tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79133568450609674132024-03-14T02:54:21.861-07:00Something For When You're BoreddanaCreativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839166246795328800noreply@blogger.comBlogger110125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913356845060967413.post-23358947421528560142011-10-11T09:56:00.000-07:002011-12-05T20:39:07.349-08:00I've Moved!It is with a sense of sorrow and a proverbial tear in my eye that I publish this last and final post on Blogger.<br />
<br />
The time has come for me to consolidate my writing to one blogging platform, and that platform for me is WordPress. So, if you've enjoyed my writing here, I invite you to continue reading the drivel that I put together on my new personal WordPress site (<a href="http://gilgonzalez.wordpress.com/">http://gilgonzalez.wordpress.com</a>).<br />
<br />
For more information about what I'm up to, please visit my <a href="http://about.me/gilgonzalez">About.Me</a> page.<br />
<br />
Thank you all for the support and comments over the years. I look forward to the continued interaction with you all on my new site. See you there!danaCreativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839166246795328800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913356845060967413.post-58545111729927401302011-10-03T00:07:00.001-07:002011-10-03T00:07:48.064-07:00Offsetting the Gravity of Failure<br />
Failure. The word itself is filled with weight.<br />
<br />
I used to live in a world where the gravity of failure could be
paralyzing. The idea of not succeeding or not attaining my personal
goals was unthinkable to me.<br />
<br />
It’s not as if my life was perfect and did not have its share of
setbacks. Still, I feel I always lived a blessed life, and, for the most
part, I had always been able to achieve that which I set out to do.
This is, of course, until life served up a healthy dose of reality that
allowed me to open my eyes to the truth. I guess that’s what maturity
is: the clarity of vision that’s achieved with the passing of time and
the accumulation of experience.<br />
<br />
My closed door begins with a love story. It’s the tale of a young lad
who falls head over heels for a princess, a princess betrothed to a
knight and living comfortably in her castle. The young boy, who himself
is committed to someone else, is so blinded by his love and infatuation
that he forsakes the bond he once held true in order to pursue the
princess, a woman he knows with absolute certainty is his ‘one true
love’. The princess returns his affections in kind, and the two of them
dream of a happily ever after together.<br />
<br />
The story, however, does not conclude with a fairytale ending.
Rather, just as the boy is running to the castle gates to claim his
princess, she orders the gates be slammed shut. The boy is left to fall
into a cavernous mote and anguish as he’s consumed by the metaphorical
beast that is failure.<br />
<br />
(Aside: Creative liberty and dramatic flair are probably my two favorite things about being a writer.)<br />
<br />
So you get the point. I went all in on what I thought was a winning
hand, and I ended up losing it all. As I look back on the pivotal moment
that changed my life, I still remember the numbness I felt in my body
at the realization that what I believed with all my heart to be
absolutely true turned out to be false. It was as if a bomb had gone
off, and I could hear a ringing in my ears that was literally blinding.<br />
<br />
The door to my dream had been slammed shut.<br />
<br />
In keeping with the theatrical writing, I would like for you to
imagine a movie scene you’ve seen a million times. The hero takes a fall
or is ambushed and hit in the back of the head. The screen goes black.
Next, you see the hero groggily opening his eyes and trying desperately
to find his orientation or figure out where he is. That’s what happened
to me.<br />
<br />
Following my life changing failure moment, it took me a while to
figure out what came next. Yet once I was able to open my eyes to see
and understand things from a new perspective, so many things became
clear to me.<br />
<br />
I’m nearly forty years old and I can say without equivocation I’ve
live more in the last six years since that life changing event than I
had prior to that point. There is no doubt in my mind that moment of
failure was the best thing that ever happened to me. I would, in all
likeliness, not be writing at this moment if not for that event that
crushed my heart and left me emotionally dead for a period of time.<br />
<br />
To put it into better perspective, that moment was not a closed door
that lead to an open door. It was a closed door that lead to a million
open, wonderful, amazing, unbelievable, and exciting doors, and it’s
been an absolute blessing to have been able to walk through them all.
Just about everything I have today which I cherish and which makes me
complete as a person stems from the people I’ve met as a result of that
one door being slammed shut in my face.<br />
<br />
The saying goes, “This, too, shall pass.” I admit it’s very hard to
see down the road when all you can see is a closed door. But when you
find yourself in that situation, remind yourself that failure is not an
ending but rather the beginning of something new. Failure is indeed full
of gravity that can pull you down, but success is measured in your
ability to get right back up.<br />
danaCreativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839166246795328800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913356845060967413.post-59807292420079247362011-09-27T13:16:00.000-07:002011-09-27T13:17:26.464-07:00Soapbox Tuesday<br />
Every now and again, I come across articles or blog posts that just
set me off. Having been raised Catholic, this one post stirred up those
emotions in me that made me literally stop what I was doing and just
start writing.<br />
<br />
The igniting blog post can be found <a href="http://www.osvdailytake.com/2011/09/archbishop-dolan-threats-to-marriage.html" target="_blank">here </a>and
is copied below. I left a long and verbose comment which I wanted to
capture in my own blog given the moderator of the original post can
simply delete my comments at their discretion.<br />
<blockquote>
<i>In a letter to President Obama this week, Archbishop
Timothy Dolan, writing on behalf of the U.S. bishops, said the Obama
administration’s fight against the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which
defines marriage as between one man and one woman, would “precipitate a
national conflict between Church and State of enormous proportions and
to the detriment of both institutions.”</i><br />
<i></i></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>From the <a href="http://www.usccb.org/news/2011/11-179.cfm">archbishop’s letter</a>:</i><br />
<i></i></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>I write with a growing sense of urgency about recent actions taken by
your Administration that both escalate the threat to marriage and
imperil the religious freedom of those who promote and defend marriage…<br />
</i></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>The Catholic Bishops stand ready to affirm every positive measure taken
by you and your Administration to strengthen marriage and the family. We
cannot be silent, however, when federal steps harmful to marriage, the
laws defending it, and religious freedom continue apace…</i><br />
<i></i></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>I know that you treasure the importance that you and the First Lady,
separately and as a couple, share in the lives of your children. The
Mother‟s Day and Father‟s Day proclamations display a welcome conviction
on your part that neither a mom nor a dad is expendable. I believe
therefore that you would agree that every child has the right to be
loved by both a mother and a father.</i><br />
<i></i></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>The institution of marriage is built on this truth, which goes to the
core of what the Catholic Bishops of the United States, and the
millions of citizens who stand with us on this issue, want for all
children and for the common good of society. That is why it is
particularly upsetting, Mr. President, when your Administration, through
the various court documents, pronouncements and policies identified in
the attached analysis, attributes to those who support DOMA a motivation
rooted in prejudice and bias. It is especially wrong and unfair to
equate opposition to redefining marriage with either intentional or
willfully ignorant racial discrimination, as your Administration insists
on doing.</i><br />
<i></i></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>We as Bishops of the Catholic Church recognize the immeasurable
personal dignity and equal worth of all individuals, including those
with same-sex attraction, and we reject all hatred and unjust treatment
against any person. Our profound regard for marriage as the
complementary and fruitful union of a man and a woman does not negate
our concern for the well-being of all people but reinforces it. While
all persons merit our full respect, no other relationships provide for
the common good what marriage between husband and wife provides. The law
should reflect this reality.</i></blockquote>
My comments were as follows:<br />
<br />
It is sad and upsetting that Archbishop Dolan has done such a poor
job in presenting his argument for DOMA, and although I disagree with
his argument regarding what marriage should be, he really could have
done a better job in presenting his case to the Obama administration,<br />
<br />
“We cannot be silent, however, when federal steps harmful to
marriage, the laws defending it, and religious freedom continue apace…”
NOT defining marriage as being a union between a man and a woman does
nothing to impede religious freedom. If anything, it serves to
strengthen the concept of separation of church and state.<br />
<br />
Christianity is the majority religion in the United States, but
Christianity should not think itself as the vehicle to define marriage
for every person living in this country. In Christianity, marriage is
covenant among man, woman, and God. In the eyes of the US government,
marriage is simply a contract between two individuals that is sanctioned
by the state in which those individuals reside.<br />
<br />
“I believe therefore that you would agree that every child has the
right to be loved by both a mother and a father.” I think the goal
should be for every child to be loved period! A male and female parent
figure does not guarantee love. The proponents of DOMA need to stop with
the implication that same-sex parents cannot provide adequate love for a
child. Bad parents are bad parents, be they straight or gay. The
Archbishops point on this matter is grossly flawed and should be
summarily dismissed.<br />
<br />
“The institution of marriage is built on this truth (that that every
child has the right to be loved by both a mother and a father).” This is
not a truth but rather a teaching based on Christian dogma. Again, this
argument is flawed and the Catholic Church is astoundingly arrogant in
its attempt to subtlety impose its belief on all Americans.<br />
<br />
“..no other relationships provide for the common good what marriage
between husband and wife provides.” Again, completely subjective and
not, in my opinion, remotely correct. Raising a child, be it one parent,
two parents, or, as what happens with divorce, four parents, can be the
single most important effort that provides for the common good.
