Personal Bandwidth...

band·width - The amount of data that can be passed along a communications channel in a given period of time.

This phrase has been floating around the office these days. It sounds a lot better than 'I don't have enough time'.

Go ahead and throw that out their the next time someone piles something else on your plate and says 'eat it!'

'I just do not have the bandwidth for that right now'.

I Finally Agree With Oprah...

My wife told me about a recent Oprah episode where diet and exercise were the topics. While I truly believe she just might be the anti-Christ, I think she got this one right.

See for yourself, I'm surprised her website has held up to all of the hits. [link]

Got to go...time to exercise :)

Got Beard Lube?

I have used shaving gel for as long as it has been around. There has been a switch and it is wonderful!

When I placed my latest order for 'Dirt' at Sephora.com, I added a little something just to try it out...Jack Black's Beard Lube. This is just about the greatest thing ever. Preshave conditioner, shaving cream, and after shave all built into one. The other cool thing? It is not pressurized like most shaving cream/gel...meaning if you drop it in the shower, the 'button' won't break and leave you with a mess.

Which brings up another topic.

Is it just me or is shaving in the shower the greatest??? You already have hot water and your facial hair is softer which leads to a closer shave.

Espresso Porn?!?!

Found this very funny site:

www.espressoporn.com

Well I think it's funny but for those of you addicted to the stuff...well...you might find it 'provocative'.

Here's a sample

62-0 and VA Tech lost!!!

La Coche Esta Muerta

Well, not quite. But she is on her last leg. That being said, her replacement has been narrowed down to three:


2006 Mazda 3


2006 Volkswagen Jetta


2006 Honda Civic

COBRA...Snake

I knew it was going to happen.

I planned for it.

I even attempted a preemptive strike.

Our little Abbie was born 7/25/2005 (5 months ago) and we are still battling insurance companies.

When I left the hospital, I knew we were going to need COBRA to cover Abbie's birth. I called and called. 'Where is this?' 'When will we get that?'

It would be nice to have someone do all of this for me. Like a health insurance 'broker'. File everything on our behalf and follow up.

We don't have the time

Don't most people have someone they go to for investments? Watch this stock and when it hits X amount sell, sell, sell.

I want someone to do that with our health insurance.

'Here's the best PPO for your family. Open a HSA and put X amount in it..oh and here is the best one to use.'

Wouldn't that be nice!?!?!

600 Card Pickup

Everyone has heard of 52 card pickup...you know the game you played as a child where cards are launched at the individual that says 'sure, what's that'.

Well I get to play the grown up version...take these 600 reports and reorganize them / combine them / shuffle them / simplify them.

Sound like fun?

You bet!!!

Let's go over my 'Now, Discover Your Strengths' strengths to see if this fits:

• WOO (Winning Others Over) - I enjoy getting people to like me...well after everything is done, prayerfully, everyone will love it and therefore love the company (even more).
• Ideation - I'm fascinated by ideas /concepts...nuff said
• Responsibility - I feel emotionally bound to follow through on anything I commit to...again, nuff said
• Significance - I want to be known and to stand out...pulling this off for the company will be huge.
  

Looks like a great fit. I am very excited about joining the Report Central team to work on this project.

MSN v. Google: Let the games begin...

google.com/ig



start.com

Compose in Word; Publish to Blogspot...

For those that like creating their master pieces in Microsoft Word prior to publishing to Blogspot here is your long awaited answer to, 'How do I...'

Blogger for Word is a free add-in for Microsoft Word that lets you save a Word document as a post to your Blogger blog with just a few clicks, and without even opening up a browser. Blogger for Word makes it even easier to express yourself online, save your documents to the web, and edit your work both online and off.

Horns Top Trojans

This just keeps getting better and better. The Texas Longhorns are standing at the top of the BCS! After Ohio State losing to Penn State I was nervous that Texas Tech was going to lose a game before the mighty Longhorns got to them. Should be a cake walk the rest of the way to the Rose Bowl.

By the way, I hope USC does not lose to UCLA I would love to see a UT v. USC game at the end of the season.

The Eyes of Texas: 52-17

(AP Photo/Eric Gay)


I have been waiting for this year for 25 years...how much is a plane ticket to CA?


HOOK 'EM

We Have a Winner!!!

The Cashmere Blazer

Description:
You are seeking the ultimate messenger style 17" laptop satchel, with 'kitchen sink' features yield. At this size has plentiful interior space for the extra protection afforded by full padded protection for your expensive IT goodies whilst on the go. This model has an internal divider in the main compartment meaning it's also good for those carrying a laptop, drawing tablet and or satellite phone! Good for those looking to combine their briefcase with their notebook bag. Very 'suit'-able but still street ably acceptable looks-wise.

Features:
Water resistant 1000D Nylon shell & 420D Ripstop Nylon lining, fully padded main & laptop compartments, 1 x external gusseted zip pocket w/ 6 pocket organizer, 3 x internal front pockets, padded internal divider in main compartment w/ 3 Velcro pockets, adjustable main strap w/ Quick Flick TM buckle, adjustable removable shoulder pad w/ Third Leg stability strap, clip & Velcro release flap, fits 17" laptop.

Holds:
Large sized 17" laptop shoulder bag fully padded for maximum protection and neat shape. Has a plethora of pockets both zipped and Velcro and holds around 4 folders, 17" laptop & accessories as well as daily essentials. Use the main or side strap to attach an optional extra Thirsty Al mobile phone holder. Utilize the 3rd leg Stability Strap for backpack-like levels of comfort and stability especially when riding.

Dimensions:
17.7x17.7x7.9 inches vol 20 litres 16x11.4x2 [internal laptop sleeve]

www.roadwired.com

www.roadwired.com

www.jackspade.com

www.jackspade.com

www.crumplerbags.com

www.crumplerbags.com

A Big Bag...

Go ahead finish it...but that's not what this is all about. I've been hauling around my laptop in a generic Dell bag. Now for those of you that do not know me very well, I don't like generic stuff. Not even generic Tylenol (maybe a bit of a stretch). I like the original and I like to be original. Therefore, I am in need of a cool (maybe not one of a kind) bag to carry this thing around in.

Any ideas???

The Fox and the Crow

A coal-black crow once stole a piece of meat. She flew to a tree and held the meat in her beak.
A fox, who saw her, wanted the meat for himself, so he looked up into the tree and said, 'How beautiful you are, my friend! Your feathers are fairer than the dove's.
'Is your voice as sweet as your form is beautiful? If so, you must be the queen of birds.'
The crow was so happy in his praise that she opened her mouth to show how she could sing. Down fell the piece of meat.
The fox seized upon it and ran away.
-Aesop

Vanity/pride is largely a matter of self-control. Others may try to feed our ego, but it's up to us to constrain it.

