Every month, I ignore the reminder to do an end-of-month blog. Another month has come and gone and again I didn't do it. Well, I'm doing one today, dang it. Not quite the end of the month, but it's labor day, it's a little slower and I'm going to write something. It won't necessarily be great, but it'll be something. I wish I wrote more often, but I guess it's not been a strong enough aspiration. It definitely helps with a decent year-end blog post when I have lots of posts to go back and look at. Anyhow, a few thoughts...
Today is my Grandma Marjorie's birthday. Well, she has passed away, but today's the day we celebrated with her. She will forever be linked to my career - in 2014, I was let go at World Vision the day before her birthday. My parents, my brother and his family and my family all traveled to Yakima to celebrate with her. It was a wonderful time. I didn't think much about the job loss that weekend, or probably more accurately, didn't talk about it much. She did find out anyhow near the end of the trip and wanted to know why I hadn't mentioned it and I told her that it wasn't important, that the weekend was about her. In 2015 I had just landed in L.A., a consultant employed by a company in Seattle assigned to ExactTarget/Salesforce who in turn assigned me to Activision. They were bringing me along on a trip for a day-long strategy session with Activision. And of course, we all know how that turned out. Anyhow, so I had just landed in L.A. and there was a message from Lori letting me know that mom and dad had called, grandma had passed away in her sleep. We knew it was coming and I just remember sitting there near baggage claim talking to mom. I think we were all happy for grandma - she had lived her life the way she wanted to. Until a day or two before, she had still lived in the home she and my grandfather had purchased together, nearly a decade after she first saw it and decided she wanted to someday live there. And she had still been driving and working and volunteering at church. But a few days before, her health had really started to decline and she allowed herself to be checked into a hospice. She hadn't let dad put too many personal effects out because she wasn't planning on staying long. She worried about dying but I think dad let her know that it was ok and she accepted this and went peacefully in her sleep. Marjorie was really cool - she was well-loved and always in a really positive mood. Quite inspirational. Lori notes that she came across some handwritten notes recently - grandma was really good at that - always hand-written notes.
So, yeah, that other thing... two years ago yesterday I got let go from World Vision. At the time I thought it was cowardly. Now I'm not entirely sure, but I do know that it was a blessing. Things had run their course and it was time. I had contributed while I was there and hopefully left things in a better place than before I had been there. But we all knew it was time. I had a few interviews and had been looking for somewhere new, but unsuccessfully. Because they were the ones who pulled the trigger, I ended up with severance, pension and a few other things I wouldn't have necessarily gotten had I acted first (though it wasn't for a lack of trying). Recently it's been on my mind a lot to write Toby and Scott a thank you note, but that's probably not beneficial to anyone.
The city of Burbank has signed off on the renovations so now we're back in compliance. I've been painting the garage floor the last few days and today we should be able to move most of the stuff back in. There's a little more finish work to happen tomorrow, but no more living under the cloud of construction and worries about whether our changes are going to be approved. Next, some foundational work under the house, saving up for the master suite renovation/expansion and designing the Little Free Library I want to add to the front fence.
And... I think that's a fine place to stop for now. Phew.
Showing posts with label by-month. Show all posts
Showing posts with label by-month. Show all posts
Monday, September 05, 2016
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
End of March
Ok, so it's been a long time since I've posted an end-of-month post on here. In fact, my posting is, in general, far too infrequent. I've been busy. Work has been busy, the commute still cuts into the day, and I've been busy with stuff at home.
I'd become dissatisfied with my progress in a number of areas this month, so I built a dashboard to quantify things. It formed a rudimentary system. Keep Feedly below 100 unread items, deduct points. Otherwise, incur points. Stay under my calories for the day, deduct points, otherwise incur points. Keep my inbox under control, deduct points. Otherwise, penalty. Every 5 minutes of reading? Bonus. No reading in a day? Oooh... bad. So, it's helped me stay focused on a few key areas and cut down on wasted time. It hasn't completely freed me or completely cured me of some of my bad habits, but it's been helpful to focus. I'll continue to tweak over time. The latest thing I've considered adding is what time I went to bed. Aiming for 11. Probably my biggest problem right now is that a day with bad results doesn't actually result in a penalty beyond a red score.
Work is almost done. The contract ends soon and they're not able to get a new headcount. Not sure what's next.
This is ending up being shorter than I thought. But, at least I actually posted something this time.
I'd become dissatisfied with my progress in a number of areas this month, so I built a dashboard to quantify things. It formed a rudimentary system. Keep Feedly below 100 unread items, deduct points. Otherwise, incur points. Stay under my calories for the day, deduct points, otherwise incur points. Keep my inbox under control, deduct points. Otherwise, penalty. Every 5 minutes of reading? Bonus. No reading in a day? Oooh... bad. So, it's helped me stay focused on a few key areas and cut down on wasted time. It hasn't completely freed me or completely cured me of some of my bad habits, but it's been helpful to focus. I'll continue to tweak over time. The latest thing I've considered adding is what time I went to bed. Aiming for 11. Probably my biggest problem right now is that a day with bad results doesn't actually result in a penalty beyond a red score.
Work is almost done. The contract ends soon and they're not able to get a new headcount. Not sure what's next.
This is ending up being shorter than I thought. But, at least I actually posted something this time.
Saturday, February 28, 2015
End of February
I never did get around to posting a summary for the end of 2014. I feel a little bit bad about that, but it was never a high enough priority, I guess. Life has just been too busy lately. I think part of that is the added time spent on my commute.
