Friday, January 27, 2017

Check your tie (or whatever), Read, Network


Every day starts with a checklist. 
  • Am I wearing the right clothes for the tasks of the day
  • Do I know what I'm doing (if not, read, do a search)
  • What are the outcomes (get paid, be stronger, build a wall)
  • Relax, re-group, re-prioritize
  • Nourish  parts of your body as needed
  • Promote yourself
It's easy to get off track.  Stay on-track to reach outcomes.  Go off-track to move beyond convention.

Read
The internet, tablets, big screens, etc. distract us.   It's easy to never read, never crack a real book, open two books at the same time, write in the margins, highlight key phrases, tell someone what you learned.  Review your own words.

During my IT career I consumed business journals and IT-focused publications.  Knowing that information provided great advantages in management, negotiation, purchasing, visualizing the future, etc.  Now that I don't really have a dumb job I've broadened that scope.  Instead of reading the tech sections of the Wall Street Journal I read all of it, even the 'Mansions' section promoting homes in the $5M+ range.  The Saturday issue is particularly enjoyable.  I read the Wall Street Journal in traditional paper format.  The New York Times is consumed more selectively in digital format.

Even People Magazine offers up a few bits of value, humor and self-reflection.
  • Don't wear clothes that evoke "that's weird" responses
  • Read
  • Network outside your specialty
  • Don't get locked in an age group (know more than 15 people in People)

Reading People Magazine
Somehow I ended up with a subscription to People magazine. Typically I pick this up only when I’m about
to get my deteriorating teeth cleaned or waiting for my diminishing hair to be cut. It’s actually a bit embarrassing to have it arrive in the mailbox. Given the range of publications arriving at our home address this would add thoughts the postman may have about “What kind of people live here? This is all odd.”


Usually I grab a Sharpie (It get 1/10th of a cent for everyone who reads that) and mark all the people I know in People. This is not a publication for sixth decade readers. Fifteen or sixteen people are usually all I can recognize. The current cover mentioned the Menendez brothers. “I remember that! It was a couple of years ago.” It was 20 years ago. The “Exclusive” was someone named Katherine Heigl. No idea.

“Brad’s Moving On.” I know who Brad Pitt is. He’s married to that woman who’s the daughter of not Dustin Hoffman but that other guy in “Midnight Cowboy,” a pretty good movie from a few years ago. The “StarTracks” page showed eight people. None were identifiable. I recognized Justin Timberlake because I learned who was from watching the CMA show. Ellen. Sure. Everyone knows Ellen.

There are a lot of ads for drugs in “People.” They all warn you to be on the lookout for heart irregularities, kidney failure, anxiety and diarrhea.

According to the “Passages” feature Roger Daltrey is 72. That seems unreasonable, perhaps an ‘alternative fact.’

Mel Gibson, 61, has a 26 year old GF. My staff used to tell me there was a guideline for this, something like “half your age plus or minus 7” was OK....61/2+30.5-7=23.5. No, I think the rule must be “half your age plus seven”...61/2=30.5+7=37.5. Gibson has a lot of cash. Trump=70...(70/2)=35...35+7=42. Melania=46. OK, that meets the “old guy (with lots of money) wants a younger GF rule.”

James Corden. I know him from YouTube and the carpool karaoke skits. Of course my favorite is his drive w/ the Red Hot Chili Peppers who are now senior statesmen of the rock world. Apparently Corden has a TV show...never have seen it.

There are two pages on the guy with the awkwardly long red tie and 4-6 pages on people uncomfortable with the awkwardly long red tie guy.

The Menendez article was succinct. They are in prison forever.

Crossword puzzles have always bored me. Obviously this one would be pointless. It would be similar to being on “Jeopardy,” knowing absolutely nothing and having Alex Trebek repeatedly ask you “Are you sure you know nothing?”