Posts in Meaning, Personal, Philosophy
Crabs in a box (0)
Conducted a student focus group at a client today, and was amazed at their responses. They were suprisingly, almost shockingly negative about their experience at the school.
As they were talking, I was wondering to myself how much of it was the school and how much of it was the group. This particular group of kids [...]
Reflections on an un-conference (0)
There’s a whole other world out there, and I caught a glimpse of it this past weekend.
There are people who have started successful consulting firms and have worked for two major media companies…and just reached an age where they can legally buy alcohol.
There are people who have had their lives shattered in the wake of [...]
Smartypants (0)
From Wikipedia:
“Benoît B. Mandelbrot (born November 20, 1924) is a Polish-born French mathematician and leading proponent of fractal geometry. He is Sterling Professor of Mathematical Sciences, Emeritus at Yale University and IBM Fellow Emeritus at the Thomas J. Watson Research Center.”
From my fiance, while reading the Misbehavior of Markets by Mandelbrot:
“He’s saying that most [...]
P-Forum (0)
By day, he’s mind-mannered Patrick. A mechanic in the Air Force, he spends his days working on the enormously complicated cockpits of F-16’s at a base in Greensboro, North Carolina. He’s a trusted and loyal friend, a good son, and a great brother.
At night, he’s one half of a rap group called the Degenerate [...]
An engagement in evergreen (0)
So, I’m engaged.
After 16 months of dating, I asked Michelle to marry me in Evergreen, Colorado. Everything was perfect - the town, the smell, the air, the cabin, the port, the fireplace, the meal, the look in her eyes when she realized what was happening. She truly had no idea - wasn’t expecting anything for [...]
Missing Colorado (3)
I’m struggling to remind myself why I left Colorado.
As the plane was landing at Newark, my heart was heavy. I had just spent 8 days in a place where the air is clean, the views are breathtaking and the people are friendly. It’s true - not everyone is driven and focused on making themselves into [...]
The Man Tree (0)
Every Christmas, my mother goes to great pains to create the perfect holiday home. Everything has its place, from the pictures to the placemats to the candlesticks. The centerpiece is the eleborately decorated tree. The details are meticulous - the colored balls go on the inside of the branches so the soft white light shines [...]
Mind Your Business (0)
My freshman year in college, I started a painting business. I was spectacularly successful at making sales, racking up $50,000 in paint jobs before the summer began. I was also spectacular successful at planning, purchasing my paint sprayer, my power washer, and other equipment in anticipation of the windfall of referral business I was sure [...]
Getting Acclimated (0)
The transition to my new role has been fairly smooth so far. Our list of projects looks as daunting as ever, but I’ve got a good team of guys working on them with me. They’re hard working, talented and eager to learn.
In the next month or so, I think we’re going to get this process [...]
Barcamp (0)
Barcamp is coming to New York in about a month, and it should be a lot of fun. Amit Gupta is putting it together, and if his track record is any indication (I first heard of the guy when he was working on the phenomenal ChangeThis with Seth Godin,) I’m sure it will be fantastic.
Everyone [...]
Christmas Spirit (1)
I have something of a dilemma - I don’t know what to buy people. In the midst of the bustle of New York, with the faint din of cash registers ringing incessantly around street corners, I haven’t the slightest idea what to give anyone this year.
I used to be very good at this sort of [...]
Promotion (0)
Got promoted last week - I’m no longer the ambiguous ‘Director of User Experience’ but a full-fledged Creative Director. It’s a pretty cool feeling - since college, I knew that if I were going to bite the bullet and work for someone else, this would be the kind of position I’d want.
Whatever creative faculties I [...]
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The season of giving is supposedly upon us, but as in years past I’m a bit of a humbug. It seems as though I’m not alone.
I’ve been witness to a number of conversations in the past week or so about panhandlers and the things they do to ‘trick us’ out of our hard-earned money. We’re [...]
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Greetings from Chicago! I’m here for the next week, visiting the girl’s family, getting together with Ben, Mark and some other friends, and doing my best to forget about the ever-multiplying mound of work that awaits me back in New York. Tomorrow we enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner courtesy of her sister, and though their family [...]
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I’m famous.
If you haven’t read this book yet, you should - it’s hard not to read the pieces without feeling compelled to do something immediately to change your organization and/or your life. Pick up a few copies for your friends as well - it’s a worthy cause. In fact, I know what a few people [...]
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The folks at MIT are hard at work answering some of humanity’s most pressing questions. Among them - how effective are aluminum helmets at stopping waves from entering one’s head?
In a related story, I never wore a bicycle helmet growing up, which explains many of my problems.
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This is cool stuff. It kind of puts my 20 minute oil paintings to shame…
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Lots of things on the Internet make you smirk. But few make you laugh out loud in the conference room, forcing your colleagues to look up from what they’re doing to look your way. This is one of them.
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I had a very interesting conversation with a coworker the other night. It started with a conversation about job stuff but quickly turned into a talk about the meaning of life (it’s officially a trend.) I explained to her why I see us not as evil people but broken people who are missing something very [...]
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Had an interesting conversation with a budding improv comedian and weekend philosopher last night. The conversation was over drinks, and as such it jumped from topic to topic every 15 seconds or so. But looking back it seems the heart of the conversation was about meaning.
My friend asserted that by focusing on meaning (referring to [...]
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My alma mater can’t seem to do anything right. CU needs one of our company’s programs nearly as much as the students need their stomachs pumped.
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Just spent three days in Vermont, and I was absolutely blown away. As a Colorado boy, I didn’t think that I could find stretches of country that compared. But driving down Vermont 100, I was forced to concede that Colorado has some stiff competition. And that competition has lots of maple syrup.
We came across Lake [...]
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Saw the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra on Saturday at Carnegie Hall.
I’ve not been to a symphony since high school, and I forgot how much I loved it. You’d think sitting there watching a bunch of stuffy old men and women in tuxedoes would make your mind wander, but you get sucked in. You focus your [...]
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I make jokes to my friends all the time about how my girlfriend is better than me at just about everything. Case in point - I started a fantasy football league (yes, I’m that guy) with 8 teams, one of which is hers. Four weeks into the season, she’s the only undefeated team, and has [...]
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Three great things happened yesterday in the world of college football.
CU blanked Oklahoma State - their second shutout of the year. The last time CU had the ability to completely shut down an opposing team, I was setting the freshman record for turnovers as a point guard for Coronado High School.
Alabama looks like they’ve returned [...]
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Four Years. Was it really that long ago? When you look at the photos, it still doesn’t look real…
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I’ve never been at a point in my life where I was ‘fully engaged’ until now. And interestingly enough, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.
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My old friends from Washington have quit their jobs to become stunt people on the television show ‘LOST.’
Go check out their sites - their stories are a lot more interesting than mine are these days.