MAN I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!

The Book of Virtues

I ordered this book as well as the Children's Book of Virtues (+800 pages). It is one of the best books (if not the best) I have ever purchased. After reading all of the 'business' books and 'how to think' books it was time to go a different route. This think is filled with stories, fables, essays, poetry about virtues (the children's book is abbridged and illustrated):

• Self-Discipline
• Compassion
• Responsibility
• Friendship
• Work
• Courage
• Perseverance
• Honesty
• Loyalty
• Faith
  

I will be sharing little snippets as I go through this wonderful book. Here's the first:

On Self-Discipline - Our Lips and Ears

If you your lips would keep from slips,
Five things observe with care:
Of whom you speak, to whom you speak,
And how and when and where.

If you your ears would save from jeers,
These things keep meekly hid:
Myself and I, and mine and my,
And how I do and did.

When I Need to Laugh

Nothing like walking into work and being slammed with negativity. It's all about change management with the company I work for. After an organization has signed up the good times begin to roll.

'We did it this way before.'

'This doesn't work the way we need it to.'

Blah, blah, blah...

Most of the time the individuals that sign off on the purchase are not the ones that end up using it. This is when the Good Times are over and I need to laugh...

These two links make me laugh every time. Enjoy...

Homestar Runner #1
Homestar Runner #2

RSS: Tracking Packages

Greate idea, huh? Order from Amazon or Ebay and click a link to subscribe to an RSS feed for your package...

Where is this?

On my way to volunteer @ UpTown this morning at 3:00AM and what do I see??? 

Pumpkin Patch Beating

I look cute but won't remember this...

Squishy Baby Smiles

Abbie decided she likes her daddy (a little).

Maybe I Should Be an NFL GM

Here's the way I see it (and if you've heard this before, oh well). Randy Moss and Chad Johnson can run down the field at full speed, catch a ball in double coverage and continue at blazing fast speed another 50 yards to the endzone. This is not a suprise.

However, the next time you see this observe the (sometimes) overweight line judge that is standing at the endzone to put his hands up and signal TOUCHDOWN.

The dude is never out of breath and manages to keep up with fastest guys in the league.

If I were GM I would hire a few of them for the ole' team...don't know about their hands though.

The Morning After...A Push

Ahh the morning after a new release...there's nothing like it!!! What happen last night? Did it go off without a hitch? What will our clients think about all the hard work and late hours we put in? How many bugs will be reported? How many people will email us and say, 'Why do you guys keep changing things?' How many people will call us and say, 'WOW!!! This is great!!! BUT now can you add this?!?'

It's funny, I find myself doing the same thing though. When a wonderful new piece of technology is released (e.g. Google Earth) and we play around with it but say, 'Man, that is awesome!!! Too bad you can't do ______!!!'

Just enjoy it. Look at all the wonderful new features (and the occasional bug that slipped past QA).

If I were one of our customers, I would think one of the coolest things about our product is that any and all updates are:

1. Free
2. Automatically updated when you login to the system

In fact, I don't know of any other place (other then TiVo) where you get free and or automatic updates...

Let's see...I'll have to go buy the new version of Quicken to get all of those updates. I'll have to go purchase Microsoft Longhorn (or whatever the next version's name is) I'll have to go buy a new car if I want updates...

Huh, interesting business model. Wonder if the individuals that use our product have ever thought about that...sounds like a great selling point.

Hillary in 08?

Want Hillary Clinton to be president in 2008? Looks like ABC is paving the way for her. First, you have to get the American mindset to begin processing what this would look like. Enter Commander in Chief the new series from America's Broadcasting Company. In fact please click the link...they have really done this up! It looks like an online newpaper with what is really going on (polls and all).

The first post is this:

'For the first time in our nation's history, a woman leads us. How will President Mackenzie Allen face challenges, both personal and political, unknown to any previous Commander in Chief? The answers, opinions, and even more questions are here, in the words of the people.'

Check out this piece from the Village Voice [link]

_______________________________________________

For something a little less disturbing and pretty cool click here.

Lovely Rita, Meter Maid

In the wake of Katrina comes lovely Rita (think Beatles). Check out these amazing satelite pictures from the NOAA website (thanks Jeremy). [link] You can also find all kinds of other great overhead pictures there too. Speaking of, have you seen Google Maps view of New Orleans post Katrina?

I find it hard to belive that the forecasters in the area think this will still be a Catagory 1 when it makes its way to DFW. They can't even tell me when it's going to rain...

Should be fun at Fellowship Uptown this Sunday...

Google Sidebar

The latest and greatest from Google (I feel like a Google Apologist now) is the latest version of desktop search. You may put an autohide side bar that contains a pluthera of information right at the movement of a mouse.

Want to see all of your new emails? They're all in your new sidebar.

Want to follow your mutual funds or stocks? Just put them in your sidebar.

Want to see a slideshow of your new precious little baby girl? Just put the file path to a picture folder in your sidebar.

Want to read blogs but don't like going to Bloglines every 30 minutes to see if anyone has something new? Put the URL feed in your sidebar and see the latest posts from all of your favorites.

Want the weather forecast for where you live and/or work? Put it/them in the sidebar.

Like to use notepad to take quick notes if someone calls? Write them in the sidebar.

Oh yeah...want to search your entire harddrive and hate using the search under 'Start'? Use the desktop search that the whole thing was originally created for.

When's that Google OS coming out???

Thought / Quote of the Day

Heard this on commercial and made me laugh:

'Don't women know if they would go to the restroom by themselves instead of with a friend, the lines would be half as long?!?'

Quote of the day:

I am patient with stupidity but not with those who are proud of it.
- Edith Sitwell

Think about that Mayor Ray...

Blog Search Feed

To all of those super geeks that want to search all blogs for a specific item (i.e. "Fellowship Technologies") and be alerted anytime a new post includes this, you are going to love search.blogger.com. Search for anything "Texas Longhorns" (using quotes pulls results where the two words are together) "Dallas Cowboys" whatever and then go to the bottom to subscribe to this search!

Amazing

If you're a news/opionion junkie like I am, you will think this is the best thing ever...

J Froggy-Frog

J.R., This one's for you.

So if you look like two posts below, you will see a post about 'G' (I must now refer to G00g!e as G because of BLAMMING).

This new personalized search page is amazing! Have a favorite blog or two? Go ahead and copy the Feedburner link and paste it in the RSS feed section and voila, instant 'bloglines'.

