I don’t have a particular Prince story, I have a Prince history. Prince released his first album when I was sophomore in college. We were both 19. Prince wrote, produced, did all the vocals and played all the instruments on that album whilst I bemoaned an early morning, 7:50 thermodynamics class. In engineering terms, my…
Most of us have seen “the face.” It’s that face that says a lot without saying a word. It turns out that face is universal and researchers from Ohio State have name it the not face.” “The face” as I call it, is an expression that indicates displeasure, disagreement, even you’re about to be in…
Board Member: I can’t do the interview in Russian. Me: “In your bio and on your profile, you list Russian as one of your languages.” Board Member: “Yes, but I didn’t mean it that way.” Me: “OK, thank you for your time.” I hung up the phone in disbelief. I run a worldwide certification board.…
“I was late for the online meeting because my laptop froze up when I hit my desk and my fingers were too cold to make the phone work.” Well, Friday was April Fool’s day, but this was not a joke. I had a 5:30 am online meeting. I set two alarms set to make sure I didn’t oversleep. I jumped up…
I perfectly planned my three-day weekend with twenty-four hour allocated to do yard work, house work, writing work and a kitchen faucet repair. I , being somewhat anal-retentive, also allocated a considerable chunk of free time to go see Batman versus Superman, Dawn of Justice. Well, I’m down to my last 8 hours and the…
Donald Trump supporters say they like him because he tells it like it is. Really? Is that a way to define leadership? Kids tell it like it is. To their parent’s chagrin, they blurt out, “there is a pirate,” at someone wearing an eyepatch or “look a cyborg,” when someone has a prosthetic limb. “Telling…
March is getting a little mad. This time is typically reserved for me to tune out the world and tune into a nonstop sports bonanza with the NCAA basketball playoffs. This March and my beloved “basketball zone,” is disrupted by Mad Hat syndrome. This is a situation where a practice is continued in spite of the…
Friend: “Well, you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” Me: “Wrong, my job is to make that horse thirsty.” I was frustrated because I’d unsuccessfully pitched a strategy and plan to implement a solution. Despite everything presented to ensure success, articulated business value, detailed implementation schedule, risk contingency and risk mitigation plans,…
Apple versus the FBI, I wonder what my dad’s position would be? My dad was a cryptologist before he retired. This week, I had a “reach for the phone moment.” Before he died, I’d grab a cup of coffee, call my dad and we’d debate issues citing references, articles and philosophical thought. Our talks were…
Why are people confused at a 4 way stop? You yield to any vehicle that reaches the intersection before you do. How are people learning to drive? YouTube? If there is a pedestrian crossing, forget it. The stop becomes a game of four car roulette. Some drivers seem to think, the first car to move is the first…
My stomach is knotted, my teeth are clinched, my eyes are squinted and I am in deep concentration. A loud sound breaks the silence and I jump and scream. That’s a problem because I am only trying to upload a picture and the sound is the phone ringing. This is reminder to me of how…
It’s that time of year where New Year’s resolutions are starting to fade and become a distant memory. Why? The intentions were great. There is more to a resolution than those verb noun statements like “get fit,”, “save money”, “stop procrastination” or “be happy.” Between the before and after is the doing. The doing is…
There is a difference between a need to know and a want to know. Over 59 million people follow Kim Kardashian West on Instagram By comparison, Kim has more followers than the population of the largest US state, California is close to 40 million and many countries, like Argentina, Spain, Taiwan and Canada, Spain are…
“Do what you love and the money will follow?”
I don’t even know where to start. This phrase morphed as if it were a part of the game where one person gives a specific message to another and by the time it is repeated to a few people, the message has completely changed. The phrase is: Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.” Philosophically, the money will follow and you’ll never work a day in your life are two different concepts.
