It’s Okay To Say: Sorry

If you have erred, and someone is on the other side of the situation, it’s okay to say, ‘Sorry.’

Sorry is something, I must say, right now.  I am very sorry to the people who have taken their time, and effort to nominate me for blogging awards.

Yes, I had every intention of accepting them.  With the acceptance comes a responsibility to at least, respond.  I did respond but, responding is not even enough.  I responded in haste with a thank you, and an intention to follow through.  That’s where I left it.

As some medical problems crept up on me, I became lazy, and put things to the side.  This was one of them.

So, I must once again, thank those bloggers who took their time, and made the effort.  At the same time, I am very sorry for leaving the situation where it sits now.

I should have been a better blogging citizen, and offered a direct, truthful communication of my sub-conscious choice to put things aside.  They somehow just got put aside, and as time passed, all the air was let out of the tires.

Apologies offered, and hopeful of your future trust.

 

How Do You Think That You Think You Do?

What does everyone think?  My Wife, Son, Mother, Brothers, Friends, Acquaintances, Co-Bloggers, Co-Workers and Work Supervisors.

Lots to be concerned with, there.  Hope I appear correct for all of them.  Think I’ll take a survey of them, and really find out.  Simple. 

Take the survey, and see just how confused I can remain.  Not that their opinions don’t count but, if I don’t have one other opinion, it is all for naught.  That one other opinion tips the scale, and counts for a minimum of 51%.

Mine.

I have final say so over, my deepest personality traits, composing; Me.  Some traits more engrained than others but, still,  I above anyone, choose.  I am the custodian, the trait keeper.  No one more fluent on the subject than I am.

That being true, then, why do we solicit, approval with everyone else except, too often, ourselves?  Are you a comfortable fit, for you?

How often in the work place, are you evaluated for your performance?  Many of those evaluations determine, or at least help determine a pay raise.  Maybe a promotion.  You are evaluated by, a minority of the constituency because, when it’s all over, the only thing directly from you on that evaluation, is your signature. Better luck next time.

Where, and when are the most fantastic improvements made? 

People are unique, and won’t necessarily end up at the intended destination with an absolute, prescribed course to re-write something already embedded.  An excellent Corporate Manager knows how to uniquely apply the corporate cookie cutter for each of their employees.

In the work place, the best managers bring their employees to the intended destination by, allowing each employee’s participation in a review.  That is what separates the excellent from the good.  ‘What do you think you did well, and possibly could improve upon?’

In the quote above, the manager asked the employee to self evaluate.  The Manager was asking, how, within your personality make-up can you help this employer. 

A good to average Manager would be surprised how, brutally honest an employee would be on their own review.  An excellent Manager already knows, and the excellent Manager knows each of the individuals, and their characteristics under their jurisdiction.

 So, why is it, Managers in work places are willing to give but, forget that receiving is part of the equation? Receive information about your individual employees from, your individual employees.  How can each of these unique individuals contribute the most to the work place?  Each of those workers are willing to teach you.

Have them be involved with their own development as only they can uniquely contribute. Give employees the opportunity to directly participate in self-management.

Now, everybody involved is, important.  Average Managers become excellent.  Good Employees become the best.  The combined effort of all involved seals a much greater chance of success for all concerned.

A review in the work place is typically a critique, and a plan of improvement.  Instead, it should be a review of improvements made, and how, and what the employee would like to achieve going forward. Most of that should be directly from the employee.

Where did all of this, start?  I’m fortunate.  I have an excellent Manager on the job.

 

200

200 is somewhat of a milestone.  This will be the 200th post on this blog.

I thought awhile about, what I might write for the 200th.  Then, it came to me!

Nothing!  Absolutely nothing!  ….And yet, if there really was something.  What, then?

Just, peace, and happiness for each that reads this post.  A truly profound desire that we can all live out each of our life’s desires in perfect harmony.  No strife, worries, etc.

Only one rule, if I may…..No life’s desires to infringe upon any other, and their life’s desires….

Enjoy your life’s desires. 

 

Reality Is Not Unreal

There is a teacher at work.  ‘Mind over matter,’ she exclaims without a thought given to reality.

Naivete is clearly at work with this very limited view of the relationship of mind over matter, and reality.  Pretend it doesn’t exist, and it doesn’t.  The flippant remark denies reality.  If there is one thing that does exist, it is, reality.  Get used to it.  We all exist in reality. 

What does this teacher do if, she takes her own advice?  Does anything but, handle her own life situations, and walk around with a superficial see how positive I am smile.  She reminds you at every step  to drop any sense of reality, and ignore reality. According to her, she doesn’t have to face reality because, reality doesn’t exist. 

The sad part is, she has put reality on hold just to exclaim her continual ‘mind over matter’ remark as an application for everything for every one but, herself, and appear momentarily positive on the surface.

As many of you know, I am having a real medical problem with my left foot.  She has a simple solution to the problem.  Mind over matter.

I told her, if I wasn’t exercising mind over matter, I’d be home, instead of at work.  And if I was exercising mind over matter as per her prescription, I’d just pretend nothing was wrong, and seek no professional help for the problem because it isn’t there, anyway; Except that, it is.

