Procrastination

I'm big on getting things done. I don't procrastinate. Ever.

I mean, it will eventually catch up with you right? It makes no sense to me. Why do people procrastinate?

I'm a little thirsty. I'll be right back...

Okay, I'm back. Ahhh....tea, hot tea. It's down to the 40s tonight. Hot tea warms the soul. Where was I? Oh yes, procrastination.

Here's my point (if there is one): When I procrastinate, it takes longer to finish.

Let's say I have to answer an email. I read it, but put off responding. What that means is that later I'll have to re-read the email, to understand the context, and THEN answer it. Why not respond now while it's fresh in mind?

That doesn't mean that I take action on everything that crosses the desk. Sometimes it's best to completely ignore (delete) the email altogether. While the cursor is on the email, I press the delete key right there and then. Handle it once, and only once.

Sometime I don't really feel like studying my Chinese. I know it's going to take an hour or two of work. Sometimes I try to put it off.

I'll go down for some tea, then go back down for a pen, then back down again for a pad of paper. Ruth will get tired of seeing me. She's no fool. She's on to me. She'll say:

"Are you finished with your Chinese paragraphs yet?"

"No, but I'm getting ready to. I'm very close to starting. It won't be long now." I'll assure her.

And that's the plan. She is supposed to look up the words in half the paragraphs and I'm supposed to look up the words in the other paragraphs.

I just need to prepare myself. It's not procrastination. While I'm downstairs though, she doesn't mind asking me to take out the trash! What's up with that? Do you want translated Chinese words or a clean trash can?

So I put out the trash. But then I noticed a garage door light bulb is burned out and so stop to replace it. There were also a few boxes that need to be put out, mail to fetch, tea to brew, a cat to pet, and a dead mouse to toss that Taco brought in. (I'm serious about the mouse. Everything else may be a stretch.)

There's always something with those cats. Snickers is draped over the ottoman and Taco's paws dangle over the office chair. His tail lightly swats at nothing particular below the seat.

Where was I? Oh, yeah, procrastination.

As I type this I saw a roach scurry across our bedroom floor. I tried to smack him but he's now hiding out behind my book case which is too heavy to move.

I don't think I'll ever finish this post.

Next time I'm going to wear blinders, or maybe blindfolds.

...dave
I have not yet begun to procrastinate.

Steve & Wendy's Blog

Very cool, now Steve and Wendy are online bloggers. Steve has begun blogging at LiveJournal. I don't know why he calls his blog "ballontrack" though. Maybe that will be the subject of a future blog post, so stay tuned.

Since our family is distributed across the states, it's nice to "check in" with the fam and see what they are up to. Well, of course, I exaggerate because it's just Steve, Eric and myself that are posting these days, but maybe our other family members will start their blogs too. Then we'd create a Terry Blog Roll. (A blog roll, for those of you who may be unfamiliar with this term, is simply a list of your favorite blogs off to the side of your posts.)

So, I've now added Steve to my "OTHER BLOGS" section to the right (or the blog roll). Anytime you want to learn about the three family members that are blogging, you can stop off here. Also, Steve has added a link to my blog from his site. Either way you can get your fill of blogs.

I found Steve's account of the leak in their kitchen absolutely riveting. I was in suspense thinking: What if the wall caves in from all that water? Will he be able to get out in time? Will he be able to finish the post? And what about Wendy? Truth IS more entertaining than fiction!

You'll also notice Eric's blog link is here too. He's got some fairly cool stuff. You should check it out.

Happy reading.

...dave
Spend the hour blogging, and you will discover many more free hours during the day. -Mickey Kaus

The Castle House

While riding through Roswell, Georgia, I snapped this picture. It's not a museum, it's not an ancient castle, it's a real modern house. Someone actually lives here.

I've talked to someone that has toured the house. He says that the inside is all stone and concrete. "No drywall in the place." he said. There is even a moat around the "castle" that doubles as a swimming pool.

Heating is provided through the concrete floor. It's not very efficient, as the heat warms no only the concrete floor and consequently the castle, but also heats the ground underneath where no one benefits, except maybe the worms, if you count them.

It's a rather odd looking place, an anachronism to see in the middle of a residential area.

I hear they they arrange tours. We should go and take a look at the inside someday.

