My four-year-old nephew is over this week at my mother's place. What a kid. We ate dinner last night and played with Legos for close to an hour. I helped him build a house and some farm animals that were in the accompanying Lego book. He had a little trouble with the sheep, but made a mean-looking cow. I was inspired by this moment; maybe I'll really be okay having my own child after this little preview. I enjoyed being a kid again, and relished in the fact that I could still remember the thoughts that passed through my brain when I was 4. I remember what was really important, what hurt, and what was scary.
We can't treat kids as if they were grown-ups with a calloused view at the trifles we are faced with. When you're four, there aren't any trifles. Everything's new, and it's a big deal. Hell, even maintaining a certain level of concentration is a feat. It was pretty hard to keep my nephew interested in the whole Lego thing, but we made it. So we sat there, I in my shorts and sweatshirt, legs spread about the floor, and he in his Spider-Man pajamas, doing what I always loved to do. He was amazed as I was at his age at a grown-up making things that looked just as they did in the pictures. I remember that being hard, and I lost interest, too. I miss being a child; maybe I'll get my chance to live it again vicariously through my son or daughter.
After Legos, I went home and watched "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" and wondered why I enjoyed it so much.
Wednesday, December 29, 2004
Tuesday, December 28, 2004
On Reading
I've finally come to my senses and updated the in-progress book list (see "What I'm Reading" in the sidebar.) It's disgusting. Should one read that much, or be able to keep up with that many texts?
It's not that I read too much. It's my inability to finish a book. I've been trying for seven months now to finish the Harry Potter books (I'm done with #2.) I read a little every night, but it's becoming overwhelming.
If I could just pick one...
It's not that I read too much. It's my inability to finish a book. I've been trying for seven months now to finish the Harry Potter books (I'm done with #2.) I read a little every night, but it's becoming overwhelming.
If I could just pick one...
On Writing
I had a college English professor who told us to just start writing if we couldn't think of what to say. "You know what to write if you don't know what to write?," he would ask, "Write 'I don't know what to write about.'" So, here goes:
I honestly don't know what to write about these days. I stay so busy at work, and can't connect to the Internet from home, so I lazily ignore this blog. To my readers, I apologize. I don't have time to talk about politics or leadership, or what I had for breakfast yesterday. I could write about programming and the common problems I have, but my current readers might not be too interested or able to provide insight.
I could talk about how I want a different job, which requires certification and experience that I don't have. I could talk about what I would rather be doing with my life at present, but that would be futile and boring. I hate to bore you.
So I'm writing this, mostly to let you know I'm still here, but might not be posting too often about large issues unless I feel strongly about them.
I honestly don't know what to write about these days. I stay so busy at work, and can't connect to the Internet from home, so I lazily ignore this blog. To my readers, I apologize. I don't have time to talk about politics or leadership, or what I had for breakfast yesterday. I could write about programming and the common problems I have, but my current readers might not be too interested or able to provide insight.
I could talk about how I want a different job, which requires certification and experience that I don't have. I could talk about what I would rather be doing with my life at present, but that would be futile and boring. I hate to bore you.
So I'm writing this, mostly to let you know I'm still here, but might not be posting too often about large issues unless I feel strongly about them.
Friday, December 24, 2004
Full Potential, or Not?
I didn't do well in high school. I failed Algebra II my Junior year. I started working at the local auto parts store just before tenth grade, and I didn't make too much time for school. The teachers weren't interested in me, nor I in them. Sure, there were the few who stuck out. My coin collecting is a result of my fourth-grade teacher, and my painting skill I owe to my high-school art instructor. The light on the rest seems to fade when it comes to their accomplishments in my life.
So I sold auto parts and didn't care too much for school. No one was there to tell me what I could do or should do; I don't think I was expected to go to college or actually be anybody. So I joined the Army to get something started.
Sometime in my second year of service, it hit me. The Army had taught me something: I should have gone to college. I'm actually smarter than I thought I was after high school. I kept telling myself that I'd made the wrong choice, that I should have never signed that contract.
I tried to attend a local for-profit college, but my military agenda conflicted and overruled that of my educational one. When I finally got out, I immediately enrolled in another private college of a bit higher standing.
I finished an Associate of Information Technology (Honors) at Colorado Tech earlier this year, and got a job in Florida. I'm beginning to think I made the wrong choice again, as I thought in the military. I want to think I would be better off having stayed where I was and finishing a Computer Science or Engineering degree. I saw in the latest IEEE magazine that their president is now a professor at the Computer Science department at CU-Boulder. I'm sure I could have gone there. In fact, I think I could attend and succeed at MIT. But could I even think about applying? If accepted, would it be a possibility to attend? I'm 26, not 18. I've got a child on the way. A family to support.
