Go have an adventure Summer is upon us. Living in Los Angels summer is mostly a year-long event. I am thinking of summer as a frame of mind. Last week I was listening to Gretchen Rubin's podcast [https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&
Deadlines and Screwdrivers - The Dudes Abide I love my life when everything works out as planned. For the rest of the time, I have deadlines. I have a weekly publishing deadline set for Thursdays, so if I have not written over the previous week, I make myself sit down in the morning and gather my thoughts.
What was that? Time moves like the ocean currents. You can't see them move, but you feel the effects as you drift along. Anchors I like to say something happened ten years ago when it was 40 years ago in reality. Of course, ten years is a long time, but it&
It's a Trap! I used a Star Wars reference for May the 4th and May the 5th. This week's topic is from a book I just finished with a mission to save us from ourselves. Keeping on top of run-away smartphone usage is a losing battle without a clear idea about
The Cracker Jack Prize When the task is about getting a prize at the bottom of the box, I become distracted by the search and forget to enjoy the caramel corn along the way. As a child, I was obsessed with cracker jacks. Our uncle would come to visit and bring a multi-pack of
Now Look! Time for Timer. What, you dropped the ball? When your little voice head has to scream at you, pay attention to what to do instead. I have a childhood voice stuck in my head from an after-school cartoon character called Timer. He had a long run of episodes with rhyming
I am finding brilliance in the smallest available package. I was walking the dog and noticed an unkept strip of ground, primarily weeds, but there was the tiniest flower popping out against the background of dirt and mundane weeds. It made me consider that it does not take a significant output to create a stunning impression. The tiniest thing
Using a Top Five Lists, This Far No Further In the Hobbit - LOTR movies, the wizard puts his foot down and tells a demon that he, "shall not pass" and "this far and no further". I would like to report that the treatments I have been taking for my autoimmune disease have put their
Today Is Brought To You By The Color Purple. > "Point to the stars, don't concentrate on the finger, or you will miss all the heavenly glory." ( an unknown sourced song source, but it was a song lyric.) Over the last six months, a big part of my treatment has been mental work. When you
Voting for who you want to become. I am a fan of James Clear. He wrote a book about habits, Atomic Habits. I have read it probably three times since the covid lockdowns started two years ago. Being trapped at home, I wanted to develop the habits of highly effective people for myself. My motivation has been
AI Controllers & Nitrogen Cooled Magnets Small Scale Fusion Power Plants from the Private Sector Coming to a Power Grid Near You The value of accidents, The necessity of small bites, & What I am reading Physics is something I can nerd out to, so I want to share my current mouth breather crush this week. Small scale fusion power plants. A power that is less dangerous than atomic energy as we
The Ernie and Burt of My Relationship It is Valentines' holiday time I had a thought about my relationship. A Ying Yang insight simplifies all our relationship interactions into two supporting types: Ernies and Burts. I can imagine having an Ernie Puppet on the one hand and a Burt on the other hand. Depending on the
Putting The Breaks On My Mind In the movie Ants [https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjvz9mFv9_1AhUMI0QIHZPWA1MQtwJ6BAgEEAI&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DOT9Kh3RPw98&usg=AOvVaw30fy_KkE4P_ZkpU90GQ5-L]
KT's Choice I don't make resolutions anymore. Instead, I choose new systems and habits to tweak or add at the start of the year. Working with my husband, I have started taking on more responsibility for "what we are doing." For example, I have to plan what we
The Value of Checking Your Work Twice and Washing Away Obstacles. Dean Kamen is my go-to hero in making the most of my weaknesses. You may not be a big enough nerd/geek to know who he is but let me introduce him later. I gained insight from one of my newsletters about presenting our written work in public. Ashton Kleon
Something has to Give What will I give to do my best work and make my deadline? I missed a couple of deadlines for posting my weekly blog. When I did post a blog on Focus, it was not done. I waffled on whether it was better to do my best work or get
The Password is I took on a project to update all my passwords. It started with an alert from my google account the provided me with a list of all my known compromised passwords. That means that Google has identified the site they open as having had a data breach, or the password
Book Suggestion| The Ecstacy of Influence by Jonathan Lethem I don't feel like I have the depth of knowledge to call this blog post a book review. So here is my suggestion for an excellent guide to filling out your reading list. I am sure I picked out at least five books from his suggestions. I want
Rocket to Orbit inches at a Time. This is the Way Two weeks ago I was worried that I was not sticking my nose to the grindstone. And then on Friday of last week I had the best insight watching a recent video of the nerd equivalent of paint drying. The stacking of a SpaceX rocket to its booster. I had
Nose to the Grindstone This last week I looked up from my habit tracking and self-improvement systems and instantly lost my way. It was not a good feeling. But, with the help of the people around me, I have regained my composure. Today was a good day. Tomorrow looks good from here. I can&
Allow myself to introduce myself. Am I doing the best I can? I have been using a mantra to encourage myself amid setbacks. I want to do my best and not be too hard on myself for failing to live up to my expectations. Because like most people, I can be my own worst critic. Well, next to siblings and spouses, I
The Circus Rings of Ideas I recently had an insight into trying new things out. Could it be I have exhausted my love of covid-19 lockdown routine building? Let me think...YES! When the circus comes to town, it's a well-oiled machine with acts that have been practiced to perfection. It all had
Swallow the Frog I always go to my sister for advice. Not only is she my twin sister, but she is keenly intelligent about dealing with people. That is where I need the most help. Once I was in a situation where I had committed to start a job only to realize I
The One Thing Today I woke up feeling poorly and could not seem to get my day started. There is a movie called City Slickers. There is a cowboy who is the best cowboy you can imagine. Iconic in his horsemanship and know-how. His name is Curley. He never has much to say.
The Secret to My Success? Small Audiences | Gertrude Stein I don't like to admit I had a frustrating month. My husband was happy it is now October. I was in and out of the hospital for the first whole week, and I am looking forward to getting the PICC line removed this week. It's an