blogging: March 2007 Archives

I've created two posts, two days in a row, about American Idol. As much as I hate to do it, I'm going to post again - about American Idol. But this post isn't going to be a prediction of the outcome, who did what and how well ( or poorly ) they did it, or who should be sent home.

I think it's time I moved beyond that and open a discussion of what is driving this season's decline from what started as a great idea to the beacon of mediocrity it is quickly becoming. I suppose that's an unfair statement. It isn't that the producers made a conscious decision to drive the show into the ground. And perhaps, as demonstrated by the popularity of the show, it isn't really being driven into the ground. But it would appear that there is a concerted effort to invalidate the integrity ( well, I'm using the term integrity very loosely here ) of the show.

American Idol has willingly fallen victim to the stupidity of the mob. Let's face it . . . there are people making gazillions of dollars off of the show. As consumers, is it too much to expect that there is at least some semblance of an attempt to remove any air of impropriety? Or are they merely basking in the riches that the publicity is giving them? Allow me to explain . . .

Simply Successful Secrets The Internet is truly this incredible thing. A single topic can spread like a flowering vine ( or a festering rash ) with great speed and touch a huge number of people.

As is normally the case, there is a new meme traversing it's way across the Internet and ( surprisingly ) I've been tagged by Mig to participate. If you haven't stopped by one of her sites I highly recommend doing so. She's a fantastic writer and I find many of her posts though-provoking and informative. The question, quite simply, is, "What little secrets do I have that have helped me to be successful?" Personally, I think every person measures success differently. Some people measure their success based on money, some on their accumulation of material possessions, some only by the happiness they feel. I imagine that each person's secrets will reflect how they measure success. Regardless, I have to come up with 5 - 10 secrets, so here goes . . .

1. Read every day - I filter through a plethora of blogs every day to get a feel for what's going on in the world beyond my doorstep. It's also very helpful for the next secret.
2. Write - It doesn't really matter if it's an email, a personal and private journal, or a blog. Besides speaking this is the next, most important way we communicate. Practice makes perfect ( or at least close ).
3. Be cynical - I try not to believe everything people tell me. Sometimes people have motives that they would prefer you not know about.
4. Learn something new - There is always something new and interesting to learn. The field in which I work ( technology ) is constantly changing and it requires that I either learn about new things or become extinct.
5. Don't be late - Nuff said.
6. Treasure your family - At the end of the day these are the people who treasure you.
7. Spend time doing absolutely nothing - Down time is good.

So that's my list - or at least what I could come up with. Now I have to tag a few people. Let's see . . . how about:

• Paula
• Jenny
• Coach
• Beth

Have fun with it.

I missed a couple days posting here. I've been in "react mode" due to an announcement at my job. You see, my employer depends on revenue from government contracts. One of these contracts has been reduced. Another contract that my employer normally enjoys without being forced to bid on may or may not be awarded to my employer. In a nutshell . . . people are going to lose their jobs.

Unfortunately, that doesn't mean a couple people. It means quite a few people. And, in the months to come, there may be another round of layoffs if we are not awarded the other contract. The scary part, from all the speculation and gossip floating around, is that it is widely agreed upon that the first round is going to be pretty close to the bone. If we do not win the other contract, my employer may be forced to cut off a leg or an arm.

I've dodged layoffs here before. Since I have worked here ( just shy of five years ) there has been one layoff. This time, I am fairly confident that I will dodge any bullets. But, the coming months are very iffy. If we don't get that contract ( which I directly support ) I am confident I will be voted off the island.

Since I have developed a desire for food, housing, and clothes and I have a family who depends on me for the same, I decided to be a little proactive and start trying to find something else. In the words of another person I work with ( and I'm paraphrasing ), "We never really know when the axe could fall." My wife finds it very ironic that we moved to a place she has come to despise as the result of me being layed off only to be layed off again.

We tossed the idea of relocating elsewhere around a little bit. I'm against the idea. Not that I have come to love where we live, but it is a decent place to raise kids without the crime and drugs that are so prevalent in larger, metropolitan areas where jobs are plentiful. Besides, my kids do have friends here and I would hate to take that away from at this time in their lives.