...dave
A man's house is his castle.

Trains

I met an interesting guy today. He's big on trains, real big on trains. He lives with his wife and trains in the cellar of his son's home.

The cellar has only three rooms. One room houses 350 feet of train tracks. I've never seen anything like this before. He's got 27 engines, a water tower, log unloader/loader, cars, trucks and busses that light up, and the trains make their own steam. Truly an amazing set up.

The trains come from several external rooms and there are holes cut into the walls to allow egress. He's even building track out into the backyard.

The engines make the sounds of the actual machines. A computer runs the whole setup. He can record the routes and sounds of two trains running simultaneously. The engines have 80 sounds including, heavy chuffing for uphill simulations, regular steam sounds for flat track, and easy engine sounds for downhill express.

A yellow school bus sits in the middle of town blinking red and yellow lights wired from underneath the waist high platform. There is about a mile of wire under the tracks.

Richard has made several of the cars himself and has created movies of riding around his railroad with an engine or caboose view.

Of course, he has a web site. (Thought you'd never ask.) You can take a look at some of the engines he's collected. He's also got a few movies to watch.

Very cool.

...dave
It's alright to have a train of thought, as long as you have a terminal.

Memories

Memories can be beautiful --- if you have them. I can't seem to remember anyone anymore. Is it the multiple places we've lived or age that makes me forget?

Someone will come up to me and speak in a friendly and informal manner. I'll turn to Ruth after they leave and say something like:

"Do I know them?"

"Yes."

"Who are they?"

"Remember we went over their house with the Kelly and Jerry?"

"Who are Kelly and Jerry?"

"They were the ones we bought the dining room set from, remember?"

"We never bought a dining room set from a Kelly and Jerry. Sounds like an ice cream store."

"Yes we did you just don't remember."

And I don't. I can't remember anything. I'll go downstairs to get something and then stand in front of an opened cabinet staring blankly into it's shelves. What am I here for? I retrace my steps thinking that it will jog my memory but frankly I can't remember where I came from.

Sometimes I go out and arrive at a store and call Ruth:

"Ruth, what am I here for?"

"You went to get a pack of 4x6 cards."

"Okay, thanks." I hang up.

That's why old men sit in rocking chairs on their porch. They are afraid to go out, they'll never find their way back home. That's me in a few years.

...dave
As I said before, I never repeat myself.

Raven Falls

I don't know why, but each holiday we decide to go hiking. I'd rather sleep in, have breakfast in bed, and watch movies, especially on a day when the temperature reads 40 degrees.

We had determined to meet some friends on a hike. Trouble is, the trailhead is one an a half hours from home!

The plan was to meet at the trailhead, hike to the falls, have lunch, and hike back together.

But the night before we determined that since November 24th is a day off from work, I wouldn't have to rush around. I could just get up at my leisure, have my tea, read a little, and leave when we felt like it. Even if we missed meeting the group at the trailhead, we could meet them at the falls for lunch.

Of course, I'm used to waking up at 5:30. Even without the alarm my body was up by then. I tried to force it back to sleep. It didn't work. I finally stumbled downstairs for tea and crept back up to bed. Ruth was busy working on her computer. But at 8:30 a.m. that all changed.

To be honest I lost track of time. But Ruth wanted to know why she was downstairs making all the lunches while I was still typing away on my computer in bed at 8:30? I didn't have a good answer to that. I did ask her about the sleep-in clause from our discussion last night but I don't think the language I used was adequate to the task. Because, in the end, it was clear I needed to get up and make breakfast. Which I did.

We picked up our passengers by 10:00 and our van-bus headed to Dunkin' Donuts to pick up some more people. They were late because they were having the same problem I had at 8:30 a.m.

The coffee and donut jilted my system and I was ready to conquer the 2.5 mile path to the falls.

The Raven Falls in north Georgia is as beautiful as it is cold on a November day in the shade. Since Ruth had packed the lunch, she had included some coffee and cookies too. We snapped some pictures and headed the 2.5 miles back out.

I generally bring along my harmonica and separate myself from the main train to spare them my sour notes. Since we seem to hike once a year, I spend the time hiking in remembering the songs I forgot, and the time hiking out eliminating the bad notes from those songs.