I tried carpooling this month, didn't care for it. While I was still working at my last job, I wondered what it looked like to work in Bellevue. It seemed so far away so I wondered about carpool options. In order to see potential carpools, you had to program in your route. So I had programmed in a fake route from the nearest park and ride to Expedia and forgotten about it in the subsequent months. Someone found it a week or two ago, contacted me, we arranged to meet. We met, I drove. I wanted to be there at 7:30, she didn't start work until 8:30. I wanted to be done at 4:30, she worked until 5. She was late in getting to the carpool the first day, she didn't get to leave on time that evening, making me late for an engagement that evening. The next day, I somehow overslept and so told her not to wait for me. The next day, she was really late arriving so I finally left without her. It was a good thing, I didn't get to leave that night until 6:30. If I had tried to leave at 4:30 that day (or, as it turns out, any day the rest of the week), it wouldn't have worked. So I told her I was just going to remove my name from the carpool list. My schedule's too unpredictable, I like my audiobooks and I'm not sure the time savings is really sufficient when you take into consideration the time to stop and collect other people or stop and drop off other people and when you have to keep moving across all general purpose lanes to get in or out of the carpool lane or change freeways and when the carpool lane runs as slow as the regular lanes so often.
Things at home have been pretty good from my perspective. Work has kept me away from home quite a bit, but I don't have too many recollections of words spoken to me or deeds done against me by my children that would have made me sad. Ben did kick me in the eye once last week, but it didn't cause any lingering effects and it's been a struggle for him, he's been sick and having to have eye drops put in his eyes which is no fun for people who understand why they have to have eye drops in their eyes - let alone someone who's being held down by a parent (or two) who's holding something above their eye, holding their head steady and then as soon as they open their eyes - sploink. So unfair. I'd flail my limbs, too.
Date Night tonight with Lori. Lori's mom watches the children and Lori and I go off some place for a few hours. I was embarrassed to be returning home before 9 pm from our last date night, but we had a nice meal out, a nice time to talk, and it was a dark and stormy night, so not a lot really to do. We had tried to go to Home Depot to look at night lights for the house, but they were closing when we got there.
Minor excitement in the neighborhood earlier this month - in preparation for our new furnace, a phalanx of spray-can wielding surveyors painted the street (and our grass and flower beds and mulch) many brightly colored lines and symbols. Then a crew came with a backhoe, generator and a bunch of trucks and tore of the sidewalk on both sides of the street, dug a trench in our yard and a big hole. I missed all the action - by the time I returned home that afternoon, temporary paving covered the holes, the trench and hole expertly filled in (grass re-laid in place0. A new shiny gas meter on the side of our house, the backhoe in the street and a massive flatbed trailer on the side street were the only signs that something had happened. On Monday they'll install the heater and hot water heater and thermostat and run a power line to the back of the house to a new electrical line to the back of the house and a new concrete pad. They'll return later to install a heat pump and I'll build an enclosure because they're building the pad large enough to also hold my generator and they're running a line to the back of the house so that I'll be able to plug the generator right into the house in a power-outage (instead of running a cord out the garage window which is a code violation necessary to run the generator from behind the gate where it's secure.)
Work is going really well. There's only 2 months left in my contract, so I'm starting to look to see what my other options are. It was originally a contract-to-hire but based on some changing priorities for the business and a reorg, they may not have a need for me after the end of the contract. If that's the case, it's still a nice thing on my resume and just having not-my-last-company as the top item on my resume has opened a lot of doors from other interested companies and recruiters who apparently don't think too highly of my last company or that its employees are worth poaching. So work itself is fun. There's a lot of challenges and I'm groaning regularly at some new thing to deal with, but at the beginning, almost all of the groaning I was doing was at something I'd done. I think I've reached a level of competency that I'm not the one making the mistakes. That's kinda nice.
Coffee's ready, must go get some.
I tried carpooling this month, didn't care for it. While I was still working at my last job, I wondered what it looked like to work in Bellevue. It seemed so far away so I wondered about carpool options. In order to see potential carpools, you had to program in your route. So I had programmed in a fake route from the nearest park and ride to Expedia and forgotten about it in the subsequent months. Someone found it a week or two ago, contacted me, we arranged to meet. We met, I drove. I wanted to be there at 7:30, she didn't start work until 8:30. I wanted to be done at 4:30, she worked until 5. She was late in getting to the carpool the first day, she didn't get to leave on time that evening, making me late for an engagement that evening. The next day, I somehow overslept and so told her not to wait for me. The next day, she was really late arriving so I finally left without her. It was a good thing, I didn't get to leave that night until 6:30. If I had tried to leave at 4:30 that day (or, as it turns out, any day the rest of the week), it wouldn't have worked. So I told her I was just going to remove my name from the carpool list. My schedule's too unpredictable, I like my audiobooks and I'm not sure the time savings is really sufficient when you take into consideration the time to stop and collect other people or stop and drop off other people and when you have to keep moving across all general purpose lanes to get in or out of the carpool lane or change freeways and when the carpool lane runs as slow as the regular lanes so often.
Things at home have been pretty good from my perspective. Work has kept me away from home quite a bit, but I don't have too many recollections of words spoken to me or deeds done against me by my children that would have made me sad. Ben did kick me in the eye once last week, but it didn't cause any lingering effects and it's been a struggle for him, he's been sick and having to have eye drops put in his eyes which is no fun for people who understand why they have to have eye drops in their eyes - let alone someone who's being held down by a parent (or two) who's holding something above their eye, holding their head steady and then as soon as they open their eyes - sploink. So unfair. I'd flail my limbs, too.
Date Night tonight with Lori. Lori's mom watches the children and Lori and I go off some place for a few hours. I was embarrassed to be returning home before 9 pm from our last date night, but we had a nice meal out, a nice time to talk, and it was a dark and stormy night, so not a lot really to do. We had tried to go to Home Depot to look at night lights for the house, but they were closing when we got there.
