Common Place

Why can't they see?

2008-04-08T08:35:00.005-06:00

I got a call this morning from a fairly new customer asking for help. I had recently installed a Small Business Server 2003 server which took them out of stand-alone computer environment and moved them to one where the server manages the email, the SQL database for their core application, an ISA firewall/proxy and a domain to secure their logins.

Everything was working fine from my perspective but they did not share my enthuisiasm. While I was building the server I was not able to train anyone (their choice) in the operation and system administration and I was just waiting for a call like this but it was not quite what I expected. This person was pretty knowledgable and had an IT degree but was so busy with other responsibilities where IT had taken a backseat and was preparing to phase out of the organization within the next few months. The customer voiced the desire to get back to simple or something they could understand. This was simple I thought to myself.

They way I translated the whole scenario was that the original request was to get them updated to a simple modern and secure environment to host their core application and offer remote access in a secure manner. This customer was taking a quantum leap in technology but from my experience, the user and support environment was obviously not ready to change. So now the first request was to go back to receiving pop-mail from an externally hosted service. Unfortunately no one was able to provide the previously hosted email setup information. When they had web-based mail using OutlookWebAccess, Outlook client support via RPC and VPN it seemed like step backward but I could not make them see this.

Just yesterday I remoted into the server and shadowed the customer session so we could share the servers screen. Pop-ups showed up immediately loading the IE browser on the server. I asked if there was virus protection on the laptop being used to remote in. Did not get an immediate response. This was not very comforting. I suggested that the laptop install the Kaspersky virus-protection software which could be installed from the server. Will do, was the response - later. But we proceeded in showing how to add users, assign rights, and create network printers, closing pop-ups are as we were going along. Even though I walked the through the steps which I knew were important I sensed that the this is was not where this customers focus was. It was on the next journey far far away from this work environment.

How simple this all could have been if there was someone there who would take on the ownership responsibility which so often a lacking in organizations. All I could is offer help and overlook such things and simply feel what I feel and accept the situation for what it is and go on. Part of that exercise is this backward motion and try not to feel sorry for the people who are affected by this action. For me it is like accepting ignorance. Why can't they see? They don't want to see is a simple answer or I can't show them in a language they understand.

It seems like a dark cloud that was created by this scenario and I felt we were both under it and all I could do is move out from under it. Maybe after it rains and thunders we'll see the sun again I was hoping. Time will tell.

My Like-Minded Friend

2008-01-21T11:05:00.000-06:00

I like to think that like-mindedness is what brings me together with the members of the organizations I am affiliated. I had a friend remind me this weekend that it is like-minded thinking that makes communities and institutions and its leaders successful. Is it not agreement that brings groups into alignment?

This thinking makes me look at Bville somewhat different for the newspaper is full of disagreements lately. But it is actually brining some hope because it brings the old issues out like the efforts to 'run' people out of town for no apparent reason much as Ruth Brown, the librarian, who was treated similarly over 50 years ago in her fight against prejudice. Is this still happening today in Bville? What an theme to surface just before Martin Luther King Day.

Ok, enough with the questioning. Whatever issues are present, they are so ingrained in the culture today that there are problems from long ago that have been dormant and swepped under the rug only to surface again. There are obvious conflicts in the community that can be identified as one of these lumps under this rug. There are complex issues at work here as many communities which goes much beyond local boundaries.

Today we look for leadership for as individuals we can do less and less it seems. Institutions are dominating our culture to the point it is creating conflicts with our core values and leadership are institution based whether private or public. Now it seems more important than ever to be aligned with institutions of choice and hope the our personal values and beliefs can be expressed and lived out.

Happy Martin Luther King Day to you. Your role, should you choose to take it, is to make the Happy part happen. Martin Luther King had a Dream, a big Dream, that he shared at a time where not everyone was open to the idea that we can be treated as equal. We all have dreams and this day was made a holiday to honor this one.

Like-minded thinking is also a dream.

Every community has its positives and negatives. The big difference in how it communicates these things. Does it foster an open style of communication or not? This simple question will tell you a lot about a culture as well as an organization.

