Finding old stuff

It's a challenge to clean out a desk. If I could do it blindfolded, I'd get it done quicker. But how would THAT work? Trouble is, as I go through the desk I discover all kinds of neat stuff I forgot I had (or didn't know I had).

For example, I found some old "love poems." You know, that embarrassing stuff you squirrel away after it's served it's useful purpose. I'm referring to the "If You Had A Wish" poem I wrote for Ruth during our courtship days, way, way, back in 1979. Yikes!

So I dusted it off and posted it at gotverse.blogspot.com the place where I post my (or sometimes others) poetry.

It's a bit sappy, but was fun to write. Although, she probably didn't marry me for my gift of verse, or lack thereof, it MIGHT have helped.

...dave
"For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul." -Lissette

Poetry

I just re-discovered this poem, enjoy.

...dave
Poetry is the rhythmical creation of beauty in words. -Edgar Allan Poe

Good Wine, Good Friends

About 20 of our friends got together for dinner. I brought a bottle of wine in a paper lunch sack, all taped up for the host. I know he likes California wine almost exclusively (as do I) but I brought this little item over for him to try.

I put a big question mark on the sack and removed the cork foil so that even the top of the bottle wouldn't give anything away.

He took a sip and immediately liked it. He tried to guess it's origin and finally landed in Chile. Then I asked him to guess the price. He started at $12 but was blown out of the water when he learned that I bought it from World Market for $6.99. It's a great little light Cab for everyday drinking with your meal. Check out the Atacama Cabernet from Chile (I bought the 20003).

I often look for these little gems like these that I can drink with our meals and don't require me to rob a bank or forfeit my son's inheritance.

Another choice wine for everyday drinking is the Rex Goliath. Good wine for about $7.99.

We topped out the evening drinking a Zin he likes from V. Sattui, peppery and smooth. And finally we finished up with some Madera from the same winery. Absolutely the best port I've had.

It was just nice to stand around his wine counter and talk of the different wineries he's visited. He offered to give us his pass to Sattui when we take our next trip to California.

Try the Rex or the Atacama, they're cheap and enjoyable.
...dave
"What contemptible scoundrel stole the cork from my lunch?" - W. C. Fields

Bloggers Block

You've heard of writers block, now there's blogger's block. That's right. People are having problems thinking up stuff to say on their blogs. Seems strange to me. Why blog then? It's not like someone is holding a loved one hostage until you blog.

Here's a few ides to jump-start your blog entry.

And here is a site that can help you come up with something to say when you have nothing to say. Creative Writing Prompts. Hmmmmm, let's try this out....

Ah, here's one: Write a story starting with: "They had nothing to say to each other."

Okay, let's see where this goes...

They had nothing to say to each other. They were silent for the duration of the train ride from Penn Station to 34th street. As the train rocked and screeched through the tunnels the third rail made incomplete connections and so the lights flicked on and off. When they flicked off, there was peace, he didn't have to look at her. When they flicked on, tension rose because he had to see her, if only from the corner of his eye. She was irritating to look at, a cocky face and a flick of her hair with each pop of her gum. But what did he care, she didn't, why should he?

But he did care. He did care very much, or at least used to care. But now his heart was torn out of it's aorta. It hurt so much, he couldn't even think about it. That's why he welcomed the darkness. It was like sleeping, he didn't have to think about it. Truth was, he dreamt about her anyway, but those were not pleasant dreams. He was now fully awake, fully aware of his actions. The lights flickered off a little while longer than momentary, enough to end it all, enough to stop the pain. So he did, it was done, it was over.

It took forever to reach 34th Street. But when it did no one was around. A figure left the train but she didn't move when the doors opened. She was asleep, a long, non-waking sleep.

...dave
Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self. - Cyril Connolly

Family Computing

I sit here in a half-darked room with a single light above Eric's desk. He is typing away on his iMac, adding to his blog. I think he's planning a film project. He's even designing some clothes and has posted pictures on his blog for his buddies. He told me that a friend, an outstanding drummer, has written some great Techno tunes that he can use in the movie. His brother built a sound studio in their barn outside. They do some incredible stuff. He calls his group Anomaly.

Ruth is typing away on her machine making invitation cards for our upcoming party. She bought cards from Swoozie's, a kind of chick place with bright colored cards, paper, and printings. She's got some summery cards with a little table and unbrella drinks printed at the bottom.

And me? I'm here on our rocker-recliner with the iBook on my lap typing away in this blog.