What I'm really trying to get at is why I'm 26 and not finished with college, and why I'm not where I feel that I'm operating at my full potential.
I'm constantly in the process of reading five or more books at any given time. I want to know everything. I like to listen to and play music. I want to be a good father. I love computing, but I don't make enough time for it. I want to be more knowledgeable about politics and law so I can be an informed and involved citizen. I want to contribute to my community, but I don't have the time.
Or is this my full potential? Never. I am better than this. Given the opportunity, I will do so much more. In the words of John Mayer, "I'm bigger than my body gives me credit for."
So I sold auto parts and didn't care too much for school. No one was there to tell me what I could do or should do; I don't think I was expected to go to college or actually be anybody. So I joined the Army to get something started.
Sometime in my second year of service, it hit me. The Army had taught me something: I should have gone to college. I'm actually smarter than I thought I was after high school. I kept telling myself that I'd made the wrong choice, that I should have never signed that contract.
I tried to attend a local for-profit college, but my military agenda conflicted and overruled that of my educational one. When I finally got out, I immediately enrolled in another private college of a bit higher standing.
I finished an Associate of Information Technology (Honors) at Colorado Tech earlier this year, and got a job in Florida. I'm beginning to think I made the wrong choice again, as I thought in the military. I want to think I would be better off having stayed where I was and finishing a Computer Science or Engineering degree. I saw in the latest IEEE magazine that their president is now a professor at the Computer Science department at CU-Boulder. I'm sure I could have gone there. In fact, I think I could attend and succeed at MIT. But could I even think about applying? If accepted, would it be a possibility to attend? I'm 26, not 18. I've got a child on the way. A family to support.
What I'm really trying to get at is why I'm 26 and not finished with college, and why I'm not where I feel that I'm operating at my full potential.
I'm constantly in the process of reading five or more books at any given time. I want to know everything. I like to listen to and play music. I want to be a good father. I love computing, but I don't make enough time for it. I want to be more knowledgeable about politics and law so I can be an informed and involved citizen. I want to contribute to my community, but I don't have the time.
Or is this my full potential? Never. I am better than this. Given the opportunity, I will do so much more. In the words of John Mayer, "I'm bigger than my body gives me credit for."
Thursday, December 16, 2004
Home is...Where?
There's a Schlotsky's sub shop up in north Colorado Springs on Hwy. 83. Beth and I visited there a few times to have lunch together. It's near the only McDonald's I know of that has wireless public Internet access.
I wanted to go there today. Things like these still come to me automatically. Just when I thought of lunch, that Schlotsky's across from the Phil Long Suzuki popped into my mind, and I wanted to meet my wife for a sandwich.
I miss so much of what I know. Change is tough.
I wanted to go there today. Things like these still come to me automatically. Just when I thought of lunch, that Schlotsky's across from the Phil Long Suzuki popped into my mind, and I wanted to meet my wife for a sandwich.
I miss so much of what I know. Change is tough.
Tuesday, December 07, 2004
The Dog's Tub Fart
One would imagine that a dog doesn't spend too much time in the tub. Given this small opportunity, my dog Ashton took advantage of it.
He got a few fleas recently from the woods around our place, so we were letting him soak in a tub of slightly-chlorinated water to try to kill them. Once Ashton got relaxed, he promptly farted in the tub. Just like I would do. My wife was there; we all had a family moment. It wasn't a big explosion, just a steady trail of bubbles from the rear for a solid four or five seconds. He was just like a child, though: oblivious to it.
Have a good day, people.
He got a few fleas recently from the woods around our place, so we were letting him soak in a tub of slightly-chlorinated water to try to kill them. Once Ashton got relaxed, he promptly farted in the tub. Just like I would do. My wife was there; we all had a family moment. It wasn't a big explosion, just a steady trail of bubbles from the rear for a solid four or five seconds. He was just like a child, though: oblivious to it.
Have a good day, people.
Monday, December 06, 2004
Bush Did Something Good
Bush Signs Internet Access Tax Ban (washingtonpost.com)
He signed the ban on Internet service taxation. There. I said it. Don't expect me to point out everything he does. This benefits me.
He signed the ban on Internet service taxation. There. I said it. Don't expect me to point out everything he does. This benefits me.
Friday, December 03, 2004
Finally, My Column on Leadership
This will be somewhat half-hearted, because I'm not as driven as I was when I said I'd do this. I should actually wait until I'm fired up about it again, but you guys are begging for my views on leadership.
So..
Leadership and all parts of it are key to an organization's success. I use the word organization because it applies not only to corporations, but government entities, religious groups, sports teams, and even AOL. I served in the military and saw my share of good and bad leaders, I went to school and learned a bit about corporations and how leadership and communication work together. I now work for a state government entity and see worse leadership than I saw in the Army. Surprised? I'm not.
