Play - Have Fun

Online magazine SMITH has just published a book "Not quite what I was planning" that contains six-word memoirs. Here is mine -

Be more rather than do more.

I believe we're called human beings rather that human doings.

Happy March 2008!

Book Tag

Here's a simple and fun meme. Mark Goren tagged me. To play, answer the 5 questions and tag 5 people. Its about books.

Up until 15 years ago, I was a lazy reader. There were many books started but few finished. One year I resolved to read a book a month. I figured if there were enough people to have a Book of the Month Club, I should be able to read one a month. You won't believe what happened...the more I read the less lazy I became about reading. The more I read the more fun it became. Along with more fun came that easy feeling. Now when someone asks about favorite pastimes, reading appears near the top of my list - along with cycling, walking and jamming.

The 5 questions are:

1. How many books do you own?
2. What was the last book you read?
3. What was the last book you purchased?
4. What five books are most meaningful to you?
5. What is your most obscure favorite book?

Here are my answers with links to various references about them

1. Far more than I've read. I'm a hoarder and really bad about hanging on to things in general but books in particular.
2. Lately, I've had 2 books going at the same time - one business/professional growth, the other a "diversion" read. The last books I finished were Robin Hood Marketing - Katya Andresen - I love her publishing company Jossey-Bass. This happens to be the current MarketingProfs Book Club selection. The other was The Road by Cormac McCarthy. The link lands on a flash page of one sentence reviews. Currently, I'm reading Half a Life by V.S. Naipaul - excellent example of story telling -and looking for a professional book.
3. The last two were Robin Hood Marketing and Citizen Vince - Jess Walter, a Spokane writer.
4. *** Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary - I have a dozen dictionaries. If you're ever in a pinch for a gift, you can't go wrong giving someone a dictionary. It's the first "book" I ever remember reading. Words - what a concept! *** Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert Pirsig - touched me at a critical time of growth. *** Be Here Now - Ram Dass - the hippie in me manifests itself...I've worn out a copy and lost a copy. *** Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - J. K. Rowling. The first in the series was fresh, engrossing and like nothing I'd read. I could not put it down. They've only gotten more fun to read. Wizards Unite! *** A Whole New Mind - Dan Pink. Here's my review.
5. What is obscure to some is not so obscure to others. Charterhouse of Parma - Stendahl. Its a book written in 1839 that stands the test of time.

   "Ostensibly a romantic thriller, interwoven with intrigue and military episodes, the novel also features Stendhal's acute grasp of human nature and psychology"

I was tagged by Mark who was tagged by Troy Worman who was tagged by Phil Gerbyshak - the "Make it Great" guy.

If they care to play, I'm tagging - Robyn McMaster, Mark Van Patten, David Brazeal, Jackie Cameron, Robert Hruzek. And remember - play even if you aren't tagged. I'd love to see what everybody is reading. Just link back to this entry so I can follow.

Today's reality

...or is it merely passing fancy? All I know is "Dancing With The Stars" has got me hooked. Jackie - commenting on my last post - says that its my inner Fred Astaire. Lewis claims its the footwork - comparing it to the articles in a favorite magazine.

I'm really chewing on its success at grabbing my eyeballs. And asking myself a lot of questions. Last night was the first time I watched "the results" show. How has a "reality" television show stolen 2.5 hours per week from me? I've never - and never being a long, long time - watched more than 10 minutes of any previous reality show. And if it has judges?!?! a-a-a-c-c-k

Here's what I've determined "it's about" thus far:

• the smiles
• the intensity
• the love the professionals have for their art
• stepping outside your comfort zone
  
• the music
• the discipline to self-improve

What it's not about - at least for me:

• the competition
• the fan voting - maybe if they gave actual results and numbers I'd see the value of the conversation
• the results - its more about the path
• who wins or loses - process, process, process
  

I also like that its crossing the pond. Jane Seymour and Mel B connect US viewers with UK viewers. Call me sentimental.

