SWTLO(micro)

Ok, yeah… sometimes my job is awesome. View arriving at the Dominican Republic.

A little jealous of the color coming into our neighbors’ tree. Hoping ours starts soon.

1. Sunday mornings at home are the best. My wife and I usually spend the morning with a good breakfast (like this morning's, pictured above) before relaxing for the rest of the morning. For me, that usually means reading, writing, or reviewing photographs from contacts' social media streams. The afternoons are spent lazily doing chores and prepping for the upcoming week, including some meal prep. Just overall good, relaxing and rejuvenating days (when done right).
2. This season's allergies are already kicking my ass.
3. At the beginning of 2018, I split up work and personal lives onto two different mobile phones. I love the physical separation between the two devices but really miss the convenience of everything in one place. Though, the separation and being able to turn off (leave the work phone in a bag and/or at home on weekends), far outweighs that.
4. Want some fun music? Check out Confidence Man.
5. Is spent more time than I should have, this morning, researching which garden pruners I should buy. Way too much time. Way.

It’s the first clear (weather and schedule) Saturday when I have a chance to start cleaning up the yard, to get it ready for the rest of Spring. I’m hoping mostly of the plants come back. There is one corner where the plants are definitely not going to return, so I am starting to consider different options there. I’m leaning towards a stone sculpture of some sort, just to add some texture back here.

I am also getting strong reminder to start taking an allergy pill every day now. I have a dry cough and a runny nose, which did not make yard work fun at all.

The other plus side of cleaning the yard? I get to start grilling again. This evening will be burgers; something quick and easy to break in the grill for 2018. Tomorrow I’ll do some grilled brats (in beer, of course) and sauerkraut. I’m thinking that next weekend is a good one for some carne asada, tortillas, and pico de gallo (mmm, tacos).

Here’s to 2018 weekends filling my soul up enough to get through the week, to the other weekend.

I’m not sure how I got out of the habit of reading. I was doing so well at the beginning of the year. I was really excited about it, and when reading, was rejuvenated and reassured that I was doing something that I genuinely enjoyed.

I could blame it one work… “I’m just too busy”. The problem with that is that goes a against the core way I am trying to live my life in 2018. If I enjoy it, and I want to do it, I will make time for it.

Did I stray from that? Honestly, I just don’t know what happened. All of a sudden, I wasn’t reading for pleasure anymore. And it’s already April.

My reading list is stagnant. I have three books that have been “in progress” for a few months now. Time to get back to it.

Yep, time to get back to it.

I need to remember that my staff, who are fairly new to the workforce, are, well… new. They need to learn lessons, fall on their faces, learn to stand up and walk again (recover), learn to work with different personalities and work styles, learn to listen to and understand different perspectives, learn what teamwork really means, and most of all (especially for what we’re trying to do)… learn to think and scale their thinking on a global and international scale.

And if I’m being honest here, these are all lessons that I am continually learning as well.

If I’m going to lead, I need to help them understand that we’re all going to learn and relearn all of these things together.

1. Digital life is still a bit of a mess. This is going to take a few weeks of cleanup to get through it all. And, to make sure it doesn't get this bad again.
2. The digital cleanup is a good reminder of the overall cleanup I have to do. Sounds like it's time for a proper Spring cleaning around here.
3. Here's my (now) obligatory line about how I really need to photograph more.
4. Here's my (now) obligatory line about how I really need to take better care of my health.
5. After this past month's travel, I think I'm finally now back into my home routine and sleep cycle. This month was rough. When home, I didn't feel present. I didn't feel like myself. And, I felt sick (some of it really was sickness) the entire time. Finally got out of that funk.

It’s mid-afternoon and I’m sitting here eating a Cup Noodles, which I have recently “rediscovered” and was reminded how much they’re guilty pleasures for me. So good! So, I’m sitting here, mid-afternoon, enjoying a late lunch as this is the first Saturday that I had a chance to sleep in. Sleep in to ~10:30 AM, which was quite nice.

So, I made myself a breakfast (avocado toast, scrambled eggs, coffee) and then vegged out playing a game on my phone for an hour (still addicted to Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp).

Then, I realized that I need to use this weekend to get caught up… I’m way behind.

First order of business was to process a stack of mail that has been piling up on the desk. That lead to having to do some physical and digital filing. This also lead to me realizing that I really don’t want to fall behind in this aspect ever again. I hate filing!

