high dive, bam!

Mihn's Meat or Mincemeat?

It's a bit hard to see, but "Mihn's Meat" sure sounded a lot like mincemeat. Yeah, I had to look up the old school definition: A mixture, as of finely chopped apples, raisins, spices, meat, and rum or brandy, used especially as a pie filling.

Where's the beef?

Creativity is in the NOW

I've been a fan of Tim Sanders since I (finally) read "Love is the Killer App." I worked at broadcast.com and Yahoo! at the same time that he was there, but I don't think we ever met. Since I read the book, I've started paying more attention to what he has to say.

In fact, I just read his most recent blog post about how creativity is found in the NOW. You have to kick out the distractions, don't feel rushed and let it flow to you.

"Schedule your creative solution/creativity time and wall out any distractions. He (John Cleese) explained that creativity requires intense focus, and you likely need to schedule a few hours to harness one good creative sixty minute streak. Each interruption, be it an email or a phone call, will cost you dearly. In the beginning of a session, your mind will likely clutter with random thoughts. Let them pass, and if some urgent to-do pops up, write it on a sticky note and tell your mind to relax and focus on the problem."

Read Tim's entire blog post by clicking here.

My regular readers have seen how much I've been harping on being in the now since I read "Wisdom 2.0." You know that feeling when you first experience something and then it seems like it's everywhere? Being in the NOW is like that for me lately, I see everyone purporting it... awesome.

22/52: "My Favorite Place on Earth" by Jerry Camarillo Dunn

Book 22/52: "My Favorite Place on Earth" by Jerry Camarillo Dunn, 4/5 Stars
It didn't hit me until I was about two-thirds of the way through the book that the stories that are told about favorite places on Earth had a few things in common. When someone is in their favorite place, then they aren't thinking about being somewhere else; they are in the NOW of the place. And, they are at peace.

I've been writing a lot about being in the NOW as it applies to everyday tasks. If you go to a meeting, then don't take your laptop and your phone. Go to the meeting and FOCUS on the meeting itself; give your all to it. However, being in the NOW at a party can easily lead to overindulgence, so there must be something bigger than being in the NOW.

While I was reading this book, I realized that it was the feeling of peace that keeps us from going overboard in the NOW. Our favorite places are those that allow us to be at peace. Therefore, if you're actions in the NOW don't impact your ability to be at peace, then you avoid the unpeaceful hangover LATER.

The peaceful circle: being at peace allows us to excel in the NOW, while striving to stay at peace reminds us not to overindulge in the NOW.

This book was given to me by a friend and was a quick read. I entered the first page thinking that I might discover places that I'd never before known, but i left the book having discovered new territory not in the world, but in my mind.

GOAL: 52 books in 52 weeks!

Book #21 = "Wisdom 2.0" by Soren Gordhamer, 4/5 Stars
Book #20 = "Oath Of Gold" by Elizabeth Moon, 5/5 Stars
Book #19 = "The Age Of Engage" by Denise Shiffman, 3/5 Stars
Book #18 = "What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20" by Tina Seelig, 4/5 Stars
Book #17 = "Animal Farm" by George Orwell, 4/5 Stars
Book #16 = "Divided Allegiance" by Elizabeth Moon, 3/5 Stars
Book #15 = "The Curious Incident of the Dog..." by Mark Haddon, 2/5 Stars
Book #14 = "The Sheepfarmer's Daughter" by Elizabeth Moon, 3.5/5 Stars
Book #13 = "Love Is The Killer App" by Tim Sanders, 4/5 Stars
Book #12 = "Fight Club" by Chuck Palahniuk, 4.5/5 Stars
Book #11 = "The Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger, 5/5 Stars
Book #10 = "The Finder" by Colin Harrison, 3.5/5 Stars
Book #9 = "Veronika Decides To Die" by Paulo Coelho, 1/5 Stars
Book #8 = "By The River Piedra I Sat Down & Wept" by Paulo Coelho, 3/5 Stars
Book #7 = "Stiff" by Mary Roach, 2/5 Stars
Book #6 = "Love in the Time of Cholera" by Gabriel Garcia-Marquez, 1/5 Stars
Book #5 = "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy, 3/5 Stars
Book #4 = "Eleven Minutes" by Paulo Coelho, 2/5 Stars
Book #3 = "The Good Guy" by Dean Koontz, 3/5 Stars
Book #2 = "My Ishmael" by Dan Quinn, 2/5 Stars
Book #1 = "The Zahir" by Paulo Coelho, 3.5/5 Stars

