Sixthman Blog

It’s Friday, and another day of hard work here at the Sixthman office. Especially for Carla, who has to unwrap every single item on her desk, including her desk, from the black trash bags that Kelly so diligently wrapped and wrapped and wrapped around everything. Her phone, her stapler, her tape dispenser, her chair, everything. You see, it’s Carla’s 40th birthday today (happy birthday, Carla!) so like any respectable company, we are celebrating with a fine lunch of Fox Brother’s barbeque and, to wash it all down, some ice cold 40’s in honor of this special day. Yes, it’s another day of hard work here at the Sixthman office….think i’ll take a break and go have a 40.

-Nora

Book of the week: This week’s book of the week is not a book, it’s a magazine. I had to put down the books I’m reading in order to catch up on my pile of Newsweek and Time, so that I know all of the important things going on in the world.

Holy springtime batman! This Week is out of control. There is so much going on I can’t even make full paragraphs. In short, here is all of the news, gossip, and going on’s of Sixthman this week…

· Carla turns 40 tomorrow, see her desk photo, attached. We are all eating BBQ, and drinking 40s for lunch. They don’t make Coors Lite in 40oz, so Jill B will be drinking two 22 oz’s.

· Joy was in a talent show, dressed as a dancing hamster, and busted her chin open…..then did it again at derby practice, and had to get a tetanus shot.

· We have sold more cabins on both TRB and SMC already this year, than we did last year…..whoo hoo!

· Cayamo is off to a rousing start, and selling like gangbusters.

· Lauren tormented Jana’s dog with a huge pink ball yesterday.

· We ate a cookie cake yesterday for woW day. It was on sale, as it was supposed to be for mother’s day, but they made the cake upside down.

· Melissa got her eyeballs cut open for lasik.

· Lauren took Steve shopping for new clothes, so he does not only wear blue shirts now.

· Jill Mac and her husband Rhett are performing this weekend, yay Arlington Priest www.arlingtonpriest.com

· Andy returned from his tortuous business trip to Turks and Caicos, on a private jet. Poor thing got a sun tan.

· Peter came into the office to work with us. He is known affectionately as the WIZZZZZAAARD!

· Saturday is huge for the Sixthman family, we have Roller Derby at 5:00, Arlington Priest at 7:00, and Carla’s big birthday blowout at 8:00. I see designated drivers in our future.

-Phone Ninjas

Recently I hit the road for my favorite weekend of the year…Jazzfest in New Orleans…to eat too much, drink too much, stay up too late and just take it all in. Just being in New Orleans is an incredible experience—it’s definitely one of my very favorite places.

Although we branched out and headed uptown this year, we always end up back in the French Quarter. Where else in one block can you get karaoke, 80’s metal cover bands, amazing art galleries, any flavor frozen drink, the biggest beers you’ve ever seen, jello shots in syringes (served with skill by some very talented young ladies), perfect slices of pizza and a Lucky Dog (if you haven’t had one, you’ve got something to look forward to)?  Once we get the Quarter out of our systems, we love to head down to Frenchman Street to one of the many little clubs and hear some real music.

The music at the festival itself is always amazing, to say the least. On top of catching the hundreds of bands performing throughout the Fairgrounds, you could spend hours in the gospel tent listening to the choirs and you’ll find yourself singing the chorus for the rest of the afternoon. Check out a 10 year old kid doing a washboard solo on the Fais Do Do stage…another treat. Every once and a while we’ll even brave the crowds and check out the big guns…this year it was Alison Krauss and Robert Plant…pretty cool.

On top of the hundreds of incredible artists playing throughout the festival, Jazzfest has some of the most wonderful food you’ve ever tasted…it’s really a toss up if we go more for the food or the music. From Crawfish Bread to Crawfish Monica…from Shrimp to Gator Po Boys…Gumbo, Empanadas, Etoufee, Beignets, Jambalaya, Meat Pies, ooh…now I’m hungry!

New Orleans is an incredible place; still on the mend from Katrina, but it has already come so far. The city and the people have the most amazing spirit, which is alive and vibrant. I hope more and more people embrace it and, in my opinion, everyone should go to Jazzfest at least once in their lives.

Add it to your bucket list and check it off…see you there next year!

