Points for Me!

So, I’m sitting in the kitchen, trying to write a perfect cover letter to go with my not-yet-updated resume, and I brain-flip over to the movie DH has on in the living room …

2 lines of dialog, and I ask him “Is that Fame?” “Yup!” comes the reply.

Wow! Two lines from Anne Meara, laying out the classroom rules for her incoming freshmen! I haven’t seen that movie in eons – at least 15 years, maybe more. Talk about “culture memory”!

~~~

Time to brain-flip back to the job-hunt! Cross your fingers for me!

 

Today’s Project/Goal/Intention: Connect the Camera!

So, I just spent wa-a-a-a-y “too much time” writing the previous post, but the topic really caught my attention (Look, a Chicken!) and it felt like a good way to be Active, instead of just ReActive, so invested the hour or so, by choice.

Anyhoo – I have this spiffy little Olympus FE-115 digital camera that I got last Fall, and I want to learn how to dump the disk onto the computer. I know it involves

• 1) installing a program, from the disk that came with the camera, then
• 2) deciphering all the jargon (worst-casing, I know – it might be well-written for the rank beginner, but I’m not holding my breath) and then
• 2A) deciding where to put everything – the Olympus management file(s?), the photos, and an unknown amount of “other stuff”.

That’s why I’ve been putting it off all Winter … now I’ve told “the world” about my plans, I’ll be more inclined to follow through!

Hold me to it, please – somebody ask “Where’s the pics, K?” okay?

Bright Blessings!

 

“Hot-desking”? Ewwwww!

This article came to me through BNET Alerts [A terrific resource - they provide a whole day's worth of business-related reading (just what I need right?!), and are related to TechRepublic and ZDNET].

Tele-commuters, Beware!

The latest entry into the “next big thing” race may be something called “Hot-Desking” – where those folks who aren’t at the office 9-to-5, M-F, get to “share” a work space with X-number of others, at the same desk! Apparently designed for outside salespeople, but could be applied to any other part-timers , too.

Is Hot Desking a Cool Idea — or a Catastrophe?

http://blogs.bnet.com/teamwork/?p=224

The link is currently broken, but I have a feedback note on file at BNET – will update it as soon as it’s fixed. [Never did get a response from them, but the above link DOES work, now. 5-24-08]

My comment referred to Cat-bert (the evil HR person in Dilbert), but on reflection, I think the “Pointy-Haired Boss” would be more likely to come up with this hair-brained (as-it-were) scheme! (Sorry, HR people!)

It smacks of “bottom-line-only” thinking, where no one counts the non-direct-dollar cost of a process change/”improvement”.

In addition to the vital collaboration and connection costs mentioned in the article, I can see it taking a half-hour or more for each person to drag out their personal stash, adjust the chair and monitor, find all their files, and get down to business. Times that by 2 or even 3 times a day for the various users, add in the time it takes to put it all away at the end of your shift, and you have automatically generated a daily hour-an-a-half or more of totally non-productive time for each hot-desk!

Plus, really, who gets to monitor the “schedule”? Probably some already overworked, under-appreciated admin-type, who will bemoan this silly added task to her network of friends (and potential co-workers) (including the international thousands of Ask Liz Ryan members!)

Let’s nip this idea in the bud, any chance we get – !!

 

On “Bio-Fuel or Food?”

I just wrote this comment for Greenadine’s blog post Biofuel or Food… .

This is only the tip of several of my pet icebergs – and I need to do a healthy chunk of research before I spout off much more, but here’s what came easily to mind:

Hi Nadine!

Just had to “check you out” after seeing your comment on Mother Earth’s blog !
… and these 2 posts above hit a couple of my buttons ~

I, too, have been getting more and more upset about the newly-popular bio-fuel production methods over the last couple years.

(Full-disclosure: I drive a 2006 diesel-powered VW Jetta. Chose it partly *because* it could be set up to use closer-to-home-made fuel (used fryer oil, even!). Also, partly because of the incredible support community at Fred’sTDIClub.com. Also, because it gets 40+ miles per gallon!)

Anyway, ethanol (when made from corn) actually results in negative energy – it takes more units of work (ergs? watts? calories? dunno the right term) to grow and convert the stuff than burning it in an internal-combustion engine (of the technology currently available) produces for the end-user…
I’m not sure of the numbers for soy-sourced bio-diesel (the most commonly available type in the US), but my problem with the current big-business approach to that product is exactly the same ~

How short-sighted and stupid is it to use FOOD for FUEL!!!

It’s exactly like “eating the seed-corn”, only that’s usually a choice made by one family about their *own* seed-corn. Corporate Bio-Fuel Production is playing havoc with the whole world’s food!

When any raw material switches from being a *by-product* of some other system to being the raison d’être – the economic web is in for a serious shake-up, and that’s what’s happening now.

I don’t know (I’m not an Economist, Jim!) if this mess was or could have been anticipated, but we certainly need to change the direction things are going, and soon! I definitely don’t think that more legislation (way too many “unforeseen outcomes” are likely to result; plus, I firmly believe in Freedom of Choice!) is the way to go, probably more grass-roots pressure on the corporations, and education of the consumers – And, of course, more investigation of alternatives for all the things we get out of petroleum: energy, and petrochemicals (did you know that includes both polyester and nylon? I didn’t, until just now).
But let’s not tar *all* bio-fuels with the same brush ~ the problem is more with the current production systems and economic incentive programs.
~~~

Thanks again for providing the soap-box, Nadine! It’s now bed-time for this new reader!