Does anyone really care?

2007-11-04T08:02:00.001-06:00

The days have been filled with activities relating primarily to client IT support and volunteer work which has left me drained this week. My lack-luster performane at tennis tournament I played in yesterday I believe is just a reflection of that. Here it is Sunday and I have one extra hour that can easily be soaked up by mundane chores and continue to drain me.

But no. There is be something sigificant to do today. There is bit of a buzz that energized me that I believe was the result of a fundraiser event I helped with last night where a couple of IT enthusiast sparked in me a interest in a mission which I'd planted in my brain some time ago. IT doesn't have to be so... draining. My purpose was to help make IT a more natural fit into peoples lives. It is after all, a tool to use to make life better, more efficient, and more enjoyable.

This morning I starting thinking about my mission and came across a book called Radical Simplicity by Dr. Frederick Hayes-RothProfessor of Information Sciences, Monterey Naval Postgraduate School and Daniel AmorChief Technologist for eCommerce, Hewlett-Packard Corporation. It was quite interesting for me to read they described this me-centric technology as it fits into the individual's life in a natural way. Hey, that was what I've been thinking for some time. The introduction - http://www.radicalsimplicity.com/introduction.html - I found worth reading as it helps associate the human elements in the IT-oriented world in where we live.

Seems like I have surrounded myself with people that like to share my ideas but have not helped me carry out my mission so perhaps I need to develop some more circles to get me back on track. What I learned in my fundraising event last night is that are many circles to be explored.

Ok Self, time to get with the program. Time is life, so let's not waste any.

Today is going to be... a full day

2007-11-01T06:59:00.000-06:00

Today looks like it's gonna be another full day of activities. Better get me exercise in early so I muster up the energy to sustain me throughout the day. What did get me attention was this horoscope quote which caught my eye - You can transform the most boring drudgery into an exciting activity by putting all of your heart into it. The same old chores can suddenly offer opportunities to apply your creativity and imagination. As long as you are willing to work hard, you can be productive and playful at the same time

Well that helps put a positive spin on the day which is bound to be full. Ok now to get my ducks lined up... Got a move scheduled for today and tomorrow which will require some coordination in order to move my static ip address on a server. I'm meeting a web developer for lunch. I have to setup some a fax server software. Need to setup a couple of server backup systems with the disaster recovery before I move them. And I need to coordinate a couple of requests for service so customers won't think I'm ignoring them. Then I'll do some volunteering at the Travis Tritt concert tonight.

And if there is any time left I need to look for a new office space. Time to move the office out of the house so I can get my house projects back on the agenda. Work is consuming me so it's time to peel it back and focus on the important stuff and bring a balance to my life. Gotta move. Time is wasting.

And Self... if you can setup up time (real soon) to read to someone special, write to someone special and be with someone special. If not today, tomorrow. Better do it today.

Like the Mother who lived in the shoe and had so many kids and didn't know what to do...

2007-10-08T08:18:00.000-06:00

There are so many things for me to do, that I cannot image getting bored for a long time. I did wake up this morning not overwhelmed, but somewhat relieved that I did not have to do everything at once. Perhaps my wife helped me by helping me by simply saying, well this is first, that is second and we can focus on the third. I need that once in a while.

I must admit I can easily relate to the old woman who lived in a shoe and had so many children that she didn't know what to do. And my kids are all these customers who represent the computer scenarios I'm working on. I'm slowly learning that these problems that I see are not mine to bear but to mine communicate. For I can see what many of my customers can't see many of them, so if it's to be, it's up to me, to communicate these things.

The challenge is, that I can only do this in serial mode - one thing at a time. Which is why I need to be like the boy running up the tree, as focussed as possible, but not to the point where I feel burdened down by others comments and distractions. That's why it's so important to be with... the people that lift up and inspire. Not in a selfish way, but in a spirit of common grounded-ness. That's the Common Place theme I am looking for.