Red

This week Josh Rifkind of Atlanta has taken on an enormous task of bringing together 500 different artists on one stage, for one song each, over the course of 10 nights, AGAIN!

Some of the Sixthman community may remember Josh from his Rock Boat open mic hosting days, or his frequent trips down the lido deck sporting a scuba suit. And without discrediting the importance of those events, it is not enough to say that Josh’s recent undertaking of The Songs for Kids Foundation has been an act of absolute generosity and kindness. The foundation dedicates its time and resources year round to bringing music to the lives of children in need, through performances, fundraisers and support from the music industry.

Last year the Songs for Kids Foundation kicked off a charity countdown of the “500 Greatest Songs of All Time”, hosted on the small upstairs stage at Smiths Olde Bar in Atlanta. Luckily I was able to catch a few nights of the 10-day journey through Rolling Stone’s selection of the greatest songs of all time. The range of musicianship was almost as inspiring as Josh’s stamina as he introduced every song and artist from 500 down to number 1. It was even more moving to see so many of our Sixthman family artists contribute a song to the cause. Edwin McCain, Drivin’ n’ Cryin’, Earl Klugh, Aslyn, Sam Thacker and Heather Luttrell, all trading the stage with Mute Math, Angie Aparo and Pete Yorn, was very much reminiscent of a never-ending all night jam on the Promenade deck that you don’t want to walk away from.

With a full year passed, and time to recover, it’s happening again, this time to commemorate the “500 Greatest Sing-A-Long Songs Of All Time”. I haven’t seen the full set list, but I’d bet it’s boasting a fair share of Piano Man’s, Margaritaville’s, and American Pie’s, all ready to leave your vocal chords strained. The craziness started on May 1^st and will be counting down to number 1 on May 10^th. I plan to make it out a few nights, and have already heard some great stories about the first ones

Mixed up in all of this music and chaos, you can find Josh running around backstage, lining up bands, keeping the cool, all with a huge smile that doesn’t seem to leave his face. It’s a constant reminder that this is a good thing happening for all of the right reasons. It’s pretty awesome to say that we know Josh, have him to thank for many of our favorite boat moments, and get to watch while his character and dedication to the happiness of others spreads across the music industry and into the lives of so many.

- melissa

If you can’t make it to Atlanta for 500 Songs For Kids, check out www.songsforkidsfoundation.org for event highlights and more info.

Last year I was invited to join a young entrepreneur forum made up of 9 other Atlanta business owners under the age of 40. I was not sure what to expect when I agreed to join but it has probably been one of the greatest learning experiences of my life.

We meet once per month for 3 hours at someone’s office, turn off all cell phones, and discuss personal and professional challenges and successes. We all take an oath of confidentiality to not share any information with anyone (even our spouses) and that creates a “Safe Environment” for people to share intimate details about their lives.

This past weekend, we had our annual retreat where we meet in the mornings and relax in the afternoon with our spouses. The topic for this retreat was identifying the things that make us feel most alive, and the purpose was to develop goals and a mission for ourselves. This group of people inspires me each time we are together and by sharing our real life experiences you can’t help but to gain powerful insights into life. Any of you have the luxury to grow in a group like this?

Here is a photo I took from snorkel trip on Friday.

BOOK OF THE WEEK

Visioneering by Andy Stanley….Great insight for dreamers like me on how to break down the dream into bite size pieces and invite others to share your vision.

House buying fever has spread through the Sixthman house the past couple of months, and two of us, Jill Mac and myself, are very close to sealing the deal.

Currently, I’m renting a house in the ‘burbs owned by fellow Sixthman employee April. It’s a great little house, but I’ve always wanted to live in the city…closer to work…closer to friends…closer to entertainment. After looking since February (practically since I stepped foot off of Cayamo), I found an awesome house in Decatur (see picture). It hardly met anything on my “want” list, but it gave me that “ahhh this is home” feeling when I walked in. And it’s a great house with great bones that I can add onto in the future to make it everything on my “want” list.

So I sent in an offer then didn’t sleep for 3 days while we worked everything out. Finally, they accepted! I was happy and anxious and proud and nervous all at once – first time home ownership is a big step!

But then it got an inspection. Turns out…it’s a fixer upper. With plumbing that needs to be completely redone. I’m excited to sink my teeth into a couple of projects, but I’m in no mood to re-plumb a whole house. Maybe I can trick Steve into it. Jill Mac’s inspection is tomorrow; I hope they get better news than I did!