Now Snickers, our cat, wants some of the action. He's whining at the front door. He's got this sort of low "bruupppp" sound. If I talk to him: "Hey Snicks, what's up?" He'll respond with a "bruuupppp" noise. He lays in front of our french doors with his back to us but his ears are pointed backwards, listening to our conversation. I think he may want water because he started our conversation by coming over and looking up at me. Then he gives his bruupppp sound, so I know something's up. When I ask him if he has water, he'll start to walk toward the laundry, where we keep it, but then pause, point his ears back to listen for my steps. After he's had his water, he returns and sits sphinx-like in front of the french doors, protecting the office.

...dave
I just wish my mouth had a backspace key. - Author Unknown

Creative Thinking

Sometimes you just need a whack on the side of the head. (It's the same as a kick in the pants, but higher and more effective.)

Check out creativethink.com. Each time you refresh the page you get a different creative thinking whack. It's great stuff for jarring your brain and getting it to think along a different path.

...dave
All men are creative but few are artists. - Paul Goodman (1911 - 1972) US author, poet, educator

Simile

What's a metphor without a simile? It's like peanut butter without the jelly. I won't even try to define it. Here's the REAL definition:

sim-i-le: a figure of speech comparing two unlike things that is often introduced by like or as (as in cheeks like roses)

(By the way, you can find online definitions from the Merriam-Webster Online site.)

Similes are a lot easier. Whenever you use LIKE or AS when comparing two different things, that's a simile.

"Talking to you is LIKE talking to a wall." Not that I've ever said that to anyone, I'm just using these as examples.

"You're about as dumb as a sack of hammers." A Dr. Phil expression.

"You have a face is LIKE an angel, but your heart is LIKE stone." (Ouch, that's a rough one.)

Well you get the idea. Coming up with these are easy. Just listen to Dr. Phil. Problem is, you really can't use any of them since only helpless, crying folks will take that sort of abuse. After all, I guess they figure, they ain't paying for it. (That's about as dumb AS a box of rocks.)

...dave
"Always go to other peoples' funerals, otherwise they won't go to yours." - Yogi Berra

Metaphors

Metaphors are those word pictures that can be captures in a word or two. Well, that's not the official definition. But it's close. I know, I know, you don't believe me. We'll okay, here it is:

met-a-phor: a figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object or idea is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them (as in drowning in money); broadly : figurative language

See, kinda like I said.

"The ship plowed the ocean." is an example of a metaphor.

One of my constant challenges though is how create them. One suggesion I read is this:

Make a list on the left side of a page of ten nouns. On the right side write ten verbs. Now just draw a line randomly between any noun on the left to a verb on the right.

Here are some nouns I came up with:

bike
pencil
software
pen
terminal
news
doctor
vulture
sidewalk
sponge
arrows

Here is a list of a few verbs:

stabbed
sliced
bobbed
ignited
inspected
rained
bristled
whistling
spit
snuffed
bristled

Now I just match up randomly:

• The bike mopped his fallen body across the asphalt. (ouch!)
  
• His pencil stabbed the journal leaving a trail of agony upon its pages. (I had to add a few more words to flesh out the sentence. Hey, another metephor!)
  
• He madly sliced his pen through his school exercises.
  
• He fished the software from the internet.
  
• The news ignited his face but snuffed out her smile.
  
• The doctor inspected the rash with a vulture's eye.
  
• Yesterday's rained on paper was just an ink-soaked sponge.
  
• Their targets bristled with arrows.
  

It's kind of a fun exercise, and it can result in great picture descriptions. I did cheat a little here, by only showing the good ones.

...dave
"The metaphor is probably the most fertile power possessed by man." - Jose Ortega y Gasset (1883-1955) Spanish essayist & philosopher

Renaissance Festival

We've been wanting to check out a Renaissance Festival since we lived in California but got our chance today. About an hour away, in Fairburn, there is a Renaissance City.


"Cheers"

Here, there is glassblowing, stained glass, leather masks, costumes, custom-molded boots ($475), juggling, rope of fire walks, fairies, and a few dragons.


Harp Period Music

As you walk through the village, you hear hawkers for bazaars, you see town folks dressed from the 1500s, and you hear crowds yelling from outside amphitheaters. You've just gone back in time.


A Black Knight

Your first indication that all is not right, is the misspellings of the "Shoppe" signs. The only indication that you are in the 21st century is that many of the visitors are wearing something other than Elizabethan clothes. (Although for about $164 you can get garb for four, and free access to the fair. Then you'll fit right in.)