You may also personalize news stories from 'G' news. I have "Texas Longhorns" football as one of mine.

On a side note, my wife started her very own blog last night: myabbie.blogspot.com

Blam - Blog Spam

Don't blog about the 'G' word or your comments will get spammed with junk...nice!!! Thanks for ruining it for the rest of us!!!

IDIOT!!! You know I'm training to become a cage fighter!!!

You have been warned...

myGoogle?

Quote of the day from my personalized Google page (your very own portal...):

'My definition of an expert in any field is a person who knows enough about what's really going on to be scared.'
-P.J. Plauger

Recipe of the Day - Chicken Satay Sandwich

1 1/2 pounds thin cut chicken breast meat (cutlets)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Grill seasoning (recommended: Grill Mates Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick) or coarse salt and pepper
3 rounded tablespoons chunky peanut butter
3 tablespoons dark soy sauce, Tamari, eyeball it
1/4 cup apple juice, eyeball it
2 teaspoons hot sauce, eyeball it
1 lime, juiced
1/4 seedless cucumber, thinly sliced lengthwise then cut into sticks
1 cup shredded carrots
2 cups shredded lettuce, iceberg or hearts of romaine
4 crusty rolls, keisers or subs, split

Heat a grill pan or large nonstick skillet to medium high to high heat. Coat chicken in oil and grill seasoning and cook 3 minutes on each side in 2 batches. Pile up meat and shred it with a sharp knife.

Place peanut butter in a medium, microwave safe bowl and soften in the microwave on high for 20 seconds. Whisk soy, apple juice, hot sauce and lime juice into peanut butter. Toss chicken with satay sauce. Combine shredded veggies. Place 1/4 of veggies on sandwich bottoms and top with 1/4 satay chicken mixture. Set the bun tops in place and serve or wrap for travel.

This Recipe came from Rachel '30 Minute' Ray on foodtv.com. I brought this to work and ate one then shared the rest. Everyone loved it.

Enjoy

The Greatness of Ali G

Bodyguards tackle Ali G [link]

I don't know which is more bizarre...Ali G tackling Pam Anderson or Pam Anderson marrying her dogs?!?!

Gmail Anyone?

I'm sure that everyone in the world that wants a Gmail account already has one. If you still don't have one or whatever post a comment (including your email address) and it will be yours soon.

Man I have tired head today!

Brian's Notes: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

Man oh man am I tired of motivational books where managers 'trick' their reports into 'finding their cheese' or whatever. This book, however, was refreshing. Written by the same guy that did 'The Five Temptations of a CEO' (Patrick Lencioni), this book pretty much skips the fluff and gets to the point through a nice little parable about a startup company.

It's pretty funny to see the different personality types and how they interact (you'll find you self saying...'Oh yeah! That's me!' or 'Man, that sounds just like something so-and-so would say.' Anyway, here is the main gist.

Look at your team. The people you meet with on your level. If you're a chick on the executive team it would be your executive team. If you're just some dude in a department it's the people you meet with in the department. After looking at your team, are you moving in the same direction, toward one common goal?

Do you trust each other? (Are you willing to show where you're weak within the group)
Do you fear conflict? (Are you incapable of engaging in unfiltered straight-up debate)
Do you lack commitment? (Are you completely sold out to your agreements)
Do you hold each other accountable? (Are you able to call people on the carpet if they commit and don't follow through)
Do you pay attention to results? (Are you putting your individual needs (ego/recognition) ahead of the teams one common goal)

It all builds like the pyramid at the top (the only one I could find is built backwards...go figure).

Trust each other so you can have blunt debates so you can totally commit so you can hold each other accountable so you can pay attention to the common goal of the team!

Hope that was helpful...Go get the book or have your company/organization start a library where you could 'read up' on some books...even the one about Cheese.

Tip Du Jour #2 - Fellowship One - People Search

The church my wife and I attend uses a Church Management Application called Fellowship One. I have learned a few tips and tricks from a few 'Portal Users'. For those of you that use this wonderful application, this tip is for you.

Alt-S

From anywhere in the portal you may access the People Search in the top left hand corner simply by holding the 'Alt' key and hitting 'S'. This is a pretty helpful short cut for those of you that do not enjoy using the ole' mouse.

Enjoy!

My Google, My Google, Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me?!?!

What has happened to Google? I noticed this weekend that some of their searches have changed. You cannot look up stock quotes easily at this time. Previously you could put in the 3 or 4 letters that identify a company on NYSE or NASDAQ (i.e. AMR, GOOG) and Google would pull up the live stock quote and all the company information. Also, the 'movies 76210' function where you could see what is showing close to you at a glance is not working. I've been relying on this for awhile now and it's just gone...

I have noticed that you can now use other search engines via Google (look at the top of your search now).

I know you guys and gals lead the innovation pack but come on!!! When something is great why revert to good???

Tip Du Jour #1 - Quick URL Entry

I don't know if I've told everyone what I do now at my job...since I left the hospital. I now work at a help desk for a startup company. There are two of us supporting our product for about 200 customers currently. People call or write us for tips using our product and along the way we find out little tips for using everyday software (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Word, Excel, etc.). So on Thursdays I've decided to start sharing an everyday tip.

Todays tip is for all you internet junkies.

Quick URL entry:

Try this out on your favorite web browser...mine's Mozilla's Firefox. Go to the address bar and type the word 'weather' (without the quotes). Now hold your CTRL key and hit enter. Voila!!! I'm not going to tell you what happens...just try it (you'll get the weather channels website).

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

I love to read and was very excited when our SVP (senior vice president) offered up a copy of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. Anyone else heard of it?

I'll let you know what I think...

Man, a baby is a lot of work...

Jonathan Schwartz - Fast Company

Checkout this recent interview with President and COO of Sun Microsystems in Fast Company. [link] (If it asks for an access code: FCAUGHR)

The two quotes I have taken away from it are:

"When you do what you love, you can't lose."

This goes back to "Now, Discover Your Strengths" by Marcus Buckingham. Focus on your strengths instead of weaknesses and you'll end up enjoying what you do even more and be more productive!!! He's even written an article in this months issue. [link]

and

"You are not about to send fewer email messages, watch fewer movies, or download fewer songs. Demand is unceasing. It is up to us to meet it."

Take that and chew on it...If people really want your product (that's normally a good thing), what
are you doing to meet it? As Tom Peters says, "You can't shrink your way to greatness!"