Minor excitement in the neighborhood earlier this month - in preparation for our new furnace, a phalanx of spray-can wielding surveyors painted the street (and our grass and flower beds and mulch) many brightly colored lines and symbols. Then a crew came with a backhoe, generator and a bunch of trucks and tore of the sidewalk on both sides of the street, dug a trench in our yard and a big hole. I missed all the action - by the time I returned home that afternoon, temporary paving covered the holes, the trench and hole expertly filled in (grass re-laid in place0. A new shiny gas meter on the side of our house, the backhoe in the street and a massive flatbed trailer on the side street were the only signs that something had happened. On Monday they'll install the heater and hot water heater and thermostat and run a power line to the back of the house to a new electrical line to the back of the house and a new concrete pad. They'll return later to install a heat pump and I'll build an enclosure because they're building the pad large enough to also hold my generator and they're running a line to the back of the house so that I'll be able to plug the generator right into the house in a power-outage (instead of running a cord out the garage window which is a code violation necessary to run the generator from behind the gate where it's secure.)
Work is going really well. There's only 2 months left in my contract, so I'm starting to look to see what my other options are. It was originally a contract-to-hire but based on some changing priorities for the business and a reorg, they may not have a need for me after the end of the contract. If that's the case, it's still a nice thing on my resume and just having not-my-last-company as the top item on my resume has opened a lot of doors from other interested companies and recruiters who apparently don't think too highly of my last company or that its employees are worth poaching. So work itself is fun. There's a lot of challenges and I'm groaning regularly at some new thing to deal with, but at the beginning, almost all of the groaning I was doing was at something I'd done. I think I've reached a level of competency that I'm not the one making the mistakes. That's kinda nice.
Coffee's ready, must go get some.
Saturday, May 31, 2014
Mayday
Another month has come and gone. It was a busy month, but a month where I turned a corner. Leadercast was a phenomenal experience that made me think a lot. Some people say it wasn't as good as the previous year, but I got a lot out of it.
I did not post enough in May, I ate more than enough in May, I did not exercise enough in May. Our yard got much better looking in May. The weather was really phenomenal in May. I haven't read enough. I am slogging my way through one book while several others on my nightstand creep towards being due back at the library. At this stage, I'm just storing them for the library. *sigh*
So I'm doing my end-of-the-month review a day late, it's the end of the day on June 1 as I write this, but that's fine, because this month is set into motion well. (Note: backdating it to last night so that it appears in the correct archive.)
On Friday Ben had won an award at school so I took off work a little early to go to that. And then I worked from home and when it was time to punch out, I went outside with Ben. Having no commute would be awesome. You'll find a blog post full of photos from our time outside below (Hello, Summer). Yesterday was a combined family party for our children. Other than Ben spilling a million drinks (we think we won't serve beverages at future parties), it was a real nice time and it was fun to see so many children in the house and so much family. Today we went to the early service at church as a family and then Lori went and took a rest. She's been feeling cruddy for a couple of weeks now with something she's been unable to shake. I hung out with Ben and Rachel disappeared into her room to play with her Legos. She hasn't given us the money yet, but with a little bit of her birthday money added, she's saved up enough to get a Kindle.
Even though I stopped the weekly recaps of my attempts to get a handle on my chores, I still continue to attempt to make a workable system. Today I sat down and whittled and whittled and whittled until I had a list of 75 things I want to get done this month. Big items that there are lots and lots and lots of, I chose the most deserving 75, ranging from washing a set of curtains to changing smoke detector batteries to starting to paint the outside of the house. I had to be ruthless in my cutting and they don't show up on my daily stuff, but I printed them out. I feel good about the list.
I also went running today. 1.5 miles. Small, but it's been way too long. Time to get back to it.
Feeling good. Still struggling in more areas than I'd like to admit, but not going to let those control me.
My Favorite Posts for May
Top 5 Posts (Previous 30 Days)
I did not post enough in May, I ate more than enough in May, I did not exercise enough in May. Our yard got much better looking in May. The weather was really phenomenal in May. I haven't read enough. I am slogging my way through one book while several others on my nightstand creep towards being due back at the library. At this stage, I'm just storing them for the library. *sigh*
So I'm doing my end-of-the-month review a day late, it's the end of the day on June 1 as I write this, but that's fine, because this month is set into motion well. (Note: backdating it to last night so that it appears in the correct archive.)
On Friday Ben had won an award at school so I took off work a little early to go to that. And then I worked from home and when it was time to punch out, I went outside with Ben. Having no commute would be awesome. You'll find a blog post full of photos from our time outside below (Hello, Summer). Yesterday was a combined family party for our children. Other than Ben spilling a million drinks (we think we won't serve beverages at future parties), it was a real nice time and it was fun to see so many children in the house and so much family. Today we went to the early service at church as a family and then Lori went and took a rest. She's been feeling cruddy for a couple of weeks now with something she's been unable to shake. I hung out with Ben and Rachel disappeared into her room to play with her Legos. She hasn't given us the money yet, but with a little bit of her birthday money added, she's saved up enough to get a Kindle.
Even though I stopped the weekly recaps of my attempts to get a handle on my chores, I still continue to attempt to make a workable system. Today I sat down and whittled and whittled and whittled until I had a list of 75 things I want to get done this month. Big items that there are lots and lots and lots of, I chose the most deserving 75, ranging from washing a set of curtains to changing smoke detector batteries to starting to paint the outside of the house. I had to be ruthless in my cutting and they don't show up on my daily stuff, but I printed them out. I feel good about the list.