Stay Healthy

Recently I've found Life Hacks to chock full of great living tips. I've noticed the coughs starting to crop up around here. So Dustin leaves 6 tips on staying healthy this season. Let me add a couple items -

• Stay hydrated - we tend to think thirsty only in the warmer temperatures. Remember water and herbal teas help you feel better. Why you think mom always talks about chicken soup?
• Get a little exercise - even a daily walk up a flight of stairs. Better yet get out and breathe some fresh air at lunch. I'm off to ride my bike now :)

But before climbing on my saddle, I must confess to a total addiction to "Dancing with the Stars". I don't even like television. I rarely watch network shows- it's s-o-o-o old school :) - preferring HBO and Showtime. But this show - even with its 4 minute commercial breaks - has me hooked. I'm actually watching the clock until it comes on. Admittedly, the dancers outfits bring out the dirty old man in me but....its something else. Competition? Not really - I've never watched the other reality shows - not even American Idol (gasp). Marketing? maybe they hooked me.
I'm a junkie - looks like there might be another here. Thanks for your last paragraph, Kathleen. How long must we endure the pain of Wayne Newton?

Have you any ideas on the cure? - let me know.

Have any ID?

Regional jokes usually run in the same vein. A resident of one state pokes fun at the neighboring state's residents. Washingtonians naturally make fun of Idahoans. A common joke goes like this:

A cop stops an Idahoan for speeding and asks, "Do you have any ID?" The speeder responds, "ID about what?"

I try not to generalize - too much anyway - but this story makes me think there might be some truth to the intelligence of those living in the state to the east of me.

Men accused of robbing woman for her own good

Pursuing Happiness - tag, your It!

Everybody - including me - deals with compressed time. But usually, I'm in a playful mood. Maybe it has something to do with Valeria's post from yesterday - what kind of games do you play? Do yourself a favor - deep breath - play a game like you're kid again. Lewis tagged a bunch of us with the 8 random things about me. In the process, I learned a bit about LG and Anna (who tagged him) - thanks to both of you.

As I breathe deep and smile, these are the 8 things you may or may not know about me:

1. Grew up in Iowa and moved to Spokane, WA 31 years ago. Its a tough place to leave once your here.
2. Umpired high school and college baseball for 20 years.
3. Notorious sweet tooth - DQ Blizzards the most tempting treat in my lifetime!
4. Deadhead through and through.
5. Cleaned volcanic ash from city roof tops for 6 months following eruption of Mt St Helen's in 1980.
6. Two life goals achieved - spring training with my dad and visiting the Sistine Chapel. Still want to see the Rockettes and go to a World Series game.
   
7. My favorite fishing fly is the Tom Thumb - a Canadian concoction made of deer hair that is simple to tie.
   
8. Paper or plastic? "That's OK - I have my own bag"

The game rules say I get to tag 8 people. Some of you I know better than others. Always random, of course - Play if you'd like!

C.B. - Flooring the Consumer
GLS - Going Like Sixty
Jackie - Consult Cameron
Cord - Marketing Hipster
Arun - Arun Rajagopal
Gavin - Servant of Chaos
Char - Essential Keystrokes
Mark - Transmission Marketing

Above all - have fun!

Whew - I just might make it!

At least it's a fighting chance...but zombies still give me the creeps

48%

Mingle² - Take the Test if you Dare

Special thanks to Servant of Chaos.

It finally happened

Does the Vatican have One Reader in their Google reader? Talk about street cred! Cracked up when I saw this in the paper in light of yesterday's post. The first one is a no-brainer.

The Vatican's "Ten Commandments" for drivers:

1: You shall not kill.
2: The road shall be for you a means of communion between people and not of mortal harm.
3: Courtesy, uprightness and prudence will help you deal with unforeseen events.
4: Be charitable and help your neighbor in need, especially victims of accidents.
5: Cars shall not be for you an expression of power and domination, and an occasion of sin.
6: Charitably convince the young and not-so-young not to drive when they are not in a fitting condition to do so.
7: Support the families of accident victims.
8: Bring guilty motorists and their victims together, at the appropriate time, so they can undergo the liberating experience of forgiveness.
9: On the road, protect the more-vulnerable party.
10: Feel responsible toward others.