Fairy and her Lord

What made our visit convincing was the old english the "peasants" would use when addressing us. "You're welcome, me Lord." was the reply from one of the "ladies" when I thanked her for directions.


Me Ladies

One very good single-man act was the tightrope-on-fire. This "no stranger to danger" one-man show juggled knives (well, they were more like machetes) over four men's heads using an inexperienced assistant throwing the blades to him from across the stage. Then he juggled some pins while standing atop a straight ladder. (Similar to this one.) Next he juggled a running chain saw, apple, and machete. He said: "If I'm not in action, I'm in traction."

He had lots of great banter. At one point the audience didn't clap so he said: "I feel like I'm playing Frisby with a narcoleptic dog up here."

His final act was walking the burning tightrope. That was very cool, er, I mean, hot.


Tightrope

The art was whimsy, fairy-like and original. Some of the woman had fairy wings on their costumes, while the men wore leather mail and lace-up moccasin footwear.

I almost walked right past this walking tree.


Walking Tree

On the way out we stopped to view the jousting event. These guys looked like the real McCoy. very serious. They splintered several of their jousting sticks coliding with each other's shields. Once both were knocked off their horses, there was a final sword fight.

At the exit there were some pipers playing period instruments, bagpipes and tenor drum.


Bagpipes & Drum

I thought this mask this would go with my Kidnapping Kit.


Do you think it's my color?

...dave
How do you know when your bagpipes need tuning?

Cool / Fun Sites

I frequent a few site looking for some fun things that folks are doing. Here's a few helpful and fun sites.

43 Folders has all kinds of links that are helpful for the GTD crowd (Getting Things Done). Check it out.

Surly you know who Harry Shearer was right? He was Buddy Hasket on the "Leave it to Beaver" show. He's done lots of other stuff since then, like "The Truman Show" and voices on "The Simpsons". But click on this link for a popular parody of current events.

Cockeyed is a site by a guy that does, well, cockeyed stuff. Like measuring how much ink is in a Sharpie pen, or bacon bits cost per package, or . . . well you get the idea. He once found two chairs in a dumpster, painted Starbucks signs to the backs, and tied them to a street post in town. Then he posted pictures of folks sitting on the chairs in the middle of town. Don't ask me why. These folks clearly don't have enough to do. One of his posts is about gluing mattress springs to his tennis shoes for better lift.

The latest and greatest find is the TiddlyWiki site. This is a site that has a pure HTML doc you can download and use for GTD. Here's how it works: Download the document (it's an HTML file), load it up with our browser and you have a cool document that looks like a web page but is completely stand alone. You can add, edit, and print the "Tiddlies" which are just little cards you place in your pockets. Cool idea, little impact, very portable.

...dave
The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity. -Ellen Parr

Enterprise Car Rental

I'm talking about the Enterprise Car Rental company. The insurance is paying for a rental while my car is in the shop.

So I went last week to pick up a rental. I was in a rush to get back to work for a meeting, but the guy was really talkative. He took forever, and I was kind of encouraging him to move it along a bit.

So he gave me the keys, says that he didn't have time to fill it up but that's okay, just bring it back with a quarter of a tank.

I threw my bag in the passenger seat, jammed the key in the ignition and took off. That was a mistake.

The car was filthy, extremely dusty, and it smelled bad too. I couldn't see the traffic lights for all the smashed bugs on the windshield. When I went to fill it up with gas, I scrubbed the glass with the scrubber-squegie thing they provide, but the bugs were baked on. These things weren't coming off. But that wasn't the worst of it.

The seats were stained and the car was as dusty as a western prairie. And there were soda spills that left a sticky residue on the vent fins of the air conditioner. Maybe the car had been rented to their garbage man?

So I call the guy. I tell him I've just come back to work but the car is filthy. It's unacceptable.

"No problem, I'll swap it out for you. In fact, I'll upgrade you. Just call me about an hour before you want to come."

I do, and arrive about an hour later but there's no car available. "Sean" I say, "I called you an hour and a half ago, you promised a car, where is it?"

"I can't help it if there was a sudden demand on our fleet." was his lame reply. "I can give you a van for a little more." but he knows the insurance is footing the bill and I ain't about to cough up a penny extra.

The rental place is about 30 minutes from work. I'm about to blow a gasket. I drive back with the same car. I call the Branch Manager and tell him the story. Then I said: "I'd like to know, if you, the Branch Manager, see any problem with this behavior."