Second order of business? Filing my 2017 taxes. This is the latest, in my entire life, that I have filed my taxes. It’s been hanging over me for a few months now but, things at work have been dominating my time (more on that later).

Filing the taxes (really, tracking down all of the needed information) lead me to realize how bad all of my home files organization has been, specifically my digital files (I scan everything). So now, as I eat my Cup Noodles, I am working through a major cleanup and reorg. of my digital life.

Music, all over the place. Thanks, iTunes! You hot mess of a music organization application! How the f did all of my music files get so disorganized if I’m using you, one application, to manage it all? How?!?

Photo files all over the place and, even worse, not backed up in over a month! The shame! So bad… just bad. And more of the same on all other fronts of my digital life… I’m driven to correct it by the end of the weekend. My workstations and home cloud need some TLC.

Work… So, for the month of March, work dictated the pace and (in)balance of my life. I was in Abu Dhabi for 18 of the 31 days of March, working an event. All other (very long) work days were spent in the office prepping and wrapping up said event. I neglected my wife, friends, family, pet, hobbies, and personal space… And it’s showing. It’s all showing.

I love the work I do, and love that I get to travel, but this March was a bit of a wake up call. I just can’t let time get away from me like that. I can’t.

I listened to this entry on the way to the office, this morning. And once I got to the office, I watched this video a few times (or like, 5-7 times). It’s a very touching story about how one individual overcame adversity and found a way to create. It’s touching, and was the kind of feel good story I want to see and hear more of.

From NPR All Songs Considered:

Bernie Dalton's Tiny Desk Contest entry comes attached with an origin story that is heart-rending. Dalton hired voice coach and singer/songwriter Essence Goldman to formally refine his voice, only to lose it two months after to bulbar-onset ALS — an especially deleterious form of the disease that has now left him only able to communicate with his eyes and an Eye Gaze Device. As his ALS worsened, Goldman started making music to accompany Dalton's lyrics, putting out a full-length album in February sung entirely by Goldman. In his Tiny Desk Contest entry, Goldman and the band involved with the album's creation perform at his bedside. It is, at once, devastating and beautiful.

So glad to see this day end. #roughone

What do I need to do to be able to spend the rest of my days like this?

So glad to finally be headed home.

Cold mezza. One of the better lunches I have had these past two weeks. Fresh, healthy, and everything so good.

This building leans… slightly. 18 degrees to be exact.

View for dinner

flic.kr/p/24PMVJq

Recently, one thing that my wife and I have learned that we enjoy doing is sharing fajitas. Fajitas are a dish that begs to be served and enjoyed family style. Any time we ate in a place where fajitas were served, I would always opt for something else (fajitas are not always on top of my list).

A few weeks ago, my wife asked why we just don’t share fajitas. I didn’t have a good excuse other than that I had never really thought about it before. I generally always opted for tacos or something more like a combo plate. So, we indulged and shared.

And I came to realize that yes, fajitas as great. When done right, they taste do’s good, So simple,m yet so good. But the act of sharing with someone I love? Makes it even better. So now, we make sure to share fajitas whenever we are at a place that serves them.

youtu.be/3Cgqg1zNY…

I am slowly starting to “dabble” in video, recently. I’m not sure why but, I suspect it’s just as other medium for me to try to user to kickstart my creativity again. YouTube is making it easy with some very quick video editing and music tracks that I can add.

I hate that I took this one in portrait orientation. I didn’t think about it in my grogginess as I had woken from a nap and noticed the scene outside of the airplane window.

I remember it being so calm, so quiet. Everyone around me was still asleep. My mind was calm… that’s what I think I appreciated the most as the clouds passed by.

Daybreak

youtu.be/VzAQRLLc-…

1. 1. The above video is something I took (via iPhone) yesterday afternoon. I remember looking up from my school work and watching the snow come down at a fairly rapid pace (it wasn't cold enough to stick to roads, but enough to blanket the grassy areas). It was beautiful, so I though a nice slo-mo video would be fun. I also had some fun adding music to the video... perhaps this is something that I need to dabble more with?
   2. It's all a good reminder that I do like to create, and I simply do not do that as often as I really should be.
   3. I'm not a big fan of snow and east coast winters. This California kid really, really misses Southern Ca. But it's not just weather; there's so much there that I miss.
   4. I have a great system for organization and productivity... my issue isn't a lack of system. My issue comes from a lack of being able to consistently put in the work to make the system effective. This is something that depends on me being able to (re)build some routines that I have strayed from.
   5. I know who I want to be but, it's still going to take a little bit of work to get there.