We stopped off in Helen on the way back for a dinner. Helen is constructed to look like a Bavarian Alpine village with a Disney twist. The little Bavarian German Inn we ate at warmed us with German cuisine, beer and wine.

Bert, our live entertainment, played keyboard and sang in the background. What's most remarkable about Bert is his green felt hat. He must have had fifty pins stuck into it from places he'd visited around the world. The food was bland but the place was warm and friendly and we had a great time laughing around the table.

I asked the young girl who came with the lighter, what time she usually lit the candles at the table. She took my meaning wrong and thought I was reprimanding her for not coming sooner, for by now we were having our coffee. She said, rather defensively: "Only when it starts to get dark outside sir, and it only now started to get dark out." She was off as quickly as she came when Bill turned to me and said: "Whenever I'm with you I feel like I'm in a Seinfeld episode." We all started laughing and then tried to determine which one of us was George, Elaine, and Kramer. I think the young girl thought we were laughing at her. I felt a little bad. I was just trying to start a friendly conversation with her. Really!

By the time we'd delivered all our passengers we were back at home by 9:00 p.m. and finished the day watching four servings of LOST on DVD. Great show!

Great day.

Exhausting day.

...dave
I hope to be the kind of person my dog thinks I am.

The Desk

I think I may have mentioned my desk in past posts. It's true, my desk is not the model of efficiency and there is some improvement I can make regarding it's design.

However, I think you'll agree this desk has spun out of control.

Sometimes I get off at lower floors so that I can walk through the huge Enterprise and see what's on other floors. It also gives me some opportunity to do a little exercise since I have to walk up a few flights of stairs. Some time ago I passed this office and decided I needed a picture. I've been down several times carrying my digital camera but the occupant is always there! (Thus the "lived-in" appearance.) I was never able to snap a photo.

I wasn't brave enough to ask the woman who haunts this office to pose for me. She wears those half-glass, nose knob resting, reading glasses, complete with chains that loop around her neck so that, I imagine, she can easily find them in this tornado.

She, herself, is the essence of disorganization. When I first walked by her office some months ago and was accosted by the disarray I had to walk past again and do so slowly to absorb it all. Her hair is whipped up in a bee hive shot through with several arrows. Part of the hive is missing walls. Some of her hair hangs down over her face when she works. This gives her a disheveled appearance, blending well with her office decor.

What isn't in the picture is stacks and stacks of paper under the desk and against her wall. These stacks are two feet high and none of the corners of any of the papers are aligned. Rather, the brochures, printouts, and glossy ad pictures are randomly placed on top of one another. You couldn't find anything if you hired CSI.

There is a pathway to her desk, but barely. You have to snake your way, serpentine style, to reach her chair. If you sat down, you couldn't back up or you'd knock over one of the paper stacks.

Do you think she imagines this approach to office design projects an image of busyness?

...dave
A work desk is a garbage can with drawers.

Barnes & Noble

I got a renewal notice in the mail from Barnes & Noble today. I've been a member with them for about four years. I've bought a membership card each year for about $25 and that gives me 10% discounts on all their merchandise and coffee in the cafe. The great thing is that even if a book is on the discount table, say 50% off, I still get an additional 10% off with the membership card.

But that's all behind me now.

The renewal notice said that I'd be atomically billed the $25 for my membership if I didn't call them by December 31st! What in the world are they thinking? My membership doesn't expire until February 1st. Why do I need to call by December 31st? Why are they automatically billing me? Before, when my membership expired, I just updated it at the counter the next time I went in to the store and bought something. I was mad.

So I called their number. I just got an auto-attendant. No opportunity or satisfaction in telling anyone off. But what the auto-attendant told me was they were closed and I had to call during store hours. Then she hung up. I couldn't even leave a message.

I blew a gasket.

What are these people thinking? Who's marketing and revenue raiser idea was this?

I wrote them a letter and canceled my membership, effective immediately.

Maybe it doesn't matter to them, but it matters to me.

As they say in a capitalist society: I vote with my money.

...dave

Things to Build

Ran across a couple real cool things you can build at home!

How about a v8 engine . . . out of paper? Sure, you can't use if for your car, but you can watch it run!

Okay, so you don't want an engine you can't use. How about a homemade pipe organ that you can? This one is made of wood and you can really play it!

