Management 101

OK, so if you're my boss, and I tell you at a meeting that the following things are important and they need to get done to move this project forward.

When you walk by my office later in the day or the next day and say, oh you know, so and so is really important we need to get it done. That doesn't help me. I don't know why YOU think that is helpful but trust me, its really not. I was the one who told you how important it was. I get it.

Please go manage some other people. I'm good.

Thanks,

Why does it take a 7 year old to show me I'm retarded...

I'm sitting in the car about to drive my little guy to gymnastics.

"Daddy?"

"Yes, Dano."

"How come when you push the button in the car and all the windows are closed the garage door still closes?"

[Deep authoritative voice] "Well son, you see it uses radio waves."

"Radio waves? But how does it get through the windows when they're closed daddy?"

"Radio waves go through solid objects buddy, it doesn't matter if the windows are closed."

(Feeling smug now.)

"Ooooh." [pause] "Does it even go through 'water' daddy?"

Motherf...ah, oops...

"Ah, ah...water you say...um sh...sure buddy of course it does."

Good god son your dad is a phony, a hoax. The one medium that he could have picked.

Oh well, he'll find out soon enough that I'm and idiot and then he'll put me in a home where I can eat canned peaches and drink my apple juice from a spill proof cup.

I'll try to enjoy these moments when I can.

R.

Woo Hoo....

Got Hip tickets. Private box, we don't have to sit with the commoners. Plus we will have someone serving us our food and drinks. God my life is tough.

Laf, talk about knowing who my friends are, I guess I'll find out now.

:D

Its great to know who your friends are...

Most of us spend and interact with lots of people in our daily lives. Some of them we call friends. Good friends though, not only know who you are but they call your bullshit!

Well, in the last 24 hours I've had a couple of my friends do that to me. Its nice to have someone who knows you and can call you out yet help you to be better.

Focus on being fun, energetic, charming, the life of the party.

Stop being so heavy and taking things personally.

I suppose I've been way too emotional and heavy over the past couple of years. Here's to letting that go and taking things lighter. Tall task for me, but hopefully with the help of my friends...smooth sailing.

R.

Changing Behaviour

Its quite difficult to change behaviour. I suppose there are many reasons. Comfort, physical dependency, fear of change, inadequate goals.

There are things about me that I want to change. I wonder sometimes however if the emotional changes I want to make will be truly beneficial. The way I relate to people is not necessarily bad but in certain circumstances has results that were and are undesirable. Do I change the way I approach people from now on?

I suppose, that if in many circumstances, I behave a certain way and get the same certain result and, if I'm unhappy with that result, then perhaps a new method needs to be developed. The problem with the any method is that its untried and unproven and may not result in a better outcome.

My experiences in 2005 and 2006 have made me more weary of jumping in without testing the waters. Both feet on the gas wearing a blindfold is not a good way to get to a destination. Patience and caution have never been virtues of mine but may need to become so. Less can be more and silence can be deafening. Perhaps the way up is down. Who can tell?

To start a journey without a destination means that we will never get there. Yet I know in the past I've started many such journeys knowing where it would lead but hoping that it somehow would be different. Knowing ahead of time that it will end badly, is it still worth getting in the car? No one of us truly knows how things will end and perhaps it is heaven that awaits.

Energy, excitement and enthusiasm have always been my strengths and I doubt I will lose those but perhaps new qualities will compliment the old very well.

You can't lose something you never had so why worry.

I doubt I could have been more cryptic with this post but too many people who know me read this blog. Those who need to understand this already do and for the rest of you I hope I didn't babble too long, I will get back to my usual rants later. I just wanted to post something personal. I'm just in that kind of mood today.

LOL...

Well 2007 Whistler Conference in the books...

As I mentioned earlier not too much changes. A few new faces. I am tired but as usual recharged to tackle 2007 and do things.

Looking forward to going back to the gym and getting in a little better shape. Spending a bit more time with my friends and doing something fun this year. I think some kind of trip is in order.

It looks like the anthem for 2007 will be Tragically Hip - In View. We listened to it about 100 times in the last 5 days and I absolutely can't get it out of my head. The concert is Feb. 8 and it should be a blast.

Our 2005 anthem was U2 - Elevation and in 2006 it was Green Day - Holiday.

The Hip...

I love you.
You know I doYea, it’s perfect…well, it isn’t and it is

And I’ve been meaning to call you
I’ve been meaning to call you
Then I do
I’ve been meaning to call you
I’ve been meaning to call you
Then I do

Phone rings once
Phone rings twice
Phone rings three times

I am of you
You are in everything I do
I do

The most important things in life...

Got into this discussion with someone last night. What are the most important things in our lives?

I was able to name three. It occurred to me at the time though that the speed in which I named them off may have been due to the fact that I haven't given this enough thought. Or perhaps in my inebriated state I had a moment of lucidity. Or not...

Aside from our own health and safety and that of our loved ones, what is really important to us?

I was able to identify music, cooking and writing. Are the important things the ones we end up doing? People will say that exercise is important to them but they spend little time doing it. It's not what we think "should" be important but what "is" at the moment. Once we identify those we can then assess them and even replace them.

Every journey begins with an assessment of where we are. Whether its directions to the mall or an emotional journey to better our selves. We need to know where we are before we can get to where we're going.

I guess its time to put some more thought into where I am today.

R.

Perhaps...

I should learn to ski. I think about that every year that I come here. I see all the people in their ski gear and hear stories about how nice the "powder" is "up there." Pretentious bastards!

Thankfully this feeling will fade within a few days of leaving this place.

Life is better with a soundtrack.

Sitting here in Whistler in a room with a patio, none of us knew existed, makes one ponder life. The clouds are hanging over the snow covered peaks and the sun is shining. The tunes are playing and we are having a couple of drinks. What more is there. I've been fortunate in my life to be able to come here for 8 years in a row and it is different yet the same every time. Maybe here is the same but I'm different. What ever it is, its not bad for a kid who grew up on the wrong side of the tracks.

Here's to appreciating where we are in life. "Glass is half full," or perhaps, "my cup runneth over" is more appropriate.

R.