The structure of this column should be as follows: What is Leadership? | Leadership in State Government | Leadership in the Army | Leadership at NFC | Conclusion (maybe)
What is Leadership?
This is a question not easily answered. Leadership is a property, or attribute, of a person. This property gives the person an advantage in making decisions and influencing people. Correctly applied leadership also implies a high ethical standard about that person. That's about as vague as I can get. It's a quality about a person that grants the ability to lead effectively.
Leadership in State Government
My supervisor is a woman who possesses few leadership skills. She is somewhat of a trained leader, but doesn't apply the necessary amount of communication to the office's diet of bullshit. She kicked someone out last week because he "didn't help out." Problem is, he wasn't asked to. He didn't work for us, he just occupied a cubicle here. Our department didn't pay him; this was just where he worked. When he didn't have anything going on, he had said he'd help out if she needed some help. Nothing was requested of him, so he didn't do anything. She claimed he was a distraction to the office and he finally left this week.
Anyway, back to my communication thing. That's important in a leader- the ability to communicate. Among the other skills are reading people, knowing what to say, knowing when you're wrong, and knowing who to ask when you admit that you don't know something.
Oh, yeah, back on State Government... I have never worked in a more inefficient place. I go to meetings in which plans are made and nothing happens. No decisions are made, and not a single person knows what is going on. Therefore, it takes months and months to do very simple changes. That has a lot to do with working in government, but it shouldn't take that long to get something done internally.
A lot of people here (Dept. of Education) are former teachers, and somehow they've forgotten where they came from and who they're here to help. Many decisions are politically based, and they seem to have forgotten that we work to better the children in this state and make it easier to teach and measure performance.
Maybe I should wait a while to comment further about my workplace. I haven't been here for that long, so I'll wait until I've decided whether I can make a difference here.
Leadership in the Army
Noncommissioned officers are supposedly the backbone of the Army. Most of the leadership training they get is provided by the Army itself, and I don't remember being under the influence of many good NCOs. Promotion to the noncommissioned ranks was only a few steps away for me, but it was time to get out. I had better things to do.
Commissioned officers, however, are college-educated (or have at least some college) and are supposed to be self-sufficient and good leaders. I believe I saw more commissioned officers as good leaders than NCOs, but I attribute that to the officer's discipline gained at West Point (or dragging himself to college and ROTC or OCS). That made him actually want to be there. Maybe I'm getting off the subject. No I'm not. Leadership in the Army was only better than the leadership in my current agency for two reasons: Soldiers actually go through leadership training, and those methods of management used in the military are time-proven.
The people here at work didn't go to school for management; they have degrees in education. They learned the educational system and how to teach children (from what I know about the college of education, which could be nothing). Some of them (most of them) just can't lead.
Leadership at NFC
NFC is the computer consulting company I own. No it isn't. But it will be. This is how I envision my organization:
I will lead the company with people I trust personally and professionally (there is a difference.) My primary goal inside the organization is to have people unlike I was in my teenage years working at an auto parts store: I didn’t care about the company because the company didn’t care about me. Their internal and external goals were the same: profits. And it showed.
I will care about my subordinates and not announce the vacation with my family to our house in Aspen while they work. I will try to remember everyone’s name (it won’t be a large corporation) and I will help even the lowest-level position get his or her job done. I will pay for their education if I can. I will be the one to call about anything. The people I work with will be the same person. It will feel good to work with me.
I will always listen to any idea about how to make the workplace better and more comfortable so that my employees can work efficiently without the distraction of something ludicrous as a strict dress code. I wore jeans to work today and felt like I was free to think – and I got work done like no other day I’ve had there yet. I once saw a show about an engineering firm filled with very creative people. Quite a few of them rode bicycles to work but had nowhere to put them. Someone got the idea to string his bike up to the rafters and hoist it high above his desk. I think that was a great idea. Some people followed this method, and no one approached the management about it. The engineers were free to do as they please and be as creative as they were capable of. I encourage this as well.
The education of my employees will be paramount at NFC (which, by the way, stands for “No Fucking Clue”. I didn’t have any idea what to call the company, so that was it.) The importance of education will be another topic later.
If I’m not getting anywhere with this according to you, here’s a list of a few things about the leaders at NFC:
Okay, people. Let’s act like I actually own NFC and you’re my employees. I need help from you on the company website. Go to the NFC website and use the link to my e-mail to send me your suggestions.
So..
Leadership and all parts of it are key to an organization's success. I use the word organization because it applies not only to corporations, but government entities, religious groups, sports teams, and even AOL. I served in the military and saw my share of good and bad leaders, I went to school and learned a bit about corporations and how leadership and communication work together. I now work for a state government entity and see worse leadership than I saw in the Army. Surprised? I'm not.