“Life is too short,” is an over used, misguided cliché of fill in the blank babble. At least from an analytical view. The average lifespan for American men is about 76 years and for American women it’s around 81 years. Not that short. You don’t know when you will die, you don’t know the day,…
It is that time of year; American Idol audition time. It’s hard to watch the heartbreaking stories of people who put everything, their hopes, their dream on the audition and don’t make it. I find myself in tears for some stranger as they walk back to the embrace of family and friends. Yes, I hear…
“I always say you have to be willing to get your heart broken. That’s just what f—ing happens when you try,” Ronda Rousey in her recent ESPN interview I’ve heard strong reactions to that quote and you probably have your own. As I think about 2016, I know there will be times when I’m in the depths…
Unfortunately once you finally decide to live for the moment, It’s because you’ve already missed the moment of a lifetime C.J. Thompson * Don’t miss the moment of a lifetime. Here’s to 2016. Cheers. *C.J. Thompson is one of my favorite poets. You can take a moment to see her work at https://www.facebook.com/CJ-Thompson-777858232327657/ and https://www.instagram.com/c.j.thompson/
Movies and TV have led us astray with respect to drowning. People who are actually drowning are not thrashing and crying for help. In reality, drowning is unnoticed by observers. The person cannot stay at the surface of the water long enough to cry for help. The head bobs on the surface of the water,…
New Years Resolutions? Really? Stop. Consider, if it’s a really good resolution, why wait until January 1st to start doing it? Any reason for waiting is probably the reason it needs to be a resolution in the first place. For example, weight loss. Waiting until the first of January because it’s hard to control eating? Is…
Look, I am not using self check out unless there is a discount; in that case, I might consider it. I work at home on a laptop all day. When I do go out, I’m not about to make that a solitary exercise of shop, scan and bag; unless it’s financially beneficial. I remember when…
I’ve got over 1,000 followers on Instagram. One of the most unexpected things of 2015 is this virtual group of strangers worldwide whose lives have randomly interconnected on purpose with mine. It a collection of people who share losses, struggles and successes. Not just a scroll, click, like, scroll, but for some of us, conversations…
I have a new memory of Paris now. A great afternoon coffee break with a couple of friends on warm sunny California day changed the moment I checked my Instagram feed and started seeing messages of solidarity and support for Paris. I’ve been to Paris many times and I’ve had great moments. Watching an Italian…
From the barren, rumbled, desolated battlefields, the poppies grew. Seeds that laid dormant for decades bloomed from the disturbed earth of battle. Hence, the poppy became a symbol of remembrance for Veterans Day which initially commemorated the end of World War I at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of…
It’s was moment of stillness and silence. You said something in a meeting and your audience had blank stares as if a hypnotist had brought them to a trance. Come on, hurry up, the audience is waiting. In a split second, they’ve gone from trance to judgmental silence and hostile postures. Well? What do you…
Have you ever seen three people suddenly grab a table and look as if they are about to jump under it? That was me and two friends last Monday in Starbucks. Last Monday was weird; just weird. There were fifty earthquakes in the city where I live. Not in the state, not in country, not…
I can be stubborn and I will insist on doing everything myself. After a dinner party this summer, the last few guests offered to help bring in everything from outside. With great bravado, I quickly waved their help away. I was the host; they were guest. They reminded me that if I left all that food…
Monday, 12 October 2015 is a controversial federal holiday in the United States in honor of Christopher Columbus’s discovery of America. For some, Columbus Day represents the demise of indigenous people at the hands of colonization; with estimates of 80% of the North American Native American population was destroyed as the result of the arrival…
Movies and TV have led us astray with respect to drowning. People who are actually drowning are not thrashing and crying for help. In reality, drowning is unnoticed by observers. The person cannot stay at the surface of the water long enough to cry for help. The head bobs on the surface of the water,…
Look at the photo. I am inverted. I am focused, you can see the strain. If I lose balance, I not only fall out of the pose, I will also fall off the kitchen counter. Do not try to help. I have an awareness of my body and balance in space. My stability in this…
Gee, I don’t have time for this. A coworker invited me to do a Hack A Hair Dryer Challenge. One of those challenges to redesign a hair dryer to do something other than dry hair as a part of an effort to get women interested in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics – STEM. Please, I…
