“To me, there are three things we all should do every day. We should do this every day of our lives. Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number two is think. You should spend some time in thought. And number three is, you should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy. But think about it. If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that’s a full day. That’s a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you’re going to have something special.”  ~Jim Valvano 

Oh, so fitting!

Maybe it’s a new calling…

My heart is in Myanmar - SharePoint for Disasters

SharePoint Joel

Britain’s Got Talent - Michael Jackson

It shows it’s 10 plus minutes long but it really ends after about 3:30. The one I’m posting here is by far the best quality one that I could find… Na, na, na, na, na, na!

UPDATE: The “higher quality” one had some hiccups… I reverted back to the “regular” one that has about 2.5 Million views. Pretty sure that should work fine…

Also, posted in CasualFriday, because it’s my virtual Friday… Stay tuned for regularly scheduled programming, starting on May 6th, 2008!

See title.

I write this blog.  It does not represent anyone else’s opinions or perspectives.  Regardless of employers or clients or any other associations, this is my blog and it does not speak for anyone else.  I have learned that perception is more powerful than reality.  So, we get to experience the joys of claiming and disclaiming.  Isn’t that super!

© Copyright 2006-2008
Toby Getsch
toby@getsch.net
425.785.7554

My favorite pic from my recent trip to DC is this one, from the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.  The full set of those pictures is viewable as a set and a slideshow.

I think this one is the most interesting for a few reasons.  It’s also one of my new SuperFavs.  For me, it signifies so much more than just a trip to DC and so much more than just the museum.  It’s off to the the side, clearly not a focal point.  Yet it’s going somewhere clear, albeit unknown.  And, it’s headed up to something bright!

Update: This is another one that I like from that set.  It shows a lot more of “what’s going on around us” and it adds some more perspective.

Recently I’ve had a number of opportunities to listen to people’s stories, to people’s daily happenings, to people’s frustrations, to peoples’s pieces of their lives.  Yesterday I was particularly interested in a friend’s perspectives on some political things.  I genuinely wanted to understand and to see if his perspectives would add some different colors to mine.  I wanted to know why he thinks and feels the way he does about certain topics.  It was a good conversation for about 30 minutes… (I’ll come back to that.)

This morning, I read Seth Godin’s post, Pretending that you care.  He makes a really good point at the end.

“So, the essence of the lesson here is this: if people start out pretending to care, next thing you know, they actually do care. They like the positive feedback and they like the way being kind makes them feel. It spreads. It sticks.]”

(Coming back to my story…)

The conversation was good for about 30 minutes, until we were rudely interrupted by a bystander who interjected himself into our conversation.  The interjection was not the problem.  The rude interruption was.  This person was more concerned with telling me that I was wrong and with ‘going off’ on all that is wrong with certain aspects of my thinking.

The person I was having the conversation with even jumped back in to combat this rudeness.  The interjector eventually left, in a huff.  We continued to converse and my friend made a mature point.  His point was that the interjector probably had a valid point, underneath his frustrations.  He probably had a reasonable argument and a reasonable perspective that could have added to the conversation.  And, we both agreed that if the rudeness was not there, we both would have appreciated the input.

So, to Seth’s point, quoted above, I can relate.  I can relate to listening and starting to care.  I was turned off to our interjector because he was telling me what I thought.  I honestly didn’t know exactly what I thought - because I was listening first, and trying to understand first, before trying to be understood and trying to make any point.

I have done that a lot more often, in recent months, than I have in my past.  I care about more things in different capacities now.  And, I’ve watched as my friends have appreciated and started to do that some, amongst themselves.  Yes, “It spreads.  It sticks.”

Sometimes we may need to fake our way to reality.  When we and others around us put our egos aside and listen first, it makes a difference.  It has for me and the people I hang around.  And that, my friends, is some good sauce!

You may have stolen my phone charger, my camera, one pair of sunglasses, a pair of gloves, the owner’s manual, and some binoculars…

…but you didn’t get the rhinestone sunglasses! And, you didn’t get me to stop smiling. So, HA!