It takes intelligence, logic, and some fortitude to exercise mind over matter while accepting your own reality.  What you do with that reality is truly mind over matter.

Reality keeps kicking our teacher in the rear posterior, and she has no grip on handling her own reality. She has expressed a limited, negative, twisted interpretation of, ‘mind over matter,’ which never seems to apply to the life situations she must face on a daily basis.

Mind Over Matter is a position of strength not, a mere phrase or, mantra to take care of everything, right now.  You’re just talking, and not doing the necessary brain work to live it.

Mind over matter, in its’ truest form is not, denying reality but, accepting it as-is, and handling reality.  That is ‘mind over matter’ in its’ most positive interpretation.  Mind over matter is not necessarily instantaneous as it is a process.

Like a computer, many functionalities are required to achieve a final result.  Mind over matter is the end result after, all the in-transit thoughts of how to deal with reality have been successfully completed, and appropriate action has been taken.

The person refusing reality is really quite negative. They are in denial of existence of the here, and now, and therefore do not overcome, anything.

Those happily accepting reality as an opportunity to use positive thought to take positive action are truly exercising  ‘mind over matter.’ 

 

The Very Important Incrementals

Why don’t we have more possibilities, and less impossibilities?  I have one theory of possibly a few out there.

We want it all, right now.  We know what the goal is, and we want it now!

Many who can’t have it all right now become frustrated, and angry.  Some things are impossible.  Maybe, but, did you investigate that, thoroughly?

Some will say, yes.  I went for it, and didn’t get there.  Some will say, whatever it is, I want or, need is a long way off.  Take another two or, three lifetimes to get there.  Why waste the time?

If it appears overwhelming then, it is.

My question.  Why are you trying to bite off more than you can chew?  Discard the goal, and divide it up in to simple, little increments.

Example.  I’m weighing in at 235.  So many in my position would probably set a goal weight of 175, and say, no chance!  That is impossible!

Would 230 be in the realm of reality?  It is. That’s my goal.  230.  I can easily do that.  I might break a little sweat over that but, I can shed 5 lbs.

Right now, I’m focused on 230 lbs.  That’s where I’m going.  Not worried or, concerned with 175, and once reaching 230, I’ll focus on 225.  At this moment, 175 would be a lot of weight to put on my brain.  175 is out, and 230 here I come.

I’ll take my incremental goals.  I know that’s what they are but, it is the only goal I’m after, right now.  The rest can………….wait!  I need to reach each of these incremental goals, one at a time to reach the finale!

230!  I can do that.  230 is the focus, and there is no other.  230!

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Derby Day

Horse Racing is not my 1st choice in sports but, I like to watch the Kentucky Derby every year.

I do believe I keep it as one more connection to my father who, was not a horse racing fan. There was the exception, however.  It had nothing to do with a horse but, rather a Jockey.  He was always amazed, and impressed with the way one specific Jockey understood the science, and art of riding a horse.  The Jockey is, Laftit Pincay Jr.

Pincay has done most of his racing in the U.S.A., winning more flat races than any Jockey.

My Father explained to me that you can’t just mount, and ride in a race.  It takes knowing the individual horse.  It’s an overall strategy mixed with immediate changes in strategies through a race.  A skilled Jockey exercises a base knowledge in physics for a successful ride.

One specific memory is of a race on TV.   My dad, and I watched Pincay pull back along the second turn, running last.  He waited for just the right time for traffic to clear by, the third turn.  Skillfully, exercising the horse through several speeds during that race, and arriving around the last turn to the final stretch neck and neck with another horse only to open up to a brilliant run down the final stretch  to win the race by, a length.

It’s a memory that goes back quite a few years.  It helped keep the stable open for a pleasant memory spent with my dad, and broaden my brain’s horizons.  I watched with admiration as Jockey, Mario Gutierrez, skillfully rode, I’ll Have Another to win the Kentucky Derby, 2012.

Bodemeister was leading most of the race but, from watching the race, all that my Dad had taught me long ago about the Jockey is, much of what I saw, and made it more enjoyable.

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Camera Dives In To A Desk Drawer & DOA

Just as I’m finally starting to get used to this camera, it takes a dive!

Going for a dive wouldn’t be too bad, as long as it came back.  In this case it did come back as if nothing happened.  This was the exception.  It was a bad thing.

This camera does something very funny.  Take one picture, and it eats new batteries to nothing.  Put brand new batteries in, and I know this camera’s laughing at me.  If it could talk, it would be saying, ‘go ahead……enjoy yourself, just click anything on me.  I will eat a pair of batteries just, for your thoughts.‘

That’s exactly what happened.  This camera smirks at me like, my son when the Cubs lose.  They won yesterday,  5-1 against Philadelphia.

 I send the camera by, force on a dive but, first, with revenge, I strip the batteries from it.  Huh!  Got You!  I win!

‘Not so fast,’ the camera says, as if it could really talk.  ‘How will you take pictures?  I’m it.’  ‘You’re not!’  I say, disgusted with its’ battery appetite, as I took the batteries, and retired the camera to a box in a drawer.  I won.  Well, I won for the moment, anyway.