He says: "I'm sure Sean was aiming to please you as the customer, but this time he failed."

I'm thinking: THIS time? Hello? The car was previously loaned to a construction crew who brought it back filthy and empty. Sean didn't fill it, didn't clean it, and then attempted to bait and switch me when I told him it was unacceptable. Three strikes, you're out!

"What can we do to make it up? Do you come out here often?"

"Adam, why is no one listening to me? I drove 30 minutes out of my way to swap it out and 30 minutes back but still have no car I can drive without getting my slacks dirty. Can you figure a solution, or do you need me to give you a hint?"

"We'll get a car out to you this afternoon."

"Thank you Adam." I said, and then thought: Now you're thinking like a Branch Manager.

...dave
The salesman knows nothing of what he is selling save that he is charging a great deal too much for it. -Oscar Wilde

Job perspective

A big move of office space occurred for one department. They went from big offices to little cubes with partitions as high as their belly buttons.

There were lots of groaning all around until one guy said: "When I look at my cube and then my paycheck I think: I'd rather have my paycheck."

That really puts things in perspective.

Of course, he could have a bad job.

Another guy was spending so much time after work riding his bicycle that his girlfriend said to him: "Joe, when are you going to spend more time with me?"

So he said: "Look, this is my hobby. Get your own hobby."

So she did, his name is Mike.

...dave
Find a job you like and you add five days to every week. -H. Jackson Browne

Tent Cards

The Enterprise is entertaining to me. There's always a show somewhere, all you need to do is bring your popcorn.

We walked into a meeting today that had six people sitting around a big table. Sometimes in big meetings folks make tent cards and put them in front of them. (Tent cards are folded pieces of white cardboard propped in front of each person so everyone knows their name and what they do.) With big meetings this makes sense. But at this meeting, truth be told, everyone in the room knew each other.

The meeting coordinator insisted the that offending person, the one without the tent card, make a new one. (They are supposed to bring their tent cards with them to each meeting.) So, before the meeting could even begin, he had to write out his name and responsibility for all to see.

Sometimes the craziness is just too great for me.

...dave
You can go anywhere you want if you look serious and carry a clipboard.

Interactive Information Exchange Session

An email went out today. There are all kinds of questions brewing because it represent a loss of lots of jobs. Well, actually, the Enterprise promises to solve the problem via attrition (folks just leaving over time). But obviously there are questions.

So the email suggested that they bring their questions to the "Interactive Information Exchange Session." What's that? Huh? Would that like be called "a meeting?"

Where do they get these writers?

...dave
Following the rules will not get the job done. Getting the job done is no excuse for not following the rules.

Hard Rain

It's an early Sunday morning. My body clock gets up at 6:00, whether it's a weekday or a weekend. It doesn't know well enough to let me sleep in. So I get up, shower, shave and get some tea. Ah, White Tip Earl Grey tea. There is nothing better.

The rain has started. Our little home is draped with water. The rain is so heavy I feel like a spider under a tub spout. The water comes as if someone just turned it on. I peeked out of the window not minutes ago and all was dry. Now it sounds like I am standing next to Niagara Falls, intense, constant, and heavy. But then, as quick as it came, it'll lighten enough for me to hear the hollow downspouts echo the downpour on a smaller scale. I spoke to soon, the heavy water returns again.

The next wave of heavy water pours now, as if a tug boat pulling a freighter is passing by, and I'm in a small boat dowsed by the huge wave. The flood engulfs our subdivision like a bucket on an ant colony. It's a dark stormy morning.

This is a stay-in kind of morning. It's a day for reading, study, and writing.

Who wants to go out in this whether? I need another cup of tea.

...dave
Criticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish a man's growth without destroying his roots. -Frank A. Clark

Quotes

I keep a notebook when I read. When I run across something interesting and applicable in another setting I write it down. One of life's greatest pleasures is re-reading what others have said. I was just looking through that list. Here are some things other's have said and why:

"What a fool I used to be. I used to think that life is great and people suck but now I think life sucks but people are great." -Ghost Rider

He lost his girlfriend in a terrible accident and writes about riding through the country on his motorcycle in hopes of forgetting, or fleeing from the hurt and pain. Before the accident he was sure-footed and happy with life, but lacked empathy for others. By his own admission, he was not very tolerant. After the accident, he was mad at life but people were so loving and supportive. He was touched by that.

"Sometimes the nicest thing you can do for some people is let them do something for you." -Stienbeck

Sometimes people just need to give. We can't discourage that, even when the gift is limited.

