A Better Life

A long time ago I went to my doctor because my allergies were worse than usual.  Somehow, the conversation went from what could I be allergic to how I should learn to eat less.  Apparently my weight issues were somehow tied to my allergies.  Being slightly offended I did consider what the fine doctor had to say.  Now I understand that diet and weight and have a dramatic effect on how we are affected by allergic reactions.  So portion control becomes more important.  It is always so easy to eat way more than we need.  For instance instead of eating a handful of potato chips I find my self eating more like have a bag before I realize that my lips are numb from the salt on those bad boys.  A little moderation goes a long way. Portion control can also be applied to more than food.  Instead of sitting around watching the entire 24 hour marathon of Beevis and Butthead we could just watch a couple of episodes at a time (thank goodnes...

There is a pond near where I work. I take walks around this park for a little respite from the rigors of my day.  When it is hot (like it always seems to be) the turtles can be found lounging on rocks and logs floating in the cement pond.  The amazing thing is as you walk up some turtles will jump into the water immediately, some will wait just a little bit and others (bravest of them all) will just wait to see what is going to happen. I couldn't help but think this is like people in business.  Some will scurry at the first sign of trouble.  Others will hang in just a little longer and then the few brave ones will just hang in and wait for some sign of impending danger.  Which group would you be in? Personally I like to think I am in the middle group but would like to gather enough bravery to hang in with the few brave ones who will ride out the situation and stay on top.  The poor turtles who jump first will lose their choice position and have to s...

Living with Schnauzers has been, well interesting.  Beyond the barking, biting, eating, sleeping and relieving themselves in every imaginable way and place.  Nothing like rearranging furniture and discovering a "present" one of them left for you in a by gone age.  When confronted with the evidence, they deny their involvement but acknowledge a sense of pride in the act itself.  Of course, all Schnauzers are not exactly the same.  They are as different as night and day but do share some common traits.  So here I give you 5 lessons about life that I have learned from co-existing with my Schnauzers: When confronted with an intruder bark loudly, menacingly and ferociously No matter how big or menacing an adversary may be just learn to bark louder than the intruder and most of the time they will move along to quieter environs.  Raise a noise when you see injustice anywhere in your life and make sure you are heard.  If they don't hear you, gather a...

So much of my day is spent wondering what the safest and simplest course of action is to take.  Most of the time the answer is pretty clear but sometimes what may seem safe and simple is actually quite the opposite. First of all the simplest choice is not always the safest and the safest choice isn't always the simplest.  It is far better to take a step back from the situation and evaluate all options before jumping impulsively at the seemingly best choice.  For example, when confronting the choice of whether to quit a job because you are making a good income online seems simple enough. If you make as much as you make from your job you can quit but that is not really the case.  There are a lot of factors to consider.  First, your job probably provides medical, dental and vision insurance.  How much is it going to cost you to have the same coverage without the benefit of a company policy?  They can get a much better price as a group than you can on ...

Just as you must maintain the tuning on a musical instrument, you need to stay in tune at work.  Your performance can be and usually is a matter of perception. If management perceives your value then you have value but if they do not perceive a contribution then well, you know the possible outcome.   The most important aspect of anyone's job from the guy who mows the grass at the cemetery to the CEO of a multi-national corporation is communication. This one aspect of ones life can be overlooked and can have the most impact, good or bad.  In my chosen field, information technology, it is so easy to just keep your head down and work away without realizing what is going on around you. While developing solutions I am sometimes perceived as anti-social or worse.  Truth of the matter is, I am just busy and working against deadlines that have to be met but the perception is what will get you every time. How do we make sure we are connected?  We take a few minutes t...

In the past, we as a people have come together to form a concerted effort to right wrongs done to humanity.  These have been along economic, racial and political lines.  What else is there to fight for? In the coming age it will be along technological lines.  As our technology advances more personal rights may be impacted.  As our information is dispersed farther and wider than ever and more importantly pulled together into centralized locations in the name of convenience, our identities will become more at risk than ever. The main problem will be how to protect this information from abuse but with the advent of cloud computing we are putting more trust than ever into centralized bodies who will have more power than ever.  It is time for us as a people to stand together and make sure that our information, our very lives are not put at risk in the name of convenience. Just because you can do something does not mean you should.  Take care of your inform...