It was like scene from Diehard 1 – Rhea Drysdale comes to the Empire State Building, commandeers my office and takes over the building.

At one point, I had to do a Bruce Willis and strip to my undershirt, trousers and bare feet, then scale the outside of the building to get back into my office.

Only to find that, Ms Drysdale was taking orders from the evil Rae Hoffman!

OK – I could possibly have made that up entirely…

On their way to Long Island for a little jolly, Lisa, Rhea and Pat dropped into my office for tea and scones… And then Rhea threw me out and locked the door 🙂

Great to see you guys. And please, drop by anytime!!

Oh, and Rae, you’re always welcome too 😉

Because I just wet myself laughing at this!

Too funny. But really.

See you and Jon in London!

Tomorrow at 2.00pm EST I’ll be giving a free webinar based on my “thought paper” about future proofing your search marketing strategy.

The reason for the webinar is that, I received so many questions (plus it’s a little long so some people didn’t read all of it… Ahem!)

Anyway, if you like to come join, you’re more than welcome!

Register here!

Well, the SES team are just adding some of the final touches to what promises to be the best SES, London to date.

The session grid is up and by the end of the week it should be complete.

I’m so happy what we were able to secure Matt Mason, author of The Pirate’s Dilemma as keynote speaker. His book does a great job of analyzing trends emerging from youth culture which are blurring long-established boundaries between right and wrong and unraveling some of our most basic assumptions about business, society and our collective future.

So, be sure to be at the UK’s premier search marketing event, February 17 – 20, Business Design Centre, 52 Upper Street, Islington, London. Click here to save the date.

You can register here, right now!

And on the subject of SES, here’s yours truly being interviewed at SES, Chicago. Talk about dress sense… Only I could wear a shirt that looks like it’s covered in neon bird shit 🙂

I think a change of image is due for 2009 – very, very sexy, I think!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

I’ve been working on something called a thought paper (as opposed to white paper). It’s a document which encapsulates some of the thoughts I’ve had about the future of search marketing. And kind of acts as a precursor to the new book due in spring 2009.

I’ve written about it today in my ClickZ column. And I’ve already received a lot of advance feedback from friends and colleagues in the industry.

Soooooo, I’d be very interested to get feedback from anyone who happens by this blog every now and again.

It’s free and you can download it here.

I hope it prompts a few thoughts of your own!

I am extraordinarily lucky to be almost permanently surrounded by babes here in New York.

Is that because this is the most exciting city in the world and I’m totally irresistible? Is it my playboy lifestyle that attracts gorgeous women like moths to a flame?

Or is it that, my best pals Matt McGowan and Kevin Ryan both have totally gorgeous women in their lives and I get to hang with them all the time?

Yes, scratching your head over that one, weren’t you? Let me help out a little. I think you’ll find it’s most definitely the latter. But hey, it’s good for me. I get to squeeze in the back of a limo with them which is enormously good for my image (and ego) being the shy, retiring type that I am.

I get to walk them into a fancy French restaurant, where I immediately deposit them with their respective partners. Who, in turn, pay for their dinner.

Mission accomplished! I look like international playboy to all in view… Wallet stays intact 🙂

Ahhhh… The little perks in my life!

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Bianca and Rhian for doing wonders for my image (and never letting on to anyone that I’m actually older than a Dodo and probably just about as interesting!)

Yup – thought that would get your attention!

Now, head on over to amazon.com and buy this book. It will improve your life tremendously. As well as that of the author 🙂

Seriously… Congratulations to my buddy, Andrew Goodman on the publication of his second edition.

On Sunday night, I escorted the deliciously…er…delicious Kendall Allen, to Madison Square Garden to see the diva herself, Sarah Brightman.

I have been passionately in love with Sarah Brightman since she “Lost her heart to a starship trooper.” But this was the first time I’d ever seen her live.

And this was the first time I remember crying in public. She was so wonderful. That most beautiful voice moved me so much, a couple of times I just lost it and a little tear rolled down my cheek.

Of course, it is totally against the house rules at Madison Square Garden to use a camera… So here are some wonderful shots that “Kendal” sneakily took without a flash 🙂

And this is my absolute favourite.

Sarah Brightman… I love you!

So, I’m very happy and settled in New York. I love the west village with a consummate passion. I simply adore the people I work with at Acronym Media (every single one of them) it’s such a great place. My new office on the 55th floor of the Empire State Building is my cosy little haven where I can work and write to my heart’s content. And for this, I thank the extraordinarily kind and considerate (and smart) CEO I work with – the one and only Anton Konikoff.