"Some people just want reinforcement of their inappropriate behavior not insight on how to change it." -Dr. Phil

Interesting observation. It's important that when we reach out to people, we must understand what their commitments are for changing themselves. Otherwise it's wasted effort.

"Liberty means responsibility -- that's why most men avoid it." -George Bernard Shaw

An interesting quote in this era of "free speech." Freedoms mean we must be responsible enough to respect other's freedoms while enjoying ours. Whenever someone pulls the "free speech" card, I run, because it usually means free for them but someone else pays.

"Your music is my noise."

This is similar to the one above. How many times has a car pulled up next to you (or even behind you) playing music so loud it rattled your windows. If you asked them to turn it down they'd reply: "Hey, dude, it's a free country." (They might just turn it up to spite you.) The air is free, but that doesn't give a company the right to pollute it. I'd say it's the same with the air pollution of music.

"The future arrives too soon and in the wrong order." -Alvin Toffler

So true.

...dave
If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, I wouldn't brood. I'd type a little faster. -Isaac Asimov

"Teeth like to touch."

As I got up from the dental chair the hygienist said: "Teeth like to touch." She was explaining that my crown would seek it's position against the other teeth around it. She said that teeth "float" in the gums, "seeking their neighbors."

It almost sounded poetic to me. I thought: People are a lot like that too. They each "float" within their individual boundaries. Yet, they touch others in direct or sometimes subtle ways.

One of our secretaries also used to be a hygienist. People would always complain about brushing and flossing their teeth. "Do I have to brush and floss EVERY day?" They'd ask her. "No" she'd answer, "brush only the ones you want to keep."

Friendships take maintenance too. Without proper care, you'll lose them too I suppose. You only have to maintain the ones you want to keep.

"Teeth like to touch." "Brush the ones you want to keep." I like that.

...dave
I guess, in the case of a dog with VERY bad halitosis, his bark WOULD be worse than his bite. -Dave Terry

Rushed

Why is everyone in such a big hurry? Where's the fire? Why is everyone driving as if they are in an Armageddon movie? They cut and slice lanes like a turkey carver at a family dinner. The drivers behind them break and dodge these maniacs but they don't have the car handling ability the crazies have.

Just yesterday two semi-truck trailers overturned. Slow down folks!

I've avoided these guys so far. They whip around me and jump right back in to a single car link just ahead, sometimes just in front of me.

Last night I saw a guy doing about 85 went slicing through traffic like a sailboat in the sea. He drifted through four lanes, from right to left. Everyone behind him braked. From afar you you see the break lights flick on and then off as he entered and exited each car lane. When he sliced through several lanes you could see them light up in a row, right to left, then left to right.

Where is he going?

He's not unique. Just this morning I saw a similar scene. Some van was going too slow for one driver, so he sped ahead, breaked, and shot back in front of the snail.

Are we really that rushed? Are we really so disorganized and unplanned that we need to jeopardize everyone's life to get there?

Cool your jets.

...dave
I think God's going to come down and pull civilization over for speeding. -Steven Wright

Clueless

Going in to work today I switch the station to one of those giggly-coffee-breath man and woman morning shows. You know the type, the guy is cracking humorless jokes and the girl just laughs at anything he says. I don't have much patience for these baseless shows, but I stayed tuned anyway because they were handling a call from a college girl I'll call "Clueless".

She was saying that she cut one of her classes all year long. She never showed up, never took any tests, missed all the pop quizzes. This was going to be a failing class for sure.

At the end of the school year she arranged an appointment with the professor and made up some story about why she missed all year. She didn't remember the story she gave him, but it was convincing enough because he offered her a deal. She could make up the class by doing "personal projects" for him, like filing, organizing, and straightening his house. Yeah, you heard that right, cleaning his house!

At this point, the hosts of the radio station howled. But she continued with her story in a serious tone.

"So" she says "I'd go and clean his house. I'd dust and vacuum. Then one day he laid out a cheerleader uniform and asked me to wear it as I cleaned."

More ruckus laughter from the two radio hosts. They were having too good a time with this. I began to think, this has got to be a set up. Maybe they asked one of their friends to call in with this ludicrous story. But it sounded legit. Because she continued.

"Nothing ever happened, and I got a B+ for the class!"

"Hello!" The hosts were saying. "At what point did you think this was not right?"

"When he asked me to wear the outfit, I guess." she said.

"Not even, maybe before then? Like when he asked you to do personal things in his house?"