Seems like so many people are so much into sharing their baggage, probably un-knowingly. Before I can help anyone else, I need to learn to help myself. that's where it starts. So that's when I offer more of my services, when I'm self-enabled. Come on Self. It's time to go... for another adventure in life.

My thought for today is this - "Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you."~ Carl Sandburg.

a Poem

2007-10-06T13:10:00.000-06:00

A poem that stuck with me for over a week goes as follows:

The Way to Win

One day a group of boys Decided to have a race
They chose to climb a great big tree And set off at a pace
The rest of their friends gathered To see the boys at play
They talked about it to themselves "Will they make it?" "No way!"
They called up to the children "You'll never make it up that tree"
But the boys just kept on climbing And said "just watch and you will see"
But the others, how they shouted And thought the boys tried to ignore
They began to drop out one by one Another, another and then more
But one boy kept on climbing And made it to the top of the tree
He never lost faith but believed in himself And said "this won't defeat me"
The others were quite amazed At the squirrel at the top of the tree
"How on earth did he do it?" they said
"Well", said one, "he's completely deaf, you see"

So the motto of this poem is
You can reach the top of the tree
Just don't listen to what others say
Just believe in yourself and you'll see
Poem by Cara-May Harvey

What made this stick with me is the affects those around us have.
What are we listening to? Who are we listening to?
Now whom shall I call?

Computer Adventures

2007-09-12T08:33:00.000-06:00

The last few weeks I've spent time in what seems like a book. I was clearly in the middle of the story and had a role to play which changed at every turn of the page. For example, while I was working on three significant time-consuming projects installing new file servers, I became like a engineer on a train which was not going move until I received a signal from the conductor. But there was no conductor and passengers were restless.

The train was being pushed by the engine which was at the very back so it was literally a push. All the passengers were impatient as they were on a schedule, so I had to get the train started even though there were issues with some of box-cars. They were old and losely held on the track and no one seemed concerned except me.

Perhaps as the engineer I should not be concerned about this train for I had several to care for and could not get bogged down with the fact there was no one to drive train for it was time to move to the next track for I too am on a schedule. Should I stop the train and go look for the conductor? Not likely as the train is already barreling down the tracks.

It's easy to picture the train and get a sense that it can move a lot of people at once. The destination is pretty clear as you buy a ticket with that in mind. The trip itself can be as pleasant or not as track, the train and people on it all play a part.

Time for Solar Energy Presentation

2007-05-18T06:11:00.000-06:00

I presented my speech #10 at Toastmasters 186 last week and presented it to the Downtown Kiwanis this week which I thought went reasonably well. It's been a couple of years since I was involved in the company at the core of my presentation - Stirling Energy Systems - but it brought me back to the fact that this is really an exciting time. Solar Energy just makes sense.

I'm looking for other places to do my presentation for it so... that'll be my mission - to get the story out the community instead of a few places. So where to start...

B is for Business

2007-01-03T08:50:00.000-06:00

I am in the computer business so here is what I strive for:

Bville's resource for expert computer consulting, network support,
Internet technology and computer services.

Bring big-business I.T. expertise at small-business prices.

Business Networks (1-250 PC's)

* Complete Network - Design/Install/Support

* Support Contracts

* Network Security

* Remote Connectivity - Work from Home/Multi-Office

* Data Storage & Backup

* Cabling (Voice/Data)

* Telephone Systems

* Email & Web

At-Home Repair

* Virus Removal

* Adware/Spyware Removal

* PC Repair

* Wireless Networks

* PC Internet Sharing

Changing to something new in the B Channel?

2007-01-03T07:51:00.000-06:00

I moved to the new blogger format but struggle with it's newness.
Found that certain lines in my post do not wordwrap and
sometimes wordwrap after a couple words are typed. So...
now I will just enter a carriage return to make my blog is
not so odd looking like yesterdays.