Children who are loved, nourished, and encouraged tend to become
responsible and productive adults. I would argue THAT is much more
important to the common good than whether or not a husband and wife love
each other.<br />
<br />
I do not believe the Catholic Church is seeking to be discriminatory,
however they are caught in the grey area between their teachings and
the diversity of the American public. They are intolerant to the idea of
same-sex marriage, and they are trying to promote this idea to a public
that thrives in tolerance. What the Catholic Church needs to do is
recuse itself from the discussion of DOMA as it has no place trying to
fold its beliefs into the legislation of this country. To do so – to
blur the line that defines the separation of church and state – would be
the action that would truly precipitate a national conflict.danaCreativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839166246795328800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913356845060967413.post-74960700313958916052011-09-26T14:54:00.000-07:002011-09-26T14:54:11.375-07:00What Do You Mean Pick One?<br />
As we randomly selected our topics for Random Writers, “What’s Your
Favorite Website?” is the topic that popped up for week two of our
writing project. I immediately feigned excitement and thought to myself,
“What the hell am I going to write about?”<br />
<br />
As I sit here writing, and grimacing, I still have no *bleeping* clue
where to go with this post. I’ve let the question rattle in my brain
for several weeks now, and I couldn’t begin to tell you how I plan on
answering this question.<br />
<br />
I think instead I will borrow some inspiration from my new tribe and
just go random. After all, isn’t that what surfing the Net is about for
most people?<br />
<br />
To me, perusing the pages that make up the interwebs (I can’t believe
I just used that word) is a topical activity. No, you don’t rub the www
on your skin (unless you’re into that). Rather, what you surf, read,
consume, share, bookmark, yell at, smirk over, and yes, blush about, is
wholly predicated on the mood you’re in at the time you plop down in
front of your browser.<br />
<br />
Seriously, how can anyone have a favorite site? Of the gajillions of
pages available to us (that’s only 47 for those of you reading this in
China), how can anyone pick just one?<br />
<br />
You would think as an Hispanic male I would default to the stereotype and select <a href="http://www.streetcakes.org/about" target="_blank">Street Cakes</a>, but buttilliciousness aside, I think it’s crazy to try an narrow down the list of websites I enjoy frequenting to just one.<br />
<br />
If it’s a big sports day, I head over to <a href="http://espn.go.com/" target="_blank">ESPN.com</a>. If I am in the mood to catch up on world events, <a href="http://www.bbc.com/" target="_blank">BBC.com</a> is my news source of choice. Yes, much of my time is spent hitting <a href="https://www.facebook.com/" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://plus.google.com/" target="_blank">Google+</a>, and <a href="http://hootsuite.com/" target="_blank">Hootsuite</a>, but that’s kinda’ like breathing for me. And I haven’t even mentioned <a href="https://mail.google.com/" target="_blank">GMail</a> and <a href="https://calendar.google.com/" target="_blank">Google Calendar</a>.
Yes, technically they’re web sites, but to me their life-essential
tools that help keep the structure my OCD self so desperately requires.<br />
<br />
If I need to escape from the mental rigors of work, I allow myself to get lost on <a href="http://failblog.org/" target="_blank">FailBlog</a>, <a href="http://failbook.failblog.org/" target="_blank">FailBook</a>, and other humor sites that make me feel better about myself as a moderately intelligent human being. Then, of course, there’s <a href="http://www.youtube.com/" target="_blank">YouTube</a>; the great black hole from which productive hours never escape.<br />
<br />
They say variety is the spice of life, and the same applies to the
Internet. Some days I use it to be productive. Other days I use it to be
creative. And sometimes I let myself morph into a brainless zombie and
just bounce from site to site to site. There’s a great joy to be found
in the activity of just random surfing.<br />
<br />
Do I have a favorite site? No. Of course not. It’s impossible. But if
I *HAD* to choose one, well …. I guess it would have to be this <a href="http://www.purrfectlee.com/" target="_blank">one</a>.<br />
danaCreativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839166246795328800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913356845060967413.post-49963997261904392362011-09-22T07:12:00.000-07:002011-09-22T07:12:12.949-07:00The Power to Enable Dreams<br />
I don’t normally do my blog posts on the fly. I usually have some
semblance of a plan, then I open up MS Word and I start typing. This
post I am writing directly into the text field of my blog site because
that’s how quickly I want to get it published.<br />
<br />
We all have our individual definitions of what power is. Some people
seek physical power. Others seek political power. Yet, inside us all we
possess the power of giving. Be it a smile, be it a gesture, be it a
dollar; giving of yourself to or for someone else can be the most
powerful thing in the world.<br />
<br />
My friends <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/StaceyMonk" target="_blank">Stacey Monk</a> and <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/sanjspatel" target="_blank">Sanjay Patel</a>, founders of <a href="http://epicchange.org/" target="_blank">Epic Change</a>
and two of the most giving and selfless people I know, are requesting
the help of the power that lies in you. In summary, we’re looking to
provide a special graduation gift to one boy and one girl from the first
ever graduation class of <a href="http://www.epicchange.org/project_shepherds_mamalucy.php" target="_blank">Shephard’s Junior Primary School</a> in Tanzania.<br />
<br />
Mind you, this is not just any school. Shephard’s started as the dream of <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/MamaLucy" target="_blank">Mama Lucy</a>
and was built out of the love and generosity of so many people from all
over the world. Now we’re asking for you to help enable the dreams of
two young students who aspire for so much in life.<br />
<br />
Please follow this link to read <a href="http://staceymonk.com/post/10498309188/gradgift?da401ca8" target="_blank">Stacey’s personal appeal</a>
for this effort, and you can make a quick and easy donation using the
PayPal widget on her page. The power to make someone’s dream come true
is something you possess, and no amount it too small. Thank you.<br />
danaCreativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839166246795328800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913356845060967413.post-25599510119212126392011-09-19T20:22:00.000-07:002011-09-20T06:10:18.457-07:00When Others Don’t Believe In You<br />
In an effort to write with greater frequency, my friends and I came
up with the idea of pooling our collective brain power and writing once a
week about various and random topics. The idea is that we’d each take a
day of the week and publish our unique stab at the issue at hand. Thus,
Random Writers was born.<br />
<br />
We wrote down a list of things about which we’d like to ponder,
discuss, and write. Then we took each item and selected at random, of
course, 15 topics to cover each week through the rest of the year.<br />
<br />
I was confidently blasé with our first topic: How do you deal with
people who don’t believe in you? “That’s easy,” I told myself. “Two
words: *bleep* you!” Really, why would I care if someone doesn’t believe
in me? As far as I’m concerned, it’s *SHRUG* and move on.<br />
<br />
The more I pondered it, however, the more I realized it’s not that
easy. To just write off those who don’t believe in me is to grossly
simplify the issue, and one of the purposes of the vehicle that is
Random Writers is to provide depth and perspective; to flesh out in
written word the questions and topics that may weigh us down at times.<br />
<br />
I thought and thought and thought, and I kept finding myself striking
out in terms of how to best answer the question. I searched through my
past for examples of people who didn’t believe in me, and I had a tough
time coming up with an instance that was applicable. I thought about how
I would respond today if someone didn’t believe in me, and just like
that, the answer presented itself. Well, part of the answer at least.<br />
<br />
As a result of my internal deliberations, I discovered that how I
would respond to such a situation is completely a matter of proximity.<br />
<br />
There’s a saying. “If you want to be successful, surround yourself
with smart people. If you want to be really successful, surround
yourself with smart people who disagree with you.” I’ve tried to apply
that in my life. I like to look at my collection of friends – my
extended family, if you will – and see there are no idiots in the bunch.