The Associated Press

I might support displaying this list in public places :)

What I learned from Work

Here's a topic we all have in common - we all work. My first work was at age 16 - not counting my paper route :) . Robert Hruzek at Middle Zone Musings asks "what have you learned from WORK"? for this months writing project. It caused my memory cache to overload. Its more like "What haven't you learned from work"? considering that we spend nearly 1/3 of our days toiling away. Of course, there are some who work even longer - to the point of attending support groups. If you are one of these people - get professional help...seriously!

This I firmly profess - work is not intended to be consumed 24/7. Life is intended to be consumed. In the process, we constantly seek the good life. On this life journey we aim for happiness. Work is a means and not an end. But you already know all of that.

Here are a few lessons learned at work, about work and from work. The term work is used very loosely in my vocabulary. Above all, work has taught me to approach it with humor and a smile! No secrets here -

1 - The Newspaper Carrier learns - Some customers will pay you for the work you do and some customers won't. Try to avoid the customer that doesn't pay. Or who tries to beat you out of time and talent. There is value associated with work.

2 - The Dairy Queen cone maker/helper/trainee learns - Output must exceed input - or at least equal it. I think this is a pretty basic law of work physics - but I could be wrong. When the boss says, "You get all-you-can eat along with your $.60 per hour", he doesn't really mean "all". Either that or he forgot what it was to have the appetite of a 16 year old. My fast food experience was brief. My food intake exceeded my work output by 10 to 1 easily. In order for the boss to turn a profit - I had to be "downsized" aka dismissed. Most bosses expect to make a profit on their investment.

3 - The Car Wash attendant learns - Roll the windows up before entering the portal. If not, you will pay for a new interior in the automobile. Details matter.

4 - The Plumbers Helper learns - S*** don't run uphill and pay day is Friday. The simpler the message, the better.

5 - The CamBus driver learns - No matter how often you say - "please exit the rear of the bus" - someone will go against the flow, try to get out the front and then sneer at people entering the bus. Its OK to make your own path. Learn to do it with respect for other's paths!

6 - The Bartender learns - Remember lesson one and replace "customer" with "boss". Work for someone with ethics.

7 - The Janitor learns - You might never get rich but you will have steady work. Someone is always willing to pay for picking up trash or cleaning a toilette. Work is valued by the amount of money you make - this is a misplacement of value.

8 - The Window washer learns - Always wear a safety line when working above two stories. Always, always, always. Falling will result in bad consequences. This is a rule. Do not argue. Rules are made to be broken. However, not all of them. Follow the critical rules without sniveling.

9 - The Newspaper guy learns - Its not about the work, its about the people. Life is good!

That was fun accept for the part where Blogger crashed, I lost everything I'd written yesterday and I had to re-imagine what I'd said. You'll never know whether it was better or worse - nor will I. Ahhhhhh, technology - love it or hate it, its an ongoing experiment. Another lesson, I should have listened to Robert more closely when he said "sharpen your pencils". I know pencils work all the time.

The Next Big Thing

Bet you've heard that before :) Springwise is a site that delivers. You too can become a spotter! A treasure trove of creative ideas and the marketing behind them. Springwise is out of the Netherlands - get on the mailing list and try to keep up with whats going on around the world. A little heavy on US trends but very fun stuff from China and Japan.
I recently saw a van driving around town with a moving advertisement which changed every minute or so. It was something I'd never seen before - a mobile billboard. Submitted as a novel approach - too late - it had already been spotted. Gotta be quick these days!

Laugh Out Loud? No - seriously!

Maybe its because a week's vacation is beckoning me? (and I really need it even though its nothing exotic) Maybe its because Robyn McMaster salutes the mature mind here? Perhaps its due to a chapter on laughing in Dan Pink's book "A Whole New Mind" about right-brainers ruling the future world (brief review) ? Or how about David Armano writing on old brains? It could be just because I want to laugh.

Robyn lists these tactic to increase serotonin via Dr. Ellen Weber at BrainBasedBusiness. Serotonin is a fancy word for connections between your brain and nervous system that make you feel good!