Since time is taking such a focus for me as mentioned in my
yesterdays blog, here's a time focus thought I received in one
of my newsletters:

"If, before going to bed every night, you will tear a page from the
calendar, and remark, "there goes another day of my life, never
to return," you will become time conscious."
~ A. B. Zu Tavern

That pretty much puts the focus on not wasting a day but I
wouldrather put something more positive in that calendar page
that provides some guidelines for improvement suggestions.
I attended a Toastmasters meeting yesterday and witnessed a
presentation about evaluating speeches but evaluating to
motivate. That puts a positive twist to a process which seemed to
me more like grading a paper. By adding a focus that goes beyond
'looking-in-the-rearview-mirror' it suggest looking ahead.
I like that.

Since one of my challenges is to keep my day's effort from lacking
focus, I'm ready to try utilizing my blog to write down my random
thoughts into something more. Like my sister suggests in her
quote at the bottom of her emails and put writing into perspective
for me: "The best way to predict the future is to create it."
~ Peter F. Drucker

Ok. Do have any lingering thoughts of yesterday impeding my
forward-thinking? There are couple of things I might bring to the
forefront so I can clear my head of them. My office is such a pit
because I start so many things and set them aside for later that
later is maybe not coming. So here's to myself - Self - clean up
your pit by taking out what you not going work on this week.
That does require some time so allocate some - today. Here's
another one - you have talk to prepare for, which happens at
lunch time kiwanis meeting - requires some planning - you have
this morning to work on it - so if now is not a good time, make
it the next thing you work on. Once you get your obstacles out
of the way, you can focus on the 'next' thing, and you have
several 'next' things.

Some 'next' things so I won't forget - communicate your needs,
for how else is any one going know what they are. Don't focus
on the to-do list, but how everything flows into and out of your
life. Make life enjoyable. And quit rushing around like there's
no tomorrow. Savor the moments and stamp them into you mind
so you look for something positive in each and every thing.
It's the now that's important.

It was great to hear from some friends in L.A. and Phoenix
yesterday. They inspired me to blog today. And my sister, who
inspires me with thoughts that naturally sync, like the desire to
write and read and the desire to just get out there and see what's
there for me.

It's a new year and not much has changed

2007-01-02T19:34:00.000-06:00

It's now 2007 and this would be a great time to acknowledge what I received (as positive) in 2006. For me it was a back-basics-exercise kind of year. It was distinct year for the things I favor and
those I did not.

I had a strong urge to live out my likes and dislikes in terms of associations
which includes family, friends, customers, organizations and places.

I'm not sure what drove me to get extreme but it seemed to me so senseless
to come to the same places that I don't like being. Why go there. There are
other places that make more sense to me.

Another perspective is that there are some things that are not for me but they can be learned from if I open myself open to learning.

What vision that has survived 2006 are the organizations I have chosen to weave into my personal mission. There are four local ones, one professional one and the rest is simplify family and friends.

Here's what I would like to integrate into my personal mission for myself:
1. Think like a magnet - what do I attract and what attracts me - people and organizations that to me represent the future - better health, environment, and people friendly come to mind.
2. Time is not something to be spent, but something to be used - it's up to me to make it count - I do plan to be a better job with it this year - exercise, learn, communicate effectively, and love every minute that you can.
3. Don't let the next thing be so evasive - if there's a will, there is a way - if it's to be, it's up to me - if I can't see my way, then ask someone.
4. There some positive in every situation, person, institution - if I am open to it.
5. Life will beat you only if you let it - there will be more tests - don't let bad people impact the way you feel negatively - it's a choice.
6. The world is changing - be in tune with it - there lots messages out there - pick up the signals that talk to you - what's next?
7. Take time to be alone - reflect on what's real, what's in you, what's right, what's possible, what's needed, what gives you energy, what inspires, what motivates, what helps you connect to others.
8. Take joy and bask in it, role around in it, embrace it and then pass it on.
9. Write down what's important and write it down and communicate it, strategically.
10. Not everyone is your friend. Don't expect the best the world has to offer.
11. There is spirit within that is to be nurtured, embraced and shared.
12. Be prepared for all kinds of weather.
13. Be open to all that is good.

Ok 2007. I'm ready to play.