"No, I never really felt threatened." she confessed.

"So what class was this?"

"Ethics" she replied.

More laughter.

Outrageous.

...dave
"They gave me a book of checks. They didn't ask for any deposits."
Congressman Joe Early (D-Mass) at a press conference to answer questions about the House Bank Scandal.

Ultra-marathon

Okay, we've all heard about the marathon. You know, that exhausting 26 mile run that seems to get all kinds of attention in big cities these days. The crowds it draws brings big bucks to cities across the nation.

While sipping coffee in Starbucks this evening we were reading through the newspaper and ran across an article about a bigger marathon. Something way longer than a mere 26 miles. Are you ready for this? Are you sitting down? How about a 100 mile run? You know just before dinner, to work up your appetite.

This is insanity. What are these folks trying to prove anyway? That they can outrun dinosaurs? Because that's the only reason I can think of that you'd need to run that far. Think about this for a moment. One hundred miles. That's very long. In a car it would take you an hour and a half, approximately. On foot how long would it take?

Well, first of all, of the 147 that participated, 54 dropped out within the first half of the race. What a bunch of wimps. Pooping out after a mere 50 miles. Can you imagine this? I run that far when my wife says it's time to do yard work. Fifty miles, by word.

The fastest completion time was about 14 hours. Yep, 14 hours. (I hope you appreciate me italicizing all these key words here.) Now because it lasts 14 hours, eating stations are positioned throughout the course. However, when they arrive, they are too tired to tell their support team what they want. So the team just runs down the list of what they brought. When the runner nods, they know they've found something satisfactory. The runner does a dine-and-dash, literally. The slowest times are about 22 hours. Most have been running from 5:00 a.m. I'm asleep by 9:00 when I get up at 6:00. I'm afraid I wouldn't even qualify for the schedule, let alone the run.

These folks train four hours on the weekends for this run. But here is the most incredible aspect about this run, at least from my perspective. They pay to run this race! They pay $160 plus the support team and trucks. This means that most spend about $1000 to run 100 miles.

I think there is something wrong with these people, or at least something they are not telling us. Something has happened here and they are not willing to say. Maybe they've robbed a bank (this explains their ability to cough up $1000), or, started some insurrection in a small neighboring town, or, they are running from creditors. These all seem like plausible reasons why someon would even think about running 100 miles.

...dave
"Once you're beat mentally, you might was well not even go to the starting line." -Todd Williams

Writers In Touch

People are like birds, fishes, and elephants, they travel in flocks, schools, and herds. And that's why you can find any group to share ideas with on the Internet. Think of it like the wildernesss watering hole.

Like writing for example. If you like to write, you are in for lots of company. There are LOTS of writers out there. Some good writers, and some better. (I don't really want to say they are bad, but many are.)

So, I found this Writers In Touch forum. It's a website with various links to all kinds of stuff for writers. The main reason I joined was to get a little exposure and a few suggestions for help in the creative writing process.

You can post an article, and presto, someone comments on it. I thought: "What better way to improve?" Sooooo . . . I posted The Programming Team just for fun. I really expected to get some suggestions.

The only "suggestions" I got was make it longer! I guess they were expecting some great novel or something but these are just sketches, just observations about, well, really nothing. What were they thinking? Hemingway?

So now what? What's a budding artist to do?

...dave
Writing is no trouble: you just jot down ideas as they occur to you. The jotting is simplicity itself - it is the occurring which is difficult. -Stephen Leacock

My Faces

I started Eric's computer up this morning. (I guess we had a power outage last night.) And I discovered this image on his desktop. I didn't know I had more than one son!

.

"My Faces" - by Eric Terry

(Click on the photo to see it full-screen.)

...dave
Schizophrenia beats dining alone. -Oscar Lavant

Art & Poetry

Several of our friends are fantastic artists, photographers, and poets. So a friend put together a showing and poetry reading evening at her house. Wine, cheese, fruit, coffee and pastries were served.

The house is a split-level affair. There were chairs positioned above, sort of like a balcony, and chairs around tables below. A small stage and mike were setup in the corner with colored spotlights. Jazz played in the background. It reminded me of A Night at the Improv, a stand-up setting for comics.

We first flowed through the gallery where all the artwork from each of the guests hung on walls or were propped on shelves. This stuff was amazing. One piece in particular was an oil painting where the clothing was backlit. I could swear it was a photograph. Another piece looked like a black and white, by the same artist, but it was charcoal.

