writing this post while stuck in traffic….
jasonOK, that is a lie. My commute was largely unaffected by the screwball traffic monster that the St Pete Times Forum unleashed on the Bay area today. Although my wife got to work almost an hour late.
Yesterday, my office acquired nine $225 tickets to a motivational seminar I had never even heard of. Colin Powell, Rudy Guliani, Chris Simms, Zig Ziglar, and free food were mentioned. Zig Ziglar is a famous salesman, or so I am told. Well I am pretty motivated when free and food are used together so I was interested.
I was told it would be an all day thing and I guessed it was a convention, where people come and go throughout the day. I figured I would pop in, snack, and leave.
Then this morning struck. Traffic backed up all over the bay because the wacky St. Pete Forum folks had scheduled it to start in the middle of rush hour. Apparently a lot of unmotivated people got motivated enough to go for the whole freaking day. I’m never interested in doing anything with 20,000 other people so I decided to pass on the whole shebang. It turned out to be the right decision because it turns out that the free food was just a rumor.
Anyway, I called the Forum (813-301-6500) and a really nice lady answered and gave me the fax number for the Lightning business office (813-301-1480). I plan to submit an invoice for the hour of pay my wife lost because of the ridiculous scheduling decision.
It will be interesting to see if I get a call back. I will be sure to let you know what happens! Happy traveling!
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March 8th, 2006 at 10:16 pm
They’ve been having that seminar (give or take a couple famous speakers) in Tampa (not necessarily at the Forum) for the past couple of decades. It’s always Zig Ziglar and some power bunch. In the past he’s had Gerald Ford, General Norm, Geraldine Ferraro…you get the picture. Many of us who worked downtown on those days would take off work–every single year–that’s how bad traffic was even then for those things. Of course, I’m showing my age.
March 8th, 2006 at 11:51 pm
Here’s what I think about Zig Ziglar and his ilk: http://www.quatloos.com/mlm/mlm.htm
March 9th, 2006 at 6:02 am
see the guy I work with has been in sales since he was in college so when he called all his friends they were excited about Zig. I would have liked to hear Colin Powell.
March 9th, 2006 at 6:02 am
And I worked downtown for 9 years and I never remember this thing.
March 9th, 2006 at 9:38 am
Well, I used to work downtown six years ago, moved to Rocky Point, then my office moved out to Harbour Island so now I’m back. I don’t remember this happening when I worked here before, but it took me TWO HOURS to get to work from the Westchase area when it normally takes 30-45 minutes tops. It was ridiculous. We all had to leave by 4 p.m. too to avoid sitting in that hell again on the way home. I can’t believe 20,000 people went to this. Of course it’s a scam. Zig Zigler makes his money by conning idiots who went to the seminar yesterday into buying tickets to the stupid thing. The only who will be getting motivated and making money is him. All of those types of semiars are crap. There really is a sucker born every minute. We should all come up with something similar or start another online dating site or other dating business and get wealthy ripping people off that way ourselves. Ugh.
March 9th, 2006 at 9:53 am
Edit, I swear it’s true. The thing is, I think nobody ever cared about ‘ol Zig, it’s his lineup that always caught my attention. He’d have a sports legend or winning coach, big-name politician, Olympic champ of some sort. I never went, either. Anybody with a name like Zig Ziglar…sheesh.
March 9th, 2006 at 12:36 pm
Hee hee, when I heard it I thought it was the Mark Wahlberg character for Boogie Nights, Dirk Digler.
March 9th, 2006 at 1:04 pm
oh and I called back and got a better fax number 813-301-1499
March 9th, 2006 at 1:12 pm
Zig Ziglar claims to have died at birth, and was miraculously resurrected. Now, I’m a Jewish redneck … but I seriously doubt this guy is JC.
March 9th, 2006 at 4:22 pm
*Snort* Laughing so hard at bubba’s comment. Is that really what he says, lol? OMG! These people must get paid a mint to speak on the same slate as a nutcase. O my!
March 9th, 2006 at 5:45 pm
And I am not kidding that was the guy al the sales people we talked to were excited to see. My partner told them “Zig Ziglar, Rudy Guliani, Colin Powell, Chris Simms…” and they all said, “Wow really, Zig will be there?”
March 9th, 2006 at 5:46 pm
Yeah. It’s true. This yuck really says that.
March 9th, 2006 at 7:17 pm
I still think it’s an Amway convention in disguise, so I avoid it at all costs.
March 10th, 2006 at 1:48 pm
I went to this thing. I took forever to get to the Ice Palace. My boss got 10 tix for $70, so I went with him but would never go again. Every speaker except Powell, Guliani, and George Foreman was selling something. What a crock. I also thought that the Christian undertone inappropriate.