This Week is Almost Over
I’m just winding down from a very busy day. Today was my first Bubby Carl visit for over a year. He left right after Christmas, so that’s what…about 14 months ago??
Time for a Padded Cell?
posted by Shelley
You get up in the morning and check the weather, the local news, the national news, your favorite blogs and forums, and then your workday begins. Your day is filled with an endless stream of phone calls and interruptions; you check your email every two minutes and put out one fire after another. And then, at some point you shake your head and wonder where the day went. You have lost sight of what you were attempting to accomplish in the first place. Sound familiar?
The ease in which we are able to connect via technology is great isn’t it? But I’ve found that it also provides us with endless distractions. In the midst of communicating and the ease of connecting with others, it is easy to lose your message and focus.
Albert Einstein said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”
It’s like the abused spouse that welcomes home the mate, believing that things will be different, even knowing nothing has changed. It’s like the alcoholic that walks into the neighborhood bar and tells himself he’ll only have one drink this time, knowing that he’s made that promise over and over in the past and failed.
While it’s easy to see Albert Einstein’s definition of insanity play out in those examples – what about for the rest of us? What about in our careers and lives in general?
Are you happy with what you’re getting? If you’re not satisfied with your personal or business life today, and you wake up tomorrow and go through the same motions while expecting a different result — that is… well… insanity.
Perception
posted by Shelley
People’s perception of one specific event can be totally different! Take one simple thing (such as a phone conversation) between two people and the instant replay is certain to be different. Sometimes, it’s not even close…
I spent the greater part of the day with my Grandmother who is ill. Perry manned the phones and ended up being my personal secretary for the day, speaking often with concerned family and friends. My cousin and long-time close friend (like a sister kind of friendship) spoke with Perry on the phone. Upon returning the call, she relayed the way she perceived her conversation with Perry: “Perry needs to work on his phone skills. I had to drag any and all information out of him. He’s slow! He’s so soft spoken.”
And then of course, Perry relayed the way he perceived the conversation: “I had a great conversation with Jerilyn. She told me about her Grandmother; I told her about mine. We talked about your Grandmother…I really like her.”
I’ve never been much for remembering details. Jerilyn and I would go on vacation together, and as she would tell the stories of our escapades to others, I found myself captivated — thinking, “and then what did we do?” I’ve always known that she sees things and notices things that are lost on me. Still, the differences in the replay of one little phone call made me laugh out loud. I guess because I know them both so well.
Perry and I have both mentioned playing the game World of Warcraft — Jerilyn is a gamer as well, and we have all played together on many occasions — but she hasn’t had the opportunity to get to know Perry outside of that realm. I wonder if Perry felt like he was talking to Zarra and she felt as if she was speaking to Sparrowcat. Or maybe she expected the professional persona and he was attempting a personal one. Either way — it was funny stuff.
Of course this little exercise got me thinking about the way that I am perceived — professionally and personally. How many times do I hang up the phone thinking that I was persuasive, or compassionate or whatever…and really didn’t come across that way at all? I wonder how many times today my words or actions were perceived differently than I intended.
Idiocy – its spreading…
Posted by Perry
Ok, confession time – I hate idiots. I’m talking about the USDA grade – A, mind numbing, drool-from-both-corners-of-the-mouth mental midgets.
I have no patience for them and often wonder just where the hell they come from, all the while praying that these people do NOT reproduce. Idiots are the bane of civilization – they take up valuable real estate while draining the rest of us of much-needed resources – you know, like air. The mere thought of walking and actually speaking coherently is alien to them, they are forever condemned to never getting the most elementary jokes, never knowing just what the hell they’re laughing about – they just know that everyone else is, so they probably should too.
Here’s a perfect example of idiocy at it’s finest (or lowest, depending on your point of view) where a school in Parma, Ohio suspended a six year old boy for having a mohawk – no seriously – they did.
Now my question is this – does anyone REALLY care if a six year old has a mohawk? No. I’m not talking about the spiked mohawk that sticks up two feet and is colored purple either, it’s a close cut mohawk – in other words – IT’S NO BIG DEAL!
Somewhere along the line, a group of idiots got together and decided that they would determine what is “acceptable” and “appropriate”. They would make the call (in between wiping the drool from their chins and muttering “I love Pez”) on how students would look – right down to kindergartners.
Here’s the scary part – somehow they have taken over. Yep, from school administrators and faculty, to local and federal leaders, we have been outmanned and out-thought by people whose IQ is the square root of a cheerio. They have control and those of us having the capacity to figure out the plot of ‘Dora the Explorer” now must reap what we have sown – that WE are now the idiots for allowing this travesty to happen.
The definition of inspiration
Posted by Perry
If you’ve read this blog for a while, then you know by now my opinion of sports. I wanted to share this story with you, however, to tell you about someone who has been a class act from day one.
David Pollack was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round in 2005 out of the University of Georgia as a defensive end. The plan was to convert him to an outside linebacker to better utilize his athletic ability. After a lengthy hold-out, David arrived during the final weeks of the preseason and soon after became a starter.
The fans quickly took to David and his new wife, Lindsey, with his quiet demeanor and work ethic on the field and off. The Pollack family is deeply religious and David was very active in the community and a steady presence in the locker room as a rookie. David’s performance on the field improved each game culminating in his performance in the AFC Wild Card game against Pittsburgh that same year and expectations were high going into the 2006 season.
In a September game against Cleveland, David assisted in a tackle on the Brown’s Rueben Droughns and did not get up from the field. He was removed on a stretcher and gave the crowd a “thumbs-up” sign – it was later revealed that he had fractured the sixth cervical disc in his neck. He suffered no paralysis, but his career was suddenly in jeopardy as quickly as it had started.
David underwent surgery and wore a halo during his recovery, all the while keeping a positive outlook and continually stating his faith in God to get him through the ordeal. Today, it is unknown whether David will ever step onto the field as a player again – but his inspiring presence has endeared him to fans – myself among them.
If there were more players like David Pollack, perhaps my outlook on sports would be much different.