Intro

Well, it’s a Thursday.  Once again, I’m at work early.  I like the calm and quiet of the mornings.  It allows me to think clearly, feel fully and breath with ease.  I’ve been this way for a while, going back to working at the health club during college through the mid-90’s.  I had mostly early shifts and often arranged for no work on Friday through Sunday, unless I was doing a basketball camp or clinic, which I adored - and still don’t really understand why it paid so well! 

The ride on the bus this morning on I-90, going across Lake Washington was typical.  Yeah, typically awesome!  Calm water.  Slight mist, could be considered fog, but the sun was shining through it enough that Mt. Rainier looked awake and mostly clear.  I wish I could say the same for my head - for the cold I have and the thoughts and emotions I’m trying to endure, understand, embrace and learn from.  I’m glad I’m listening.  I’m hearing and feeling.  And, I don’t regret this softer side of me, nor do I want it to callous.

This, I think and feel is the beginning of my writing, real writing.  I have no doubt talked about it and thought about it for years.  This is it.  I’m going to write and I’m going to write and I’m going to write.  I’m going to feel all the strains and pains of writer’s block at times.  I’m going to also feel the pressure of so many thoughts and so much stuff trying to get out, that my fingers will hardly be able to stay even a few laps behind, as these thoughts race.

This one is a long distance endurance adventure.  I don’t think it’s a race.  That doesn’t mean I won’t rev the engine, nor does it mean I won’t take pit stops.  One thing is certain, I am going to WRITE!

I’ve got to give some inspirational credit here.  Greg Geyer, a friend of mine, gave me a book to read.  It’s Kitchen Confidential, by Anthony Bourdain.  I’ve had it a month or so, and finally started reading it on a trip up to Victoria, BC, the weekend after my 36th birthday, about a week and a half ago.  This morning I just made the connection… Way back, in about ‘94 or ‘95 when I was working at the health club, I was going to do something.  I don’t even remember what it was.  I asked a coworker, “Guess what I’m doing?”  She replied, “Waiting for Free Food.”  I said, “No, but someday when I write books, that will be the title of my first book.  Is that ok if I use it?”  And, I mentioned to the other coworker who was right there, “You heard me ask, if this ever goes anywhere.”  They both chuckled and I was concretely given permission.  Now… connecting the dots… “Kitchen Confidential” … “Waiting for Free Food” … Now, I am going to WRITE! 

P.S.  awesome ways to start 003

I just added this as my Facebook status.  “Toby is quagmire laden, feeling morose, exhausted, refreshed, enlightened, verbose, confused, capable, smart, hungry, thirsty, and finally some enchanted melancholy.”

I am feeling better, but not work-worthy better.  (Gotta be careful not to make it look like I’m playing hooky for those from my work that read this blog!)

I just have to get through this. Having the weekend up next will certainly help.  I feel way better than I did on Wednesday afternoon and all through Thursday morning.  Holy yucky!

I *know* I need to listen to my body.  It was telling me all week that I might be getting something.  Well, I couldn’t stop it, but I am hoping to contain it. 

March 20 is today’s date.  This year it’s the 80th day of the year (leap year).  There are 286 days remaining.  It’s the first day of Spring!  It’s also plenty of other things.  Three of those things, I think are really cool.

Today is World Storytelling Day!

Today is the birthday of Frederick W. Taylor - an American efficiency expert.  We share the same bent towards that.  We share the same middle initial.  If he was alive today, he would be 152 years old today.  We don’t share that.

I am still around, and today is my birthday!  I’m 36 today. 

Here’s lookin’ at you, kid!  Cheers!

UPDATE: I think good things are going to happen this year.  To start off, I’m going to add, awesome ways to start 002.

“Ghost Rider, this is Strike. We have unknown aircraft inbound Mustang. Your vector zero-nine-zero for bogey.”