the warm globe facts

Wheres my friend Cran-daddy to debate with? Oh how I miss those Global Warming debates. Hers a bit:

"Past report cards have also cited warming trends, the scientists acknowledged, but this last year has seen several anomalies: record temperatures in Greenland; a 110-square-mile piece of ice that broke off Greenland's Petermann Glacier ; and a 2009-2010 winter that saw a blast of Arctic winds that went north-south instead of west-east — causing a deep freeze across the Northeast and Midwest." - MSNBC.com

by the way. I hope its not so cold this winter....last year was BRUTAL.

Bossman - big man big ego

Many big bossmen have big egos. Call it pride, ego, narcissism, vanity. selfishness, insecurity even. Call it many things but we all know them. They are the men that seems very concerned about his own dealings and his own agenda. They have little time and patience to see what other people are doing. They have little time and patience to listen and to observe. They rarely observe. They go about taking in little snippets of information from other people as they themselves happen to take a break from spewing forth their own agenda and crisis. The little snippets might be heard, but they miss a lot. They are in the dark. They are bad managers and bad bossmen. Yes, they are usually successful and can get very far. Even to the top. But they are still bad at bossthings and bad leaders. Other people surrounding them often do great things and have wonderful ideas and drive and spirit. It is mostly missed and overlooked by big ego bossmen. Too bad for them.

Dont be like this. Always listen and provide opportunities to let others vent to you and share their thoughts. Not only when it comes to work ideas, efficiency, projects, problems, etc, but also when it comes to their own personal lives. People want to be felt important and heard when at work. That gives them drive and spirit. Drive them, lift their spirits.

Bossman - hire & trust

If you hire someone to do a job for you, let them do it. Make sure you tell them what you know, what you would like, and what your concerns are, yes. Then trust that they listen and take all of them into consideration. Chances are they have other considerations that also play into the process. So sit back and let them do their job. If they need something from you, they will let you know. Let them do their job.

Waste

Often, while consumed with the daily bombardment of deadlines and tasks at work, I happen to glance out my window and see in the distance an overpass. This is a fairly busy overpass that has 4 lanes of traffic. Its suspended above the vast lands of businesses, junkyards, papermills and metal shops. And on the horizon, which made from the handrails of this overpass I always notice the cars.

Going and coming and coming and going. Over and over, this way and that, day in and day out. Always. It never ends.

And I think about how much waste there is. What are all these people doing? Where are they all going? Why do they all ride alone in their cars? What is so important to speed their frail small bodies along in a piece of metal, 100 ft in the sky. Day in and Day out.

Think about that, and maybe try walking or bicycling. You will be thankful you did.

Pretty Bird

Interestingly enough, a good friend recommended that I watch the movie "Pretty Bird." I think it had something to do with this blog: Rocketpack...As the movie is about the Bell Rocket Belt that was invented 40 years ago, and then re-made about 15 years ago. But then disappears.

And so the movie goes as its "inspired by true events"

I think I noticed somewhere that the movie received bad reviews by a lot of folk. I dont know about that. I tend to think one can learn a lot from movies. Theres only a few that Ive seen that I will write off, and usually its because there is absolutly no redeptive quality or they are just plain offensive. (I suppose one could argue that a comedy has little redemptive quality. And I would be prepared to argue against such.)

Pretty Bird...I have been thinking about it. I am intrigued by two of the main characters. One seems to be obsessed with inspirational talks, messages and speaking. He seems to have speech problems and constantly works to make himself sound perfect. He practices a lot. Tonation, delivery, word choice etc. I like him. He IS inspiring. I also like him because he is so insecure and tries so hard to adapt. He practices a lot and I like that effort he puts in. I like him because he reminds me of me and of many people out there.

The second character I really like is the engineer. Obviously I like him as well and he reminds me of me as well too. He is an older gentleman that has worked for 20 years as an inventor of sorts and people have stolen his ideas and he seemingly got the shaft. He works with passion too. He stays at work late, striving hard, obsessed with making his rocket belt perfect. You can tell its a personal experience for him. Then there comes a moment that someone might take it away and give him the shaft again and he looses it. You learn that he feels superior in a sense because he built the thing. And rightly so...to some degree. Sure, he has the gift of learning, studying, practicing, building and perfecting a rocket pack. He can boast a little. I feel for this man. He worked so hard and it was truly him that made the rocket belt a reality.

