One of my favorite scenes from the hit NBC sitcom “30 Rock” involves an exchange between exec Jack Donaghy and main character Liz Lemon, when Jack is discussing his role as keynote speaker at an upcoming Six Sigma management retreat.

Liz: “… I hate those corporate things; a bunch of drunk people talking about Synergy.”
Jack: “First of all, never badmouth Synergy.”

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We all have murderous thoughts about workplace terms, and Accountemps has attempted to quantify the most overused office buzzwords.

Executives were asked, “What is the most annoying or overused phrase or buzzword in the workplace today?” Their responses included:

* Leverage: As in, “We intend to leverage our investment in IT infrastructure across multiple business units to drive profits.”
* It is what it is: As in, “The server is down today, and clients are irate. It is what it is.”
* Viral: As in, “Our video has gone viral.”
* Game changer: As in, “Transitioning from products to solutions was a game changer for our company.”
* Value-add: As in, “We have to evaluate the value-add of this activity before we spend more on it.”
* Circle back: As in, “I’m heading out of the office now, but I will circle back with you later.”
* Interface: As in, “My job requires me to interface with all levels of the organization.”

What are your personal pet peeves when it comes to office buzzwords? And don’t say social media!

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On my long commute home to Bethesda last night, I heard a radio advertisement that caught my attention: the Greenbrier resort is offering a new collection of vacation packages on their Web site.

Curiosity arose, and I visited the site this morning to scope out the “deals.”

A signature spa package runs $2,232 for a two nights’ stay, swedish massage, body masks and polish and a “signature” treatment (based on double occupancy).

If you’re a golf lover, a “play in the leaves” package (August through October) includes a two-night stay, unlimited tennis and two rounds of golf for $1,330 (weekend) or $1,230 (weekday).

As a relatively inexperienced traveler, these deals seem vastly overpriced. But, I’ve never stayed at the Greenbrier; maybe it’s a ‘once in a lifetime’ experience worth the splurge.

The world-famous resort, as you know, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March, after years of losses and expensive renovations drove up debts to previous owner CSX Corporation. After an initial $130M deal with Bethesda-based hotel operator Marriott International, local businessman Jim Justice swooped in to purchase the property in early May.

The Greenbrier has lost $90 million in the past five years (including $38 million in 2008 alone), according to the March bankruptcy filing.

The resort received some good news last month when the PGA Tour announced that it would host a PGA tournament at one of its three courses.

Work has already gotten underway to bring casino gambling to the Greenbrier with the hope that it will reverse its financial woes.

Will it be enough to save the historic resort?

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If you’re looking for work and frustrated at the local offerings, I’ve got news for you: it doesn’t get better than here.

Via Lifehacker come these figures on job market competition in June of this year. Indeed.com has compared the number of unemployed workers to the number of job postings in the same metropolitan area. If you’re looking in Washington, D.C. – or its surrounding suburbs, I imagine – you’re in luck: at No. 1 on the list, the ratio of job postings to unemployed workers there is 6:1.

Job hunters in Baltimore aren’t bad off, either; Indeed.com found the ratio of postings to the unemployed as an even 1:1, ranking Baltimore No. 3 on the list. Only Jacksonville, FL, is closer to the District of Columbia, with a 3:1 ratio.

Coming in dead last, with a ratio of 1 job posting for every 18 job seekers, is a city that I’m sure will surprise no one: Detroit, Michigan.

If you have a minute, peruse the Job Trends section on Indeed. There are interesting nuggets there – such as the term “social networking” increasingly appearing in postings.  Or the annual change in job postings broken down by industry (education is the only one “up”; transportation and financial services are way down).

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When bear hunting season opens October 26, the state Department of Natural Resources plans to keep hunters informed by using Twitter.

The DNR has put a limitation on this year’s hunt of 60 to 85 black bears; once that mark is reached, the hunt’s called off.

Bear Project Leader Harry Spiker told the Associated Press that tweeting is just another way of keeping hunters informed.

There’s a title if I ever heard one – “Bear Project Leader.” Now that’s something to tweet about.

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The more I learn about online marketing, the more I want free stuff. I’m even happy when I have to pay, so long as I perceive that I’m getting a deal – an extra service at no extra charge, a discount or a trial offer. As a savvy consumer, I feel that I’m entitled to something more.

So today is a great day in my world: It’s my birthday, and I’m celebrating with some free stuff, courtesy of my favorite retailers. Happy Birthday to me!

So far I’ve acquired:

• A free pilates or yoga class at balance studio in Bethesda
• 15% off at the ING Direct shop
• 10% off at Progressions Salon Spa in Rockville (my hair salon of choice)

The ING Direct offer is lame, admittedly. I’m happy with my savings account, but I don’t want their merchandise, no matter how practical or useful some of it is. How about an offer for something good from a partner/sponsor, ING?

But that yoga class is worth at least $15, maybe $20, and it accomplishes something for balance, too: I haven’t visited the studio in at least six months, since my last class ended. By getting me back on their turf, there’s a much better chance I’ll sign up for another set of classes — a $150 “get” for them.

Bring ‘em on!

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I’m at the beginning of a new, three-year commitment to earn a master’s in I.T., and my weekends are spent immersed in my textbook, “Management Information Systems.” Yawn, right?

It just so happens that the “real world examples” are – believe it or not – highly useful. Including one on the construction of the Boeing 777, a world-class airplane constructed in the mid-nineties largely by engineers who never met.

How’d they do it? By using the Internet to collaborate, much the same way that Lockheed Martin envisions Eureka, its private social network, to function.

“[The Boeing 777] was the first major aircraft designed using the Internet, along with an extensive array of private computer networks, to bring together thousands of engineers working on every phase of the project at the same tie. Many of the 777′s designers never met in person; although they collaborated to design an aircraft that can talk to itself, many of them would not recognize each other on the street” (p. 218). 