Now THAT'S ingenuity.

...dave
"They are able because they think they are able." ~ Vergil

Field Day

What a fantastic day in the field.

We had a great Chinese/English study. I actually studied ahead and was able to read the questions in Chinese. The problem came when my study answered in Chinese. I could pick out a few words and sometimes got the context, but often missed most of what he said. Fortunately, I had Bill with me who could understand his answers. The best thing is that he was able to ask Chinese questions that he couldn't form in English and Bill could help me.

What an absolute joy it is in the Chinese field.

Dong is such a nice guy too. He asked me if I noticed that he swept the walkway of leaves because he knew we were coming today. I don't think that has ever happened on any of my English studies!

There were several paragraphs where I had Bill take over since I hadn't been able to study those paragraphs ahead of time. It takes me about 10 minutes per paragraph to lookup all the words I don't know, which is shorter than it used to take. It used to take me 30 minutes per paragraph so I'm getting better, faster, or lazier.

Book Study wasn't bad either. Although I had prepared several paragraphs and had my hand up, I didn't get called on. They were looking for the newer students I guess. So I struggled reading through a few verses out loud in the study instead.

It's very strange learning a new language. There are so many fits and starts. I've gone through many peaks and valleys and many plateaus. Plateaus are the toughest because it seems I just can't get past a certain level. Then suddenly, it clicks, and I say: "Yeah, I get it."

It's like being a child in a candy store. I can look up at the grownups talking but I can't understand a lot of what they are saying. I can sometimes make out that they are discussing a type of candy. But because I'm not grown up yet, I can't understand exactly what they are saying about the candy. I just want a piece so badly. I don't have the necessary vocabulary to ask. I can't seem to reach any of them. They are all just too high on the counter for me to get to them. I leave with only the satisfaction of the smell and memory of the chocolate delights.

That's what it's like to learn a foreign language.

...dave
The language of truth is simple. -Euripides

An Open Letter to Borders

Dear Borders:

I sit here at Panera Bread Company typing this into your website.

I take this opportunity to write you and tell you how much I enjoy your book stores. Weekly, if not daily, I visit, read, and drink coffee. Most often I visit during lunch just to get away from the Corporate madness to relax.

I like your comfy chairs and oak wood tables to stretch out and write on my computer. I bring my wireless iBook and often write for my blog, or research using the encyclopedia tools on my machine.

But I digress. I said I was writing this FROM Panera Bread Company NOT from your book store. I'm here, having a meal, writing on the blog, and drinking coffee. In fact, I'm writing an open letter on my blog. This letter.

Which brings me back to the reason for this letter. The Internet. The FREE Internet. Free access to the Internet.

Why don't you have free access? Why do you charge for access? I believe you are behind the times. And that's why I'm writing to you.

I suggest that you open up the Internet for free at your stores.

Why? Because I'm here and not there, at your store. I choose this place BECAUSE of the free access. I like books, but I can bring my own here. I like free Internet better. Here, access to the Internet is encouraged and never charged.

I would argue, although I have no hard data on this, that you would actually make more money if you provided free Internet access. At least you'd have the money I paid for this meal. And, more than likely, future meals and coffee.

Of course, I'm only one customer out of hundreds of thousands, but I'd be wiling to bet your other customers feel and would do the same. (Right now, as I look around, there are three other notebook users here.)

I'm sure T-Mobile provides some remuneration for the "hot-spots" you charge for in your stores. Maybe they provide free access for your stores.

But they are not your customer, I am. And I vote with my money.

Sincerely,
...dave
"If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter" -T.S. Eliot

Funny Wisdom

He swallowed a lot of wisdom, but all of it seems to have gone down the wrong way. -Georg C. Lichtenber

Those who cannot remember the past will spend a lot of time looking for their cars in mall parking lots. -Jay Trachman

The first sign of maturity is the discovery that the volume knob also turns to the left. -Jerry M. Wright

Sir, you are like a pin, but without either its head or its point. -Douglas Jerrold

Human beings are the only creatures that allow their children to come back home. -Bill Cosby

I am NOT paranoid. Who told you that?

