Yeah, I know there’s such as too much coffee. But to understand….that’s different.
Category: Personal Reflections
Lessons learned about life; pearls of wisdom I’ve gleaned through pain, failure and honest reflection
Judging Belt Tests For Taekwondo
One of the greatest privileges in my life is judging testing in taekwondo. Seeing the growth at times inspires me, sometimes brings me to tears. I’m so proud off all of them. And looking forward to the next round on Monday.
Brene Brown: About Vulnerability, Authenticity and Belonging
I finally was able to get a walk in last night. One of the critical elements for a good walk, in my system: a good podcast. For several years one of my favorites has been Design Matters with Debbie Millman (I’m not sure how long I’ve been listening, but this post of mine from 2014 says I’d been listening for a few months.) I highly recommend subscribing, even if you’re not a designer or artist. Design thinking’s value extends far beyond graphic arts and design.
The episode from October 23rd features Brene Brown. Sadly, I’d never heard of her before. It’s sad since I have a deep interest in the subjects of her work. I’ll be adding a few of her books to my reading list. Plus she has two, TWO TED Talks that I have missed. So, I’ll be addressing that over the weekend.
I particularly appreciated her thoughts on vulnerability and trust. Elements which are critical for healthy for relationships, but far too scare, I’m afraid. And the current political environment does nothing to help. But I digress.
Anyway, give the podcast a listen (below). I’ll also put in links at the bottom to connect with her.
I’ll leave you with my favorite quote of hers: “Courage is contagious. Every time we choose courage, we make everyone around us a little better and the world a little braver.” A great idea with which to move forward, methinks.
Connect With Brene:
A Cheer For Mediocrity
And there you go. My smartass commentary on the evening.
Walking Through A Suburban Evening
I walked under street lights
The cooler air brings darkness earlier
Looking up, between
Orangey/Yellow globes
Through the furry firs
Upwards amidst these
Bright blue and white ghosts
Of my childhood
Where I would
Drift through the cosmos
The Cure’s “A Forest” and the Evolution of a Band
I’ve heard this song countless times. Today, Youtube popped this up in the recommended list and I happily listened. Seeing other versions in the sidebar from 1979, 1981, and 1992 made me wonder about how different each one sounded. I enjoyed witnessing the evolution of Robert Smith’s personal style as well.
Below is the 1979 version, which has a more traditional punk vibe (it says something that I can say “traditional” and “punk” without any sense of irony).
This one is from 1981. Not a huge transition, but I notice a less punk style and something that becomes much more recognized as The Cure.
By 1992, we have a clearly distinctive style that is The Cure, and not confusable with anyone else.
Thanks for giving a few minutes of your journey through the vast wasteland that is the internet. Let me know what you think in the comments, and give me a share, if you’re so led.
Summer’s Moving To Fall
Summer’s moving to fall
Teachers brewing coffee
Preparing classrooms
My wife awake before me, coffee ground, french press timed. Classroom preparations, lesson planning and coordination, so much effort this last week before school starts back up.
Forget the thermometer, this shows the season’s change.
An Element Of Efficiency: Slowing Down To Speed Up
With all the work I’ve done studying organization and productivity systems, a common element: taking time to thoughtfully consider actions. In today’s day-and-age, it’s easy to get caught up in stimulus:response, on reactive reactions. Or, as the adage goes, “running around like a chicken with it’s head cut off”.
Taking time to:
- Determine the scope of the problem
- It’s nature
- What really is the causality
- Reviewing our priorities
These are all critical to developing the correct solution for a particular challenge. There are always multiple responses and actions one can take. Knowing which one corrects the situation without creating a worse one requires considering all these elements.
It’s so easy, especially in today’s hyper-sped world, to lose sight of the time necessary. The urge to “do something NOW” is so powerful, and it often creates more damage than solution.
Our progress moves faster when we aren’t spending time repairing damage our inattention to details creates.
A Mediation On The Eclipse
The sun blocks the moon
Or is Sauron searching hard
For his ring again?
That time I tried to get a job in Antarctica
Back in the mid-80s I came across a job opportunity in Antarctica. An expedition was looking for database managers. I’d just finished up a technical program for Information Processing. I’d built dBase databases, and pushed the information through Lotus, then used Word Perfect and (I think) Pagemaker to build presentations. I note some additional skills, like I’d converted an electronic typewriter so that it was a printer. I could print letter quality docs straight from my PC. In 1986 that was a unique thing.
I had a vision of the whole journey. Very wrong, of course. Laden with naivete. If I’d pulled that off, though…so much would’ve been different.
I was certain I was a great fit for the job, and that I would get it.
I didn’t get the job.
Back then, I was lucky to received a typed postcard (perhaps a simple 3 x 5 card) acknowledging receipt. Though I received the “No Thanks” letter a few weeks later, it was still pretty cool. The disappointment strong, yet without bitterness.
Looking back, it’s striking how much job hunting has changed. Starting with research. Now, with Google, I could’ve learned about the lead scientists, the focus of their research; I didn’t even know their names!
The typed responses tell me they probably processed a handful of applications. I read about this in an article somewhere. There were no online job boards. A job board was, literally, a bulletin board with job postings on it. They evolved to binders in college placement offices, (and other spots, too). Nowadays, with the online job-search eco-system they’d have hundreds, if not thousands of applicants. An upside: the acknowledgement and decline processes should be fully automated. And the larger recruit pool gives them a better chance at finding a more specific skill set. But, still, thousands of applicants…
It’s striking how different life is now. But it doesn’t FEEL that different. Well, not until I look back. Not that much simpler, though, as opposed to the adage air “simpler times”. The complexities were different. I’m happy, for the most part, with the path of our evolution.