Guy 1 just marketed it. Guy 2 built it. But could they have done it without each other?
It makes me think about a lot of things. Maybe you too.

Music: Sufjan Stevens

I very much like the music of Sufjan Stevens and I have for a long time. I recommend him. Thanks to Jason (of whom I enjoy reading his large repertoire of writings and musings) I learned today that Sufjan rather suddenly and unexpectedly released a new album titled "All Delighted People EP." There are some brilliant things going on here. Lots of great transitions, key changes, and even time scale changes. Usually when people try doing all of it together it blows up on them. But it seems to me that Sufjan has pulled it off very well.

Something about Sujfan's music is extremely transcending. Find a quiet corner where you can daydream and listen to an album of his.

to do or die

Sometimes I think: if I were to die, what I would want others to know? Yes, its a sad thought, but it's a reality. Without discussing death at all, or anything of the sorts relating to death, I want to get right to the point and share things that are similar to the former thoughts; things that I wish to impart upon. Instead of waiting, writing down, or willing anything upon my departure, it seems most fitting to share them here. These things I speak of are things that moving me, are beautiful to me, brought great pleasure to me, brought great character to me, put me in a state that I cannot explain but only ask, that you dear reader, try them yourself.

Here are five:
1) Read as much JD Salinger as you can.* His writings leave me amazed and feeling eloquent. The feelings I get could be described as inspired or transcending. It's as if I see something very beautiful that words cannot describe. I cannot describe it. It's a similar feeling I get when I watch children play or do anything for that matter.
2) Watch small children do anything. Just observe them.**
3) Ride, or ride on a motorcycle.
4) Go backpacking for at least 5 nights
5) Write thank you notes to everyone for everything.

*Please pick something beyond Catcher and the Rye, its got to much hype attached to it.
**see #1.

*Sigh and its 28 degrees out

I must admit I am a bit out of practice with writing in blog format. I find myself detesting the word "blog," as I always have, thinking of really stupid things to write about, hating the other things I think about writing about, and then realizing that not very many people read this yet, so then not really caring, only to think about what happens when lots of people do read it and then they read back to this?!

My solution is that I will someday, probably shortly, delete this blog and start over. That is, after all, what blogging is all about, right? Its about telling people what you're going to do, making excuses, justifying why you "haven't blogged" and then stop blogging again. Then you start new blogs and get new pictures and new friends and new... (Oh, sorry, I just haven't blogged for a while and get side tracked.)

I was going to just conclude my blog post there, but:

I think Im sorry for being sorry, but I just told you about it so now Im not.

Really, all I want to share is this product (because everyone knows I only endorse the people that pay me the most.) Click here for Buchla and Associates. They seem to be making some really badass things.

Because everyone likes a good tool

Hello world.

I have always been a fan of social experiments. Ive always liked exploring the mental state and lifestyle impacts of various changes. I like to try new things. I like to participate in fads, then to retreat. I like to go against stigmas and then be stereotypical again. I like it all. In some broad generalization, I would say that I like to experience things, in extreme ways.

So for the last 600 days I have experienced NOT blogging. Not one bit. I stopped writing and I stopped reading anything related to blogs. I must say, it was nice.

I have learned and observed a few things about blogging since that time. I have since grown to generally hate blogs more, but also appreciate something about them more. (At some point I will divulge my thoughts on blogging, not now.) And in the end, I resort to coming back. I am back as someone who feels I can share something with the world. I am also back as a person who loves to write, and this is a wonderful outlet. Finally, I am back with Rocketpack, as a tool. I hope this place might be helpful to someone. I hope that someone (you) might learn something from here, or perhaps, if I am lucky, they could at least think about something they have never thought about, wished upon, laughed about, dreamed of, or cried about.

Because everyone likes a good tool.
And everyone likes a good read.

Welcome, welcome again. *whistles like a bird call
Jared