I've decided to keep baking until I'm happy with it...I'm on variation #8 of the same recipe. Back home, I'm still addicted to my last girlfriend's guacamole and bruchetta.

Wheels

My favorite vehicle is my Nissan Pathfinder. I've always got the basketball, volleyball, homework, newspapers, magazines, extra clothes and a whole lot more riding around with me. Sometimes you might find me wheeling around on my motorcycle (Kawasaki Ninja), though at speeds likely to be a little blurry to you. The Ninja is the transportation of choice for making those last-second FedEx drops. I have become a big fan of Accura and not only own a new TL but think I'll trade the Pathfinder in for an Accura MDX. Might as well be consistent in my transportation choices.

What's On My PowerBook

I'm a self confessed Mac addict. I own a PowerPC, PowerBook, Newton and almost anything else that Mac has ever made. In the early days of the business, I would donate free awards to my Mac user group for auction. Proceeds were used to send someone to MacWorld each year. This was my way of saying thanks to the machine. I'm convinced that, without Macintosh, I wouldn't be in business today. In these offices, we have about 40 Macs (including our Apple Internet Server for our company intranet, IntraFlyer) and one lonely PC, which we only use to run a credit card communication program. Išve a new Ti and wouldnšt think of owning anything but. Now if only Steve Jobs could come up with something to replace my old Newton (I've got a Palm only temporary until Apple comes up with something similar - again).

My Miles and My Points

This business is still the greatest thing in the world to me. At last count I've earned over 10 million combined miles and points from all of my programs (I belong to over 70 of them) and I search for opportunities to earn more all the time. I still regard my responsibilities to customers as the most important service offered, and I spread my travel dollars around the industry to stay on top of the differences among programs. It's not unusual for me to stay at 3 different hotels in a city if I'm there for 3 nights. And while I could probably fly for free the rest of my days - I still pay for almost all my travel (unless when asked to speak or provide some advice, then I'll get that coach ticket). I love chatting with members of all programs, and with the explosion of the Internet, I am deluged with almost 500 questions a day about programs via mail, phone, fax and the Internet. The most unusual thing about this business is that I'm truly not compulsive about miles and points. I probably consider myself more of the ultimate fan than a mileage junkie. But trust me, I have heard just about every trick in the world to earn miles and points. And what I don't know, I rely on those on the FlyerTalk boards to teach me. Yes, living an ordinary life extraordinarily. Oh, and one last thing - I have no favorite frequent flyer program....they all are.