I had breakfast with my friend, Andy, on Sunday. He is on his annual business trip to the east coast, from Korea. It’s always good to catch up with him. He has become one of my good friends since first meeting him in 2013. Three of his colleagues joined us, which was great (to meet new people). I feel bad, though, since the place I chose must have had an off day. Breakfast want good… at all.

But the friendship and the conversations were.

One thing about Koreans: they have a knack for making you feel self-conscious about things that you never gave thought about before. They don’t do it maliciously, nor intentionally… it’s just their nature. A lot of cultures do this whole “you don’t eat enough” and then “you are too fat!” contradictions. So, Sunday was full of that for me. It usually happens because I only see Andy once a year.

So, for dinner, I decided to prep a vegetarian dish (pictured above) of Italian-style chickpeas. This was a very simple recipe done in a slow-cooker. Pretty good. I had mine served over rice. It made the house smell wonderful all afternoon.

I always wish i had more time with Andy. Sometime soon I would like to travel back to Korea to visit him (and many others). Sounds like a goal for 2019?

This morning, the soundtrack (in my head) for cooking breakfast was Joe Esposito’s “You’re the Best!”. You’re probably familiar with this track thanks to the classic movie “The Karate Kid”. It’s one of those songs that works only when played during a montage. Why was this playing in my head? I have no idea. Have I recently watched “The Karate Kid”? Nope. Is my head filled with randomness at all times? Yep.

1. It's Super Bowl Sunday. I don't have an affinity for either team. Though I love to hate the Patriots, their numbers Super Bowl appearances have beaten me down to the point where I just don't care whether they win or lose anymore. And I have no tie to the Eagles. None.
2. A coworker turned me on to the show Corporate. It has its moments, and is definitely growing on me. The food truck scene, in this week's episode, cracked me up.
3. Am I the only one who hears "Hot Pocket!" a la Jim Gaffigan, any time I pass by a Hot Topic store?
4. I need to start building a stronger preparation to lead into the week. The combination of work and school (in addition to things I generally want to accomplish) is just too much. The week's preparation is key to me being able to start the week strongly. I understand that the course of the week will change things but, being able to start strong will help me manage those changes later.
5. Let your inner geek flag fly.

youtu.be/qQy12GH1F…

I first heard this track on an episode of Song Exploder (one of my favorite podcasts). Being able to hear, direct from the writer, the process and learning about each layer of the song, helps me appreciate both the creative process and the end result on a different level. The song writing in this is superb.

This was a tough one, mainly because I recently am “rediscovering” her work. I remember reading a few of her novels (a few years back) and thinking, “I get it but I don’t get it”. But I started reading her writing again, within the past few months, and am now thinking, simply, “I get it.”

Last October I added as many novels of hers that I could find to my reading list. Some I have read, most I have not. And now this news…

She is one of the most legendary writers of our time. Under-appreciated and gone too soon.

I like writing these. I want to get back to writing these on a regularly. I used to write “Five things for the day” as a daily journal prompt, and want to get back to doing this.

1. I "postponed" my efforts of putting together a newsletter. Most of my hesitation is not having enough to write about. More accurately, not having enough to really want to share.
2. I have been trying to break some bad habits and start some good ones. Most of it stems from me trying to be more in the moment. To enjoy life more. But it's more difficult to follow through.
3. I need to be a better person. It's not that I'm a bad person. It's just, the world. Everything happening now. We can all stand to be better. And it starts with me.
4. I watched "Rotten" and, have so many more questions. And feel a bit powerless as a consumer.
5. We humans are capable of more. And this is both good and bad.

If I’m going to blog more often, I have to get back into the habit of writing all of my blog post ideas down. I had a few ideas, this week, that I didn’t record anywhere. So now, when I have time to write, I am drawing a big huge blank on what those were. I’m very bad at remembering things these days.

In any case… here’s to notebooks and pens (or notes taken on my phone), which should correlate to more blog posts. Right? Right.