Category: Musings

Eckhart Tolle – So I’m not responsible? Cmon!

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I just finished up the Pain-Body chapter in the book.

Let me give a quick disclaimer that while we all have pain bodies as Eckhart describes it, I think mine is pretty small.  I truly had a happy childhood and live a blessed life.   So maybe I’m not coming from a place of authority on this comment.  But in the book Eckart ventures to say that sometimes when you’re acting out, it’s not you that’s  acting out, but your pain-body.

I whole-heartedly and emphatically disagree with that statement.  

One thing I’ve always believed is that we are responsible for ourselves and what happens to us.  Even if you’ve had a crappy childhood, or you have emotional issues.  We are adults, not children.  We do have a say in our actions and reactions.  You are responsible for the words that come out of your mouth, always, no exceptions.  None.  We’ve all made mistakes and said things we regret, but you learn to deal with consequences and take actions to prevent it from happening again.  You can’t go around blaming your pain-body.

Eckhart, you had me up to this point.  You’ve given people a get-out-of-jail-free card.  Now I’ve got to spend some time recovering from that one comment.

11 miles in – why I feel sorry for all the tourists at Breckenridge last weekend

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From 2008-3 Skinne…

We’ve done this trek before – the 11 mile uphill ski into the Skinner Hut, one of Colorado’s 10th Mountain Division Huts. Skinner is just outside of Leadville, CO, a small mountain town that sits at 10,200 ft elevation. This town is so cute in the winter, with its old victorian architecture, brick buildings, and snow packed up to the windows of most of the homes. (Yet we were reminded that this town is ONLY cute in the winter, as the snow covers the “sanford and son” yards full of old tires, engines, trash, and other disposables. Hey, Salvation Army – it’s a goldmine up there!

11 miles really isn’t that bad on skis. The first 7 miles or so are pretty rolling, along a road that cuddles between Turquoise Lake and the forest. After that, the trail heads straight up. For an elevation gain of close to 2000 ft in about 3 or 4 miles. There are some spots, although short lived, that are so steep they challenge the skins on the bottom of your skis. But the steepness makes it possible to wear only a long sleeve shirt even though it’s only 20 degrees outside. And the alternating snow, sun, snow, sun surrounded by the pines and huge mountains, I remember why I love this state.

Skinner Hut itself is well equipped with a raging wood burning stove to heat the hut, a second wood burning stove to cook on, and well if that isn’t enough, four propane burners. There is also a cistern pump to wash your dishes, pots, and pans (also provided by the hut). And the mattress that I slept on was actually more comfortable than the hotel’s in Leadville (or maybe I was just so exhausted that I fell asleep as I was laying down).

From 2008-3 Skinne…

The downsides of the weekend were few:
1 – Both my big toes are black and blue and swollen. Pretty sure I won’t be keeping those toenails!
2 – Constantine – a Russian guy that was up with his friend Matt. His sense of humor was, shall we say, caustic? Hey Constantine – we changed your name to ConstantJERK.
3 – My own head! Our one ski day was very epic, extremely stable, but deep, creamy, untracked snow under blue skies. Yet I was very unnecessarily freaked out by avalanches that I just couldn’t relax enough to enjoy myself. Factor that in with my toes, and crappy, hindering skins, and I was a head case. Damn head!

But the snow and the conditions were truly epic. It was one of those weekends, great weather, fabulous company, unbelievable skiing, one of those weekends where you just have to say thanks.  See for yourself…

From 2008-3 Skinne…
From 2008-3 Skinne…
From 2008-3 Skinne…

South Park – many free episodes

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My first introduction to South Park was watching the episode Mr. Hanky the Christmas Poo.  South Park has continued to scar me, gleefully, ever since.

Now I can watch many of the episodes I want to, whenever I want!

According to a Wired Blog, ‘Parker and Stone said they were inspired to start the site when they got ‘really sick of having to download our own show illegally all the time. So we gave ourselves a legal alternative.'”