Sure, we’ve all had our idiotic moments – I myself am at the forefront
of that list – but all in all, those that fill my life with love and
support are smart, intelligent, and giving people.<br />
<br />
As with most things, there are degrees.<br />
<br />
There are casual acquaintances. You know, the ones you wave hello to
from across the room and sometimes have a tough time remembering their
names. There are also friends you know and have hung out with, but you
see them few and far between, and the friendship is mostly confined to
exchanging comments on Facebook or Twitter. Then there are good friends
you invite to special occasions like weddings or holiday parties. And
then I have my core, inner-circle friends. These are the people I’d call
first if there were an emergency or crisis in my life.<br />
<br />
The closer someone is to that inner-circle, the more I value their
thoughts, feedback, and, most importantly, their opinion of me. This is
what I mean by proximity. I couldn’t care less if an acquaintance of
mine didn’t believe in me, but I would be quite devastated if one my
core friends didn’t believe in my ability to accomplish something I set
out to do. Same thing if they completely dismissed an idea or dream of
mine. Because I hold in such high regard those that make up my core
circle of friends, their doubt in me would in turn lead me to doubt
myself.<br />
<br />
The other part of my answer came to me in a dream, and I truly
believe it was God helping me find what I needed in order to write this
post. In my dream, I was living alone in an apartment and all my
neighbors hated me. They wanted me to move out and they would remind of
this on a daily basis by leaving boxes and other moving materials at my
doorstep. I remember feeling angry and thinking how wrong they were. I
remember promising myself in my dream that I would not move. Whatever it
took and no matter how hard they made it, I was staying.<br />
<br />
What that translates to for me is resolve. I am sure I will encounter
many naysayers in my life as I pursue projects or ideas or help others
in their own endeavors. I’ve learned the answer is not to simply dismiss
them with a “*bleep* you”, but rather to look them in the eye and say,
“Just watch.”<br />
<br />
Be resolved in your pursuits and let determination be your fuel.
Couple that with keeping an open ear to the counsel of those you trust
and respect, and success is sure to follow.<br />
<br />
Please be sure to check out <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/gyhooyadotorg" target="_blank">Jeff Smith</a>‘s take on this question as he covers this topic in <a href="http://getyourheadoutofyourass.org/" target="_blank">his blog</a> on Tuesday.danaCreativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839166246795328800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913356845060967413.post-66631481183067020872011-09-13T21:17:00.000-07:002011-09-14T07:08:29.137-07:00Evolving Perspective<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
So it feels like months have passed since I last <a href="http://danacreative.wordpress.com/2011/08/09/dude-i-just-work-here-day-1/">blogged from my hotel room</a> in Kingston, New York. It’s been a whirlwind three weeks
since I came back from work stoppage duty in upstate New York, and I honestly
don’t even know where to begin.<br />
<br />
I surprised my daughter by picking her up at school (I
had not told her I was coming back), then Lee and I took the next day off work
and spent some serious time catching up (yes, that IS what the kids are calling
it these days), and then it was back to the ‘real world’ and easing back into
my daily work routine.<br />
<br />
There’s been soccer practices and helping the kids with
their homework. There’s been catching up on all work projects that were on hold
because of the work stoppage. There have been get-togethers at our friends’
house for football, BBQ, and beer. Football season is once again upon us, and
it feels so good to have that diversion back in my life every weekend.<br />
<br />
It’s all starting to feel normal again.<br />
<br />
But this past weekend has challenged my perception and
understanding of what normal is. This past weekend reminded me of the burning
ideas and passions inside of me, and that greatness is oftentimes not found in
normalcy.<br />
<br />
I had the extraordinary privilege of taking part in a
three day brainstorming session for <a href="http://epicchange.org/">Epic Change</a>. It was an experience that left
me inspired to say the least, and got the creative juices flowing in terms of
what we can do to affect positive change in the world. Yes, the world. Not just
my neighborhood, not just my city, not just my state; but rather this nice
little place we call planet Earth.<br />
<br />
Although both big ideas and even bigger challenges came
out of our summit meeting, so did the reminder that through love just about
anything is possible. That got me thinking of what it is that truly geeks me
out (or more eloquently stated, gets me off). The reality is the answer to that
question is not found in the 8 – 5 mundane world of my current professional
career. So much so that I had a conversation with my boss today about how I don’t
see myself in my current role long term. As much as I would like to stay with
my current employer, for both financial and logistical reasons, I can hear the
grumblings inside my head telling me it’s time for a change.<br />
<br />
Of course, these grumblings don’t pay the rent, don’t
provide the health insurance, and don’t grant me the flexibility to work from
home. Making a change, as enticing an idea as that is right now, can also be overwhelming
given the state of our current economy, not to mention my current debt to
income situation.<br />
<br />
So I am resolved to make the best of the situation and try
to change the world – or at the least play my small part in doing so – one action
at a time. Through service to others, through the donation of my writing
talents, through the giving of my time and resources; it all begins with love
and the burning desire to make better that which is in front of us.<br />
<br />
Over the course of the next several months, you may see a
varying array of blog posts from me on this site. It’s all part of a journey I
have decided to take with my friends as we set out to generate love and make a
difference in the lives of others. I invite you to come along for the ride. Be
careful, however. It’s my understanding inspiration can be quite contagious.</div>
danaCreativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839166246795328800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913356845060967413.post-81986799527419017212011-08-17T21:03:00.000-07:002011-08-19T20:15:18.463-07:00Dude, I Just Work Here – Days 8 - 10The following is a recap of my adventures and experiences while out on business continuity assignment for my employer. In brief summary, there is currently a work stoppage on the part of union employees in the Northeast region. As a result, I’ve been assigned to travel to the upstate New York and perform some of the duties of the striking employees.
<br />My goal is to make this a running blog and post as often as possible.
<br />
<br /><strong>(August 15-17, 2011)
<br /></strong>
<br /><u>Thanks, Partner
<br /></u>With the arrival of the additional non-union employees, my work partner and I knew things were going to change. Fortunately for us, only two of the five scheduled escorts were there and ready for work on the morning of Day 8. This meant my partner and I got to roll in our van together one last time.
