A lasting impression

Yesterday was a very long day, most of which I spent sitting on my rear. The morning was spent at Right Management Consultants, an outplacement company who are kindly helping me work out what to do next with my life, time and ambition.
Topic of the day was Power Networking. Nothing to do with the electricity grid, this is how do you make 300 contacts, to obtain 3 quality interviews to get 1 job that pays as well or better than the last one you held. Eric Ross, a business operations manager in transition himself, did a fine job of showing how someone "without a walks on water resume or personality and more introverted than the glue on the back of flowered wall paper" can obtain a succession of jobs that pay more than the last. Lest you think me unfair to Eric or ungrateful, I should point out that the text in quotes is just that. His quote.
Its about understanding and honoring the process, of "keeping the path trod, lest the weeds grow" and "being a persistent professional without becoming a perpetual pest". Eric has a way with words and very clear process steps, which I can't share here because it was a 2 hour lecture. But Eric does have a DVD on Amazon.com which he assures me is of him, presenting the same material. For those who may be reading this, and perhaps comfortably employed and thinking you don't need to network, my advice and Eric's is don't wait until you need to, because it takes time and is hard work.
The evening was spent at the Project Management Insitute Mass Bay Chapter meeting, where Frank Saladis, a gentleman with enough charisma and energy for 200 Erics, shared his view on the future of project management.

As great as Frank was with his insights and fine tuned observations, the highlight for me was sitting next to Santa, cunningly disguised in civvies as Mike Butler, who is the only certified project manager I know who in December sheds his fake business suit and reveals his true identity of Chief Santa at SantaCo. So how do I know he's the real deal? Man you should have seen his snowy white beard and let's just say he left a lasting impression.