2006-10-15T06:42:00.000-06:00

I guess I'm not much of one to communincate in this blog since I've struggled to get back to his one since July. But I have learned a lot from these last few months. Maybe that's it - I didn't have a strong enough message to blog. By I continue to learn and grow as situations get more complicated.

I think I've been noticing lately is a pattern emerge, or perhaps my awareness of it, in conversation which seems to to start as a subliminal message. There are certain people which start the with a complaint. This may not sound vey subliminal, but I've concluded it's not just random. I find it somewhat predictable. Perhaps it's a subtle was to state general discontent, and that they are not going to do anything about the situation but complain - their intend, whether intentional or not, it to pass it on in the hope someone else will do something. This tends to start the cycle of Complain -> Criticism -> Blame -> Contempt. It's like feeding the elements of hate and it starts so simply. It's hard to treat comments in a positive way but I do think it's important to respond. That's the tricky part.

What's so obvious to me is that many of these people call themselves friends. And then there are those friends that always postive it seems and tend to start out a conversation with something positive to say. They are energizing and seem to set the stage for growth by come up with the things you actually need to hear, and it's the attitude that makes it not only acceptable but desirable communication. What a contrast in style.

What I get out of this is that we are all magnets. The magnetism can attract either good or bad people and/or situations. There will be situtations that will sway us one way or the other. They are all tests provided to us to strenghten who we are and what we believe. We become like trees, or not, flexing in the wind.

I recited a peom recently in two club meetings, stating that we can create a negative-free zone if we can be aware of our communications as we speak. It's called
Builders and Wreckers - by an unknown poet:

I watched them tearing a building down,

A gang of men in a busy town.

With a ho, heave, ho and a lusty yell

They swung a beam and a wall feel.

I asked the foreman, "Are these men skilled?

Like the men you'd hire if you had to build?"

He laughed as he replied, "No, indeed

Just common labor is all I need.

I can easily wreck in a day or two

What builders have taken years to do."

I asked myself as I went away

Which of these roles have I tried to play?

Am I a builder who works with care,

Measuring life by rule and square?

Or am I a wrecker who walks the town

Content with the labor of tearing down?

A rather sobering perspective on the roles we play in life.

Making IT Work

2006-07-23T10:30:00.000-06:00

It's time I started putting my speeches here as it seems a good place to put my actions into a visible place that's like a reflection. Here's my Toastmaster speech this week:

Making IT Work - the beast in the computer

The joy of making a computer work for you can be taken away quickly as many of you, I'm sure have experienced. Spam comes out of nowhere to fill your inbox with way too many undesirable solicitations. Malicious software come out of the blue to take your machine for a ride which appears you have no control over. And then there are these software annoyances that take hours to figure out how to do the simplest things. Whether your at home at work or whatever setting puts you in front of one of these beastie machine, there is always a surprise in store for you it seems.

I'd like to tell you how to take the beast part of this equation, or at least make it a tolerable beast. I give lots of advise to people but seldom get asked the particular question on just how can this be done. It's usually assumed that it's like a stray cat that was welcomed into your environment for you've heard of herding cats as one of those impossible tasks so the new resident can easily be viewed in my mind take the form of animal.

The animal that comes to mind for me is an elephant. You've probably heard the term 'the elephant in the room' as a way of describing this huge beast that everyone just walks around and does not want to acknowledge is there - that describes most computer systems perfectly to me.

Now that I've planted this in your mind, let's think about how we get to such a state. The change is usually very subtle - you get a new 'toy' and you are naturally excited about it and it's like driving a new car - it's fast, it's pretty and it's so much better than what you had before. Or in a business setting, it's like getting this new 'helper' that makes your job so much more pleasant because now you have capabilities that gives you an edge in your work environment - it's 'new and improved' or so it seems.