READ MORE!

NOW & LATER?

In all my thoughts, reflected in recent blog posts, I've been talking about committing yourself to the NOW. When you've a task to do, then focus on the task. Avoid being distracted by a text message or a new email or an instant message. In fact, do like I've done, and stop taking your laptop and phone to meetings. Show up with a pen and a sheet of paper and commit to the task of the meeting itself.

The part of "being in the NOW" that I hadn't been able to reconcile until this morning--when I was reading a book about influential persons' favorite places on Earth--was that being solely in the NOW might lead to overindulgence. In other words, I want to enjoy the NOW with my friends and the NOW is represented by one drink after another after another. Hey, I'm in the NOW, so I'm not worrying about the past or the future, right? The problem is that I can't be my best in the NOW of LATER when I'm hungover, so being in the NOW has to have some greater nature to it than what's in front of me at the time.

So, I thought about the point of being in the NOW and realized that it isn't just about giving your best to what you are doing in the NOW, but it is also about being at peace in life. Overindulgence in the NOW makes for an unpeaceful existence in the LATER.

Being at peace is what allows us to focus on the NOW, but it is also what keeps us thinking about the LATER.

Read more bigBADbobisms.

My Life As A Dog

I feel like a dog this morning—a very loyal and well-trained dog. I’ve been trained to come when called, to sit on command and to roll over in bed when big wet facial kisses are no longer wanted. Yes, I’m as loyal as they come… my Masters over the years have done a fine job of teaching me to obey.

I speak, on command, when my Masters need to be engaged; engaging them often gets me a snack because I know how to say the right things, even when I’m thinking something else.

Arf. Arf.

I like to lay my head in my Master’s lap and let her pet my head or scratch me behind the ears. I also like to nuzzle into that place on my Master’s neck right above her shoulder where I can breathe in her ear and whine a little bit when she stops petting me.

No matter how far away, when I hear my Master’s whistle, I come home as quickly as I can. I’ve been thousands of miles away and I still feel the urge to come calling. Like I said, I’ve been trained well.

Yeah, I lick myself clean because that’s how we dogs roll. Yet, I’ve never figured out why sometimes it grosses my Master out and other times it makes her very affectionate.

When I don’t have a Master, I like to play with cats: skinny ones, talkative ones, some alley-style ones, but mostly black ones. My friend Spike said to watch out for the black ones, but I guess I like to invite trouble into my lazy life, otherwise I just end up sleeping in the sun all day. Cats are smart, though not smart enough to know how nice life can be when you play dumb. For instance, some of the smart cats like to give me peanut butter because I look silly when I try to eat it, but they don’t realize that it comes back to haunt them later when I start passing atrocious gas.

Pssssssssst.

When I get tired of playing with the cats, I retreat to my doghouse for a while. Sometimes they just won’t stop talking or rubbing up against me, those cats... I have to remind them that we just aren’t meant to be together.

Honestly, I prefer having a Master; it’s my goal in life to love, serve and protect. I want a Master who will see my weepy eyes and immediately rub my belly.

Yeah, that’s my kicker.

iPhone Sh1t

I want my iPhone to sh1t RFID tags & then track them... like in that cab where I lost my wallet... or like in that plastic bottle that I wonder whether it made it to the recycling plant... or like on my girlfriend's car keys so she won't freak when she's late and can't find them... you know?