I also went running today. 1.5 miles. Small, but it's been way too long. Time to get back to it.
Feeling good. Still struggling in more areas than I'd like to admit, but not going to let those control me.
My Favorite Posts for May
Top 5 Posts (Previous 30 Days)
Sunday, March 02, 2014
February End
I've gotten out of the habit of posting at the end of each month. I want to get back into that. An incomplete measure for now, here's the summary notes from the month. (We're capturing these in Evernote so we can go back next year and see how life was progressing.)
I don't have stuff like notes on my goals or my favorite posts this month as I haven't gotten back into posting as regularly as I'd like. But I'm working on it.
---
February 1 - A quite day at home for my birthday, but the children did their best to make it less than pleasant. Seems to be their typical MO for birthdays. Got some cool gifts:
February 2-8 - Rachel and James had a nice time at the pancake breakfast and James signed up to be a WatchDOG on May 12 and June 11. In the afternoon we had the latest Hrivnak appt. It was a good appointment after a really long wait. Then we picked up Rachel from school where she was hanging out with Jenn. Then home. Ben was yawning a lot. He got really mellow and really sleepy and at home, he was just leaning up against Lori watching videos. We checked his temperature and he had a fever. He slept a lot the next few days but never threw up. So no lunch with Lori on Thursday. Friday was date night and because Ben was sick we stayed in. I picked up Magic Wok and it was really good. We watched Foolproof which was decent. Saturday I had iPad training and learned a few things. Saturday night it snowed quite a bit.
February 9 - We missed church because of snow. Watched the message online, that was kinda cool.
February 10-16 - A quiet week, I think. Until Thursday when Ben ate several pills and we were back in the ER where he and James stayed overnight and late into the next day so Ben could be observed. (written over a week later)
February 17-23 - Also a bit of a quiet week, I think. Monday and Tuesday were school holidays. Thursday we received the results of Ben’s re-assessment (every three year). Some encouraging stuff, including the speech pathologist saying that he makes all the right base noises for speech and he chatters a lot to himself, she thinks in time he’ll talk. Snow on Saturday while we made pancakes and bacon and hung out - it was really nice. Sunday James did audio at church and then the Meyers were over for lunch.
February 24-March 2 - We had the IEP on Monday. Again, some positive outcomes and they’re now working on some goals that will lead in to math and reading. We got some ideas for ways we can incorporate the iPad at home, but haven’t had time to work on them. Later in the week the second consultation for Rachel.. braces. Some pre-stuff was installed that day, next appointment in a few weeks. Lori and James had lunch together on Thursday at James’ work. Saturday was spent trying to help Rachel do a book report and a lot of supporting work. Turns out she’d had the whole month to do it and hadn’t done it. The teacher gave her until Monday. Saturday was a struggle, she wasn’t getting it, it was really hard. Eventually she needed a break (and we needed a break) and sent her outside to play. She didn’t like it at first but eventually started swinging. It was wet and rainy so Ben didn’t get to go outside but he really wanted to. After she came back in, things clicked a lot more for her. The next day Lori woke up sick. James and the children went to church without her and then to the store. And then home for a combined birthday with Jeff and Jim (and Hilary and Jean and Jan and Andrew and Nathan and Joshua). It was a nice time, except for the fact that Lori didn’t join us.
I don't have stuff like notes on my goals or my favorite posts this month as I haven't gotten back into posting as regularly as I'd like. But I'm working on it.
---
February 1 - A quite day at home for my birthday, but the children did their best to make it less than pleasant. Seems to be their typical MO for birthdays. Got some cool gifts:
February 2-8 - Rachel and James had a nice time at the pancake breakfast and James signed up to be a WatchDOG on May 12 and June 11. In the afternoon we had the latest Hrivnak appt. It was a good appointment after a really long wait. Then we picked up Rachel from school where she was hanging out with Jenn. Then home. Ben was yawning a lot. He got really mellow and really sleepy and at home, he was just leaning up against Lori watching videos. We checked his temperature and he had a fever. He slept a lot the next few days but never threw up. So no lunch with Lori on Thursday. Friday was date night and because Ben was sick we stayed in. I picked up Magic Wok and it was really good. We watched Foolproof which was decent. Saturday I had iPad training and learned a few things. Saturday night it snowed quite a bit.
February 9 - We missed church because of snow. Watched the message online, that was kinda cool.
February 10-16 - A quiet week, I think. Until Thursday when Ben ate several pills and we were back in the ER where he and James stayed overnight and late into the next day so Ben could be observed. (written over a week later)
February 17-23 - Also a bit of a quiet week, I think. Monday and Tuesday were school holidays. Thursday we received the results of Ben’s re-assessment (every three year). Some encouraging stuff, including the speech pathologist saying that he makes all the right base noises for speech and he chatters a lot to himself, she thinks in time he’ll talk. Snow on Saturday while we made pancakes and bacon and hung out - it was really nice. Sunday James did audio at church and then the Meyers were over for lunch.
February 24-March 2 - We had the IEP on Monday. Again, some positive outcomes and they’re now working on some goals that will lead in to math and reading. We got some ideas for ways we can incorporate the iPad at home, but haven’t had time to work on them. Later in the week the second consultation for Rachel.. braces. Some pre-stuff was installed that day, next appointment in a few weeks. Lori and James had lunch together on Thursday at James’ work. Saturday was spent trying to help Rachel do a book report and a lot of supporting work. Turns out she’d had the whole month to do it and hadn’t done it. The teacher gave her until Monday. Saturday was a struggle, she wasn’t getting it, it was really hard. Eventually she needed a break (and we needed a break) and sent her outside to play. She didn’t like it at first but eventually started swinging. It was wet and rainy so Ben didn’t get to go outside but he really wanted to. After she came back in, things clicked a lot more for her. The next day Lori woke up sick. James and the children went to church without her and then to the store. And then home for a combined birthday with Jeff and Jim (and Hilary and Jean and Jan and Andrew and Nathan and Joshua). It was a nice time, except for the fact that Lori didn’t join us.