This week poses a dilemma, my post needs work. More work than I can finish in an afternoon. It’s a subject I’m passionate about and I want to get it as right as possible. So what do I do? Publish or skip a week? For more than year, my practice has been to publish weekly…
Labor day is all about a celebration of work. It seems like a logical time to reflect about what has happened in the year so far and how to end it. Henry Ford said Vision without execution is just hallucination. Dare I stop hallucinating? As I reflect, in front of my Mac, I am reminded…
I hate being wrong and if I’m wrong, I want you to know the reason, like I didn’t do anything maliciously and I’m not stupid. Mistakes happen. I flew from San Francisco to Daytona Beach and paid an additional $89 for premium seating extra legroom, bulkhead. The last time I flew this airline, I was…
I have “the list.” I’ve had it for over three years. It’s things I want in a partner that I created under the advice and guidance of a male friend. It’s the must haves and nice to haves. I’m an engineer and it seemed perfectly logical to me to approach a relationship in this manner.…
You met a new guy and you are very excited. The office is not the place to share your joy. If you don’t invite everyone into your life, you won’t have to kick them out when the party is over. You are not a reality star. You do not get paid for revealing your personal…
My hot topic of the week, I look like an engineer. It’s the media reaction to a recruitment ad for OneLogin featuring a female engineer that resulted in comments that the photo of a woman engineer, who is an actual engineer did not “look like an engineer.” A social media response ensured with #ILookLikeAnEngineer. Yes,…
“A picture is worth a thousand words,” is an oft used expression. My blog and companion Instagram are just over a year old. The blog has 80 followers and typically gets 25 -30 views per weekly post. My Instagram account has 532 followers and in the last month it trends towards 80-100 views per daily…
In the last 10 years, attention spans have dropped from 12 minutes to five. The number of personal electronic devices has outnumbered people on the planet. The first iPad was introduced in April of 2010. At the time, skeptics questioned why someone would want an oversized smartphone. That’s humorous now since we have tablets, mini…
A few weeks ago, I had this discussion with a friend. I said “…and stop saying we’re both saying the same thing.” The response was, “I’m just trying to show common ground.” I shot back, “No when you say that, it’s you trying to prove your point putting my statement into your frame of reference.…
The trained eye can spot the fake Rolex or Louis Vuitton knockoff. The same is true in business; the phony insincere suck up is easy to spot, so knock it off. What can you do not be labeled as the fake, the phony, the poser? This part is like cleaning out your closet of fashion…
“When was the last time you heard a busy signal when you made a phone call?” I am on a short vacation, but, I wanted to give you something to think about. Please discuss.
This Fourth of July is a watershed for me. The day marks the signing of the Declaration of Independence of the United States declaring sovereignty from the British Empire. The second paragraph that reads “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with…
There are books and discussion all about how to succeed in the workplace. Flexibility and doing extraordinary things can be amazing for a career. This is a different approach. Before you can become the most awesome employee ever, you need to make sure you don’t unexpectedly find yourself in the precarious situation of being dismissed,…
Don’t destroy your brand as you try to build it. It sounds like common sense, which it is, but it is not common usage. At work (or anywhere else for that matter), I wanted people to like me, so I always volunteered for extra tasks, to work more than anyone else. While others would have…
“The plumber is delayed again. I am tired of switching out these towels everyday to get all the water off the floor around the toilet.” “Turn the water off.” “What?” “There is a handle behind the commode to turn the water off.” “There is?” “Why didn’t you tell me this before?” “I didn’t think of…
I present to you the adult temper tantrum. Angry Person on the phone: “I spent 20 hours doing this revalidation and then I couldn’t submit because I was revoked.” Pause… “The note said I would I was due to expire on April 30 and I could not submit on the 30th.” Pause… “ This is the dumbest…
Memorial Day – at times it seems we are trying to hard to forget what the day is really about. Which is rather ironic for a holiday that is all about memory. Memorial day is in honor of those who have died while serving in the country’s armed forces. Formerly known as decoration day, the…
“Weren’t you afraid to do this photo?” “No. I safety pinned my shirt to my pants to avoid accidental exposure.” “That’s not what I meant – you are in the middle of a sidewalk doing a wide arm headstand. I don’t even know where to start, you could have fallen, your bare hands are on…