Hello

Man, after you have a baby everyone is picture crazy. I've played around with Hello since I started blogging but did not recognize the greatness of it until this past week! You can queue up pictures to send and it doesn't require an email to send them. I would highly suggest this wonderful tool especially if you have pictures to share with parents that don't live locally.

Oh yeah! Don't forget Picassa 2 to go with it. It will automatically index every picture on your computer and allow you to access Hello or Gmail to send them directly from Picassa. Or, select the pictures you like and have them printed via ShutterFly ($0.17 per picture and mailed within 2 days) or Wal-Mart ($0.20 pick up within an hour!!!) with the click of your mouse.

Did I mention that these programs are free?

But wait...there's more! If you still do not have a Gmail account and would like one, simply leave a comment (including your current email address) on this post!

Bunny With a Pancake On His Head

One of the guys I work with (Mr. Jackson not Michael's father) was on the internet and was 404'd. This picture was on the page...I thought it was funny.

Then Nick found the origin of the picture. [link] Turns out this little bunny is an expert at balancing stuff on his head!!!

Not too witty today...sorry.

Abbie's Official WebSite

My father (Abbie's Pe-Paw) has created a website all about her:

www.abigailvinson.com

Man are we exhausted...

We were at the doctors office (Dr. David Goff of Cooke's Children's) at 7:00AM this morning for her first checkup. By the way, we would recommend that early to everyone because it's nice to be first in line. All is going well. She's lost a little bit of weight so we're going to start on a 7-7-20 (that's all I'm allowed to post no detail...I'm sure the ladies can figure it out) regiment to help her out.

Inapropriate joke of the day (just a little vulgar) MUST BE 18 YEARS OF AGE TO CONTINUE!!!

Why are babies so fragile?



They are put together with one screw!!!

Thank you goodnight! or day...we're all mixed up

First Night = DONE!!!

I just wish everyone could marry an amazing wife like I did. Have I said how wonderful she's doing with this whole 'motherhood' thing? WOW!!! God will provide is right!

In keeping with the tradition of this pregnancy (thank you God), the first night went very very well. I stayed up late with Abbie and gave her a bottle around midnight so Mom could get as much rest as possible. That worked out pretty well since we're nursing...one and a quarter ounces of formula = about 3 and a half hours of sleep...does that mean 2 ounces = 6 hours of sleep? j/k

Thanks for the prayers last night and thank you Robin & Terry for the fantastic Chicken Lasagna (was that cream cheese???(we need that recipe!!!))

It's official Abbie has taken over the blog for awhile...

Okay...More Pictures

Click here for more pictures of the lovely, beautiful and talented Abigail 'Abbie' Morgan Vinson.

BV

Home at last

Praise Jesus we are already home. Everything is going great!!! The dogs are adjusting nicely to little miss Abbie. We're home and did I say...we're home. I know we were only in the hospital for like a day and a half but 'there is no place like home!'

Yes, I know...Life as we know it is over...we know it's true but man, if I had a dollar for everytime we heard that in the last 36 hours we would be rich.

Thank you to the wonderful staff at the Presbyterian Hospital of Denton's Center for Women. Debbie, Betty, Abby, Cindy, Stephanie, Carmen, Mitzi, Linda and of course Donna (the A-Team) you were all amazing and made the whole experience even more wonderful than it already was (thanks for the suite!!!). Dr. Marc Wilson, you are truly an amazing man of God and we appreciate your love, kindness and gentleness throughout this entire pregnancy.

Thanks to my parents (Tate and Lecil) and the Out-Laws (Donnie and Diane) for food and getting stuff and checking on the dogs.

Thank you McMaster's and Storch's for coming by and offering advice and assistance if we ever need it.

But most importantly...thank you God for trusting me with a wonderful precious healthy little girl and the amazing wife that carried her for us both. (I love you honey!)

Again, thanks to everyone for the support and prayers...
BV

Abigail Morgan Vinson

Hey everyone Abbie's here.

Born 12:23PM (like 4 and a half hours of labor...man Kristie's good)

5 pounds 13 ounces and 18 inches long...

Thank you for your prayers everyone!!! Everything went great and Kristie and Abbie are doing wonderful!!!
BV

Funny Stuff Day...

Death Star Subwoofer

A picture is worth a thousand quotes. [link]

"Now witness the full power of this fully armed and operational battle subwoofer!!!"
-DV

The Sponge Monkeys Song
The Quiznos Sponge Monkeys Like the Moon in case you didn't know.

Jeff is Cool
This German Aggie is a great lip syncer (sp)

Have a great weekend!!!
BV

Chocolate Chip Cookie #10

As stated previously on Life as a 20-Something, I am a huge Alton Brown fan. My wife on a whim one day bought me I'm Just Here For More Food and the baking began. Yes, I enjoy cooking. I would love to go to culinary school someday...eventually...so there. That being said, here's the Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe (very simple and a big hit anywhere I've taken them (hope this isn't illegal or anything)).

The Dry Goods
All-purpose flour - 2 and 1/2 cups
Baking Soda - 1 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp

The Wet Works
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Brown Sugar - 3/4 cup
Unsalted butter - 2 sticks (melted and slightly cooled)
Egg Yolks - 2 large
Vanilla extract - 1 tsp

The Extras
Chocolate chips - 2 cups

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Pulse all dry goods together in a food processor for 5 seconds (to sift) and move to bowl.
  
• Whisk together all liquid ingredients, including butter and eggs.
• Add the wet stuff to the dry stuff and mix just until batter comes together. Do NOT smooth.
• Using a disher (or ice cream scoop) scoop portions onto a pair of ungreased or parchment-lined baking sheets. At this stage, the cookies can be frozen on the pans then moved to zip-top bags; they'll keep for up to 3 months
• Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until golden brown. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 2 minutes, then remove to a rack to cool completely (yeah right).

Let me know what you think!

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

The wife and I sat down last night to watch a movie that was suppose to be 'fantastic.' The basic premise is [link] a couple undergo a procedure to erase each other from their memories when their relationship turns sour, but it is only through the process of loss that they discover what they had to begin with.

Now, if I had known this from the start it would have made it a little easier to get into the movie. At first your like, 'Dude, what is going on? Will this start making sense soon?'

Eventually you get it (what's going on) and it turns out to be pretty good. Overall, I would give it one and a half a thumbs up. The cast was great and the subplot with Kirsten Dunst was a nice little twist (stellar cast by the way).

In the end...just give me Office Space.

'Corporate accounts payable, Meana speaking...Just a moment!'

Congratulations to the Happy Couple

Yesterday's post was pretty heavy...here's a fun quick one for the day.