Saturday, November 30, 2013
November's End
simplify - canceled a few more services, recycled a lot of magazines I'll never get to. Continuing to declutter.
diet and exercise - Some great work this month. Pretty close to my goal. I should have no problem hitting it in December, January at the latest. There will be some challenging days.
work - work has been busy, but good.
family gift ideas - Lori's gifts are pretty much purchased and there's a gift from Ben to Rachel on top of a cabinet, I have my day away next week where I can work on stocking stuffers and a few small touches.
TOP FIVE MOST VIEWED POSTS THIS MONTH
Thursday, October 31, 2013
October, Out
This was a tough month. It was a beautiful month and I'll have the end-of-the-month photos posted soon. But it was a tough month. We suffered with colds, had to cancel events and plans and we struggled a bit. But, we also celebrated a birthday, enjoyed time as a family and made a good financial move. At the moment, I'm a little trepidatious about November, but I don't want to hold on to that, I want to be optimistic. And part of that is plans to be intentional about calling out things I'm thankful for. Plus, now people will be a little less judgey about us listening to Christmas music.
THE BIG ELEMENTS
simplify - canceled DirecTV. However, after 10 years of DVRs, watching some current shows now means watching commercials. I haven't really watched too many commercials in the last decade. That's quite painful. Still working to transition stuff away from the PO Box so that we can close that as well. And trying to simplify my chores while trying to get more done.
diet and exercise - It's been a mix of good and bad - more walks, but 10 days with incomplete reporting, probably most of those were days where I completely failed my diet. I haven't weighed-in in two weeks though I'm trying to get to the point of weighing in weekly. Saturdays might be a bad day to do that, though.
work - Getting whiplash. Trying to juggle a lot. Good news is that I'm inching towards getting my open positions posted.
family gift ideas - Nothing new this month.
TOP 5 MOST VIEWED POSTS THIS MONTH
MY FAVORITE 5 POSTS THIS MONTH
THE BIG ELEMENTS
simplify - canceled DirecTV. However, after 10 years of DVRs, watching some current shows now means watching commercials. I haven't really watched too many commercials in the last decade. That's quite painful. Still working to transition stuff away from the PO Box so that we can close that as well. And trying to simplify my chores while trying to get more done.
diet and exercise - It's been a mix of good and bad - more walks, but 10 days with incomplete reporting, probably most of those were days where I completely failed my diet. I haven't weighed-in in two weeks though I'm trying to get to the point of weighing in weekly. Saturdays might be a bad day to do that, though.
work - Getting whiplash. Trying to juggle a lot. Good news is that I'm inching towards getting my open positions posted.
family gift ideas - Nothing new this month.
TOP 5 MOST VIEWED POSTS THIS MONTH
- How To: Fix a "TE Error" on an LG-WM2277HW - Naturally.
- Week 28 - Not sure why
- Trader Joes Hates Canada - And that's sad.
- Book Review: Putting Jesus in His Place - A solid book, but not what I thought I was getting.
- Cutting the Cord, Day 1 - you can do it, too!
MY FAVORITE 5 POSTS THIS MONTH
- Brïkiblöch - Sometimes I just amuse myself and you're just an innocent bystander
- Colorblind (@BestFoods) - thoughts on marketing and seemingly poor choices
- Missed Opportunity @Amazon: Artists and Authors - An idea to help artists and authors get in front of a larger audience (and probably sell more in the process)
- Trader Joes Hates Canada - How does someone get something so wrong?
- F minus minus - is this company racist or stupid? Struck a chord with this one, it seems
Monday, September 30, 2013
Septemmmmmmberrrrr!
Often by the time I get to the end of the month, it feels like the month has flown by. This month didn't fly by. It wasn't a bad month, it was a packed month.
It was a packed day. I'm weary and worn out. So, let's fly through this.
The Big Elements
simplify - canceled two credit cards. That's about it.
diet and exercise - I've been doing better. I've been sending Lori my Lose-It results from each day. I've been walking regularly. Still not running. Not sure why, I think it's been a lack of time in the evenings.
work - busier than ever. I thought I'd have more time to research and read up on the discipline, but it's just been far too busy.
family present ideas - Lori's presents have been wrapped for a few days now. I'm pretty proud of that fact. Now need to start thinking about Christmas presents. :) Though we do have one from Ben to Rachel.
Top 5 Most Viewed Posts This Month
It was a packed day. I'm weary and worn out. So, let's fly through this.
The Big Elements
simplify - canceled two credit cards. That's about it.
diet and exercise - I've been doing better. I've been sending Lori my Lose-It results from each day. I've been walking regularly. Still not running. Not sure why, I think it's been a lack of time in the evenings.
work - busier than ever. I thought I'd have more time to research and read up on the discipline, but it's just been far too busy.
family present ideas - Lori's presents have been wrapped for a few days now. I'm pretty proud of that fact. Now need to start thinking about Christmas presents. :) Though we do have one from Ben to Rachel.
Top 5 Most Viewed Posts This Month
Saturday, August 31, 2013
August Photos
379 total. Here's a sampling of the public ones. See the full set here.
The Lamb Family's August 2013 photosetScram, August!