To be continued next week when I figure out what the seller will fix. Cross your fingers. I don’t know if I have the energy to start over. Maybe April will let me rent her house forever.

Lauren

Barking and scratching and cries of “good girl!” echo through the halls of our big yellow house with almost as much regularity of the sounds of the call center making reservations and fingers clicking away at keyboards. That’s right, we’re a dog office. We love our dogs so much that some of us even bring them to work. But never would I ever dress my dog up and especially not for Halloween, that would be ridiculous.

Today, my best girl Minnie, the cutest poodle in the world, is enjoying impromptu Sixthman doggie daycare with Lauren’s long hair daschund, Bella. After a hard day’s work Minnie and Bella are already planning a doggie happy hour.

Minnie and Bella get a lot of attention around here, but they are willing to share the spotlight with some of their other favorite Sixthman dogs. The cat people got a little riled up when I mentioned the theme of today’s blog, but that’s just another of life’s battles I don’t care to fight today. Cats vs. Dogs, Boxers vs. Briefs, more flavor or less filling, can’t we all just be friends?

At the bottom of the page, you’ll be able to click on each picture to see the other dogs of Sixthman.

The dogs, in order of appearance, and their respective owners: Bella - Lauren; Astro - Laura; Hiccup and Annie - Kelly; Ramone - Red; Ronin - Joy; Lili and Bruzer - Jodi; Rosie - May; Jerry - Jana
And there you have it: the dogs of Sixthman!

-Jill B

You know, I’ve been thinking lately how fortunate I am to work at such an outstanding company like Sixthman. And I’m here to tell you why. Andy has worked very hard to truly create a family atmosphere. And here in the office, we all believe. Sounds cheesy on paper, right? But it’s true. Here’s a great example. A few weeks back, we had our company retreat. Kelly worked her butt off supplying us with all kinds of goodies. When the retreat ended we packed all the leftover stuff into 2 vans and headed back to Atlanta. We got to the office and everyone got out.

Then, without a word, the entire Sixthman Team started grabbing supplies to bring in. All of us unloaded and it took, like, 2 seconds. No one just walked away. No one just assumed “Kelly will do it”. We all chipped in because here at Sixthman, we’ve got each other’s backs. Like a family would. That means no task is too big, no situation too daunting. Someone here has got you covered. The group load out left such an impression on me that I still think about it and it happened weeks ago. So, as I fearlessly move forward with, say, ticketing, I don’t even have to insert the usual [God help me] associated with such a huge, seemingly overwhelming task. I have help. SIXTHMAN!

-Carla

That’s how I like my tacos.

Have you ever been at a place where they give you free beer, but they stop serving the free food? I have. This is where the dollar taco swoops in to save the day.

I was drunk on free beer, almost embarrassingly so. Seriously, what kind of people give you free beer, and stop serving food? My special gentleman friend collected me and we began making our way down the street in search of the next best thing to free food- cheap food.

We saw the sign shining in the night, a beacon of goodness, its corona almost blinding our darkened eyes. “Dollar tacos” it said, and underneath, “$2 PBR.”

I was in heaven. A full meal, including an ice cold Pabst Blue Ribbon, for $5. These are the things that make me happy- the little things- a simple corn tortilla, filled with meat and salsa. Delicious.

Babs

Listening to “Putting on the Ritz” by Taco

Parenting is like a good workout. It almost kills you while you are in action but you feel so great during the breaks. And you are stronger for it. I am always looking for a language my children will understand while they develop their communication skills and I am proud to say that I discovered a powerful one recently. My son just turned two and my wife and I are prepared for glimpses of the devil in the upcoming months.

In the meantime, I am turning to impromptu dance parties when he and my daughter begin to tire and get cranky. Just before chaos erupts, I turn off the TV, move the living room table and crank dance music. It has a pavlovian effect for both children and what was almost a series of “time outs” becomes one funky scene. Whats the catch? I have to dance too and like any proud man would, I close the blinds and shake a leg. Its not pretty by any means but it is certainly a great workout.

You might like this video of my son, Trane, cutting a rug.

-Andy

Book of the week: “Next Generation Leader” by Andy Stanley. This will serve as a manual for me as I try to develop as a leader.