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November 27, 2005
Success & Wit
"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm."Sir Winston Churchill
"If you haven’t got anything nice to say about anybody, come sit next to me."
Alice Roosevelt Longworth
Posted by pgutwin at 8:22 PM | Comments (0)
Upwardly Mobile
I think spam sucks. Really sucks. I get hundreds of spam email messages, and my blog gets hammered all the time. The spam filter in my email client helps some, but I've struggled with the blog.
I use MovableType for the blog, and the nice people over at Six Apart just released MT 3.2 which is suppose to have all sorts of spam control stuff built in. So today I updated the blog software. Now I just have to wait for some more spam to see how effective this thing is.
Posted by pgutwin at 5:46 PM | Comments (0)
November 19, 2005
A Running Monk
I fantasize that I’ll get to a place in my life where I feel I have time for the things that are most important. The key is feeling like one has the time. What an odd thing – our feelings are so often totally out of whack. This week I felt I was going to be late for one of my many flight, but I really had plenty of time. What good were all those feelings of anxiety?
So then I wonder what it would feel like to actually have all the time I wanted to do all the things I wanted. I’ve been in situations that approximated having a lot of time. It didn’t feel all that good.
I’ve imagined that Buddhist monks must feel a lot less worry than I do. Their practice drives them deeply into the present – and I can only think this is a very peaceful place to be. You’ll understand my surprise then at seeing a Buddhist monk running through the airport Monday with a very worried look on his face. There was nothing serene about his composure.
I’ve been thinking about that monk a lot since Monday. I was really encouraged by his presence at the airport, stressed out like the rest of us. I felt like we were on the same journey. Having a companion like that makes coping with my feelings seem more manageable for some reason.
Posted by pgutwin at 9:52 PM | Comments (1)
November 12, 2005
The Best of Times, The Worst of Times
With apologies to Mr. Dickens, I've never been in a better place, but I feel things aren't going all that well. That's likely due to the combination of success and new challenges, and doesn't mean much other than I'll continue to get up early and work hard, both personally and professionally.
The House: yes, the house. My, it's a big one. Bobby came over shortly after my folks moved out - I was showing him around the house, and he said "Where's your stuff?". I had to respond we don't have stuff. Beth is fussing over filling the space (not really, but I'm pretty sure she thinks about it a lot more than I do), but I'm sort of luxuriating in the space. I can't explain it exactly, but it may have something to do with what Beth calls "getting to know the space". I really don't like that phrase for some reason, but I understand and completely agree it needs to happen. I guess I'm just doing it on my terms.
The car: grrrrrr. First, I need to stipulate that I really, really like my car. Some guys have a favorite chair or some clothes that are near and dear. For me it's my car. I know it's looking pretty (ahem) classic, but I just like it. The problem: said car is tearing itself apart. Last Sunday I heard this terrific clanging and a piece of the left front strut fell off!. Yesterday, driving back from Boston, I had a flat, as in driving along the highway and having a flat, ripping the tire to shreds. No problem I say - jumping out the change the tire. Everything is there - the spare (with air in it!), jack, jack handle and, and NO lug wrench. No problem: Call AAA! "Yes sir, we'll have someone over there in (wait for it) no more than an hour!" I know it's not my car's fault - I'm just feeling sad about the whole thing.
Work. I could go on about this for a long time. Suffice to say that things have to get resolved somehow. It's a lot like dating, and finding out your "beloved" is behaving in a way that's inconsistent with what your "beloved" is saying. Fortunately I work with some of the most dedicated and insightful people I've ever met. I feel very lucky I have such good co-workers.
Posted by pgutwin at 8:36 AM | Comments (0)
November 1, 2005
Getting Settled
My folks moved out a little over two weeks ago, and we're beginning to settle in. I may have mentioned that we have practically nothing in the way of furniture so we are currently enjoying a lot of elbow room at the house.
We're encamped in the master bedroom, and another of the bedrooms serves as a temporary private office. I'm working on a third bedroom (wallpaper *has* to go), and the forth is full of flotsam and jetsam.
The infamous "brown couch" has been recalled to life, and is sitting in the living room along with the piano and the green wingback chair. The family room is empty expect for the kitchen table I removed and some "extra" lamps my parents have yet to claim.
Other than the dining room table that we're possession-free at the moment. We're contemplating big things: perhaps another couch or oh - who knows - more chairs. It's all upside at this point.
Posted by pgutwin at 9:57 PM | Comments (0)