hipmtfn: moving past the do-loops and on to ...

... healthy self-expression
of servant leadership
through creativity

spillover? ... perhaps a spillover from the good ol' days when i did weekly staff meetings (when i was the only staff person in my firm), monthly invoicing, quarterly check-ins (including payments), semi-annual check-ins, and annual meetings (for fun and for recordkeeping) ... or a spillover from my your heart's desire practice, my year 2008 self-diagnosed (right or wrong) scanner from refuse to choose (here and there), and/or the endless 2009 do-loop between weeks 3/4 & 6 of apartment therapy.

regardless of the reason(s) ... over the past month, my feeling of transition has been like a (re)awakening from a bit of a haze. questions that have been swirling around in my noggin are being answered by family, friends, colleagues, and strangers in snippets of overheard conversations, glimpses of images at random places, and unanticipated diatribes.

this year's future spillover ... i loves me my j.morgenstern! back in 2004, i picked up her book organizing from the inside out. i became a fan of j/morg and have since recommended that people at least take the little self-eval (e.g., identify technical errors, external realities, and psychological obstacles) and go from there. (found a fellow's handy book notes over here that is pretty much the core pieces of her message). that self-eval is woven directly or indirectly into other j/morg's books.

fast-forward to earlier this year ... i picked-up j/morg's recent book - SHED your stuff, change your life: a four-step guide to getting unstuck (over here). i got as far part 1, chapter 3 (of 5 parts with a total of 15 chapters) where i totally identified my points of entry (first step!), and then i got side-tracked somehow (or felt a bit frozen) and didn't move forward.

fast-forward to ~ a week ago (09/16) and my new girl-crush! ... my friend shared with me her website CYCCYL - clean your closet, change your life (for which i then peed my pants out of excitement because this IS who she is for herself and others!). the next day we had a couple of text exchanges - with one culminating in her encouragement and direction -

"... but we need to work on your manifestation"

- what i SPECIFICALLY want, in ONE sentence that is TIME and DATE specific.

resurrecting my excitement and pensive moments ... so this got me to thinking and remembering all the other previous efforts that i had started, have put on-hold, and/or have taken to heart. in no special order, here is the laundry list of several books (lots of woo-woo stuff) that came to mind during my 09/18 saturday morning brainstorming (and a bit of hyperlink-hell for more info)

• j/morg's SHED (book here)
  
• apartment therapy by maxwell gillingham-ryan (book here)
  
• use what you have decorating by lauri ward(book here)
• your heart's desire by sonia choquette (book here)
• former r|cat journals (mine)
  
• refuse to choose by babara sher (book here)
• big vision, small business by james s. walters (book here)
• letter response from r.bolles who is author of "what color is your parachute?" and "how to find your mission in life" (books here and here)
• bird by bird: some instructions on writing and life by ann lamott (book here)
• original post-corporate tracing papers (mine)
  
• anyway and do it anyway: finding personal meaning and deep happiness by living the paradoxical commandments by kent m. keith (books here and here; website here)
• the four agreement by don miguel ruiz (book here; website here)
• if life is a game, these are the rules by cherie carter-scott (book here; website here ... and thanks to jen for mentioning)
• legacy: a step-by-step guide to writing personal history by linda spence (book here)
• what should i do with my life? the true story of people who answered the ultimate question by po bronson (book here; website here)
• take this job and shove it by tyler tervooren (ebook here; website here ... and thanks to pho queen for passing this along)
• synchronicity: the inner path of leadership by joseph jaworski (book here)

will end here for now, get back to my physical point of entry areas in my bedroom and tackle my closet!

saying "no" to do-loops!

f|break: saturday morning

enjoy a ~3 minute fiber break
with sergio of music intervention (over here)

"hey! those are some of my favorite songs, until you mickey moused them!"
"memory destroyed!"
"billy idol ... he is? ... i don't think so."

"jane lynch ... good job."
(i agree)

remembering my dad ...

thank you, alison ... for sharing a great meal and heartfelt conversation this past friday. as promised ...

[it has been 8+ years ... from april 23, 2002 eulogy]

Thank you all for coming to share this moment with my family, with our extended family, and with our friends. Many of you have had the chance to know my Mom (Lucy), my younger brother (Patrick), me, and my Dad - while others may have had a chance to get to know only one of us.

But I do believe that by knowing any of the four of us, you all have - in one way or another - had a chance to get to know my Dad ... either through direct interaction with him, through the stories we related to one another about him, or through the personality traits and values that Mom, Pat, and I hold true.

And because this is a time to remember my Dad, I'm sure many of you have memories about Dad that you, too, can relate. So I hope to share with you my story in a way that, at the end of the day, we can all speak about my Dad and celebrate our special memories of him with each other.

So I'll start by sharing my story ... (and I should let you all know that I actually practiced this 2 times, so I hope to get through this - and I believe that the 3rd time is a charm, so here I go) ...