Pamela Anderson is considering a third stroll down the aisle with ex-Motley Crue drummer, Tommy Lee reports Radar. Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee first wed in 1995, divorced a year later, then remarried 18 months after that only to re-divorce in 1998 following Lee's conviction for beating Anderson in front of their two young children reports Radar Magazine.[link]

3rd times a charm???

The wheels have been off for a while.

Thimerosal

As some of you know, Kristie and I are expecting our first child, a baby girl (Abigail Morgan), in the middle of August. Now, I'm already freaking out because of the whole, 'Will I break her?' bit. Add to this the facts of Thimerosal (a mercury-based preservative in children's vaccines) may be responsible for the exponential growth of autism, attention deficit disorder, speech delays, and other childhood neurological disorders now epidemic in the United States. [link] (Boston Globe charges to look at archives)

I worked in a hospital pharmacy for 5 years so I asked my former boss (BBG) what he thought about this. Here is his response:

The dangers of Thimerosal are well documented but vaccine manufacturers have protection from litigation by the federal government. The reality is parents would rather expose their children to danger than endure the inconvenience of their child having the Measles or Chicken Pox. I have a wife that is primarily a stay at home mother so it is easy for me to forgo the aforementioned vaccines but a two income family that is reliant upon the dual income must consider a couple of weeks off work and the pain of watching your child suffer. Merck has removed Thimerosal from all of their children's vaccines and most manufacturers have followed suit. Glaxo Smith Kline still has Thimerosal in their pediatric Engerix-B, why we switched to Recombivax at DCH, and all of the INJECTABLE flu vaccines contain Thimerosal. Flu-mist, a live culture nasal vaccine, does not contain Thimerosal but you must limit contact with those at high risk and weakened immune systems. The FDA has a website that deals exclusively with Pediatric Vaccines and Thimerosal.

Has anyone else faced this choice?

Wine For Dummies

I started reading a different type of book this week. Normally my reading consists of a management/leadership/business/branding book. This week, however, there's a different avenue to travel, Wine for Dummies. Please do not get this wrong, I personally feel that an occasional drink is a-okay. After all, wasn't the first miracle performed by Jesus (John 2:11)? That being said, I have always wanted to be able to go to a restaurant and be able to order a beverage that would go well with my meal...other than water.

The 2nd chapter of the book goes into wine tasting. You get to learn about the 'nose' and 'palate' of the wine you are tasting. I have started with the basics (chardonnay) and so far Yellow Tail (Southern Australia) is my favorite.

Has anyone else got the wine bug?

Wedding Crashers

Owen Wilson + Vince Vaughn = Funny movie.

However, it would have been just as funny without the nudity and F-bombs (stupid Hollywood). The movie begins and ends like any generic 'guy comedy' (see 'Old School'). That all I have right now. Don't want to ruin it for others that might go see it.

On a side note:
One of my friends from high school and one of Kristie's friends from high school just got married (to each other) yesterday.
Congratulations Jason & Heather Ryan!

To close:
No we did not crash their wedding. We were invited.

Foo Fighters - In Your Honor

Great sound on the latest album from the Foo Fighters. This one is great for the commute from Denton to Irving everyday. There's a little bit of everything stylewise. I was going to do a quick break down of each track but it would take way too long this morning (there are 20 tracks on the album):

1. In Your Honor
   
2. No Way Back
3. Best Of You
   
4. DOA
5. Hell
6. The Last Song
7. Free Me
8. Resolve
9. The Deepest Blues Are Black - Favorite song on the album (like an 80's rock ballad)
   
10. End Over End
11. Still
12. What If I Do?
13. Miracle
14. Another Round
15. Friend Of A Friend
16. Over And Out
17. On The Mend
18. Virginia Moon
19. Cold Day In The Sun
20. Razor

Very well done...each song is unique and none are 'fillers.'

They were on Letterman the other night and he had this gem to say:

"This band, the Foo Fighters, are very respectable! Paul, do you know what they are doing when they aren't playing music??? They are out fighting FOO!!!"

Guess you had to hear it for yourself...

Jonathan Product

Kristie and I have been watching this show 'Blow Out' on Bravo. It's pretty much a look behind the scenes of what goes on at a 'high brow' (very expensive) salon. You get to see how Jonathan (the 'straight' owner) runs the company, manages time, manages employees and in his spare time creates a product line. He is very passionate about what he does...and should be for making $500-$1000 for a hair cut. I just purchased some of the new product he created, Dirt.

This 'dude' cries at least one time per episode and it started to get under my skin but then I started thinking to myself, 'Self, how would you react if you created your very own product, something you have dreamed of your entire life, and it was finally created right before your very eyes in less than 3 months? Would you cry...a lot?'

Now I get it, the Dirt is costly because it was made with his tears...

Doesn't that make you want to VOMIT?

Digital Duct Tape

Duct Tape can be used for just about anything (see Ductigami: The Art of the Tape) But what about Digital Duct Tape? Have you ever had to string something together that should have been fairly simple with all the technology we have? (I love technology...Always and forever) For example, I work for a small startup company in support services. We have created a 'web based' application which must be used on Firefox or I.E. by the user for us to support it properly. The organizations that use our product are familar with this, however, the 'end user' does not always know about this.

Friday we recieved a support request that required me to do some research on the 'In House Mac.' We were able to reproduce the issue on Safari but I needed to document what this 'looked like.' This is where the Digital Duct Tape comes in.

• I did a Print Screen on the Mac (had to call Terry about that one)
  
• Then I printed a hard copy of the print screen
  
• Faxed it to our e-fax
• Checked my email for the e-fax
• Attached the e-fax to the support ticket

There you have it...Digital Duct Tape. (I know the whole process was not digital...but it sounds better than 'Technology Duct Tape.')

Ever used it?

I'd Do Any Thing For Love (But I Won't Do That)

Never done this one before:

I have been craving meat loaf...the food (yeah I know...weird) for like a month. Last night I got home and my wife was pulling a beautiful meat loaf out of the oven. For those of you that do not know Kristie (wife), she does not really enjoy cooking. So I was extra surprised to have a made from scratch meat loaf and mashed potatos meal waiting for me upon arrival.

IT WAS THE BEST MEAT LOAF I HAVE EVER TASTED!!! (Even better than Dad's)

And I get to have left overs today.

Kudos to the best wife in the world (and Alton Brown)

Good Eats Meat Loaf

Wiki-Book

Ladies and Gentlemen-

And now for something completely different: A book forum using backpackit.com. Storch turned me on to this site for taking notes/reminders for the ole' blog and now I would like to try this. You may add recommendations and comments to books or add a new book you would like to recommend or have others comment on. This idea stems from Love is the Killer App by Tim Sanders. Part of being a 'love cat' is sharing knowledge from the books you read (even share the book.)