<br />
<br />It was somewhat of a bittersweet workday for us. To summarize what I’ve said before, no one has any idea why we’re being asked to go out with ‘escorts’ that have zero training in the work we’re doing, but since that is an issue we cannot remedy, we simply have to make the most of it. With that in mind, my partner and I kicked butt and took names with our job, and we closed out all the trouble issues assigned to us that day.
<br />
<br /><u>The Freshmen
<br /></u>Although we’d been there a whopping nine days, there was a funny feeling the morning of Day 9 between us and the new escorts that arrived. We felt like college Seniors giving incoming Freshmen their orientation. “This is what you’re gonna’ want to do. This is what you’re NOT gonna’ want to do. And under any circumstances, don’t you dare <insert>”
<br />
<br />It’s not that we’re any kind of subject matter experts or anything like that, but it is true to say the previous week felt like several months, and we all felt we had a plethora of knowledge and insight we had to transfer to our new team members. A couple of them looked at us in disbelief as we retold stories of things that happened the week before, and it seemed that every other sentence ended with the phrase, “Just be thankful you’re here in Kingston and not in the city.”
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<br /><u>New Beginnings
<br /></u>With my work partner and I being split up, Day 9 saw me roll out not only with a new partner, but also in a new truck. Gone was the nice van I’d been driving, the one my previous partner and I called Milagro because it was a miracle we were assigned to a location like Kingston. Instead, my new partner and I rolled out in an old, GMC bucket truck (the work trucks with the extending arms in the back which is attached to a bucket). I decided I would name the truck Gerry … as in geriatric … as in the truck handles like a tank with Parkinson’s. Not to mention no air conditioning in our new ride. This is not a problem when it’s 80 degrees outside, but it is a problem when it starts to rain.
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<br />My first experience with the bucket truck took my new partner and me out to a remote area outside of Kingston. The terminal I needed to look was on a pole that sat about fifteen feet from the edge of street. The advantage of the bucket truck is you don’t have to use the ladder to get up the pole. This saves time and energy and makes getting to the terminal a million times easier. The problem with the truck is you need to make sure the truck is on an even surface. In the theoretical, if you extend the arm of the truck out in the same direction of the slope on which the truck is parked, the entire vehicle can flip. Given the truck was at a slant beyond the acceptable limits, I was not at all about to test out that theory
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<br />I ended up moving the truck to the center of the road (on the double yellow line) while my partner stood and waved traffic through. This is a bit of a misnomer given the area at which we were working was very remote, and if we saw more than ten cars go by in the ninety minutes we were there, that number would have been a lot. The problem with having moved truck to the middle of the road was the arm now did not reach to the pole. This meant I would have to climb the pole. Luckily, however, the pole had step climbers, and this prevented me from having to take down the ladder, carry it, secure it, etc. Still, climbing up that pole was a little more challenging than I had imagined, and since some of the steps were missing as I got to the top of the pole. This meant shifting my weight and getting comfortable in my safety belt was a lot more difficult and cumbersome that it had been in training.
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<br />The moral of the story is no matter how you think you’re going to approach resolving a problem, you always need to be prepared to tackle it from a different angle. Such is the life a telephone repair man.
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<br /><u>Serious R&R
<br /></u>Day 10 brought me my first day off since this work stoppage began. My former partner and I planned to take in as tourists many of the sites and locations we’d only been able to see driving to and from various job sites. God must have really been looking out for us on Day 10. Whereas the previous days were filled with grey skies and rain, Day 10 was a picture-perfect.
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<br />We started off by driving to Woodstock, walking around the town, take some pictures, and doing some shopping. We coincidentally met up with a team of our peers that was out there working on an issue, and we all grabbed lunch together. From there, my former partner and I proceeded to the small town of Phoenicia. There we were able to check out the rapids of the creek that runs through the town, as well as take some more pictures.
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<br />More importantly, it was a great mental break from the rigors of the work assignment. For one beautiful, sunshine-filled day, we did not have to worry about work orders, cross boxes, twisted pairs, dial tone, ladders, poles, or NID’s. For one day, we could just relax and breathe and enjoy the reprieve.
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<br />As Day 10 came to a close, the memories of the day off became bittersweet as I knew it would be another month-long week (at least) before I’d be able to enjoy that again. Here’s hoping that time flies regardless of whether or not I’m having fun.
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<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG677nI7nHDLyAFhSyxPYVj2JTYYGatJYmpXEP1xoVbQCIn3PfVbgzwyie4mGtUXnUHpA5szymlQzoV6DXpIH0mnxMkHJYvOiFJhcfO6s4pMtsPWrAJ_lBuXaNzoOMWx6Qz11eTtG9Vxu_/s1600/2011-08-16+10.40.09.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642042213180224258" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG677nI7nHDLyAFhSyxPYVj2JTYYGatJYmpXEP1xoVbQCIn3PfVbgzwyie4mGtUXnUHpA5szymlQzoV6DXpIH0mnxMkHJYvOiFJhcfO6s4pMtsPWrAJ_lBuXaNzoOMWx6Qz11eTtG9Vxu_/s320/2011-08-16+10.40.09.jpg" /></a> </div><span style="font-size:85%;">Gerry
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<br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Damn. I make this look easy.
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<br />danaCreativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839166246795328800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913356845060967413.post-16154183857964266702011-08-14T21:40:00.001-07:002011-08-14T22:06:54.418-07:00Dude, I Just Work Here – Days 6 - 7The following is a recap of my adventures and experiences while out on business continuity assignment for my employer. In brief summary, there is currently a work stoppage on the part of union employees in the Northeast region. As a result, I’ve been assigned to travel to the upstate New York and perform some of the duties of the striking employees.
<br />My goal is to make this a running blog and post as often as possible.
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<br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>(August 13-14, 2011)
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<br /><u>50/50 Day
<br /></u>Day 6 proved to be both a good and bad day. From a work perspective, my partner and I resolved every issue assigned to us. Achieving a 100% closure rate was very satisfying, especially when one of the fixes meant having to venture to the Central Office and resolve the issue there. It was literally an on-the-job training experience, and I admit it was as much luck as it was skill to fix the issue. Still, the end result from the eyes of the customer is the same.
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<br />Having had such great success with our efforts, my partner and I were eager to get out there on Day 7 and tackle some more trouble reports. The excitement of the moment was lost, however, when we returned back to the garage on Day 6 and were given the news additional non-union employees will be joining us this upcoming week. This was not received well by us since we’ve already established a rapport with our respective partners, and having to change all that up in the next couple of days will be quite disruptive.
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<br />Like communism, I guess I understand the concept on paper. If you take the number of teams going out to the customers and double them, the keystone being that no one can go out to a job site alone, then productivity should increase. However, to have other management employees accompany us – none of which are trained at all for installation and maintenance – will only serve to decrease productivity. It’s been a challenge for us this past week, as two-person teams, both trained in copper installation and maintenance, to figure out some of the problems we’ve been assigned. To ask us to tackle those same issues with someone who is there literally to just sit with us, I don’t see how that is designed to help our customers.
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<br />So whereas before the conflict us employees on assignment faced was with picketing union members, now it feels like we’re getting slammed from the other side by our executive management. I’ve always wondered about the force field that surrounds our headquarters in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. It’s a shield through which every day common sense does not penetrate. I guess this happens often in all large corporations, but it seems that rather than reach out to the garages and sample what’s actually happening, a decision is made unilaterally and applied as a one-size-fits-all solution to help.
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<br />I know the company is trying. I know they’re looking to help and protect those employees in the big cities having to deal with hellish behavior on a daily basis. I understand the intent is good. But speaking specifically for the garage to which I’m assigned, it’s going to suck. Not to mention that not everyone currently here is trained the same. My partner is not certified to work aloft (carry large ladders, climb a pole, etc.). Us being team together is perfect because I get to do that work while she’s either interfacing with the customer or communicating our information back to our dispatch center. Now that we’re being split up, I have no idea how that’s going to work.