Life is good right now. Very good! (Could only be bettered if Tatiana was with me).

So being here, and being the adventurous little tinker I am, there’s always something different happening in my social life. I have made so many new friends and acquaintances, on top of those I already had in NYC, there’s never a dull moment.

In fact my social life is so good… It’s rapidly becoming a health hazard!

So what else could I get up to in the big city that I hadn’t already done before?

Cue the always sophisticated, debonair, totally connected man-about-town… Mr Matt McGowan!

I write this blog for my family and friends. And so many of them commented on how kind it was of Matt to invite me to his parents’ beach house for the 4 July weekend.

It was that weekend I met one of the most interesting people you’d ever wish to meet – Mr McGowan senior! (And his gorgeous wife, Brenda).

So where on earth is this blog post going, Grehan? Other than the fact that you seem to have great affection for every living person and creature on the planet and would like to have them all round your place for cocktails…

Well, last weekend, Matt and I were hanging out drinking whisky, smoking cigars and sharing the beautiful Bianca between us like a doobie at a party. Steady on… Read – Bianca never makes me feel like a gooseberry when the three of us are out together, so I get my own fair share of hugs 🙂

It was then, that Matt suggested to Bianca… We should have Grehan join us for breakfast with the Mayor of New York on Tuesday.

Well, I ask you…

How the fuck could I refuse?

So, last Tuesday morning, along with Matt and Bianca and Mr and Mrs McGowan Snr., I casually dropped into the Mayor of New York’s official residence, Gracie Mansion, for breakfast.

Yup, that’s Matt and Bianca looking as though they have breakfast with the Mayor every day. Y’see, Vince McGowan, Matt’s pop, happens to be President of the United War Veterans Council of New York and last Tuesday was… Veterans Day 2008.

So there I am with Matt, hanging out on the Mayor’s porch at Gracie Mansion, thinking… Fuck, this is unreal (not the first time these words will cross my mind on this day 🙂

No more unreal than the moment I found myself standing next to Michael Bloomberg (Mayor of New York City) having my picture taken by the official photographer (that one comes in the post, so you’ll have to wait).

Okay – time to crank it up…

Next thing I know, I’m on a bus heading to the newly opened Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum where the, ever stylish and sophisticated Brenda (Matt’s mom) manages to find all of us seats in the VIP area for President Bush’s speech.

But really…

Did you know that the Concorde is now resident at Intrepid?

As we were waiting for dubyah to arrive, we were entertained by a bizarre bunch of misfits. The theme was Texan (of course) and some big country singer and TV host by the name of John Rich, was doing a reality type country thing live on stage. How bizarre?

Anyone remember the Godfather of Funk, George Clinton of Parliament/Funkadelic fame? Can you belive he came out to give us a rendition of The Gambler????

He was then followed by…. Wait for this… Micky Dolenz, former drummer with 60s band The Monkees???

And then, former Miss… Er… Something or other murdering and burying another country classic.

After this totally unnecessary assault on our ears, the real show began… Cue Hilary Rodham Clinton.

Then the president arrives…

He gives his speech.

Now… Get prepared to get totally unreal… Next thing I know… Matt’s pop (Vince) is up there giving a speech with Mr President standing to attention!

And then, even more unreal… Vince and Bush sharing a little joke together!!!

By now, I’m looking at Bianca, both of us saying over and over… Is this fucking unreal, or what?

It couldn’t get any more unreal – right?

Wrong!

Next, I’m walking up 42nd Street to Fifth Avenue next to Vince, who’s casually talking to a four star general. There are 2,500 people marching behind us. I look at Bianca. She looks at me. Is this fucking unreal or what?

Meanwhile, Matt and Brenda stroll alongside each other as if they were going shopping. Just another day for them… I guess 🙂

It can’t get anymore unreal… Yes it can.

Next thing I know, I’m at the head of this parade, Fifth Avenue is closed. Look.

And now, the incomparable Vince McGowan is directing the traffic and the parade as if he owned 5th Ave!

Meanwhile… Bianca and I look at each other and say… Yeah, you guessed…

I have to tell you. I love Matt McGowan (and Bianca). But I am completely awestruck with Vince McGowan. I’ve met some people in my life. And I can tell you honestly… This guy is one of a kind!

I think, in my new office, instead of a picture of Obama, I’m going to hang a picture of Vince!

Wait a minute… Are you nuts, Grehan?

Make that a picture of Brenda 🙂