Hard to believe another month is coming to a close. I think August went pretty quickly. If keeping it around could mean more of the same, I'd probably keep it around, I think August was a good month.
Today was a great day. I need to write a blog post just to cover it.
The Big Elements
Today was a great day. I need to write a blog post just to cover it.
The Big Elements
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Goodbye, July
I'm glad July is over. Not much more to say than that. Another ER visit, but also lots of fun. But also lots of sleepless nights. And breakthroughs with Ben. I just noticed that I was happy when June was over too. I need to work on that. I need to end August not being so glad the month is over.
The Big Elements
simplify - I've kept my part of the bedroom clean and have been thinking of other ways to simplify. I also employed simplify's cousin clarify in looking into my Social Media "Strategy" (interestingly enough, that netted me new followers on Twitter, friend requests on Facebook and connections on LinkedIn.) Kicked off Project Haven with Lori, an effort to determine what our bedroom should (and shouldn't) be.
diet and exercise - exercise- check. diet - brrrrrt and pbbbbbbt. You'd be disgusted with me. I'm disgusted with me. Only two really egregious days, but in the same week - that's bad. I'm bad.
work - as always, a constant state of flux. The story of my life.
family - we're still overdue to call Lori's dad and brothers, we spent time with Lori's mom, two different family events with my parents and one even with my brother and his family.
family present ideas - no new idea per se, but we've been talking about gifting, partially because I've been thinking about how I don't want stuff and we discovered that we're more interested in experiences. There is some stuff, but it's all too expensive.
Top 5 Posts This Month
The Big Elements
simplify - I've kept my part of the bedroom clean and have been thinking of other ways to simplify. I also employed simplify's cousin clarify in looking into my Social Media "Strategy" (interestingly enough, that netted me new followers on Twitter, friend requests on Facebook and connections on LinkedIn.) Kicked off Project Haven with Lori, an effort to determine what our bedroom should (and shouldn't) be.
diet and exercise - exercise- check. diet - brrrrrt and pbbbbbbt. You'd be disgusted with me. I'm disgusted with me. Only two really egregious days, but in the same week - that's bad. I'm bad.
work - as always, a constant state of flux. The story of my life.
family - we're still overdue to call Lori's dad and brothers, we spent time with Lori's mom, two different family events with my parents and one even with my brother and his family.
family present ideas - no new idea per se, but we've been talking about gifting, partially because I've been thinking about how I don't want stuff and we discovered that we're more interested in experiences. There is some stuff, but it's all too expensive.
Top 5 Posts This Month
- How To: Fix a "TE Error" on an LG-WM2277HW (part 1 of 2) -- Jan. 27, 2011
Nothing will ever catch up with this one.
- How To: Fix a "TE Error" on an LG-WM2277HW (part 2 of 2) -- Jan. 27, 2011
Part the second.
- Why Husbands are Frustrating (Life with #Autism) -- July 24, 2013
My attempt to help wives on MyAutismTeam with why they're feeling resentment towards their husbands and why their husbands aren't being as supportive or participating as much as they'd like and my ideas on how to get them involved more.
- Attention to Detail 2 (A Work-Related Post) -- July 8, 2013
*sigh* Bolts right through important information. Good enough, right? - Update -- July 10, 2013
Just an update on Ben and the cat and a photo of mean with a full beard though there's claims that it can't be seen in the photo.
- Faster, Cheaper, Easier (A Work-Related Post) -- July 18, 2013
I like this one, possibly because I like the fake PowerPoint slide I created. But it was based on a real one I saw this month.
- Change in Plans -- July 2, 2013
How can I handle interruptions better?
- Why Husbands are Frustrating (Life with #Autism) -- July 24, 2013
I've been seeing lots of women frustrated on MyAutismTeam by their husbands and I started to write a note but it turned out to be too long and suddenly it was a blog post. A very popular blog post. (Hint: They're moving through the stages of grief more slowly and might be stuck.)
- Time of Death -- July 12, 2013
I came to a realization. I'm vague, but it's crystal clear to me.
- Project Haven -- July 4, 2013
Lori and I embark on a simplify project for our bedroom.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
June Plug
I'm relieved that this month is over. It's been a busy month. Of course, in this case, it's nothing but an arbitrary demarcation because I don't see things slowing down. As always, I'm trying to adjust to rate-limit the chaos, but it's been hard this weekend and into the next two weeks. We're in a bit of a heat spell here. Other places have it hotter, but we don't live in those places and those places are overall better equipped to handle it - they have air conditioning. I am really grateful to have a car with really good air conditioning for the first time in years, but the house is probably best described as miserable. Normally, I'd be able to escape to the office, but next week there's 2 days of holiday and then I have a week of vacation after that. Oh, well, can't be helped. Somewhere in there I'll have to acclimate because otherwise I will do that thing where you die from lack of sleep.
But, still, yeah, it feels like a little bit of a relief to be past June. As soon as I admit that, I come back to the thoughts of the first paragraph but if I allow myself to entertain them, we could be here for a long time.
So...
The Big Elements
But, still, yeah, it feels like a little bit of a relief to be past June. As soon as I admit that, I come back to the thoughts of the first paragraph but if I allow myself to entertain them, we could be here for a long time.
So...
The Big Elements
Friday, May 31, 2013
May Done
It's hard to believe it's been another month. I'm tired, so very tired. Today, but in general as well.
It's late, so I'm going to make this quick.
The Big Elements
Simplify - I fell off the wagon a little bit, but I think I'm back on. Little nibbles are the way to go, keep tossing stuff, keep cleaning. A little at a time. Didn't have a summit with the family, but getting better with the calendar.