• Stop to smell the coffee brewing
• Listen to your favorite music on your way to work
• Laugh at everything today -- especially at yourself
• Look at art around you as the artist might enjoy it
• Go for a walk at lunch
• Invite an old friend for dinner
• Give away one of your most successful strategies to a fellow worker
• Stretch...move...breathe deeply
• Remember a time when you were good to you - and repeat it
• Snack on trail mix or something for good energy
• Tell a story or invite one from a younger, less-confident worker
• Plan one thing you most enjoy to do today after work

This morning - knowing the day before vacation is busier than most - I determined to have fun with it. Put on the coffee, inhaled deeply, and stepped into the morning air. My walking partner, another Bob, have practiced laughing for no reason whatsoever. It works - try it...c'mon...loud enough for somebody to hear. It works!

Our organizations can function better. Our communities can grow. Our humanity can flourish.

Those of us with lists of stuff to do, with plans, with appointments, with deadlines and demands...wait a sec! - thats all of us. We'd all do well and remember to exercise a couple of these tactics. What a great day!

Not that I'm an expert...Drs. Kataria are the ones to visit.

2007 MLB - Order of Finish predictions

Any baseball fans in the crowd? Here's a post just a little out of my normal routine. I'll be able to quickly tell if you like it...I can think about, talk about, and write about baseball for a very long time :). Sadly, my favorite thing to talk about is umpiring and most people find it extremely boring. I spent 20 years calling balls and strikes for HS and College baseball. It is the love of the game that calls me each Spring. Fortune smiled on me when the WCC called a couple years ago and wanted somebody to observe umpires. I'd been away from the game since 2000 (the kids got too fast and my eyesight got too fuzzy - it happens at 50 :). Figured observing would be right down my alley since umpiring consists of reacting to situations - and making shade. But that's for another time (note to self: Marketing Lessons Learned between the base lines).

We're only a few days away from the first pitch on Opening Day 2007. I like to say Earth's axis finally tilts back to normal. This has nothing to do with umpiring. Fact is, wagering on the game is expressly forbidden in the Code of Ethics. But here's my predictions - order of finish - in each division. I have nothing invested in this but the time it takes to create it - nor do I have any knowledge beyond following the game. Its a fun exercise at the start of the season. About as predictable as the weather :) Play along - I'll devise some sort of numbering system and whoever has the most points at season's end wins the Championship of the Blog World. By then I will have figured out some sort of impressive graphic to place on your blog.

AL West
Oakland Athletics - toss up with the Angels - still playing Moneyball
Los Angeles Angels - Oakland plays too sound :)
Seattle Mariners - better than the cellar - there "home" 3 years in a row
Texas Rangers - no pitching.....still?!?!?!

AL Central
Minnesota Twins - gotta love 'em - Mauer, Morneau - MONSTERS
Cleveland Indians - could be close
Chicago White Sox - not even close to the team that won the Series
Detroit Tigers - coolest uniforms in the big leagues
Kansas City Royal - last place? yep, but the Best steaks in the World :)

AL East
New York Yankees - I can't cheer for them but A-Rod finally earns it
Boston Red Sox - wild card for sure - could play better than Yanks
Baltimore Orioles - Tejada is the real deal!
Toronto Blue Jays - not enough offense
Tampa Bay Devil Rays - ever seen a real devil ray? maybe they could hit better!

NL West
Arizona Diamondbacks - Big Unit is back!
San Francisco Giants - Bonds breaking Aaron's HR record not quite enough
Los Angeles Dodgers - could surprise
San Diego Padres - even with Maddux and Wells they won't win
Colorado Rockies - best pot bellied mascot in the game - sadly, that's it!

NL Central
Chicago Cubs - probably break your heart again but Soriano is that good!
St. Louis Cardinals - Pujols = Awesome! Edmonds & Rolen = Old!
Milwaukee Brewers - distant 3rd unless Ben Sheets is stellar
Houston Astros - cursed by Enron
Cincinnati Reds - even if Junior is happy - and he's not...
Pittsburgh Pirates - love their logo but never enough booty...aaarrrggghhhh!

NL East
New York Mets - can NY stand the prosperity? I say "yes"
Philadelphia Phillies - might almost have it this year
Atlanta Braves - glory days are done
Florida Marlins - whats with all these fish in Florida?
Washington Senators - even with Dems in the majority it will be a few years


There you have it :) - For entertainment purposes only. If I'm close to right, its pure dumb luck! Post your predictions in comments or send me an email.