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<br /><u>Niagara Falls
<br /></u>From Kingston, New York, it’s about four and a half to five hours to Niagara Falls. On the evening of Day 6, I had Niagara on my face. For the first time since I’ve been here, being away from my family really got to me. Depressed, sad, lonely, angry, confused, anxious; it was a multitude of feelings that was overwhelming me all at once.
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<br />I’ve been away from my wife and my kids for a week before, but the circumstances surrounding this time apart are so very different. Before, there was a known end date. We all knew that come a certain date we’d see each other again. With this work stoppage assignment, there is no known end date. There is no telling if I’ll be here for a couple more days, for several weeks, or even for months.
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<br />I think it was the buildup of that great unknown that finally made me breakdown on Day 6. Come next week I will be missing soccer games as well as the back to school period for my kids. I will most social likely miss events to which I had originally committed to attend. It’s the not knowing how this is going to play out that just hit like a ton of bricks.
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<br /><u>Learning from a Pro
<br /></u>On Day 7, It came to my attention the only thing worse than having to deal with an irate customer is trying to fix the problem of a former employee who used to do the work I am attempting to do now. It’s not an anger or attitude issue. Rather, it’s a matter of knowing if you do something wrong, that person will immediately know you’re doing something wrong. That was the situation that Sunday morning.
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<br />Our customer was a former engineer with Verizon who happened to work as a copper wire installer and repair person during the last strike, and I am sure he’s forgotten more about telephone support than I’ll ever know. During his time as a replacement worker, this customer reported to the same person who is now my current works stoppage supervisor. Armed with this information, we knew the problem was NOT going to be at the customer’s premise.
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<br />Our customer could not have been more cordial and friendly. From the moment we met him, he took charge in explaining the issue, where he thought the issue might be, and how we should go about fixing it. He even told us the location of the cross box that served the vicinity. After a couple of minutes of pleasantries, my partner and I made our way down to the cross box. We quickly found the customer’s line, but due to a mistake I was making in interpreting the information - I was reversing in my head the flow of service - we ended up troubleshooting the problem incorrectly and did not make any progress.
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<br />After about 45 minutes, our customer showed up at the cross box and once again took over the scene. I explained what we were trying to do, and he explained where it was I had erred in my analysis. We identified possible solutions and spelled out a game plan to get him back into service. We returned to his premise as the solution required me to climb the pole in front of his house and make some changes to the terminal. Once again our customer took over, helping me set up my ladder and giving me pointers on how to work with that specific terminal, etc.
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<br />Unfortunately, we were unable to resolve his issue that day. Per safety procedure, we’re required to check every pole we climb for the presence of high voltage. There’s a special tool we use to do that, and if the light goes red, we’re to climb down and report the issue to our supervisor. I desperately wanted to resolve this customer’s issue, and I knew we could do it given our game plan, but you don’t mess around with high voltage. My partner and I are keeping this order in our queue until the power company can clear the voltage issue on that pole. Once they do, we will be back out to the site to restore service for that customer.
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<br /><u>Two Different Worlds
<br /></u>I spoke to a good friend of mine from Tampa who is also assigned to business continuity work. We exchanged stories about our experience with picketers, and it was clear to see our experiences are completely different. Whereas the union folks here have, for the most part, left us alone to do our jobs, the non-union employees in and around the major, metropolitan area continue to be berated and verbally assault. My friend told me horror story after horror story, and apparently the union is supposed to ‘step it up’ on Day 8 of the strike. Add the scent of the fresh meat that is the escorts and I am sure the morning of Day 8 is going to be interesting.
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<br />I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
<br />danaCreativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839166246795328800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913356845060967413.post-12519755301719710922011-08-12T20:51:00.000-07:002011-08-14T22:09:13.716-07:00Dude, I Just Work Here - Days 4 - 5The following is a recap of my adventures and experiences while out on business continuity assignment for my employer. In brief summary, there is currently a work stoppage on the part of union employees in the Northeast region. As a result, I’ve been assigned to travel to the upstate New York and perform some of the duties of the striking employees.
<br />My goal is to make this a running blog and post as often as possible.
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<br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><em><strong>(August 11 - 12, 2011)
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<br /></span><u>Change of Pace
<br /></u>What a difference 72 hours makes. Whereas the general attitude on Day 1 amongst the non-union employees assigned work stoppage duty was one of concern and fear, Day 4 for us was calm and cool. For the first time this week, we were not followed by any union workers. Having had a positive experience with our ‘fan club’ on Day 3, I wasn’t overly concerned about being followed on Day 4. Still, there was a giant sense of relief – almost a sense of normalcy – to be able to drive out to our job site without having to worry about a trail car.
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<br /><u>It’s About the Customers
<br /></u>There are many cons and very few pros about this assignment. I really hate being away from my kids. I miss my wife greatly. There’s also the fun, silly and ridiculous little things I’m missing, too. I’d been working for weeks to get my pool at home back to perfect in terms of water clarity. I spent part of the Saturday before I left treating the pool, cleaning the filter, etc. My wife tells me it’s now crystal clear, and I’m all the way up here unable to enjoy it. Also, my mother-in-law lives with us, and it’s truly a blessing to have her around. Yet, it does result in the hindrance to ‘spontaneous romantic moments’ between my wife and me. My mother-in-law is going out of town for a couple of days. In a million ways, having to be on work stoppage duty really sucks.
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<br />Still, there are moments when being here is truly rewarding. On Day 4, we drove out to a customer site. The trouble ticket read the customer did not have dial tone, was an elderly customer, and it was also flagged as being a critical issue given the customer’s age and their inability to dial 911 in the event of an emergency. When we arrived to the customer’s site, we were greeted by a handsome, elderly gentleman who was very happy to see us. The look on his face was one of joyous relief.
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<br />I couldn’t help but gravitate towards the man. He was well dressed (unfortunately on his way to a funeral), elegant, and had a ‘Burt Lancaster in Field of Dreams’ type of appeal to him. I explained how we were prepared to troubleshoot his service, and I pledged to myself at that moment I was going to get his service restored. My partner and I worked our way from the premise back to the box that connects the customers’ lines to the Verizon central office (cross box). Along the way we noticed the aerial terminal for our customer was just dangling from the span. We set up the ladder, climbed up, cleared up the branches and debris that cluttered the terminal, and re-hung it from the span. Unfortunately, the problem was not there. What was cool is that our customer passed us on the way out, and his wife lowered her window, thanked us for looking into the problem, and said, “I hope this strike ends soon.” She was so loving in her delivery and it made us both feel deeply appreciated.
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<br />Once we were done with the aerial terminal, we headed to the cross box. Turns out the simple piece of copper wire that connects one end of the phone circuit to the other was disconnected. We connected the line to the respective posts in the cross box and confirmed dial tone on the line. We doubled back to the customer’s house and confirmed dial tone there as well. We even called the customer’s number and could hear the phone ringing in the house.
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<br />The sense of satisfaction is hard to describe. There’s just something very cool about being able to resolve a customer’s issue. It’s just one of those things where someone asks you for help and you’re able to deliver. It’s so much more than a company helping a paying customer. It’s creating goodness with your time and skills for another person. It’s awesomeness.
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<br /><u>I Don’t Get It
<br /></u>On Day 5 my partner and I had another similar experience with a customer. She was reporting a bad hum on her line. The problem was with the drop wire coming from the telephone pole to her property. It had fallen and come undone from her two-story house. My partner and I re-attached the line, made sure it was not only correctly connected but also aesthetically pleasing, and finished the job which resulted in another satisfied customer.