John Brown is filling his last cavity. -Dentist's Tombstone

I told you that I was sick! -Georgia Cemetary, USA

Here lies the body of Jonathan Blake; Stepped on the gas instead of the brake. -Pennsylvania Tombstone, USA

I saw Elvis. He sat between me and Bigfoot on the UFO.

...dave
Start off everyday with a simple smile and get it over with. -W. C. Fields

Men and Women Wisdom

Every man needs a wife because he can't blame everything on the government.

Half a loafer is better than no husband at all -Louis Safiar

Being a husband is like any other job. It helps if you like the boss.

Even when a marriage is "made in heaven" the work and maintenance needs to be done here on earth.

To marry a woman for her beauty is like buying a house for it's paint.

A man who gives in when he's wrong is wise. A man who gives in when he's right is married.

When a man answers the phone he reaches for a pencil. A woman grabs a chair.

When a man brings his wife flowers for no reason -- he'd better have one.

Woman can never be as successful as men. They have no wives to advise them.

I hate woman because they always know where things are. -James Thurber

Men don't care what's on TV. They only care what else is on TV. -Jerry Seinfeld

...dave
"She can't fix you but she can tell you what's wrong in Latin." -Dave regarding his wife's medical transcription skills.

More bits of Wisdom

We are like a stone cast in a quite lake. The affects of our presence continues long after we are gone.

Friendship is love with understanding.

It's possible to give without loving, but impossible to love without giving.

I'm not afraid of tomorrow, for I've seen yesterday and today.

The best way to keep friendships from breaking is to not drop them.

I'm not young enough to know everything.

All work and no play makes Jack the wealthiest man in the cemetery.

"That's my side of the story. Now let me tell you his."

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

By the age of 40 a man is responsible for his face and his fate.

It's good to have an end to the journey, but it's the journey that matters in the end.

He's a tired old man, far nearer the end of things then it''s beginning.

The mission determines the tools. (Similar as below.)

The value is determined by the circumstance. (Water is more valuable in a desert than gold.)

I was born ugly and then had a terrible setback.

He lived for better or worse but now he's dead for good. -What Ansel Adams wanted engraved on his tombstone.

Expecting to get somewhere without effort is like getting on an elevator without pushing a button. -Dave Terry

Easy writing makes hard reading and hard writing makes easy reading. -William Zinsser

That seems, as they say, incompatible with life. -Dr. Phil in reference extreme sports

They are better than novels, more accurate than history, and even at times more dramatic than plays. -Arthur Ponsonby regarding diaries

Worrying about the past is like driving with just your rearview mirror. -Dave Terry

Sometimes the nicest think you can do for people is to let them do something nice for you. -Stienbeck

...dave
"A friend knows the song in my heart and sings it to me when my memory fails." -Donna Roberts

Bits of Wisdom

Since I spend so much time in meetings, I collect short quotes. Here are a few bits of wisdom I've gathered:

If you answer your own questions, the other person is superfluous.

Reading without applying is like going to the gym without exercising.

Leave the past where it should be.

It's all theory until you put it into practice.

People risk their life to get things when life itself is the most import thing.

If you drove to the sun 24 hours a day for 7 days a week at 100 mph, it would take you 100 years to reach it.

We have guided missiles and misguided men. - Martin Luther King Jr.

No person exists that uses the full potential of his brain. Why then would you place your confidence in humans?

Back away from the microscope of the imperfections of others.

A courtship lacking honor is not a foundation on which to build your marriage.

Focus on essentials. (A high wire walker only brings what he needs.)

Emotion has no rudder.

Allow people their own opinion.

Don't become roommates with your spouse, reacting without interacting.

...dave
I either get what I want or I change my mind. -Dreams For An Insomniac

Drawing by Eric

Eric has been doing lots of drawing.

In fact, he's ALWAYS drawing. He's doing T-shirts, web sites, and also keeps drawing in his large journal.

When I say large, I mean huge. It's a 11 x 14 sketch book. When I open the book there is about two square feet of white space staring back at me. That is, unless I've opened it up to one of his "doodle" pages.

He's got sort of a free-form style. Many of the drawings overlap each other, some are colored, others are just line sketches. Yet, every single "sketch" is excellent.

I took a couple of pictures to show you.

...dave
A line is a dot that goes for a walk. -Paul Klee

Buzz Cut

I'm going to buzz my hair one of these days. Just like my brother-in-law.