So I did a search for my first and fav episode – and know what came up #2?  Chef’s Chocolate Salty Balls.  Thank you Parker & Stone for continuously pushing the envelope.  It makes life for the rest of us just a little more enjoyable.

But they didn’t say anything about Tequila…

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A new study suggests that BEER, not gender, intelligence, or dumb luck is a significant factor in the success or failure of research scientists. The more beer a scientist drank, the less they were published or were referred to in other scientists publications.

I’m just wondering if the scientist that did the study was drinking beer, given he was published in the NY Times, I wonder if that’s +- 2 standard deviations from the mean?

Read the whole article in the NY Times here…

Vote for this music video – directed by my cousins!

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Cool!  Another fab video by the brothers Nee (Aaron Nee is married to my 1st cousin).

There’s a music video competition going on for Yahoo! Video.  The competition ends Friday the 21st, so get out your vote!  Obama vs Clinton?  Pshaw!  Vote Terrene – Unwelcome!

They’re only 100 votes behind the leader! Click here and select Terrene to vote…

Here’s the video too, but don’t forget to vote by clicking on the link above!

I want to be born old

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I’ve always thought it would be so fabulous to be born old and grow young – then my sister forwarded this to me from Woody Allen…

“In my next life I want to live my life backwards. You start out dead and get that out of the way. Then you wake up in an old people’s home feeling better every day. You get kicked out for being too healthy, go collect your pension, and then when you start work, you get a gold watch and a party on your first day.  You work for 40 years until you’re young enough to enjoy your retirement. You party, drink alcohol, and are generally promiscuous, then you are ready for high school. You then go to primary school, you become a kid, you play. You have no responsibilities, you become a baby until you are born. And then you spend your last 9 months floating in luxurious spa like conditions with central heating and room service on tap, larger quarters every day and then Voila! You finish off as an orgasm!”

Love it.

Map where Congress spends your tax dollar

Nicole Glaros3 Comments

Now you can see where Uncle Sam is spending your money, as plotted on a map! The Sunlight Foundation released a downloadable Google Earth layer that plots what it says are some 1,500 earmarks attached to a proposed U.S. House of Representatives defense spending bill. The Foundation describes its mission as promoting political transparency through use of Internet technologies.

Interesting indeed. If you don’t have Google Earth, it’s a free program you can downoad here.  Thanks to Quinn Buchanan for bringing this to my attention, and to News.com for reporting the story.
Google Earth Tax Dollars

To Lumberg: Your TPS reports suck *ss…

Nicole Glaros1 Comment

According to a study out of the University of East Anglia, swearing at work is a good thing.  The study found regular use of profanity to express and reinforce solidarity among staff, letting them express their feelings, such as frustration, and develop social relationships, according to researchers at the UEA.

Wonder if HR is going to get that memo?

What struck me more was the comments from the announcement on Slashdot.  If you’ve got 10 minutes, prepare for a good chuckle.

If you can’t make a decision, you need better options

Nicole Glaros1 Comment

Yet another insightful Luism by my favorite strategist and dear friend, Lu Cordova.

She was releating a story about how she needed to hire a VP for her last company. She had narrowed it down to two options, but really couldn’t decide between them. She brought in a consultant, she had them interview with the board, she interviewed them again, she spent a day with each, she completed her extended due dilligence and she still couldn’t decide.

And that’s when it hit her – she couldn’t decide because both of them were wrong. So she scrapped her search and started over.

I find this is critical insight. Every single time I have found myself at a place where I can’t make a key decision – if I force a decision, it has WITHOUT FAIL ended up wrong. If I scrap the options and start from scratch – WITHOUT FAIL I have ended up behind schedule, but with more than I could have ever hoped for.

So remember that. Don’t relegate yourself to the options that are thrown at you. If you can’t decide, it’s because all your options are wrong and you’re looking in the wrong place.

Thank you Lu!