For me, it's a difficult decision to which I really don't have any answers. So far, I have an interview on Wednesday. I had already applied for this job back in January. I visit their website on a fairly regular basis. A couple weeks ago I saw that the posting was removed and assumed that the job had been filled. They never called or sent me one of those gracious, "Thanks for applying but . . . blah blah blah," letters. At first glance I assumed that they decided to go with someone cheaper or less experience than I have. However, much to my surprise, I received a call from them on Wednesday.

The upside to all of this . . . the job that I will be interviewing for is much more appealing to my interests. I may have to take a small pay cut, but I don't know the whole compensation package just yet. The benefits may outweigh the small pay cut I will face. We'll see what happens. In the meantime, I'm pretty open to any suggestions. I'm certainly not in, "Oh My God I've Got To Do Something!!!!" mode. I have time to make any changes that need to be made.

I've come across a few blogs this year that have individually tried to address the question, "Why do I blog?" Although I don't have the links that spawned this post right at my fingertips this very second, a simple search on Google for the term, "Why I blog" turns up approximately 278 million hits.

So, although I didn't bookmark each thoughtful post, you are welcome to find one that suits you. I've come across posts on forums and other websites that effectively suggest that blogging is a self-indulgent act that adds nothing to the Internet. I've read that blogs, serving no purpose other than providing an outlet for the author's own interests, pets and family, do nothing but consume bandwidth and storage space. Many times, I've read statements, primarily from technical people, that they would never stoop to building and maintaining their own blog. I know the reasons that I blog - as much as I'm sure you're on the edge of your seat to read them, I will get to those later - but first I'd like to look at some of the reasons that others blog.

After all, blogging is not an intra-personal act. It's inter-personal in nature. The author, generally speaking, puts their thoughts - good, bad and otherwise, out there for anyone and everyone to see in the form of images, video, audio and words. Sometimes a blogger's communications can be anything from pictures of their cats to words so intimate that many people would find excessively private or offensive. Regardless, blogging is inter-personal. Not only do bloggers express their thoughts and feelings, many expect some sort of response - and welcome it. It's a two-way street. It's communication. As I sat down to write this post I searched for a few posts that answer the question, "Why I blog." Here are a few answers from others:

Another Friday is upon us.

Most people would agree that Fridays are something to look forward to. For me, it usually is the beginning of a hectic weekend of chauffeur responsibilities. Somewhere, I hear someone saying, "James, bring 'round the limo . . .."

This weekend it'll start at 5:30 am Saturday morning. I'll take my wife to work and then come home. My son's soccer game isn't until 11:30 am, so I get to take a little nap. The rest of the day is wide open, but I imagine the remaining agenda may be subject to the kids' whim. Then, around 10:30 pm or so, we'll all go pick up Mommy from work. Sunday, it'll start out just the same - take Mommy to work. My daughter's soccer game got canceled, but how fortunate to be able to fill that slot with volunteer work at my son's BMX track from 1 until 4 pm.

We'll finish with an hour to spare until my daughter's soccer practice at 5:30 pm ( and a 20 minute drive away ) before heading back home, getting ready for the next week, and then going to pick up Mommy again around 10 pm.

And the season of outdoor activities is just getting started. I can hardly wait until soccer practices start overlapping, the kids have soccer games at the same times on different fields, or we have to make a choice between a soccer game or a BMX race.

And CEOs think they have to make tough decisions.

So far I know that my daughter's soccer practices are Sundays and Tuesdays at 5:30 - 6:30. My son's soccer practices are Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4:30 - 5:30. My daughter's flute lessons are Thursdays at 7:30. Pretty soon, my son will want to go to open BMX practice at the track on Wednesdays around 7:00 ( or so ) until 9:00.

A daddy's work is never done. The upside to all of this. Man I'm glad that I can provide for them to have a life beyond home, school, and television. They both give 110 percent at everything they do. At the end of an exhausting, hectic, logistical nightmare of a weekend I can say:

I'm so damn proud of my kids.