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<br />In both of the cases above, the root cause of the issue has me baffled. Customer lines don’t simply become disconnected at a cross box. In the case of the drop wire, what I thought was caused by a fallen limb, etc. seemed to be a result of manual intervention. Both cases left me deeply suspicious that they were a result of a deliberate attempt to disrupt service to our customers, and the more jobs I work, the more it seems there’s a weird pattern to the issues being reported.
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<br />Let me be clear. I am not making accusations. My suspicion could simply be a matter of me not having done this type of work before, and it’s possible these things happen with more frequency than I am aware. Still, when you read news reports of deliberate sabotage on the part of the union and you couple that with the open hostility that’s been displayed in the large cities by striking employees, it’s only natural to think many of these issues to which we’re responding are an elaborate way for the union to simply fuck with us.
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<br />Assuming that is the case, I just don’t get it. These are people who make a living in providing service to customers. So the solution to resolve a dispute between them and their employer is to disrupt the very customers they’ve been servicing for years? If anything, one would assume it would be the opposite. Why bite the hand that feeds you? Why try to anger your customer base to a point where they’d no longer want to be your customer and leave for a competitor? If that were to happen, what job would be left once all the customers are gone? It’s the antithesis of self preservation, and I just don’t get it at all.
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<br /><u>Praying
<br /></u>I pray every day this dispute is resolved quickly. As I’ve said before, this is not my fight, yet for some reason I’m here caught in the middle of it. I’m missing my daughter’s soccer matches. I miss playing video games with my son. I’m missing waking up each morning with my wife. I miss being able to hang out with my friends and neighbors at home. I’d like to say the resolve of the union is waning (it sure feels like it is here at my location). In fact, the only time I was called a scab on Day 5 was by one of the managers in our garage. He was doing it in jest as he happened to be standing outside the garage as we were pulling into the building. It was funny and I think even the two or three union people who were still there got a chuckle out of it. Unfortunately, things aren’t quite as chipper in places like New York City, New Jersey, and Boston. My peers in those cities are the ones that really need this whole fiasco to come to a speedy conclusion. And from what I’ve been hearing, they need a stiff drink, too. Here’s hoping we all get to go home very soon.
<br />danaCreativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839166246795328800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913356845060967413.post-83219456707109029432011-08-10T21:39:00.000-07:002011-08-10T21:54:54.405-07:00Dude, I Just Work Here - Day 3The following is a recap of my adventures and experiences while out on business continuity assignment for my employer. In brief summary, there is currently a work stoppage on the part of union employees in the Northeast region. As a result, I’ve been assigned to travel to the upstate New York and perform some of the duties of the striking employees.
<br />My goal is to make this a running blog and post as often as possible.
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<br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>(August 10, 2011) </strong></span></em>
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<br /><u>That’s So Yesterday
<br /></u>As Day 3 began, it did so with my resolve burning. No longer was I going to allow these union employees to intimidate me and make me feel uncomfortable. My partner and I decided that instead of taking the trail cars for a ride - all the while wasting our time and preventing us from providing service to our customers - we were going to go directly to the site of the job we did not get to finish the day before. The plan was not so much a matter of me growing a pair overnight as it was knowing the location was up in the mountain, required a fairly lengthy drive to get there, and we would be protected by the 45 feet of driveway onto the customer’s property. The union picketers can follow us to our site and picket our work, but they cannot do so on the customer’s private property. Going directly to the site was a calculated move on our part.
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<br /><u>CWA = Creepy Worker Association?
<br /></u>I will say there was a sense of “bring it on” as we left the garage to our work site. This was a result of the union sending their workers to our respective hotels in order to follow us and, I assume, intimidate us from the very beginning of the day. This was just unacceptable as far as we were concerned. It’s one thing to bother us once we’re on the clock and actually working for the company they’re fighting against, but to harass us at our hotel is just bad form.
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<br />One of my teammates, who is unfortunately staying at a separate hotel - by herself - was followed in to work by union employees. I can only imagine what this woman must have been thinking and feeling as two strangers were, in effect, stalking her on her way to work. I would have been terrified and pissed beyond belief. Let’s put it this way, if I were home and my wife were on a work stoppage assignment , and she called me with a story like that, I’d be on the next plane and the situation would end with me going to jail and the union guys going to the hospital. Again, totally unacceptable.
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<br />We didn’t have that problem. There’s a group of us staying in the same hotel and we’re all carpooling into work. On Tuesday, one of my peers drove and we went in the RAM 1500 my other peer had rented. Later that day, we all agreed we’d take my rental car on Wednesday. After having run to grab dinner late Tuesday evening, I came back to find the parking lot of my hotel full, and I ended up having to park on the other side of the building. On Wednesday morning, the union guys, whom we had no idea would be there, were waiting by the pickup truck. As it turns out, we all exited the other side of the hotel, piled into my rental, and left. As we were leaving, we noticed the guys in the red shirts. “Those aren’t union guys, are they?” We weren’t sure but it quickly dawned on us that if they were, they were waiting for us to come out to the truck. Through our laughter, I could hear my peer saying, “So long, suckers!”
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<br /><u>Putting It Into Practice
<br /></u>I can honestly say Day 3 was a good day. We got some work done and managed to close out three of our orders (which is a good number given the circumstances of what we’re dealing with). We’re not entirely efficient, but with every day there’s a greater sense of familiarity and understanding of what to look for, how to troubleshoot it, and how to eventually resolve it. What also made the day great is that I actually go to put into practice the things I was taught in training over six weeks ago, specifically climbing a telephone pole using a ladder. Completing this task under normal circumstances is an effort unto itself. There’s a procedure to removing the ladder from the van. There’s a procedure for carrying the ladder. There’s a procedure for setting, raising, and securing the ladder. All these procedures exist for safety reasons, and they all take time. Add on the facts A) I was trying to recall so much of it from memory, B) the pole on which I’d be working was located one hundred feet into a wooded area full of shrubs, vines, and tall grass, and C) there was the added pressure or the picketing union employees watching my every move, what should have taken twenty or so minutes took about an hour.
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<br />Thankfully there was a moment of comic reprieve. My partner is Cuban and I am Cuban-American. In order to clear out the shrubbery and brush, we had to use a machete - yes, I said machete - that was in the van. As I’m whacking away at the foliage, I said to my teammate, “Two Cubans with a machete in the woods. How *bleeping* cliché is this?”
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<br />Once everything was set up, it was almost exhilarating to climb up the ladder and work on the aerial terminal the fed the customer’s home. I did my testing and trouble shooting, and I felt so comfortable up there, I had forgotten I was over twenty five feet off the ground.
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<br /><u>Redemption?
<br /></u>I find my outlook and perspective towards the striking union workers having shifted. This is due largely to the fact that as I was setting up my ladder, one of the union employees suggested I set my ladder a little further back for safety reasons. He stated my ladder was too steep and I needed more incline. He also later provided additional instructions regarding the securing of the ladder to the pole.
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<br />I was shocked by his willingness to give me pointers, as well as what appeared to me to be genuine concern for my well being. Once I finished my work and returned my ladder and tools to my van, I walked over to the gentleman and thanked him in person. We shared a brief conversation and he was very cordial in his tone and demeanor. This was not the same tone and demeanor we’d seen just a couple of hours earlier as we left the garage. Gone was the venom in his words. Absent was the vitriol in the language he used. Instead, he was clear to state that he did not like nor appreciate the fact we were there doing the work, yet he understood the situation we’re in, and the last thing he wanted is for one of us to get hurt on a job. In return, I, too, empathized with the position they were in, and I explained I’d much rather be at home with my family than performing business continuity work.
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<br />The best way to describe the exchange was professional and filled with mutual respect. I do like to think, however, that his watching me setup the ladder, climb the pole, and work on the terminal allowed me to earn a measure of respect in his eyes. Rather than wimping out, I went out and got the job done.