Eric's pieces were there. The Sports Head was a favorite. It's a pencil sketch of various sports equipment arranged to look like a face. A baseball mitt on the top of the head resembles hair.

Next each of the guests read a poem they by a poet they especially liked, or a poem they wrote. My favorite was by Jessica about her husband. It wasn't sappy, yet genuine and touching. It's publishable.

I read a couple of mine found at GotVerse? Mark read several of his found at PoetrySoup. Great stuff Mark's. Frankly, after hearing all of their serious, sensitive, and deep poems, I didn't want to read the ones I brought. I mean, the chasm between my poems and theirs was equal to "Roses are red" and "The Raven" by Poe.

I need to write better stuff.

...dave
Verse is not written, it is bled; Out of the poet's abstract head. Words drip the poem on the page; Out of his grief, delight and rage. -Paul Engle

Vacation Time

Summer is coming to a kid near you. School is out and what to do but plan a trip. I was amazed at all the KINDS of trips you can take. Hiking, biking, climbing. I thought vacations were for rest.

When I was growing up, we took a car trip. But that's old hat, that's yesterday, that's so last week. Get a grip dude and check out some of the better ways people spend their days off of school and work.

I found the Travel link on the MSN page.

Here is a few of ideas:

Cruise Travel (a very cool way to go.)
Tropical Travel
European Travel

And here's an interesting one, Active Travel. Hmmmm, I thought all travel WAS active. If it isn't, how do you get there? Maybe there is such a thing as mental travel? Of course the folks that take those trips stay in pink rooms with a bed on the floor AND the wall. Those tend to be very long trips you usually take on a short bus.

My favorite link has to be Luxury Travel. Check this out. Regular rooms for just $9,500 per night. The biggest room, ahem, is The Peninsula Suite; it measures 3,300 square feet. That's the size of my house! I can't imagine spending six months mortgage for ONE night.

No, I'm afraid I'll have to settle for Car Travel this year instead. I'm checking out the Budget Travel.

...dave
Vacation is what you take when you can't take what you've been taking any longer. -Anonymous

The Emperor's Clothes

We all know the story of the Emperor's Clothes so I won't bore you with it here. But as I look around I see so many naked leaders. No one is dressing them anymore and they certainly aren't dressing themselves. They are naked and openly exposed.

Politicians, teachers, CEO's, and even the garbage man, are spouting stuff that would require a fool to believe, yet folks go on believing it. What's amazing to me is the reason given to believe what's said. They'll tell you that the person was schooled at this college, or came from such-and-such company, or they held position X before coming to your company. This is known as tyranny of authority. They figure you'll conclude: "He must be smart because of such-and-such background." But these are hardly reasons to follow blindly. If folks would just stop for a minute, and really listen to the words, they'd conclude the guy was nuts, crazy and maybe egocentric.

For example, I heard about one CIO who said to his drones: "Don't fraternize with anyone below your level, not even after work." Huh? What is he thinking? Social networks span across disciplines, jobs, and positions within any organization. Anyone seeking to eliminate that, is a fool, and anyone believing it, is drinking cool-aid.

Just today I rode the elevator with a woman that knows one of the key Data Architect's in the organization from when they played together in a sandbox. How could anyone sever that relationship. These two are inseparable. Besides you can't legislate after-hours association. What is he thinking?

One of the everlasting principles of management is the "floor walk." It's that time you walk around with your coffee and just ask one of your employees what they are working on. Have them explain to you how it fits in with the big picture. Chat, converse, listen. You'll learn much about rumors, misunderstandings, and the thinking process of the people that are earnestly attempting to make you successful.

I'm on a committee to help management communicate better with their employees. As you might deduce, this is a problem. However, one of the most basic communication tools is "the chat." Taking time out to just chat with the people that work for you will go a long way in building communication. If a manager is too busy to visit with the people that can make them successful, they won't be. They can't be. How could they be?

The reason is, mistrust. No one will work for someone else without the bond of trust. Trust bonds are developed in a one-on-one situation. If an employee can't communicate with his manager, they will not trust their manager and they'll go elsewhere. Because, really, who wants to stand by someone naked?

...dave
It is an inevitable defect, that bureaucrats will care more for routine than for results. -Walter Bagehot 1826-1877, British economist and essayist

Seeing Another's Viewpoint

Without realizing it, I assume that people see things from my perspective. But of course, it's not true. Maybe you already know this, but I still catch myself thinking only from inside my shoes.