Finding a great book to share is the hard part.

This will take place: http://bvinson.vinson.backpackit.com/pub/144713

To join the forum send an email: albert59ada@bvinson.vinson.backpackit.com

Please include your email address in the body of the email.

And you thought $2.17 a gallon was too much...

For those of you that don't know, I'm trying to 'get into' the whole business and investing scene. My father-in-law told me about American Airlines saving $118 million a year just on fuel. WOW!!! Check out some of these little facts/stats about AMR

From a CBS News article [link] and an Airport Business article [link]

Jet fuel accounts for nearly 20 percent of American's costs, its second-largest expense behind labor. American spent $2.8 billion on fuel last year, and with stubbornly high oil prices, it estimates the 2004 cost will be $3.4 billion.

Fuel-saving steps American has taken: taxiing on one engine instead of two, and shutting down auxiliary gas-powered engines while planes are parked at the terminal.

To reduce weight and improve mileage, American jets have been carrying half as much reserve fuel on international routes since May after the Federal Aviation Administration approved.

American also uses its planes as tankers, ferrying fuel from places where it is cheap instead of filling up where it is costly. This summer, when jet fuel cost $1.58 a gallon in California but $1.16 in Dallas, American saved $400 a flight by filling up in Texas.

An engine on a taxiing MD-80 airliner burns as much fuel as 90 sport utility vehicles driving 60 mph.

The average two-hour MD-80 flight consumes more than 2,100 gallons of fuel. A five-hour Boeing 767 flight burns 7,500 gallons.

American refuels its planes 60,000 times a month.

Crude oil prices remained above $55 per barrel this week, up more than 80 percent since 2001.

What innovative steps has your organization taken to reduce cost?

T-5

This past weekend in a wonderful message titled 'Ripple On,' Mike Breaux from Willow Creek listed his top 5 movies. That got me to thinking about my top 5 and here they are:

5. Be Cool (Finally, a sequel that is better than the original)
4. Garden State (love me some Zach Braff)
3. Good Fellas ('What? Am I a clown...Do I amuse you?')
2. Heat (De Niro and Pacino playing opposites...need I say more?)
1. Tombstone (and I don't really like westerns)

What say you?

Quitomzilla - Firefox Extension

After another budget talk with the wife, I have decided to give up Starbucks. At least for a little while! As you may know, I use Firefox for my web browser. One of the really great things about this application is opensource extensions. You may customize the way you move on the net.

Anyway, after deciding to quit I needed a little encouragment. That's when I ran across this beautiful extension. It was originally created for individuals that have quit smoking and I modified it for myself [link] I put the day I stopped going and the number of drinks I purchased a day and how much one cost.

As of today I have gone 1 week 1 day and 6 hours without purchasing a lovely Grande Iced Quad Americano (no water)...serious drink by the way and saved $24.00.

WOW!!!

My wife asked me this question, "If you have saved $24.00, where is it?" My response was, "Not on the credit card..."

Zondervan's 'Gender-Accurate' Bible???

What in the world is going on at Zondervan? Every Bible I have ever purchased has been a Zondervan. I went through High School and College with the 'Student Bible' and now I own one of their great 'chain reference' Bibles. Now there's the TNIV (Today's New International Version).

I subscribe to Business 2.0 and read an article [link] over the weekend about the 'powerhouse publisher.' They mentioned three of new 'styles' being produced and the most disturbing is the 'Gender-Accurate' TNIV.

"Young people today may not go to church," says Brian Scharp, VP for Bible marketing, "but religion is important to them. We have to make it relevant."

Another article at Crosswalk says this, "The Zondervan spokesman says it was with such changes in mind that the TNIV translators worked to develop a version of scripture that reflected the intent of the biblical writers while making use of contemporary English. For instance, he says, "There are passages of scripture that say God wants 'all men' to be saved. It's very clear from both the Greek language and also the intent and the context of the writer that God's intention was not simply that all males be saved, but that He wants all people to be saved." [link]

Really?

The Executive?

I was checking out | the mind of daniel | and found this pretty nice personality test. It was not as intensive as the Now, Discover Your Strengths test but the results were similar.

I am an ENTJ - The Executive - AlsoKnownAs: Extroverted Intuitive Thinking Judging

ENTJs generally have the following traits:

• Driven to turn theories into plans
• Highly value knowledge
• Future-oriented
• Natural leaders
• Impatient with inefficiency and incompetence
• Want things structured and orderly
• Excellent verbal communication skills
• Dislike routine, detail-oriented tasks
• Self-confident
• Decisive

Take the test here [link] and share your results.

RFID - Good Idea for Humans?

There was a very interesting post in WIRED this month about an elementary school using RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) in student IDs to pot attendance [link].

Appearently this caused a big stink in the local community...'Big Brother,' 'Mark of the Beast' and what not.

What would the local church think about using something like this to easily track attendance? How easy would it be to install a system that automatically posts attendance to any event or activity at church. This could be used for the worship service, small groups, childrens activities, the nursery, anywhere.

What would you say?

Blackberry Etiquette???

Notice: There is a little bathroom humor in this post!!!

Today I go to the restroom and am standing at the urinal 'doing my thing'. A gentleman that works on the same floor (I assume) approaches the urinal directly next to mine...this is a violation in Urinal Etiquette. He then proceeds to 'do his thing' and in the process, takes his Blackberry of his hip (I assume) and began reading his email or something!

Note to those with a Blackberry: Are you truly that important and/or crunched for time? Which odd places do you check your email?

Has anyone published a Blackberry Etiquette reference guide?

...How do you 'clean' a Blackberry?

Live 8 - Live on XM Satellite Radio

If ever you needed an excuse (not that you really need to make up an excuse for your wife to let you get a new techno-gadget) to purchase an XM Radio this is it!!!

http://www.xmradio.com/live8/index.jsp

U2, Coldplay, Madonna, Pink Floyd, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Sting, Mariah Carey, Snoop Dogg, REM, Andrea Bocelli, Youssou N'Dour, Crosby Stills and Nash, Lauryn Hill, Will Smith, Puff Daddy, Sarah McLachlan, Dave Matthews Band, and many more.

Global coverage of Live 8 starts at 7AM ET on July 2:

• Live Global Coverage - XM Channel 40
• London - XM Channel 41
• Philadelphia - XM Channel 42
• Berlin - XM Channel 43
• Rome - XM Channel 44
• Paris - XM Channel 45
• Toronto - XM Channel 46

Learn more at www.live8live.com

Is This Why Tom Cruise Is Acting 'Crazy?'