Ruth tells me: "No!" but I'm determined.

How about on our next long trip? I'm thinking for the China trip. Then I don't have to hassle with the blow dryer, spray, etc. etc. It's a pain as it is.

Several at work buzz their hair, guys AND girls! One of the guys I work with SHAVES his head. He shaves it so close it shines.

I see this as simplification.

I guess I could try the chrome dome style, but Ruth says I don't have the head for it. Now, what's THAT supposed to mean? What is she really saying? That I don't have the perfect head?

A buzz job would mean I could get 10 more minutes of sleep every night! No need to wet and blow dry. No need to comb. In fact, why not get dressed right from bed? I could just have my clothes by the bedside, firehouse style. The alarm goes off, I jump into my shoes and pants (sitting right next to the bed), lean back on the nearby chair into my shirt and coat. And I'm off.

I could shave in the car. The electric shaver would work well. Why not? People prepare for work everyday IN THEIR CARS. Girls with the lipstick and mascara, using the rear view mirror. Guys with the shavers and phones. I'd be no different.

Why didn't I think about this before?

Wow, that would give me 20 more minutes of sleep every day. That's an hour and 40 minutes a week and about eight hours of sleep every month. That makes it all seem worthwhile.

Now all I have to do is install a fire pole so that I can slide into the garage. Could save an extra half a minute.

...dave
I got my hair highlighted, because I felt some strands were more important than others.

Sunflower seeds with a twist

I stopped by CVS today on the way home from Atlanta. CVS is sort of a Walgreens competitor. But I like to stop there. It's close to our house, it's fast, it's convenient, and everyone is friendly there.

I just wanted some sunflower seeds and licorice. I found the licorice in the candy section just fine. Now, I was looking for the BIG bag of seeds. I was so disappointed. It looks like they don't carry the big bag anymore. At least I couldn't find them. They had wimpy little bags that no self-respecting seed spitter would even pick up, let alone open. I'd go through one of those bags in no time. The bag would be empty before I got home!

I went to the counter and asked the guy if they carried the big bags. He looked confused. Obviously not a seed cracker.

"They'd be over there with the others." he told me. Well, duh! Yeah?! But they ain't.

So I decided to go back and get two bags. It was then when I noticed it. A new type of sunflower seeds. Yes, they have the regular and the BBQ seeds. But I'd never heard of "Jim Beam Kentucky Bourbon Sunflower Seeds!" Wow! Dude! Let me read this label carefully. Huh? Sez here: "Soaked in Genuine Beam Whiskey." Whoa. Genuine whiskey. Coowl.

The bag was open before I got to the car. Mmmmm...good stuff. I tossed the bag on the passenger seat next to me, fired up the Boxster and began to back out of the parking space. That's when it hit me.

Should I be driving while under the influence of bourbon sunflower seeds?

What if I get pulled over by a cop? What would a breathalyzer reveal?

Will he arrest me because of the opened "container" of Jim Beam seeds?

I'm taking my chances!

...dave
I always keep a supply of stimulant handy in case I see a snake— which I also keep handy. - W. C. Fields

New study out today

I found out that they released a new study today. I don't know who the "they" are or really whether it's really a "new" study but stay with me on this.

The question was: What do most woman want for their homes?

I guess back in the 50s it was a dishwasher, in the 60s it might have been another car, the 90s would have been an SUV. But women have gotten past all that. They're on to bigger and better stuff now.

The answer? Most woman want a new husband for their home!

Yikes. That's not sounding good. I mean, it was the husband that got the new dishwasher for them and the additional car. Right? Maybe not the SUV (by the 90s the women had their own jobs).

Still, it all sounds so, how shall I say it? Ungrateful?

Get this, ABC has a "Fix my husband" show now. They advertise:

"Over the course of just one week, selected husbands will learn priceless pointers that will enhance their marriage, and more importantly, keep their wives happy."

Sheesh. Why isn't there a "Fix my wife" show? Seems kind of one-sided to me. Besides, what could my wife possibly want "fixed" about me? (Careful now!)