Diet/Exercise - not much this week, but overall, 39.05 miles completed this month. Got a nice email from RunKeeper noting that. Also been doing some Wii Fit each day. Still haven't reached my goal.
Work - It's been a good month. Holy cow crazy busy. But good. Not much to say.
It's late, so I'm going to make this quick.
The Big Elements
Simplify - I fell off the wagon a little bit, but I think I'm back on. Little nibbles are the way to go, keep tossing stuff, keep cleaning. A little at a time. Didn't have a summit with the family, but getting better with the calendar.
Diet/Exercise - not much this week, but overall, 39.05 miles completed this month. Got a nice email from RunKeeper noting that. Also been doing some Wii Fit each day. Still haven't reached my goal.
Work - It's been a good month. Holy cow crazy busy. But good. Not much to say.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Ending April
April was a much better month. I started the month with a week of vacation where we didn't really do anything. I met some new people in LinkedIn, got some coaching and then returned to work, renewed with a clearer sense of purpose for work and home life. At the same time, I started tracking what I was doing to see if I was doing the right stuff. That, as you've seen, is a work in progress, but I'm feeling good about it. Also, I've exercised a lot more and the weather has turned for the better. I've also been tracking my calories again and am actually losing weight. I am still working on sleep - when to go to bed, how much sleep I really need, whether I can get up any earlier or not (it's been difficult).
Yes, it's been a good month. I think if this month had a theme, that theme was control. Not that I can control everything, but I'm owning what I can, I don't feel out of control or like I have no say in what's going on in my life.
The Big Elements
Yes, it's been a good month. I think if this month had a theme, that theme was control. Not that I can control everything, but I'm owning what I can, I don't feel out of control or like I have no say in what's going on in my life.
The Big Elements
Sunday, March 31, 2013
March Madness: End of the month
This was not an easy month, either at work or at home. I'm glad to be starting the next month with a week off. Won't be doing anything specific, other than just hanging out with the family. We're trying to conserve money, so we don't have a lot of plans, but we'll be getting some stuff around the house and taking care of some medical and other errands.
I don't think I paid enough attention to my To Do List as the month went on. Got some good stuff done, but not everything that I would have liked.
March is traditionally a wonderful month, it's when we moved to Washington and I have fond memories of great afternoons of sun and rain at the same time. I saw a few of those and from that perspective, I'm surprised March is over. We'll see what April brings. Not a lot of rain in the first half, according to Accuweather.
I don't think I paid enough attention to my To Do List as the month went on. Got some good stuff done, but not everything that I would have liked.
March is traditionally a wonderful month, it's when we moved to Washington and I have fond memories of great afternoons of sun and rain at the same time. I saw a few of those and from that perspective, I'm surprised March is over. We'll see what April brings. Not a lot of rain in the first half, according to Accuweather.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
February 2013: It's Over!
This month has flown by. There was my birthday, and then the trip to Miami, and then, wow, a bit of a blur.
From the perspective of goals, I missed repeatedly, by a long shot. I'm a little bit saddened about what I failed to complete. Some of them should have been easy. However, I failed because I did not plan for them. By the time I got serious about my list, we ran out of weekends (best time to take photos). For this next month, the list is longer, but I will plan them out on a calendar to make sure I get to them.
Simplify - stand-still. I don't feel things are more complicated, but I don't think I made my life any more complicated either.
Diet - super failure. bad, bad, bad.
Work - mostly well. The best and worst parts I can't speak to right now. Best parts, perhaps soon. The worst parts, probably stay hidden, or make their way into a generic post about workplace politics, leadership, etc.
Family Present Ideas - I didn't pick up any clues this month. I certainly did not pay enough attention.
Last month, my goals were:
This month's goals are on the "goals" tab.
Here are the most read posts this month.
From the perspective of goals, I missed repeatedly, by a long shot. I'm a little bit saddened about what I failed to complete. Some of them should have been easy. However, I failed because I did not plan for them. By the time I got serious about my list, we ran out of weekends (best time to take photos). For this next month, the list is longer, but I will plan them out on a calendar to make sure I get to them.
The big elements
Simplify - stand-still. I don't feel things are more complicated, but I don't think I made my life any more complicated either.
Diet - super failure. bad, bad, bad.
Work - mostly well. The best and worst parts I can't speak to right now. Best parts, perhaps soon. The worst parts, probably stay hidden, or make their way into a generic post about workplace politics, leadership, etc.
Family Present Ideas - I didn't pick up any clues this month. I certainly did not pay enough attention.
Goals
Last month, my goals were:
Read a book(Shadow and Bone -- Leigh Bardugo -- My Review)Read a second book(Spark -- Melissa Dereberry -- My Review)- Update my photo across the internet - nope
Apply moss killer to the driveway- done, may need to do moreApply moss killer to the roof- done, may need to do more- Regrout bathtub - nope, didn't get to
- Eat at 1 new restaurant with the family - sadly, did not get to
- Visit 1 new park or tourist attraction with the family - did not get to
Take photo of Ben with his picture bearTake photo of Rachel with her picture bearTake photo of Ben and Rachel- Take photo of Ben and Lori
- Take photo of Rachel and Lori
- Take photo of Ben and James
- Take photo of Rachel and James
- Take photo of Lori and James
Take photo of Cash
This month's goals are on the "goals" tab.
Top 5 Posts This Month
Here are the most read posts this month.
- How To: Fix a "TE Error" on an LG-WM2277HW - This will probably top the list every month. This is part 1 of 2. Part 2 also made the list but I'm not including it.
- 31. Favourite #JanBlogaDay - the last of January's Blog a Day
- Problem of Scale - I complain about a breakfast cereal and you guys upvote it?