Bring attention to yourself...bring attention to a remake?

Why in a time of so much dazzling technological innovation, from the iPod to the cellphone camera, were so many gifted filmmakers retreating into the past, devoting their time to remaking old TV shows and movies? Think about it...

• Herbie: Fully Loaded
• Bewitched'
• War of the Worlds
• Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
• The Bad News Bears
• The Dukes of Hazzard

Wall Street Journal critic Joe Morgenstern. "But the studios are frightened by newness. And, more scarily, audiences seem to feel the same way."

Sorry to do this but I also feel the same way about Christian artists remaking each others songs. How many different ways can we really hear 'Over the Mountains and the Seas?"

What ever happened to innovation?


P.S. Mr. Cruise, in regard to your 'Ritalin Rant' on the Today Show...it is unlawful to practice medicine without a license.

Mr. Graham...seriously? Did you really say this?

Mr. Graham...seriously? Did you really say this?

Here's a quote I heard Bill Bennett talking about this morning.

"Graham called the Clintons 'wonderful friends' and 'a great couple', quipping that the former president should become an evangelist and allow 'his wife to run the country'." [link]



A great couple???

Dell and the Patriot Act?

What do Dell and the United States Government have in common? Apparently they want to know what you are typing on your computer...

http://c0x2.de/lol/lol.html

Maybe that's why Dell laptops are so inexpensive...the cheaper they are the more people will buy one. All Uncle Sam has to do is subsidize this little program...

Time to move to Toshiba or Mac!!!

Thanks to Chris Wick for pointing this out.

Devotional Minute

Please welcome my father-in-law, Donnie Davis, to the blogging community. He has been writing minute long devotionals for a few years now and sending them out via email. Now he's 'going global!!!'

His URL is http://devotionalminute.blogspot.com

Welcome to the WorldWideWeb Donnie!

Sermon Pod Casts for Volunteers

I visited a fairly large church over the weekend in the Houston area and noticed something. A young lady was walking around to all of the volunteers (children's church, greeters, parking lot guys/gals) and handing them sermon tapes. That got me to thinking...

Why not setup sermon podcasts for volunteers at churches? Surely a church with a IT guy/staff that maintains it's own website might be able to arrange something like this. The 'Vols' could use a promo code to download the message free of charge and others could by it if they did not want to sit and watch a video of the service at their desktop...

The cost would be for bandwidth instead of physical cassette tapes and that's about it!

Chipotle on PBS???

Chipotle is the sponsor of a new PBS television show 'Mark Bittman Takes on America's Chefs.' Check out the 3 'quick ads' (very funny) that are played before and after the show. [link]

P.S. Thanks for the free burrito yesterday!!!

P.P.S. Check out their whole website it's entertaining.

Sorry Honey!!!

It happens everyday, everyday!!! My secret affair. I get in my car and drive to work, or at least that's what my wife thinks! On my way to work I think over and over again, "Is it eight o'clock yet? It's got to be eight o'clock!" Then it happens...The Laura Ingraham Show. This woman drives me nuts and each day I feel awful about it. She is so easy to listen to. She makes great points. She's witty. Well that's that! There you go. Now it's out in the open.

Anyone else feel the same?

My First Business Trip

I've been with my company for 5 weeks now and I just got back from my 1st business trip. My boss and myself went to Houston Saturday and Sunday to work with an organization. Let me tell you it was a blast. I had to book my first business flight, book my first rental car, book a room to stay in (and stayed in it alone). WOW!!! A lot of firsts. I know this might be a little over done, but this is something I have always wanted to do. I have finally done it.

Just think about it for a moment...what was your first overnight business trip like?

Notice: All Podcasters...

Be very careful about publishing podcasts with any music in them! I found this note on Glenn Beck's podcasting page.

Dear Subscribers,

Recent court rulings have made clear that music of almost any kind cannot be included in podcasts, since, unlike streams, podcasts are a physical copy of the audio, and music is not licensed for this use.

We regret that this means podcasts and downloadable MP3's must be edited to remove all such music, including bumper music that leads out of commercial breaks, and any music content in the show.

On occasion, this may result in rougher than usual edits in order to follow the law. We are working on technical solutions to eliminate this music without the need for such editing, and we ask your patience until that is in place.

As always, all streams of the show, including those delivered on demand, do include all show content, including music.

Thank you very much

GoogleGoo...WOW!!! 

A Google Store?

I'm not sure how long this has been around but you can get some pretty sweet stuff at the Google Store. Things like...Google Beanbag...GoogleMini...Google Spiral Notebook...Google Goo...stuff.

There you go Google Freaks.

Mr. Bernard

Saturdays at the Vinson household usually consist of being out and about during the morning. While out driving around the radio is always on 570 KLIF. There is a wonderful show on from 8:00AM to 1:00PM called Wheels with Ed Wallace. This guy is amazing not only does he know everything there is to know about cars but history...man, he does a segment titled The Backside of American History...what you didn't learn in high school. It is absolute greatness.

Anyhow, between segments he has little 'one liners' by two different characters and one is Mr. Bernard. This weekend I heard the best one yet.

"Why is it anyone driving slower than you is an idiot and anyone zooming past you is crazy?"

It made me laugh out loud.

Bargains at the Expense of Others

For years I’ve heard Glenn Beck preach about how wonderful Bill’s Khakis are. My wife and I went to purchase a pair for myself and man-oh-man are they expensive! The latest clothing rage is 7 for all mankind and again, man-oh-man are they expensive! But are they really? Or, are we getting a bargain at someone else’s expense? Where does the Gap, American Eagle, Nike or almost any other clothing manufacture produce their clothing? I’ll give you a hint…can you say outsourcing? With all the talk of companies sending jobs overseas it looks like this huge market has been overlooked. Bill’s Khakis and 7’s are produced in the good ole’ U.S. of A. Maybe that is why they cost a more. Not because they are trying to make a huge profit, but because they actually pay at least minimum wage to their employees instead of $1 a day or whatever. So the next time you are out shopping and supporting the economy, think about these two products. By American made or stop moaning and groaning about outsourcing!

P.S. They look and feel great.

Google tops Time Warner

WOW!!!
I guess Google is doing okay...
Here is an article on Google topping Time Warner. [link]

Pod Casting Mainstream?

My favorite talk show host is by far Glenn Beck. He's funny, conservative, and does some pretty great bits (I'm a fan of great bits.)

