Lunching with Lauer

So, I spent the day sitting in a seminar in Cleveland. Corporate seminars are kind of funny sometimes. Well, the people attending are. Actually, corporate seminars are rarely funny. They're usually kind of boring. So, when they're too bad, I amuse myself by watching the people. (Though today's wasn't bad...but I still watched the people. I don't know why I'm rambling on about this...)

You can group people in a seminar into the same type of groups that you would high school kids. There's the:

• "Eager Beavers" who grab a seat right up in the front. (Although some of these people I'm sure picked the front just so they could see the screen since the eyesight probably ain't what it used to be!)

• "I've Had More Experience Than Anyone Else And I MUST Share It With You So I Look Impressive" types. These are the ones that at the end of the day when you just want the instructor to dismiss the class has to make ANOTHER comment or ask ANOTHER question (which oftentimes they then feel compelled to answer themselves) and you just want to go pop their head off if they don't SHUT UP!

• "Can't Get Away From My Job At All" type. These are the ones always on their Blackberry or firing up their laptop to check their e-mail while the instructor is trying to teach. This person always sits in front of me so as to provide the optimal amount of distraction during the day. I understand it to a point, but consider the others around you!

• "I Don't Want To Talk...I Don't Want To Participate...My Boss Forced Me To Come To This Thing" type. They usually try to find a dense area or the very back where they can hunker down and hide just in case the instructor decides to ask them something.

• "I'm Just Glad To Be Out Of The Office" type. These guys look like they're about half asleep through most of the thing. But at least they're not doing actual work...

Then there's just the group of average Joes who are truly there to improve their careers and hope they didn't make the company waste $200 or so on the day. After a few of these things you start to figure out which ones are probably worth going to. Today's was good. The Company will be glad to know their money was put to good use.

And as an added bonus, I got to eat lunch with Matt Lauer.

Or some dude who looked amazingly like him.

(I'm thinking it was the latter since his name tag actually said "Mark")

All in all, a good day. But..I'm glad to be back home!