- 私への誕生日おめでとう - vanity post
- How To: Save Best Buy (@BestBuy) - In which I tell Best Buy how to save itself.
Top 5 All Time
Almost all work-related, except the TE error post. That will be the top post soon enough.- Facebook Messaging (A Work-Related Post)
- How To: Fix a "TE Error" on an LG-WM2277HW
- Reorg (A Work-Related Post)
- Nasty People (A Work-Related Post)
- In Defense of Epsilon (A Work-Related Post)
My Favorites from February
Slim pickings. Proof I need to write more in March.- Down to the Wire - a humdrum generic post pecked out at the end of the month on my iPad. Of little consequence. Like I said, slim pickings.
- Doing the Work - I realize I do want to lose weight. Yeah, that motivation did not last long at all. I should be embarrassed, but who would believe me at this point. Yeah, yeah, James, we've heard this all before.
- Idea: Business Model - here's a free business model for a small bakery. You could probably adjust it for other industries. My wife didn't want it, so I'm putting it out here in case anyone else wants to try it out. I, personally, think it's pretty slick.
- family - Another in my introspection series. This series is taking way too long to conclude.
- How to Save Best Buy (@BestBuy) - I like this one. It had rattled around for a long time in my brain. Other than laying off staff at corporate headquarters, so far haven't heard the angst I was expecting. That's good news. Barnes & Noble and JCPenney aren't faring so well at all lately and are a little worrisome.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
January 2013: Month's End (Already?)
Busy month. Not much to say about it. Feel like there's more I want to say but not just yet. Which means it'll have to be its own post later next month.
simplify - It's been on my mind, but I'm not sure I've done a lot in that area. I cleaned up some stuff that had been bugging me in my bedroom, but there's plenty of other places to declutter. I started using my Kindle instead of my iPad at night in order to do more reading and less playing of games.
Diet - Hit and miss. I haven't been serious. I keep thinking that running will save me when it gets nicer. Scary thing is, it's about to get nicer. Wish I had walked more, but it was cold and rainy at lunch often. And dark before and after work.
Work - A much calmer month. Things are a little confusing.
Family Present Ideas - Didn't come up with any. Need to be more intentional about this next month.
February Goals - Read two books, take photos of all of the family, update my photo across the internet, apply moss killer to driveway and roof, regrout bathtub, eat at 1 new restaurant, visit 1 new park or tourist attraction with the family.
simplify - It's been on my mind, but I'm not sure I've done a lot in that area. I cleaned up some stuff that had been bugging me in my bedroom, but there's plenty of other places to declutter. I started using my Kindle instead of my iPad at night in order to do more reading and less playing of games.
Diet - Hit and miss. I haven't been serious. I keep thinking that running will save me when it gets nicer. Scary thing is, it's about to get nicer. Wish I had walked more, but it was cold and rainy at lunch often. And dark before and after work.
Work - A much calmer month. Things are a little confusing.
Family Present Ideas - Didn't come up with any. Need to be more intentional about this next month.
February Goals - Read two books, take photos of all of the family, update my photo across the internet, apply moss killer to driveway and roof, regrout bathtub, eat at 1 new restaurant, visit 1 new park or tourist attraction with the family.
My Favorite Posts
- Ten Things Fail Jameses for the Day #JanBlogaDay -- I look at what might derail me and how to avoid it. I didn't realize at the time how beneficial this would be for me. (2013-01-13)
- Mood Board #JanBlogaDay -- This turned out to be a fun exercise. Fortunately it was planned for a long weekend. (2013-01-21)
- How To: Save the Postal Service (@USPS) -- Is it too late for the United States Postal Service? Here's some creative ideas to make it more relevant. (2013-01-04)
- Drama (A Work-Related Post) -- If you work hard, I'll take your drama. (2013-01-22)
- How To: End the Gun Control Debate -- Some steps towards fixing it. (2013-01-08)
Top Five Most Viewed (This Month)
- How To: Fix a "TE Error" on an LG-WM2277HW (part 1 of 2) -- LG should send me a check. Their mistake but here's where I help a lot of people fix it. (2011-01-27)
- Ten Things Fail Jameses for the Day #JanBlogaDay -- I try to examine the things that derail me and how to avoid. This has been very helpful for me. (And apparently Lindsey.) (2013-01-13)
- Pet Peeves #JanBlogaDay -- Get off my lawn. (2013-01-04)
- Honesty #JanBlogaDay -- The one where I admit to not knowing what to write. Neither deep nor ironic. (2013-01-08)
- New #JanBlogaDay -- The first day of January Blog A Day. We were so young then. (2013-01-01)
Top Five Most Viewed (All Time)
- Facebook Messaging (A Work-Related Post) -- Remember when Facebook killed email? Me neither. But its latest offering was a dramatic shift. This piece, written for my colleagues in the Email Marketing industry, showed how Facebook treated commercial emails sent to @facebook.com email addresses. (2010-12-13)
- How To: Fix a "TE Error" on an LG-WM2277HW (part 1 of 2) -- We bought a washer that turned out to have a design/manufacturing defect. Not ours, but all of them. In this post (and in part 2) - I show how to repair it, complete with photos. (2011-01-27)
- Reorg (A Work-Related Post) -- A post about a reorg. Not all that thought-provoking a post and we've had several since then (including one earlier this week). Not my favorite of my "work" posts. (2011-09-01)
- Nasty People (A Work-Related Post) -- I realize I need a new approach to people who act nasty or else I'm going to be stuck with them forever. (2011-08-04)
- In Defense of Epsilon (A Work-Related Post) -- I defend a former vendor, but I don't let them off the hook for their huge mistake. (2011-04-06)
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