Bright Blessings!

Karen J.

 

Oops! I forgot to Title this!

Okay, this is another quickie (because I procrastinated -again- ) …

Just commented on a great blog by one of the members of Alicia’s Coaching Cafe – Gina Rafkind of VedaSun.com! Her post “Top 10 Tips To Become Outrageously Attractive” is a beautifully articulated plan for achieving Serenity, as well (Especially #10!). A co-worker asked me the other day “Don’t you ever get flustered or frustrated by the customers? You’re always so calm and patient – serene, even!!” (Wow! I don’t recall ever being called “Serene!” That’s so cool! – Thanks, Betty!)

I guess I just keep in mind how *I* want to be treated when I’m buying something (especially fabric – it’s about the personally-creative part of my soul, and I’m very protective of her!). I try to get the customer to tell me what qualities they’re looking for, beyond the color … is it the feel, the texture, the weight, the drapability, or something else entirely? “What are you going to do with it?” is my usual answer to “What kind of fabric should I buy?”

And here’s where the procrastination costs me ~ I’d like to write a lot more about this, but I gotta go to work! One of these days, I’ll get the hang of this!

Bright Blessings!

 

I want to be Julia Child when I grow up!

Weeell, not exactly the “famous French chef” part, but a vivacious, fun and effective teacher of something that I love doing.  (Oh, yeah ~ don’t forget the “who gets paid for it” part!)

We just watched the tape (yes, VHS) of “Chefography” from The Food Network – I wish I could have known her. Actually, I do know lots of people (women, mostly, but not exclusively) *like* her – who make their living doing things they really enjoy, and take delight in helping others learn about them. That’s what I want to be, when I grow up!

 

Ya Never Know!

My Hunny sold a whole bunch of his comics collection last week. It’s been piling up in a spare room for years, and it was time to make room for something else.

His *son* Tony (not really, but you know how some people are as close as family, even though they’re not even vaguely related? Like the neighbor you grew up calling “Aunt Sue” – Tony is a son/friend like that.) brought his kids over Saturday to help Grampa C get the room cleared out and the boxes organized.

Allie, 7, was playing with a set of super-hero action toys, and as they were getting ready to leave, C asked if she’d like to have them? Of course, she said “Yes! Please!” He told her she’d have to make a place in her room to keep them, so they didn’t get beat up or lost (apparently she’s been a terrible room-keeper). She promised to do that, and off they went.

Well, Tony reported yesterday that Allie has completely cleaned up her room (it was a disaster area!) and begged Tony to build her a shelf for her budding action-figure collection!

It’s so heartening to see a kid take a good lesson from a bad example (C and I are far from the world’s best house-keepers)!

 

Getting Started…

I see that the hardest part of this blogging thing is going to be picking a topic, and just writing! Not that the writing itself is difficult, it’s the settling down to What’s most interesting right now?

My mind goes “Ooh! Shiny!” and then “Look, a chicken!” ~ at the tiniest flicker of *something interesting* in the corner of my eye or brain!  The free flow of thoughts and ideas is no problem, it’s stepping out of the flow long enough to pin them down on paper, asitwere. Sixty-two things I wanted to write about came to mind yesterday, while I was in the car and couldn’t do any of them – and now, not only are fifty of them Gone, another 27 have come up while I’m sitting here!

If I allow myself to write just like I think, every post would be classified as “Miscellaneous” Hah! That’s not very helpful, is it? (Maybe that’s why my Bookmarks file takes up 5 screens, ya think? It’s ALL Interesting, or May Be Useful, or otherwise Shouldn’t Be Lost!)

On to the next thing ~

Bright Blessings!

 

“The Ways Are Many, The Light Is One”

~ That’s one of my very favorite button quotes! It’s the clearest statement of my Life Philosophy that I’ve ever found.

And it’s appropriate in so many different contexts, not just about “Religion”!  ~

I picked up the button years ago at a Science Fiction convention, and I probably ought to poke around and find out who should get original credit. Maybe somebody out there knows and will share?

 

Hello World!

Greetings and Salutations, all you friends-I-haven’t-met-yet!

This is my very first venture into the WWW, so please bear with me as I explore “What does this button do?”, “What does that mean?”, and “How do I … ?”. There’s so much to learn and discover and play with!

My “plan”, such as it is, is to share interesting ideas, people, and sometimes products with the world (that’s you ) And, of course, my thoughts on same, and anything else that strikes my fancy… I hope enough of my ramblings will be interesting that you’ll come back for more.

The very first thing I must do, though, is thank my friends and coaches Karen Hanrahan, Felicia Slattery and Kamin Bell for continuing (it’s been YEARS, well, only 1-and-a-half, but still, AGES, now!) to believe that I “have it in me” to actually do this – instead of just learning and learning, and never getting to the DO part!

So, it’s time for the DO ~ I’m going to hit “Post” now – hope it does what I want it to!

Bright Blessings on this beautiful Sunday!

Karen