Category: general

no strings attached: 1 year ago – the way around

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9

Samantha opened the door that now read “Fire Ex”, but everyone knew what it meant and everyone knew it wouldn’t set off the alarm. She found Harry to her right.

“Hey Sam, what’s up?”, said Harry, letting the ashes from his cigarette hit the ground.

“Don’t start with me! I’m furious right now. Harry, you can’t just mouth off like that in a meeting. You just can’t.”

“I think I just did.”

“Yeah, you did. We’re going to have to try real hard to dig out of this one. You’re making things difficult.”

“You know what? You’re right. I’m sorry.”

“Are you really?”

“Yeah, I am.”

“Good, and can you blow the smoke in that direction?”, said Samantha as she pointed away.

“Sorry.”

“I had a dream about you the other day”, said Samantha, in a calmer tone.

“Oh?”

“You were trapped, in chains.”

“Hah, doesn’t feel like a dream.”

“But then you got out. You broke out of the chains.”

“What do you think that means?”

“I don’t know. I think it means you’ll be fine. I think it means you’ll find a way.”

“I hope so”, Harry pulled a cigarette half way and held the pack out toward Samantha.

“No”, said Samantha, with a slightly irritated look on her face, “You know I quit a while ago.”

a word, a call

From Haroon Moghul:

Remember, when you call or write media, the need of the hour is a ceasefire. All life is sacred, and civilians cannot and must not be targeted on either side. Condemnation that is one-sided is fundamentally flawed; respectfully, the conflict has causes and solutions, but right now, the first step is a cessation of violence. A three-hour ceasefire is not a ceasefire, it is buying time to keep up an onslaught that cannot distinguish between combatant and non-combatant, as Gaza is a severely crowded and remarkably tiny strip of land.

Find out, and just call/email.

Postal Code:

 

music and reading

I’m finding now that I’ve stopped listening to music while I’m reading on the subway and this allows me to concentrate and read more.

Oddly enough, I think this is something that would apply to other situations. That if you listen to music because you think it makes you more productive in what you’re doing, it probably doesn’t. Unless you’re exercising or jogging, but if you’re doing something that requires using your brain, thinking and reflecting, then music doesn’t help all that much.

Or so it seems.

2008: year of the blog

Actually, it was year of the rat.

But as far as I’m concerned, all I did this year was blog. Which is somewhat kind of sad. I blogged more this year than I did from 2003 to 2007 inclusive. That’s insane.

And if in 2007 you’d tell me that I would do that. I would tell you that you’re crazy. And the content I’ve posted, if you told me that’s the content I’d post, I’d tell you you were crazy-insane.

But blogging isn’t an accomplishment. Mind you, I am fairly pleased with some of the content on the blog. It ain’t all good, or even close, but hell I put it up. But that isn’t an accomplishment of any kind. Like learning how to play the guitar, that would be an accomplishment. And I’ve been wanting to learn how to do that for years. I even blogged about it in this cringe-worthy post.

2008 has been a good year though, along with all the ups and downs it comes with, it’s been a good year. It’s interesting because I can look back over the years and sort of follow myself and see how each year has either made a difference or affirmed something in me/about me. But life really turned interested that way since I turned 21, before that it’s all a blur. Hah.

Oh yeah, I switched jobs and started part-time school and host of other things. But none of that really stands out, I don’t even remember that stuff. All there is, is the blog. =/. Clearly I need to actually do something.

Would I have done anything differently this year? Yes, I would have. I would have bought a large flat big screen television. Not that I’d watch it or anything, I’m content downloading television and watching it on the macbook, I just want something to hang on the wall.

is this a dagger which i see before me?

I am completely taken by the simplicity of things. Something so basic and I am in awe.

I bring my hand to eye level, palm facing me, with all the fingers pointing up. I bend my pinky down and up, then my ring finger, then my middle finger, and then my index finger. As if each finger, one by one, were taking a bow. I end with my thumb. No, I don’t really end. I repeat the motions in reverse, now starting with the thumb. And again, and again. Each time I slow down a little.

This only gives me more time to think. This motion, this movement. The slower the finger, the more I think. I have to find its source.

I slowly trace the movements back. As much as I can. The signal must come from some where, some place. I trace it down my palm, through my wrist and to my elbow. It flows up my bicep, around my shoulder blade, and up my neck. My mind, it is coming from my mind.

A mere thought causes these movements.

This motion is a thought.

Where do these thoughts come from? These thoughts that move me, where do they come from?

Come, let me clutch thee.
I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.

problem –> solution

A lot of management folk I’ve dealt with have brought this up enough times that it’s worth talking about. I cannot stress how wrong this is, but I will try.

The idea is that if you bring up or voice a problem that you must also present a solution.

Any managers that say this or propagate this are practising weak management. They are not doing their job properly.

There are many reasons for this. Most important of all is that organizations that truly excel and improve have a policy of transparency and brutal honesty. Problems and concerns within an organization must traverse the entire management food chain.

In my opinion, bringing up a problem is the most crucial part, regardless of whether you propose a solution or not. Problems equal opportunity, and that opportunity ought to be shared amongst the team/organization. To assume that the person who finds the problem will be the best to solve it is foolish. Having the “no problems without solutions” policy leads to people bottling up problems until they’re able to draw out a solution. This leads to a collection of problems that should have been addressed a long time ago. You cannot afford to have people afraid to voice problems and in general their opinions.

Bringing up problems provides everyone a chance to collaboratively find solutions. Delaying problems simply magnifies them in the future.

The idea is not to create an environment where people are whining, no. The idea is to foster an environment where people are free to voice problems, and collectively discuss and solve them. So as a manager when you tell your team that they shouldn’t voice problems without solutions. You’re failing them. You don’t know what you don’t know, it’s okay to accept that.

can you really?

Random thoughts/sentences.

The more things change the more they remain the same.

A very well run campaign indeed. Tremendous, in fact. Does that translate into anything else? Who knows?

Obama’s campaign had to be one of the best run large-scale marketing campaigns ever. Ever.

It will be interesting to see what happens next. Let’s be “hopeful”, but let’s not fool ourselves. They’re all politicians after all.

One thing that is hopefully indicative of how someone operates is that Obama seemed to surround himself with the right people and let them to their job. This is a very good trait to have in any situation. It’s nice being a great public speaker, charismatic, calm and cool and all, but if you don’t surround yourself with the right people (and let them do their work), it’s all for not.

Change? If nothing, hopefully it’s a change in attitude and change in perception.

It’s almost easy to care one day every four (US) or five (Canadian) years. But do we have a way of keeping the government honest along the way? Some form of accountability that’s is not yet another full fledged election. Can you imagine if during a campaign there was a neutral committee that fines a party for each false claim they make? Carry this into their term, and actually somehow holds a party accountable for their campaign promises?

I do have to say, the Americans have impressed me. This is the same country that let Bush be president for two terms, and clearly elected him for one (the second) term. And despite the smear campaign run by the Republicans, they still elected Obama.

Muslim. Arab. Pals around with terrorists. Socialist. Marxist.

And still, they elected him. Thank you for showing politicians that smear campaigns are awful, and they should not work.