think (feel) be

Nurtitious diction

Samson — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 18:35:02 +0000

Buy used. Purchase fairly made items. It’s not about what you wear. Clothes don’t make a person.

I’ve said it all before. In theory, it all sounds great. Morality over aesthetics. When it comes down to the boys? Epic fail.

I’ve been catching up on a great blog I started reading recently. The writing is quick, clever, and honest. And the topics are near and dear. Overall, worth a look.

via Minimalist Mommi: When I Eat My Words.

Minimizing the stuff

Samson — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:19:17 +0000

The Everyday Minimalist, one of the few bloggers I read on a regular basis, reblogged this comic from snotm. It’s thought provoking and apropos of how I’ve been feeling lately.

via The Everyday Minimalist | Living with less, but only the best.

Creativity: stillness

Samson — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 22:22:59 +0000

I crave stillness. The cessation of movement. A long, long moment of peace. No phone, no computer, no people, no signs of civilization. Just me, a journal, a pen, and and view of the distant horizon.

Procrastination is the writer-killer

Samson — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 01:11:44 +0000

You spend hours, days, weeks trying app after app to find The Perfect Writing App. Finally you stumble across it – and it is beautiful. Black words on a sea of white. Or white words on a sea of black, if that’s more your style.

Only, you notice something strange. There are no words on your screen. Your screen is a sea of nothingness, devoid of any words. You sir, are an idiot staring at a blank screen. Instead of you know, writing, as a writer should do, you’ve spent your time searching for the ultimate writing tool.

It’s called procrastination, and I am a master of it. Discipline is the answer. Now, if somebody would just tell me to do it…

via An idiot staring at a blank screen Part 2.

Stieg’s influence

Samson — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 15:48:21 +0000

It only took the first few pages of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo to free my mind and inspire me to rewrite my novel from the beginning. Steig’s prose is uncluttered. It moves the story forward while providing enough detail for me to get a sense of the place and the people. In contrast, my prose started out overburdened and eventually evolved into completely overwrought as I attempted to find both the voice and the tone of the piece. For the past several months I’ve struggled between letting the piece go and starting over or trying to rework what I had. I’ve also considered throwing the whole thing in the little Trash icon on my MacBook. Stieg helped me make a decision: I started over.

Last night I wrote almost a thousand words without pause. That’s how writing should feel.

A quick aside: After I finished Stieg’s novel, I picked up another novel that shall remain nameless. The second novel was a study in unrelenting, irrelevant, driveling detail. I put the book down in frustration after 25 pages. That marks only the 4th book I’ve ever set aside. I’ve learned my lesson.

Matt Stoller: The Anti-Politics of #OccupyWallStreet « naked capitalism

Samson — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 16:18:16 +0000

The premise of their politics is that #OccupyWallStreet isn’t designed to fit into your TV or newspaper. Nothing human really is, which is why our politics is so utterly deformed. It’s why they don’t want to be “on message” – what kind of human society can truly be reduced to a slogan.

Matt smartly enunciates what I’ve noticed so far: one of the reasons this movement maintains an overarching appeal is because it refuses to be reduced to a few slogans or sound bites. While obviously aimed at Wall Street’s notable avariciousness, its ability to stay open to some interpretation allows the movement to contain a multitude of related grievances, which in turn makes #occupywallstreet broadly relevant and appealing. The entire article is definitely worth a read.

via Matt Stoller: The Anti-Politics of #OccupyWallStreet « naked capitalism.

Done with Mint, back to cash

Samson — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 15:42:35 +0000

Well, I gave it the ol’ college try (whatever that means), but I’m letting Mint go. It started off as such a promising partnership, too. Then the problems began: the database issues, the double entries, the mis-categorizations, the continued lack of an actual budgeting tool, it got to the point where I was spending more time making corrections than I was analyzing my spending and planning. So thanks, Mint, for a great beginning. I’m disappointed we couldn’t continue the relationship, but you’ve ceased to grow and I’ve moved on.

And in a way I’ve come full-circle.

My frustrations with Mint helped propel me back to a different method of budgeting entirely: I’m going to use this advanced technology called cash to make most purchases. The coolest thing about it? No fees. And with Bank of America’s recent announcement that they will be charging customers $5/month for the “convenience” of using their debit cards, I think the timing couldn’t be better. I’m with a credit union (can you say phenomenally better, kids?) but I can see the writing on the wall as everyone struggles to find new sources of revenue.

Already, I’ve noticed that I’m thinking a lot more before I make even small purchases (coffee, anyone?). I believe this could make a big difference by the end of the month.

Truly honoring difference

Samson — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 00:47:09 +0000

The more I do this management thing, the more I come to understand that if I respect each individual as a unique person, and if I engage on a level that assumes the individual is an adult, the better chance I have of achieving authentic engagement and adult behavior.

What I’ve noticed is that many people struggle with the practice of accepting and managing difference. They may accept or even advocate for it intellectually, and they can often speak about it in very intelligent terms, but when in the actual face-to-face interactions they fall far short of managing difference with understanding or compassion.

In the context of major change initiatives it’s in the processing and acceptance phases that people’s differences seem to be most salient, and in my experience it’s here that respect and patience is most important. I’ve had co-workers respond to the same information with acceptance, disbelief, resignation, grief, and anger. Some managers may respond to these various emotions with differing levels of discipline or disengagement themselves, but I believe that in our role of managers were are leaders and exemplars and we are responsible for setting the tone of the team.

What I have found is that if I listen to the initial reactions, respond with compassion and withhold judgment, then let the dust settle and allow each person to take his/her respective time to think through the news, I am rewarded with much less emotional behavior and a generally more positive response. Without exception I end up with more authentically engaged employees.

The drug of publication

Samson — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 17:06:04 +0000

There’s something oddly, deeply satisfying about hitting the “publish” button on each post for this little blog. One might even call it addictive.

It’s a different lift than I get from a good workout or playing with my kids. It’s more akin to the sense of satisfaction and accomplishment I get when I complete a big project like the bed frame or some of my projects at work.

Instapaper’s new (again) usefulness

Samson — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 15:54:29 +0000

I’ve discovered another reason to love Instapaper: blog post material. I see some good stuff on Twitter that I capture with Instapaper until such time that I can actually read it without distraction, and when I read without distraction I can usually get the brain gears clunking together well enough to manage a thought or two I want to share. I’ve just realized how useful it is to have a slew of material at my fingertips. Win.