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<br /><u>Playing the Part
<br /></u>It turns out I have a lot more in common with the union employees than I had thought. Speaking specifically about the group protesting outside our garage, it’s become apparent the majority of them share the same sentiment as the gentleman with whom I conversed. They don’t necessarily want to be out in the sun or rain walking around in circles, blowing their whistles, and holding signs. Still, they have to in order to be paid by the union. They also have to play the part of irate union person in order to stay in the good graces of the union higher-ups.
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<br />This reveals to me that the loud, obnoxious, and rude protestors are really the vocal minority of the organization. Not everyone in a red shirt ‘hates me’, but rather they greatly dislike what I represent in terms of the company’s solution to the work stoppage. They also admitted - through surreptitious back channels, of course - they have no intention of causing any harm to anyone.
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<br />This really made me feel a lot better and a lot safer than I did just 48 hours earlier. It’s a shame that a select few force all others on strike to be so adversarial and uncompromising. Assholes will be assholes, I guess. The good news is going forward I will not feel the level of anxiety I did on Days 1 and 2, and less anxiety is always a good thing.
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<br />danaCreativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839166246795328800noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913356845060967413.post-27565073101199444812011-08-09T21:25:00.001-07:002011-08-09T21:33:02.887-07:00Dude, I Just Work Here - Day 2The following is a recap of my adventures and experiences while out on business continuity assignment for my employer. In brief summary, there is currently a work stoppage on the part of union employees in the Northeast region. As a result, I’ve been assigned to travel to the upstate New York and perform some of the duties of the striking employees.
<br />My goal is to make this a running blog and post as often as possible.
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<br /><strong><em><span style="font-size:85%;">(August 9, 2011)
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<br /><u>Not This Again
<br /></u>Day 2 of my work stoppage assignment was not unlike Day 1. We were greeted at the garage by a collection of picketing union workers, and we were once again delayed from actually entering the garage by picketers walking very casually and slowly in the middle of the street.
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<br />Once we were inside, we received our jobs for the day and headed out. Once again we started being tailed by union guys in a car. Once again we decide to employ our ‘drive for miles’ tactic. The resolve of our shadow team, however, did not falter. My partner and I drove for over 120 miles with no avail. These guys would just not quit. I can, however, say that downtown Albany - yes, <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=kingston,+ny&daddr=albany,+ny&hl=en&sll=41.927037,-73.997361&sspn=0.1576,0.363579&geocode=FX3BfwIdz-OW-ykngcktAQ_diTETyTJYWonXQQ%3BFaPTigIduJGa-ylL-0_MNAreiTHEKOegEmOh4Q&mra=ls&t=h&z=9">Albany </a>- is actually quite nice, and the architecture there is stunning.
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<br />Resigned to the fact there was no way to lose our tail, my partner and I decided enough was enough and we set the GPS to our customer’s location. Immediately the butterflies from Monday morning were back. The idea of leading a group of loud and visible protestors to a customer’s house made me sick. My anxiety shot through the roof, and I was feeling queasy as we exited the interstate. It’s bad enough to have to deal with the verbal abuse, the taunts, and the glares from the union people, but to take that crap to the customer’s doorstep is, in my opinion, out of bounds.
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<br /><u>Mysterious Ways
<br /></u>The GPS was trying to locate our position as we exited the interstate, which just so happens to exit traffic into a rotunda. Not knowing exactly which way to go, I stayed with the easier flow and went right. It was at that moment the GPS kicked in and advised us we should have gone left. “Dammit!” I thought. “This whole situation is going from bad to worse.”
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<br />I pulled into an open parking lot and did a casual loop to turn around and get back to the main road, this time heading in the correct direction. As I circled around our trail car also had to do the same. Serendipitously, there was a third car leaving the parking lot at the same time, and it happened to find its way between our van and the trail car. As I looked up, I noticed the light for us was green. “No way! Really?” I said out loud. With about 20 feet to the intersection, the light turned yellow. My partner sat up in her seat. “Go! Go! Go!” she exclaimed. I punched the accelerator and sure enough we made the light while our shadow was left in waiting.
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<br />The feelings of nausea and anxiety were immediately replaced with those of relief and celebration. We lost them! After two and a half hours of crazy, monotonous driving, we were finally free. Not five minutes earlier I had made a commented we had won Day 1 of this game the union was choosing to play, and it seemed Day 2 would go to the team dressed in red. Losing our tail at the light was akin to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3ykWbu2Gl0">Flutie’s Hail Mary pass </a>from 1984. It was miraculous, last second win.
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<br />I also have to mention that as we exited the interstate, I said a little prayer asking God to please, please, please show us a way out of the mess I felt we were heading towards. It turns out the mix up with the GPS and going the wrong way actually ended up being the right way after all. He really does work in mysterious ways, and His grace can only be described as awesome.
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<br /><u>A Little Better
<br /></u>Once we were able to carry on with our work, my partner and I found we were able to do it a little better than we did on Day 1. There were still challenges we had to face, not to mention delays as a result of the torrential rain the passed over the Kingston area, but as with all things, we felt our confidence increase as we went from job to job. We know this will continue to trend in the positive, and assuming we’re still here next week, there’s no doubt in my mind the daily tasks will feel very commonplace for us.
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<br />Getting back to the worksite was also much better than it was on Day 1. Thanks to the aforementioned downpour, many of the picketers had dispersed by the time we made it back to the garage. The few union folk that remained seemed almost indifferent to us and they somewhat solemnly moved out of the way so we could pull in.
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<br />In speaking with non-union workers who work with those that are currently on strike, it turns out the majority of them really prefer not to have to go out and picket. In many ways, they’re in the same situation I’m in of having to go do a job out of requirement. I can only imagine the repercussions they’d face if they did not show up to picket and protest, and if there’s any empathy from me to them, it’s to the union employees that would much rather be back at work than losing a paycheck and standing out there in the rain for hours upon hours.
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<br /><u>Soap Box
<br /></u>That being said, there still remains the small, vocal minority that thrives on times like these. As someone put it, it’s the people that are normally assholes being given the opportunity to be justified assholes. And speaking collectively, I’m completely baffled by the tactics being employed by the CWA. In addition to picketing in front of a garage where there’s very little through traffic (i.e. you picket to bring attention to your cause, and if there’s no one there to see you, it’s no different than picketing in the middle of an empty field), the union is also asking customers to boycott the company.
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<br />So let me get this straight. Employee of Company A is asking the customers of Company A to boycott the company and switch to the competitor that is Company B. They want this so they can keep as-is their current jobs with Company A. My question is, if all the customers are now with Company B, what job is there to do in Company A? Seems to me CWA should stand for ‘Currently Without Aptitude’. Their logic is simply illogical.
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<br />As for their tactic of following us to our job sights, the cloud of intimidation has lifted and I see more clearly that those guys following us don’t really care to be there either. They’re pretty much going through the motions. One of the guys on my team went so far as to tell his tail, “Listen, guys. There’s nobody out here, so if you want to take off, we won’t mention anything to the other union guys.” It’s just a game for them, one that reminds me of the old ‘<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZKvuSYIykY">Wolf and Sheepdog</a>’ cartoons. In fact, the next time I see the picketers, which I will from now on refer to affectionately as ‘my fan club’, I think I just may look them in the eye and say, “Good morning, Ralph. Have a good day.”
<br />danaCreativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839166246795328800noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913356845060967413.post-83634434994688387442011-08-08T22:56:00.000-07:002011-08-09T03:02:59.813-07:00Dude, I Just Work Here - Day 1The following is a recap of my adventures and experiences while out on business continuity assignment for my employer. In brief summary, there is currently a work stoppage on the part of union employees in the Northeast region. As a result, I’ve been assigned to travel to the upstate New York and perform some of the duties of the striking employees.