...dave
"When a wife has a good husband it is easily seen in her face." -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

JIT (Just-In-Time) Buzzword

I'm hearing this word more and more frequently these days. Anytime we talk to a vendor I hear: "Yeah, we use JIT technology for our JSPs." Initially I thought this was cool. "JIT" SOUNDS cool. But if you think deeply about what this term really means, it's stupid. Really, what does "just-in-time" technology mean?

Before I address that, think about this: Anytime a marketing agent introduces a new term to the industry, everyone tries to make it fit everywhere.

So what is "just in time"? It means waiting until the very last minute, that's what it means. It means you didn't have time to plan it so you're going to wait until the absolute last minute to do the task.

So if your wife asks if you mowed the lawn, you can just say: "No, I'm doing JIT mowing now." She'll be impressed. Or if your mom asks if you've cleaned your room you can say: "I'm on a just-in-time cleaning schedule mom." She'll say: "Wow, that's good honey."

Now, one of our Directors at the Enterprise is saying that he's using just-in-time education. What's that? It means he has no plans for educating his people on key areas right now, he'll just wait until the package is installed and running and THEN he'll educate folks on how to implement it. You know, just in time.

It's a great concept. Now you don't have to plan anything anymore. Just use the JIT approach.

...dave
Don't tell your problems to people: eighty percent don't care; and the other twenty percent are glad you have them. -Lou Holtz

Phones

Phones, phones, everywhere and not a one to use.

Just walking by and saw this table full of phones. I don't know what they were doing with them but it looked kind of funny seeing all these phones lined up for take off.

I try to keep the camera in my bag for quick snaps but sometimes Eric has taken it to so some frames himself.

There is an office that I want to get a picture of and post here. It's unbelievable!

...dave
"Lady, it's a car, not a phone booth!" -Dave (under his breath) to an inattentive woman driver with phone glued to her ear.

Boring Meetings

I try to say focused at company meetings but sometimes it's just too hard. People just like to hear themselves talk. I swear, some folks just like the sound of their voice!

There is one guy that spouts off about stuff that is irrelevant. He knows it, we know it, everyone knows it, but they just let him continue. I'd say something if I were the one that called the meeting. If I can sneak out, I'll exit quietly. Otherwise I'm stuck.

So I'll pull out the old Chinese flash cards (I'm sitting in the back of the room) and I start going through them. I can memorize about 20 cards in 15 minutes.

Sometimes I forget to bring the cards. I may just have my work journal. On this particular meeting I started to draw. Since I was in the back, I started drawing the backs of heads.

Great fun!

...dave
Empty vessels make the most noise.

Exteme Makeover Home Edition

We love this show. We can't watch it without crying. What a great concept.

Ty Pennington finds a needy family and builds a house for them.

Tonight there was a show about a woman that adopts kids with extreme disabilities. One girl was the victim of a crib fire and her face was badly burned. Her mother abandoned her so this woman took her in. Two other girls were born with out legs. So this show is all about building a house for them.

Each girl gets a special room built by one of the team.

It's a must-see Sunday night show! But I warn you, bring the tissues.

...dave

Riding Home

I often talk about how great it is to feel the wind in your face with the top down but to understand it is to feel it.

I think that's why people love horseback riding. In a way, I'm riding 225 horses home from work. I get the same wind in my face. Maybe a little more wind since I'm riding more than just a single horse, but just as fun all the same.

My favorite part is coming up Bernt Hickory. It's beautiful. It runs through the park, and now the trees are all turning. It's absolutely the most beautiful thing you could ever experience.

The two lane rode twists and lingers up and through the mild hills of Kennesaw park. The trees lean toward me, tunnel-like. I smell flower and pine fragrances blow past me in whips of wind in the straight away and and gentle breezes in corners . Some hills roll up and down to my right and left in gentle pastures or in huge lawn carpets ending at massive stone homes nestled in the hills. The sun filters through the leaves, and fingers of light tickle my face as I race along the ribbon of road through sun dappled trees.

What could be more peaceful, what could be more beautiful than an open-top ride home after work on a cool autumn day?

...dave
Everything in life is speaking in spite of it's apparent silence. -Hazrat Inayat Khan

Names

One of my life's biggest challenges is remembering names.

I know Dale Carnage says: "Remember that a person's name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language."

But it's so hard for me. I even forgot our CO's name when introducing him! What a knuckle-head I am. I'm really out of it.