But what happens to take you from this state of euphoria and turns this wonderful machine into such a beast? It's all those subtle changes along the way. Let's call them 'un-documented' changes. And when you have problems and getting someone to help formal or informally - now you've got 'shadow-support' that again buries it's head into your environment. It seems just perfectly fine at the time. But as time goes along it's more like Hansel and Gretel who have traveled deep into the woods and bread-crumbs left behind are all gone. Now you have to rely on memory, or the memory of someone who helped you along.

There a few people who do an excellent job of tracking changes and documenting things like configuration, installations, instruction on how to do something, but unless people are in a large corporate environment and policies are in place and enforced, this is not done adequately.

So what's the solution? Document everything? Well that would help but let's take a moment and reframe the situation. Instead of looking at this uncivilized creature in the wild or a zoo, think of the creature in a circus. Now we can picture the elephant doing tricks or least following a pre-determined path. Much more palatable don't you think?

The IT technology today is still evolving and quite rapidly that eventually these creatures will heal themselves and people have to be less aware of what's going on 'behind-the-curtain'. But now we still get surprises that we are not prepared for, unless we half-way expect them and with operating systems like Microsoft Windows we still need help or learn to keep up with the changes to the environment.

Here's a few suggestions to make computers more bearable. No I'm not going add another animal into the mix. It's the acceptable kind of bearable.

1. Simplify - Don't over-complicate your life with the computer - think of it as a hired-hand who is there to help and not hinder. Hired-hands have to be trained and typically don't need to be re-trained which makes them so handy.
2. Focus - Remember why you are using the beast - focusing on your goals can help you be less distracted by the many distractions that are presented as you go down the road with your beast.
3. Secure - Protect your computer system if you access the internet - there is no reason not to have a secure system - virus scanner, firewall and spam filters are relatively cost and there even free versions available for home use.
4. Plan for the worst - Have a disaster recovery plan - who are you going to call, where are your backups, do you keep an offsite backup, how are you protected?
5. Ownership - Don't expect someone else to keep all your important computer information unless you have a specific support agreement to do so - things like your recovery CD's, your email settings, registration and warranty information.
6. Support - If you need help ask for it - you may not be able to get it right away so make a note of it and create a list. Randomly trying things can cause lots of problem. Support is usually available, especially when you get a new piece of equipment.
7. Learn - Learn as much as you can and learn to document during the time when things are still new to you. Don't just walk away when someone is doing something for you. Knowledge transfer does not happen often so take advantage to learn what you can.
8. Keep up - Computers have a life-cycle - like dog years which are like 1 to 8 - computer years are more like 1 to 15 - so retirement age is relatively soon if you use the computer like most people.
9. Workspace - Eliminate any clutter and stay organized. Create a friendly work environment and you'll be more inclined to stay positive when things going right.
10. Budget - Be realistic about a budget to keep up your IT environment. The cost of maintaining a system almost always exceeds the cost of acquiring one. Think of it as feeding your pet.

It may be a fit far fetched to think of your computer as an animal. But you have to admit they do appear to take on a life of their own. It's the behavior that is important to acknowledged. There is a Chinese proverb that goes as follows - If you confront the dragon, it will crush you. If you ignore the dragon it will eat you. But if you learn to ride the dragon you can advantage of its power and might.

Good luck with taming your beast and don't let the elephant get in the way.

Hot or Not

2006-07-20T06:36:00.000-06:00

It's been blistering hot in Bville and it's affecting people. Staying positive is more challenging when people around me are in an agitated state. This is a time when it's good to carry your own weather for going with the flow it's raining 'whine'.

Business is still in the dumper - now you can hear me whine - and it's got to be more than the weather being too hot. Maybe the gas prices are making businesses more conservative on their spending. Or talks and actions of war are taking people back to more conservative stance. Whatever it is, it's making the bustle of contruction and growth in Bville take a back seat to a certain stillness of mind.

My involvement in non-profit organizations has also slowed down somewhat since I'm having to refocus my business goals. Perhaps the message here is to be calm and listen. The birds are still singing in the morning. But it's clear the stillness of summer is so very very near.

I have a writing project coming up, proposals to complete and some organizing to do. And I have a speech to prepare for Toastmasters. It's good time to assemble my thoughts as I unravel the various undertakings into one continuous path. Business, social, family and commitments come to mind.