I thought about it, and enlightenment struck.  We have cameras on sale at work but, there’s no money for a really good camera.  That would be a couple of hundred bucks.  No can do.  That was already spent on new clothes for my feet.

Went over to visit new cameras, anyway.  Just to visit.  There in the corner was an Olympus demo model that has never even had the battery put in to it.  9mp more than I had with 5.  I had a digital zoom of 5x, and this has an optical zoom up to 12.5x.  This was a $150 camera.  That wasn’t going to happen.  Nice to look at, though.

It is on clearance, and it is a demo.  There’s a special for demos lingering.  I have a small employee discount, as well.  Total, when it’s all over, more than  40% discount.  Sold!  I won!

I brought it home, and just in case the camera taking the dive was coherent, I showed it how I did win!  ‘See this!, and by the way, the Cubs won!!’

I had shown the old camera its’ replacement to every detail, including the much longer lasting, lithium-ion battery.

Brand/Model Reference:  Olympus, VR-320

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Mitt Romney Called Me

The phone was ringing so, I picked it up, and answered with a typical, ‘Hello.’  On the other end, ‘Hi this is Mitt Romney…’

….but, don’t get too excited,  as it was just a digital recording.

So, it wasn’t really, Mitt Romney.  It was a digital recording device that literally called me.  And the digital recording was prepared to let me know the thoughts of Mitt Romney not, to find out my thoughts. Today’s technology, today’s politics.

By hanging up on the digital device, I was keeping myself, a safe distance from negativity.  It is not necessary to welcome negativity in close residence.  I consider politics, and those involved to be a negative force to my well being.

Sure, there may be some public policy I favor, and some, not.  The bottom line is, no politician can change my life like I can.  For that matter, no matter how much, and what they may promise me, history shows they are not sincere with ‘promises,’ will not change my life, and lack the power to do so, anyway.

Why surround myself with something or, someone that makes a career out of disappointment to others.

As for today’s technology, I can simplify.  If you wish to speak to me, unless we have made previous arrangements, don’t ask your telecommunications phone-bot to call me, and ask me to wait for you because, I won’t.  And no, you haven’t piqued my interest just because the phone-bot may know my name.

Public statutes should require any person utilizing a phone-bot or, phone-bot like device to immediately  introduce itself as such a device, and offer within its’ software, a universal opt out code, deleting the phone number called, from its’ automatic call file before dispensing a personal message.

My non-qualified legal opinion:  A phone-bot cannot be considered an attempt to contact a person as the device has no way to, with all possible variables considered, reconcile that communication under all circumstances, without human intervention.  No human being can be forced in to any binding two way communication with a device incapable of thought or, reason.  No two way communication of reason has commenced therefore, no mutual understanding between parties intended can be concluded. 

Any communication must be between two living human beings, in this context.

There are remedies currently available.  Phone companies offer call screening plans, and there are electronic devices available that will require any caller to strike the key pad to allow the call to reach  the intended receiver which the phone-bot is incapable of doing.

 

Two Feet Left

I have two feet left not, two left feet.

Feeling less pain, today.  In fact, the only real pain is coming from the cortisone port of entry.  Nothing as it has been the past couple of weeks.  Swelling is still up there but, the pain is diminishing.

Employment in tact, I will be re-deployed to the sales floor, today.  I will prep with a new pair of shoes.  Price wise, I’m tempted by, the Shop Your Own Shoes Shoe Store but, I have been wearing a shop it yourself pair (my 3rd pair) of shoes for almost two years. They have escalated my foot problems bringing me to agonizing pain, and a visit with the Podiatrist.

Pain, and I don’t do so well with one another so, I will take the proper steps to….did I say, ‘proper steps?’  I wasn’t even thinking of those terms in this particular context. 

Anyway. I’ll do what’s right, and buy a good pair of shoes.  ‘….proper steps’…pretty clever, huh?  Careful with the kudos, could stretch an ego muscle out of shape which could be……painful.

Pain, and I should maintain a distance.

Most humbly, Dave.

P.S.  Bought new SAS shoes.  Almost $200 on shoes???????  I spent almost $200 on shoes…..Am I crazy?  Probably, not…… 

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A Picture Is Worth How Many Words?

Today would usually be a work day for me but, I am extending the weekend by, taking a couple of vacation days.

The foot could use some more time off from the sales floor.  It is still quite swollen.  There are still no specifics as to why.  The doctor said to prepare for a referral to a specialist if, nothing has improved.  I suppose that will be shortly after I call him, today.

I cannot however, remain inactive.  So, I’m going to get the camera out, and start taking pictures.  The camera is just a 5mp camera with a 5x zoom.  Not elaborate except by, the stretch of my imagination.

As I begin to take some pictures, I will post some of them. You’ll see them just as they are out of the camera.  I guess they would more commonly be known as snapshots. The last time I did any enhancing to photos was when there were darkrooms for developing film to pictures.

My purpose is not the professional photograph but, to satisfy the enjoyment I once got when I was involved in the Photo Shop Class in high school quite a number of days, ago.  About 16,000.  Do I get that enjoyment back?  Don’t know til I give it a shot; A few shots.