Sometimes I feel like people are just floating past me. I can't move towards them. I'm somehow restrained. I want to go where they are going but somehow I can't.

They must look at me and say: "What's wrong with this guy? He's not even on the same channel! His rabbit ears are maladjusted."

My antenna is up but it just don't receive the signal. Maybe I AM on a different channel.

Anyway, this reminds me of the poor guy who couldn't even remember his friend's names. His buddy hooked him up with a doctor that taught him by association how to remember names. Some months later he was telling another friend about the doctor. The friend asked: "What's the doctor's name?"

"Ah, wait a minute." he said. Then asked his friend: "Okay, what do you call that flower that's red and has a long stem with thorns on it?"

"A Rose?"

"Yeah, right." So he yells over his shoulder to his wife in the kitchen: "Hey, Rose, What's that doctor's name?"

Sad but true. I feel like that guy sometimes.

I've decided to take a new tack. I'm going to type a list of people's names on a card and carry it around with me. As I finish talking to the person I'm going to write something unique about the person next to their name.

I'll keep you posted.

...dave
A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked. -Author: Bernard Meltzer

Free Email Scheduler

This is very cool. A free email scheduler.

Some cool uses are:

. TMS reference material. (Send it to yourself or others each week.)

. Reminders for Public Talks (Incoming / Outgoing speakers)

. Reminders for TMS assignments (no one would forget)

. Reminders for Service Meeting assignments (Could be used for yourself or others.)

. Quote for the day.

. Your anniversary!

Very cool thing. You can even contribute $10 and they'll remove the footer from the emails. The email looks like it came from your personal email account.

...dave

A Fire Drill

We have fire drills every six months. They always happen at the most inconvenient times. They often occur, for example, during a cold snap when the temperature has dropped down to 40 or in the summer when even the thermostat is sweating mercury. Exposure to the sun can result in emergency visits to the hospital.

Our fire drills are full scale ordeals. The entire three buildings empty their contents. All 5,000 employees flood out the exits and swirl around the parking garage until every square foot of space it taken up by, well, feet.

So it was with real appreciation that I thanked one of our fire drill captains who had the courtesy to tell me to expect a drill soon and I "might want to have a jacket nearby" in the event it happens during a cold spell. That day it dropped down to the 50s. Hanging out near the parking garage when it's 50 is death by exposure.

Now I looked with keen eyes at our fire drill captains. If they even glanced at the exit doors, I was to the elevators so as to reach my car before the alarm went off. If you get to the garage BEFORE the drill you can sit in your car and read, listen to the radio, or just take off for coffee. That was my plan. Get there before the alarm.

Yesterday I saw someone that LOOKED like they might be a captain. They were talking on a walkie-talkie. So I ran to my desk, grabbed a book and headed to the elevators. I got to my car with sweat on my brow, I'd made it. I waited, and read. But alas, no alarm. So I went back to the office.

This morning I saw someone standing by the elevators with bright orange vests. I had already left my computer in the car so I headed down the elevators just ahead of him. I typed away on my computer in the comfort of my car. But, again, no alarm. I drug myself back to the cube.

I had a meeting on the 11th floor at 1:30. The meeting was with a vendor from a large company. Just as we were wrapping up the meeting at 2:00 the alarm went off. The absolute worst time.

Since she was a visitor, I had to explain what this was all about. I told her to follow me, but she stopped to ask me some more questions. I answered patiently, though quickly. But she kept hesitating to go down the stairs I was standing next to. What seemed like thousands of people were flowing past us. Finally, we parted and I left her on the floor looking for another exit. I couldn't wait. It's like the feeling you have when you greet an old friend buy have to go to the bathroom. You really want to talk but I had to get going. I waived her on....

I headed for the stairs but not before all the fat people. There were more fat people going down the stairs then salesmen at a donut conference. I got stuck behind two of them taking a half stair at a time. Kerplunk, kerplunk, kerplunk. Shish, can you girls speed it up here. I almost ran them over but they would have gone down like a stack of dominoes and that would not have been a pretty sight. Kerplunk, kerplunk, kerplunk, I followed suit. Will I never get out of the building? It may be my tomb.

...dave
"Stairwell becomes tomb for fire drill victim. Details at 11:00."