Oh yes, family. There's always a challenge there with two teenagers in the house and a trail of clutter that never seems to end. Let's not go there today. It's too hot.

Moving Along

2006-06-07T06:45:00.000-06:00

Getting along in Bville is an interesting mix of the old and new for me. I have one foot in the camp of the old-guard which would really like to see things stay the same here in Bville and the other in a new generation of natives which really would like to see things change.

The Toastmasters club has also presented this same kind of flavor. It has a certain dynamic that has momentum for the speeches are getting really interesting now. Even giving them is giving me a new way to see people here. Yesterday I listened to an ice-breaker called the 'white guy from Oklahoma' which was reflective of a new member of how he saw himself - a nerd, bit of a hick, and a guy pretty comfortable with himself.

The Kiwanis Club is also presenting a new side with some younger members coming into the fold. The speakers there have been very focussed on the community and how it's developing. It's like everyone is 'trying' to change. That in itself is refreshing, for me anyway.

I'm still enjoying the BTA (Bartlesville Tennis Club), organizing a group that plays in the mornings. It's a fun bunch that enjoys playing the game. I'm probably one of the only people who is not retired but still manages to play that time of day. It's gotten to be an important part of my exercise program. Probably because it's about the only exercise program I have right now.

The computer business has slowed down quite a bit which prompted me to put an ad in the paper. Something which I've not done in the 10+ years since in business. I've always been able to keep busy by word-of-mouth. But now it's time to change that. I'm too much into enjoying what I do, that in some ways has kept me from growing the business. It was my hobby turned to vocation and I don't want people to spoil it for me. It's also been an exercise in getting to know people by working with them.

Time to get moving. I've some poison ivy reactions I need to doctor on, a machine to deliver, a Kiwanis meeting to prepare for and some work to muster up.

My New Toastmaster Friend and My Longtime Friend

2006-04-28T08:26:00.000-06:00

I invited one of Toastmaster associates to lunch some time back and we were finally able to meet yesterday. We share an IT background and figured it was a good enough reason to meet and discuss our personal perspectives. Found out he likes to talk as much as I like to listen. Even though I did not get to speak much, it was enough to make stimulating conversation. He was obviously proud of his achievements as an entrepreneur. He'd followed the MS Windows world in his career just as I had so I could relate to his enthuisiasm for the management tools that were developing for that environment.

He was much more optimistic about Microsoft and its product offerings as I'd gotten into it much earlier and have seen more dissapointments. Perhaps age has made more skeptical as I representated a generation of IT people at least one or two decades before his. So I listened to understand what I could about his joy of being a geek and mine for being less geek-like that could possible develop into common ground. My focus was more from a user perspective and serve more a translator or technology guide than being embedded into the technology. I told him it was interesting how he picked up on some of my speech into his. I'd mentioned in my speech the transition I made to the IT world from manufacturing as he was born into it.

During the entire lunch he continued to spew out ideas for future speech topics as I ate and listened. They were ideas I not only agreed with about technology but areas which I felt were the happening or going to happen in the near future. The changes in economy, the baby-boomer factor in this and drivers that move very quickly because of technology we were developing for people and organizations.

I'd had similar conversations with a longtime friend who was also there and we've been having conversations atht we needed to enlarge our circles to not only develop common ground where we act on some of these ideas that we were coming up with. We agreed afterwards that we need to have more energii people like this around to help us move forward. It was exciting talk. It's stuff we want to bottle up, but no... that would not work. We need to realease it into our circle of friends.