Not impressed yet? Then think about this: a commercial jetliner contains millions of individually designed parts that must work together to perform safely. On the Boeing virtual team project, only a nose mock-up was physically built before assembly of the first flight vehicle, which was only 0.03 mm out of alignment when the port wing was attached.

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I was pondering the sad state of the 300 block of N. Charles Street as I walked to work this morning. True, Maisy’s restaurant has newly opened where Copra once stood, but the Starbucks is gone, and a cyber cafe that’s been there for at least 2.5 years – the length of my tenure here – is recently shuttered. Other empty storefronts dot the landscape.

I’m probably (in part) to blame; I began regularly bringing my lunch to work last year in an effort to save some dough, and I’ve kept up the habit.

Often I’ll still wander up to Charles Center for a fountain soda (carbonated sugar is my one, true vice) and today the cafeteria was absolutely teeming with customers. At Pizzeria Speranza, the cashier told me that they had five delivery orders – all for 4-5 pizzas – and a crush of customers descend at once. Yesterday was crazy, too, she said.

Is it the post-vacation, empty-fridge syndrome? (Probably). Or are people opening their wallets a bit more often, now that things are starting to slowly look up?

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First, a disclaimer: I don’t send marketing emails on behalf of The Daily Record, so if any of my complaints sound familiar, please – contact our marketing person.

Now then. I’ve been having some fun this summer – a little too much. A recent spate of “red tag” shopping Web sites (Gilt Groupe, RedTagCrazy.com, Rue La La) have eaten away at my discretionary spending, and it’s time to take matters into my own hands. I’m cutting them off at the source: my inbox. If the “too-good-to-pass-up” deals never get delivered – well, problem solved!

I started off my morning by unsubscribing to all the usual suspects – Target.com, RedTagCrazy.com, Payless Shoesource. Then a new enemy appeared: Ann Taylor Loft, tempting with “Everything Under $50″ and “Perfect Styles for the Holiday Weekend.” I had too much self-control at this point, and I hurredly clicked “unsubscribe.”

That’s when a choice appeared I’d never seen before.

“Inbox overwhelmed?” It asked politely. “You can stay informed of news and special offers…and still give your inbox a break. To receive only one LOFT email update a week, click ‘change frequency’ below.”

Not a bad idea there. I didn’t take ATL up on it – after all, I was on a mission – but I like where they’re going with this. Maybe once my new wardrobe’s worn out, I’ll invite them back into my inbox.

I know we have some marketing professionals who follow along, so I ask: Do clients usually find this approach successful? How many emails per week is too much? 2? 3? 5?

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As someone who co-habitates with an aerospace engineer, I’m embarrassed to admit that I’d never heard of the L2 point, or Lagrange point, before Monday night. After listening to three astronauts discuss a potential mission to one, and reading the subject’s Wikipedia entry, I’m still not 100% certain I’ve got it — but I’m pretty darn impressed.

My engineer and I attended a screening of “For All Mankind” at the AFI Silver Theatre on Monday. Afterwards we stayed for a discussion with astronauts T. Ken Mattingly (Gary Sinise in “Apollo 13″!), Tom Jones and Frank Culbertson. It was moderated by Joel Achenbach of the Washington Post (way more up my alley), whose blog appears on our sidebar.

All three astronauts spoke longingly of their time in orbit, and all three hammered the importance of funding the space program, even in depressing economic times. I can’t remember the comparison exactly, but one of them juxtaposed NASA funding with the economic stimulus package – which, of course, makes a trip to the moon seem like a basement bargain.

As breathtaking as the film was, I still struggle to personally support funding of such an expensive, seemingly impractical pursuit. I’m proud of our country’s past accomplishments, but I’m a pragmatist at heart: what does it get us here on Earth?

Then I went home last night and cozied myself on the couch to watch Monday’s episode of “The Closer” on my DVR. On the show, Sergeant Gabriel swore that a fleeing robber shot at him before he returned fire, but the injured man was unarmed and no weapon was found. There was no explanation – until the unit discovered the “three-body problem.”

It’s that darn L2 again, rearing its head.

As it turns out, the gunman was standing directly behind the unarmed man – creating an alignment of the three men that prohibited the first from a direct view of the third. Once the basics of the scientific theory were explained, Brenda Leigh Johnson and her team could move on to solve the case.

So, does this mean that all space travel pays off in the end, due to the knowledge we gain as a society? I doubt it. But it was a timely — and pointed — reminder to me that some does.

And, let’s face it – I’m always searching the universe for a good blog post.

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As a Web Editor who dabbles in online marketing, I know a good (or bad) email subject line when I read one. Here’s a beauty, delivered to my inbox last Tuesday:  “See Yourself in This Maryland Video?”

The email continues:

It takes more than perseverance for many Terps to make it to graduation. It takes the generosity of each and every member of the Maryland family, like those in this video.

Maryland students benefit greatly from the contributions made by Maryland donors and friends. As you will see in this video, much of what they experience would not have been possible without you.

Make your gift by June 30 and help keep students at Maryland.

That’s a hard request to say No to, especially for alumni like me who are still employed through the recession.

I just donated in February, in honor of a college advisor who passed away, but I feel obligated to donate again – after all, they’re not asking for new buildings or a fancier student union; they want to keep kids in school. (I might’ve already done it, even, except the video won’t play beyond the first four seconds. D’oh!)

Are you getting similar nudges from your own alma maters? Are the pleas as effective on you?

Update: Finally got the video to play, and it’s touching – lots of alumni sharing their tales of donating for the greater good. One nitpick: There’s no “share” functionality for me to embed the video here or elsewhere. Wouldn’t UMD want to encourage people to spread it around?

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