Several of my friends have often said to me, "Your folks are cool!!!" or "Your Dad is a cool dude!" I'd look at them oddly and politely say, "Uh ... cool Dad?! Yeah? I guess Dad's cool." And then I'd also say "Thanks."

So now, I've thought to myself about this ... I guess he's cool ... I mean - he has those "Dad" traits!
. He patiently shops with my Mom at the mall.
. He's nearly 2-1/2 hours early at the airport gate for any airline departure.
. He does the "Jumble Word" puzzle in the newspaper and calls me to let me know he solved the puzzle in record time.
. He listens to Talk Radio, and we debate about the politics of the nation and the world.
. He finds three pennies on one of his daily morning walks and adds it to his grandkids' coin jars.
. Even when he leaves the room from chitchat or a longer-winded story, sometimes his after-shave lingers just a little longer.
. He always reminds me to check my car tires, oil and gasoline for even the shortest of travels.
. He plays golf and has quite the collection of golf shirts and golf balls.
. He politely smiles when I tell him the virtues of a caffe latté, while he proudly drinks Folger's.
. He goes to Church and supports the Parish.

Dad is Dad -
. He has learned that shopping can be fun with Mom.
. He is very punctual.
. He has a way with words and keeps his mind active.
. He has a conservative bent to his politics.
. He loves his grandchildren.
. He leaves an impression on people, even if it's his chitchat and after-shave.
. He is concerned for his child's safety.
. He likes to spend time on the golf course.
. He has the patience to let me be a foo-foo coffee drinker.
. And he is a religious man.
Dad is Dad - and I guess he is cool ...?

Then I thought about this a little more. I don't have to justify what makes my Dad a cool Dad. It has been staring me in the face all my life.

I don't have to tell a long story to hopefully inspire you all to share your memories about my Dad.

And at the end of the day, the short version of my story that I want to relate to you is that my Dad is a totally cool person. Whether he got the first boarding pass at the airport gate or knows the history of American politics and current events from the perspective of a proud American - more than I have ever comprehended, Dad is cool because he is a thoughtful person, a proud and loving man, and most importantly, though he has left us in this world and asks us to accept that he is with God - he is totally cool because he has left us with wonderful memories that have shaped, affected, and touched our lives -

And at the end of the day, we can all speak about my Dad and celebrate our special memories of him with each other.

On behalf of my family, I thank all of you who have joined us today, and many who could not join us but have sent their warm wishes and sympathies to my family.

Dad, I love you - and
. I'll go shopping with Mom, but I probably won't buy as many shoes as she has.
. I'll try to be on time.
. I'll have to practice the Jumble Word puzzle.
. Talk Radio will never be the same.
. I'll take care of Mom, Pat, Olga, and the grand kids, and I'll collect coins.
. I'll smile when I smell your after-shave.
. I'll always have more than a 1/4-tank of gas- and maybe I'll shoot for 1/2-tank.
. I'll learn to play golf.
. I'll learn to appreciate "normal" coffee.

And most importantly ...

I'll thank God every day that you lived 71 years fulfilled, and I got to share 38 of those years with you.

At the end of this day and every day, I hope you all have a special memory of my Dad and can say, "That Orlando, he's totally a cool dude."

Thank you and God Bless.

[for my Dad, whom I miss dearly ...
Dec 14, 1930 - April 17, 2002]

hipmtfn: labor day 2010 in my garage

hipmtfn = how i pass my time for now
(at least for this morning)

my garage has old boxes that i haven't looked at them for at least a year or two archived back in 2007 when i decided to do this.

this morning, i decided there will be less boxes of stuff and more paper to recycle. a chunk of my garage will be getting a little makeover this labor day (while i snack on a tasty almond horseshoe pastry and warm up with a cup of mocha java - yum!!!)

motivation? ... after reconnecting with one of the corporate-logo-wearing dudes pictured to the right, i realized it's okay to let go of 1999 diesel engine retrofit feasibility analyses working papers and work product. also, somewhere in the piles of paper, i know there are gems sprinkled in the paper maze ... brainstorming notes, critical thinking doodles, and crazy thoughts that will re-energize my spirit.

... and at least i'll have
more paper clips and binder clips to reuse.

(that's worth a morning in my garage, kinda sorta.)

i connect dots (and people) ...

i connect dots.
random? NO.
shuffling around of dots? ALWAYS.
including people? YES.

mindmapping in motion ... i often find myself connecting events, information, people, and activities that seem unrelated to some but are (or should be) related. back in 1995, i called it POE's Corner - People | Organizations | Events - where i brought people together. some called it a happy hour, i called it a way to get my friends to meet each other with the real intent of making authentic connections. i believe one thing fostered, fosters, or will foster another.

yippity-yap and random chatter ... and i spew about it. alot. always brainstorming. always idea generating. so admittedly, to some, i sound like i'm totally rambling - off-subject, on tangent, or just off. sometimes, people are dismissive or even react annoyed. nevertheless, that's my process - not leaving stuff swirling around in my head (because as far as i know, people can't read my mind).