Events are what we decided much earlier, would be the way for us to do what we do with gusto. We'd already started setting up places to meet at restaurants and coffee houses here in Bville. Saturday night most of the city shuts down and finding a place to go is real challenge. So next week we start with the events. We're' starting with snacks and a movie at a local coffee shop. We'll divide out time equally between the movie and face-to-face time.

a vision with a mission

2006-03-30T07:22:00.000-06:00

Now that the Back in Bville things is really settling in, I'm seeing all these choices in what to do with myself. There are too many roads but they are not all that desirable. Certain ones appear to make the traveler, me being one, lethargic. Perhaps it's due to traveling the same road too long to the point where it dulls the senses. Some change is nessary to grow. Maybe it's the retired community that I've been running with lately that make me more sensitive to the fact that when you slow down the pace too much, nothing seems to change. That's probably the biggest adjustment I've had to make - it's slowing down the pace.

I looked at some Bville kids' blogs and noticed just how expressive these kids are. Competition I'm sure, is part of the driving force. They used pictures, music and poetry and were so full of life. There's no doubt that children have a newer perspective on things but the new friends I've met the past few months are not children but they have that zest for life that seeks an outlet that appears to be missing here.

One thing I brought back with me, after having spent significant time out West, is the need to commune with like-minded people, with nature and the deeper self. People are so much more socially and environmentally conscious there, but then trends tend to start there. Here's the four things that I cannot ignore any longer:

1. Communicate with children - when we are no longer children communication seems to isolate us if we are not doing this. It's a bridge building exercise which connects us with the future.

2. Music, art and culture are channels of communication that we all have a need for whether we realize it or not. If we lose this we've lost touch with ourselves.

3. Nature conservation is not enough for the impact of descruction far outways the contributions we've made to the global environment. Nature restoration is what will bring us back into harmony with the world.

4. Roots, rituals and the need for community is what completes who we are. It's the process of discovering who we are, acknowledging what we do and going where we need to go. That's what will establish a starting point and sets the direction.

So can this community take these things to heart? If God tells us all things are possible then there is no question. The real question is does is this community ready to embrace something new. This is the Mid-west, the bible-belt and the conservative majority tends to not be all that progressive.

Now this whole idea of change that has the power to touch the community in a very positive way makes sense, to me anyway. What takes it to larger context of comunity is leadership. I know this must sound like I'm talking to myself, but in a way I am for I have not invited anyone in on any conversation. I guess that was the purpose of these four first entries in this blog - to understand my own thinking and establish some tangible dimensions to what's possible.

I do have a few organizations where I can take my ideas and get some support and feedback. One I just joined this week is the Toastmasters organization. It's all about getting vocal and communications. Bettering the community should be thing everyone wants but unfortunately we have many people who don't share that view. So there's the challenge - touch the community in such a way that it works to better community - create these opportunities that make it possible.

Affiliations to jump start me into being... in Bville

2006-03-29T08:09:00.000-06:00

I found it very comfortable in my re-establishing exercise at first since I left some un-finished business when I headed West about a year-and-a-half ago.

The local Kiwanis organization I caused some grieve as I promised to take over as President last year but left to work a year long project rather abruptly. I'm now fully engaged back into that circle. It's like being in an optimist club for the people are for most part business professionals and retirees who are very positive.

The other club was the BTA tennis club which I literally jumped into playing immediately. Got to play inside all winter which helped develop a somewhat regular exercise program. What a great bunch of guys, mostly retired, to play with. I'm getting ready to play in the doubles league which will provide a variety of people to play with (and against).

My Cursillo was another group I'd missed which I got involved with through the First Presbyterian Church where I also go regularly. The new pastor there has definitely inspired me.

As far as my computer business affiliations I am finding that it's much simpler to just start over. Picking up the old ways I found myself giving away more time doing computer work than I can afford primarily through 'helping' friends.

So... I feel like I'm on a new trail on a familiar place. Time to bring some new ideas to the table.

Where to start...

2006-03-28T22:17:00.000-06:00

I've been back in Bville for several months now. Got plenty to do to get re-planted here.

Things have changed here this past year. It's busier even though things are still a bit slow for me. But's changing pretty fast as it's easy to get into clubs and organized activities here - sports or otherwise.

People in the community are thinking that some significant changes are coming and they're probably right. Lots of construction - homes and fast-food and strip-malls are the most obvious.

I'll start with collecting some websites to present the various views of the community.