For example, I think books and coffee make a paradise. Not everyone does. I could spend forever in Borders. The music, coffee, endless books, cozy chairs, and even the oak coffee tables makes it the perfect environment for reading, writing and computer notebooks.

So here's the point. We were talking about interviewing for companies, specifically ours. So I say: "Hey, let's invite them to Borders, give them a mug of coffee and interview them there." Sounds like a good idea to me.

But the truth is the blue collar folks we'd be interviewing are carpenters, brick masons, carpet layer, and roofers. Now picture this: A three-fingered carpenter in bib overalls with a pencil behind his ear, toting a computer notebook and asks: "Where can I plug this in?"

Yeah, no that wouldn't work. Bad idea. Who though of that stupid idea anyway? What a dope.

...dave
If at first you don't succeed, skydiving isn't for you.

Drug Tests

They are everywhere now. Drug tests. They are required for athletes, employees, and supervisors.

Drug tests are required for all employees joining our company as well as employees that get a promotion. (I guess they reason, just because they were clean coming in, doesn't mean they are going up.)

One of the guys that joined the company some years ago had the nurse accompanied him while he gave his sample! There are always people trying to beat the system. Judging from this site, www.passyourdrugtest.com they have reason to fear. (The bullets for the lists at this site use a marijuana leaf. How subtle.) Of course, there are plenty of sites fighting back.

Some people have been caught with bags taped to their sides with non-human samples inside. We get all kinds.

Drug tests are the last defense a company uses to try to hire the best. We put background checks in all our applicant entry programs. In other words, if you try to apply for a job on-line, the programs ensure you are not a criminal, at least, at the time you apply.

In Australia they do roadside drug testing. They found 1 in 73 under the influence of drugs.

Just a few days ago I was following behind a guy who had his windows down. My top was down and I got a big whiff of what he was toking, it made my eyes water. I had to get in the other lane and slightly ahead of him because the downwind was so strong. He had the radio blaring, arm hanging out, and he slouched so that his eyebrows were just above the steering wheel. It's scary when you think these folks are hurling down the highway behind the controls of a 2-ton metal killing machine under the influence.

I'm going to buy a Hummer and a gas mask.

...dave
No drug, not even alcohol, causes the fundamental ills of society. If we're looking for the sources of our troubles, we shouldn't test people for drugs, we should test them for stupidity, ignorance, greed and love of power.- P. J. O'Rourke

Fake a Kidnapping Kit

You've all been tracking the runaway bride that got national coverage. Yeah, I know, I know, she's from Atlanta Georgia. It seems a lot of activities that get CNN coverage originate right here in good 'ol Georgia. (For other Georgia stories check out Family Problems and Atlanta in the News.)

It's so popular, a guy on eBay is selling a piece of toast carved like the runaway. Last time I checked the bid was at $16,000.

If it's on national news, you can believe it's all over the local news. There are interviews with people that knew her, school friends, town people, bowling league teammates, etc. Some said she had a fling for the limelight. A bit of a drama queen I guess. She has a twin brother. There have been lot's of pictures from the High School album.

But the best local clip was the radio station DaveFM that features a "store commercial" advertising Kidnapping Kits. (DaveFM is a real radio station. It's kind of cool because my radio display the station on the dash.)

Anyway the "commercial" went something like this:

"Are you fed up with work? Finals coming up and you want to skip out? Wedding plans too stressful? Now you can fake your own kidnapping with our new, complete, kidnapping kit."

"That's right, everything is included. A blind fold, a roll of duct tape, bus ticket, and pieces of cut rope. Everything you'll need to convince the police that you were really taken hostage. Look no further, we have it all!"

You got to love it. Even though I heard this while half asleep driving into work today, I laughed all the way.

Maybe I'll get one of those kits. You know, just in case.

...dave
I am profoundly and irreversibly screwed up. -Maggie Carpenter from the movie Runaway Bride

King of the Crypt

You may think this macabre but Forbes reports that some celebrities are still making bucks after they are dead! Due to royalties, the checks keep on coming.

Here's a quick list:

$40 million - Elvis Presely
$35 million - "Peanuts" creator Charles Schultz
$23 million - "Lord of the Rings" author J.R.R. Tolkien
$21 million - John Lennon
$18 million - Theodor "Dr. Seuss" Geisel

Can you imagine this? Some of them have bigger paychecks after death than when they were alive.

Elvis Presely, still making money after all these years. I guess, in a way, he is still alive.

...dave
Every time I think that I'm getting old, and gradually going to the grave, something else happens. -Elvis Presley