The structure of this column should be as follows: What is Leadership? | Leadership in State Government | Leadership in the Army | Leadership at NFC | Conclusion (maybe)
What is Leadership?
This is a question not easily answered. Leadership is a property, or attribute, of a person. This property gives the person an advantage in making decisions and influencing people. Correctly applied leadership also implies a high ethical standard about that person. That's about as vague as I can get. It's a quality about a person that grants the ability to lead effectively.
Leadership in State Government
My supervisor is a woman who possesses few leadership skills. She is somewhat of a trained leader, but doesn't apply the necessary amount of communication to the office's diet of bullshit. She kicked someone out last week because he "didn't help out." Problem is, he wasn't asked to. He didn't work for us, he just occupied a cubicle here. Our department didn't pay him; this was just where he worked. When he didn't have anything going on, he had said he'd help out if she needed some help. Nothing was requested of him, so he didn't do anything. She claimed he was a distraction to the office and he finally left this week.
Anyway, back to my communication thing. That's important in a leader- the ability to communicate. Among the other skills are reading people, knowing what to say, knowing when you're wrong, and knowing who to ask when you admit that you don't know something.
Oh, yeah, back on State Government... I have never worked in a more inefficient place. I go to meetings in which plans are made and nothing happens. No decisions are made, and not a single person knows what is going on. Therefore, it takes months and months to do very simple changes. That has a lot to do with working in government, but it shouldn't take that long to get something done internally.
A lot of people here (Dept. of Education) are former teachers, and somehow they've forgotten where they came from and who they're here to help. Many decisions are politically based, and they seem to have forgotten that we work to better the children in this state and make it easier to teach and measure performance.
Maybe I should wait a while to comment further about my workplace. I haven't been here for that long, so I'll wait until I've decided whether I can make a difference here.
Leadership in the Army
Noncommissioned officers are supposedly the backbone of the Army. Most of the leadership training they get is provided by the Army itself, and I don't remember being under the influence of many good NCOs. Promotion to the noncommissioned ranks was only a few steps away for me, but it was time to get out. I had better things to do.
Commissioned officers, however, are college-educated (or have at least some college) and are supposed to be self-sufficient and good leaders. I believe I saw more commissioned officers as good leaders than NCOs, but I attribute that to the officer's discipline gained at West Point (or dragging himself to college and ROTC or OCS). That made him actually want to be there. Maybe I'm getting off the subject. No I'm not. Leadership in the Army was only better than the leadership in my current agency for two reasons: Soldiers actually go through leadership training, and those methods of management used in the military are time-proven.
The people here at work didn't go to school for management; they have degrees in education. They learned the educational system and how to teach children (from what I know about the college of education, which could be nothing). Some of them (most of them) just can't lead.
Leadership at NFC
NFC is the computer consulting company I own. No it isn't. But it will be. This is how I envision my organization:
I will lead the company with people I trust personally and professionally (there is a difference.) My primary goal inside the organization is to have people unlike I was in my teenage years working at an auto parts store: I didn’t care about the company because the company didn’t care about me. Their internal and external goals were the same: profits. And it showed.
I will care about my subordinates and not announce the vacation with my family to our house in Aspen while they work. I will try to remember everyone’s name (it won’t be a large corporation) and I will help even the lowest-level position get his or her job done. I will pay for their education if I can. I will be the one to call about anything. The people I work with will be the same person. It will feel good to work with me.
I will always listen to any idea about how to make the workplace better and more comfortable so that my employees can work efficiently without the distraction of something ludicrous as a strict dress code. I wore jeans to work today and felt like I was free to think – and I got work done like no other day I’ve had there yet. I once saw a show about an engineering firm filled with very creative people. Quite a few of them rode bicycles to work but had nowhere to put them. Someone got the idea to string his bike up to the rafters and hoist it high above his desk. I think that was a great idea. Some people followed this method, and no one approached the management about it. The engineers were free to do as they please and be as creative as they were capable of. I encourage this as well.
The education of my employees will be paramount at NFC (which, by the way, stands for “No Fucking Clue”. I didn’t have any idea what to call the company, so that was it.) The importance of education will be another topic later.
If I’m not getting anywhere with this according to you, here’s a list of a few things about the leaders at NFC:
- They teach their subordinates
- They treat subordinates with respect and form bonds with them
- They know the job and more
- They set a good example for others
- They know how to listen and read people so they understand questions and provide accurate answers
- They earn their trust
Okay, people. Let’s act like I actually own NFC and you’re my employees. I need help from you on the company website. Go to the NFC website and use the link to my e-mail to send me your suggestions.
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