Well now he's hopped aboard the Pod casting band wagon. [link]

I Don't Want to be a Hilton

Great article by Kathleen Parker about back in the day.

myTunes

Why must I carry my music around on an iPod or an external hard drive? Should I not be able to put everything in one place and access it from where- ever I want? I should be able to listen to all of my music in my car, in my office and in my home with out having to re-'rate' or transfer it.

But how?

Doing Something I Love

WOW!!!

It's amazing how fast time flies when you're doing something you love. I have been at F-Tech for almost a week and it is awesome. Everyone is dedicated to what they are doing. People training customers are excited about it. People in devlopment are thrilled at the product they get to work on. One would think these people actually enjoy their jobs.

Is it management? I mean, yeah, the executive team here is great. There are team building activities but I don't think that is it...

These people love what they are doing and are actually invested in it.

Just a thought.

On the Anvil

Today was my last day at Presby Denton. One of my great friends sent me this little ditty.

The World is the anvil of your soul
Adversity is the hammer God uses to sharpen your will
Love is the fire that purifies the spirit
And if you bend to His will
You are his mightiest sword

Thanks to my second family. Thank you for welcoming me, teaching me and most importantly...being patient with me. I will truly miss each and every one of you.

Short Timers

1 week to go before I start my new gig...Man it sure is hard to go to work and put in 100% effort. Why should I care? After a little bit of reading the word, it turns out (who would have thought) it's still part of my ministry. A word to the "short timers" out there. It's called short timers because you only have a short time left...stick with it. You might not feel like putting in 100% but you still have an opportunity to make an impact for God.

Try not to be too happy though...

Forget Balance

I was looking over my notes from "The Circle of Innovation" when I ran across this gem. "We seek balance between innovation and infrastructure/finance. Or do we? Forget...balance. Embrace instead...TENSION!"

Think about this...you have a very bright manager constantly running in one direction at a hundred miles an hour...in pursuit of the bold, the brave, and the innovatitive. Then there's the administrator/director, equally as bright (if not alittle more-so), headed the other direction just as fast. Fighting, shouting, not balancing but living in a constant state of tension.

"If you have two people who think the same, FIRE one of them. What do you need duplication for?"
-Jerry Krause,
general manager, Chicago Bulls

Favorite Drink

I have two favorite drinks. A cheap one and a less cheap one. The cheap one would be club soda with lime. It’s perfect. There are no calories (no junk sweeteners), it’s crisp, refreshing and perfect on a summer day. The less cheap one, four shots of espresso over ice in a grande cup with half and half to the top also known as ‘Del Sol’ or a ‘Hickory Creek Sunrise’ depending on the barista. What’s not to love about that? The smokey aroma surrounded with the smooth, rich half and half?

WOW!!!

I need one right now.

Later.

Pre-Move...Never Mind

Nevermind the posts about the move…I’ve moved on. Tom Peter’s “The Circle of Innovation” was my book of the month, this month. It was recommended by Tim Sanders in “Love is the Killer App.” It was interesting to read since it was written in 1997 and a little bit has changed in the world since then. Here a few highlights:

We Are All Michelangelos – every ‘jobholder’ is a business person. Michelangelos of housekeeping…and hairstyling.

We’re Here to Live Life Out Loud – Leaders of the future must have laser-like focus, tell the truth, and live on the lunatic fringe.

Chapter Titles like: “CDO (Chief Destruction Officer)” and “What the Hell is an Organization NOW?” make this one very hard to put down. A word of warning, this book has a little bit of language in it…Tom is very passionate about this stuff.

The circle of innovation is:

• Distance is dead

• Destruction is cool

• You can’t live without an eraser

• We are all Michelangelos

• Welcome to the white-collar revolution

• All value comes from the professional services

• The intermediary is doomed

• The system is the solution

• Create waves of lust

• Tommy Hilfiger knows

• Become a connoisseur of talent

• It’s a woman’s world

• Little things are the only things

• Love all, serve all

• We’re here to live life out loud
  

See what I mean…innovative titles + innovative layout + innovative content = innovative book.

70 Hours Overtime - Glad I'm Not On Salary

I’m back. After a very long month, I’ve finally got some time to rant...write. It all started, I don’t know, a year and a half ago. Rumors of Denton Community Hospital becoming Presbyterian Hospital of Denton were all over the building. Could it be true? A big name hospital in Denton? WOW!!! One thing lead to another and before I knew it there was a brand new big building being built (alliteration) next door. At the same time contracts were signed to get a little automation (Accudose by McKesson) in the pharmacy side of patient care.

All this stuff is great but what’s that? OOOHHHH…this is all going to come together at the same time. Change hospital names, Accudose ‘go live,’ and move from a 100 bed facility to a combined 200 bed facility all at the same time…that sounds like fun (glad I’m not in charge). But wait there’s more…what if another company was to offer BBG the chief tech at the time, a director of pharmacy position?

What you would have is a potential for disaster…And a huge opportunity for character building. This experience was not always fun, but we pulled it off. The pharmacy crew I have the pleasure of working with on a daily basis is absolutely amazing. Each and every one of them made a unique contribution to the move and implementation.

I’m going to break down the whole ‘move’ into three posts: pre-move, move, and still moving.

Just a little post script: Although I do work for Presbyterian Hospital of Denton, my views do not necessarily reflect those of PHD, Triad, or Texas Health Resources...that should keep me out of trouble.

Job Satisfaction

"Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work."
-Aristotle

My great friend and former boss (we couldn't be friends then) BBG quoted this the other day and I thought it was great. Do you enjoy your job? Why do you do it? If you're a leader, manager, or recommender do the people you work with enjoy the work they do? Is there anything you can do to help them enjoy what they do, or is it all on them?

These are the questions I'm asking myself right now...I do enjoy my job. I find pleasure in helping customers, in recommending solutions for potential problems, and also in helping co-workers reach their full potential.

But how do you respond to someone you work with on a daily basis that doesn't find pleasure in what they are doing? What do you do?

"One Minute Manager"

"Help people reach their full potential...Catch them doing something right!"

Finally, I had a chance to sit down and finish another book. This one is a must read for anyone that manages anything. I recommended that my wife (an elementary teacher) read it to help her with managing her children. There are three basic principles to understand.

* One Minute Goals - Review, clarify and agree on goals.

When a goal is achieved (or any part of the goals) go to...

* One Minute Praisings - Praise the person immediately and encourage them to do more of the same.

If a goal is not achieved, review the goal with the person...

If a goal is not achieved again go to...

* One Minute Reprimands - Do it soon, be specific, reprimand the behavior, encourage the person, shake hands and go back to...

* One Minute Goals.