connectedness ... as i am typing this post, an image popped up in my head - one from a book i picked up back in the early 2000s - the brand gap (current version over here). this is kind of what i see and hear when it comes to ideas, people, etc. (found this image at slideshare over here - a slide presentation of the brand gap).

gotta go connect some dots!

hipmtfn: scanner in week 1/2

(repost from july 19, 2008)


[from mina lee studio]

so far, so good with the 1st entry - "trial run" ... i've managed to make it through two weeks after starting this. i did the "trial run" to get the journal stuff started. trial run in short ... to just sit and write about an idea - any idea. and then if there is a tangent, to go with the tangent for a little while and then u-turn back to the original idea, eventually.

scoring air agencies - in a zagat style approach? ... i found myself resurrecting a goofy spoof of an idea from some time in 2005 - a sort of know-what-to-expect of your air quality agencies zagat style resource. why the hell would it matter? i don't know. it probably doesn't matter, but i do remember this - i liked the fact that at the san diego agency, there is a decent lobby/waiting area, sufficient parking, two little meeting rooms in the lobby area, very convenient bathroom locations for visitors, a water fountain, and a clock ... all before i had to sign in. (i'm thinking it may have been - i really, REALLY had to go to the bathroom? or something? convenient parking + readily accessible bathroom = thumbs up!)

with 35 california air districts, i s'pose i could visit them and "zagat" them because ... other people may want to know about W B S E F (which would be the first letter for the scoring system) ... or i'd visit a few air districts and likely end up doing something else, which is just as random and dorky.

and the tangent i experienced? ... thinking about possible names for the work intranet. y'see - there is contest (which ended 07/11) for naming the intranet site. the prize? $100 for the winning entry, and runners-up get work-logo-gear. so i thought of several names, as well as one with various logo ideas. after work announced some samples of the other entries (none of which were mine), i'm thinking ... i may be lucky if i end up with work-logo-gear. there were 2 quite clever names - quite clever! (not to throw out a self-fulfilling prophecy, but i may vote for one of them over any of mine, which may make the cut.)

2nd entry - living quarters map ... sketch a floor plan of home, walk around home, mark areas in each room where intended projects are laying around, and name the project. for one person, relatively speaking, i have and live with lots of stuff, lots of little projects in areas throughout my home. some call it clutter; i call it lots of stuff in specific areas throughout my home. mission accomplished - map made, areas identified, some already being knocked of the list, while others have popped up since. (perhaps i can get out of the week 3/4 apartment therapy "rut" i've been milking and procrastinating since february!)

3rd entry - experiences & accomplishments with associated rewards & value ... go back in time, however far back, and just list stuff (exper & accomp) for 5 minutes. give it a bit of a rest, look back at the list, add anything else that hits, then figure out what rewards & values resulted from each. the objective is to answer "what reward(s) draws you to an activity?" several themes recurring: curiosity; bringing people together; seeing non-traditional and unconventional relationships among people, topics, ideas; creating and implementing a vision, goal setting; helping others evolve in their thought process; writing (creative, technical, investigative-ish); experiencing and creating humorous events/activities.

more insightful things to come, i presume

hipmtfn: scanner am i, yes?

(repost from july 6, 2008)

several months ago, i passed my time with a little bit of apartment therapy, and i've been "do-looping" between weeks 4 through 6. benefit? at least i have been ridding myself of stuff (and i have lots of stuff) and cooking (enough). however, i still have to do some of those repairs and improvements that i've listed ... bathroom caulking, dining room chairs, kitchen base board, kitchen nook area, etc. (and most recently, smoke alarm battery change-outs). so still chugging along ... chugging. along.

nevertheless, i've added yet another "... do stuff around the house" type thing in my life.

refuse to choose: ... (by b.sher)

came across this when i stalked spinning girl who is doing a meme summer, which included mentioning daydreaming on paper. ultimately, i came across the reference to sher's book.

i am hooked ... well, at least because part of the "program" is to get a fabu journal (aka scanner daybook). and i LOVES me my stationery stuff - journals and pens and paper and stuff!

buy a journal ... there is encouragement to get a mega-journal (lots of pages, big writing space, neato-bandito looking, etc.), something that is cool and all. i didn't get a too fancy-shmancy one but i did get something with which i'm sure to write.

let's see how long this
"hipmt ... fn" extravaganza lasts.

i'm very hopeful this will be fruitful because it combines several happy past-times of mine ... writing, reading, reflecting, notetaking, observing, remembering, nostalgia, reasons to drink coffee, plans to do stuff, creativity ... procrastination - in a good way.

(SIDE NOTE: i'm also pal-ing up to woo-woo with your heart's desire with a friend, but i intend to have both co-exist.)

first entry - trial run ... small, recent idea that hasn't been given much thought and totally just go off on it. and i did. and if y'come to a tangent, go off on that for 20-min. and i did. meanwhile, also get some metrics - time started, time ended, and what resulted in stopping the trial run stuff.

insightful sh** for me, already.