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<br />My goal is to make this a running blog and post as often as possible.
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<br /><strong><span style="font-size:85%;">(<em>August 8, 2011</em>)
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<br /><u>Get ‘Em Flying In Alignment
<br /></u>Someone once said the trick to overcoming butterflies in your stomach is to get them to all fly in the same direction. I think the butterflies I had Monday morning were both high on crack and blind. It’s truly hard to put into words how uneasy and nerve wracking my first day of business continuity work was. There’s something very unsettling about driving to work and having complete strangers yell at you and call you names as you pull into the work location. Then, to have them do it all over again as I was <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d39oqNxam5c">heading out to my job assignment </a>was just as bad, if not worse.
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<br />I’ve done many things in my life that I consider high-pressure, things that would cause the nerves to go into overdrive. I’ve even jumped out of a plane. Still, those were nothing compared to the nausea I was feeling at the thought of having to endure the taunts, yells, and vitriol that was eschewed by the angry mob of picketers. It was almost surreal.
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<br /><u>Did We Lose ‘Em?
<br /></u>If having to creep our way through a picket line wasn’t bad enough - something we could not do if not for the local police explicitly telling the picketers to get out of the way - you can only image the flinches my bowl felt when I realized there was a car full of striking employees following me to my work assignment. “Are you F’n kidding me?” I said to myself. We had discussed the possibility of such a tactic, but to see it put into practice made an already surreal experience feel that much more incredulous. I didn’t like the idea of showing up to a customer’s location and having a car full of extremely vocal and adamant individuals yell, picket, and protest. If the tactic was designed to instill fear and intimidation on the part of the target, then mission accomplished.
<br />Using our own ‘drive for miles’ tactic, we were finally able to lose our shadow. After all, there were four or five individuals in the car that was tailing us. Eventually one of them had to take a nature break. Still, for the rest of the day I was über-suspicious of any car that ended up behind my work van. When I’d see them turn on their blinker to pass me or turn off onto another road, my assignment partner and I would breathe a huge sigh of relief.
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<br /><u>Damn You Larry and Sergey
<br /></u>Finally able to head out to our job assignments, our focus turned to the GPS function on my Android phone. What I’ve come to realize is that as awesome and enormous as Google is, their GPS navigation feature is not entirely 100% accurate. I know this because we ended up driving up a dirt/rock road that snaked its way to the top of mountain. Okay, it was probably a hill, but I’ve lived at or below sea level my entire life. To me it was a mountain.
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<br />If you’ve never driven up Eagles Nest Road in Hurley (Kingston), NY, I suggest you do yourself the favor and skip the experience. To say it was a bit creepy was an understatement, and the fact it was an uneven road filled with rocks and potholes made for a horrible experience, especially in a van full of telephone repair gear. Our ride just rattled and rattled and rattled some more. I could not tell what was more aggravating; the loudness of our van given all its rattling or the aforementioned striking employees. My partner tried to find the silver lining in our misadventure. “At least they won’t find us here,” she said, referring to the union employees that had followed us earlier in the day. “That’s what I’m afraid us,” I retorted, alluding to my hyper-active imagination and the thought of how our bodies would be easily disposed of following the ambush I was certain would take place.
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<br /><u>OK. Now What?
<br /></u>Crash courses are called ‘crash’ for a reason. In preparation for this work stoppage, I was trained to do installation and maintenance work in five days. Yes, five days. At our first customer location (after we finally found it), we were able to evaluate the reported problem and perform our list of checks to try and isolate the problem. However, once we identified what the problem was, my partner and I were both unsure as to what the next step was. This was a unique circumstance that had not been covered in either of our training classes, and it was frustrating to not be able to resolve the customer’s issue right there on the spot. After a couple of phone calls, we were able to determine the proper step to take. Still, I’d been hoping for a successful completion of the job so that the customer would be satisfied and also so my partner and I could boost our confidence for the overall assignment. I guess that would just have to wait.
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<br /><u>Not These Guys Again
<br /></u>Following the first of what will be many 12-hour work days, we pulled into our assigned work station only to be greeted once again by the yelling and screaming. This time, the belligerence level on the part of some of the union employees was even higher. Although I wasn’t rattled as much as before, it was still very difficult mentally and physically to edge my way through that small sea of individuals that were blocking my way.
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<br />Our attention quickly turned to the notion the protestors would follow us back to our respective hotels. After all, they would be seeing us pull out of the garage and could easily employ the tactic from earlier in the day. Fortunately for us, that did not happen at all. I just hope and pray they remain just as level headed for the duration of the strike with regards to not following us back ‘home’.
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<br /><u>Was That This Morning?
<br /></u>As I joined some my peers for dinner following our first day, partial exhaustion kicked in. The day was so long and I was feeling so very tired. I thought back to when I met the other non-union employees on assignment with us. It had been only 13 hours earlier, but for some reason it felt like 3 days. The day had been so long and the reality set it that this was only day 1 of an assignment of unknown duration. “Holy crap,” I said. “This is going to be the longest week of my life.”
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<br />danaCreativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839166246795328800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913356845060967413.post-39066960661021000702011-07-10T21:55:00.000-07:002011-07-10T22:06:26.179-07:00Mission AccomplishedThere we were, standing in the bed of a stranger’s pickup truck, staring at a plume of smoke that reached up to the heavens. We stood there in silence and waited. We counted silently to ourselves. “Any second now,” we said softly. Any second now I repeated to myself in my mind. Then we heard it. It was a roar unlike anything I’d heard before. It vanquished the silence. It shook the earth. It rattled my soul. It was an experience full of sound and fury, and it signified everything!<br /><br />Last week, Lee and I ventured to Florida’s Space Coast to witness the launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis and the historic closing of a space exploration program that began when I was a young boy. To see Atlantis blast off into space was, for the both of us, the culmination of many recent failed attempts, as well as a culmination of a lifetime of desire.<br /><br />Since 2005, Lee and I have tried on several occasions to catch a launch in person. On our first attempt, we heard the launch had been scrubbed as we were driving through Orlando. That resulted in a fun-filled afternoon in Downtown Disney.<br /><br />The next time was wholly spontaneous. Lee came home from work one afternoon and said to me, “Did you know there’s a shuttle launch tonight?” I told her I was vaguely aware of that fact. “You wanna’ go?” I jokingly said, “Sure.” “Okay. Let’s go then,” she said imperatively. “Wait. You’re serious?” Next thing I know, we’re driving along I-4 trying to figure out exactly where we need to go. Given this was well before the days of smart phones, I managed to take a ninety minute detour that left us literally running from the car to a spot where we could see the launch. Huffing and puffing as we finally found a suitable viewing location, we were filled with excitement as we overheard others counting down. Then, with forty seconds left, the launch was scrubbed.<br /><br />Our third attempt was very more involved and planned out. However, like the two attempts that preceded, that one too yielded a failure to launch. (You can read the details of that adventure <a href="http://danacreative.blogspot.com/2009_08_01_archive.html" target="_blank">here</a>).<br /><br />It’s safe to say that in addition to the immense feeling of awe and amazement we felt as STS-135, the final of all shuttle flights, escaped Earth’s pull as it <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mf3yRCLP6SY" target="_blank">rocketed into space</a>, Lee and I also felt a strong sense of resolution. For us, it was definitely ‘Mission Accomplished’ and it was another page in the book of blessings we’ve been able to share together.<br /><br />Unlike the vacuum of space, for Lee and me there is no frontier that is final. As we walk together on this journey of life, every adventure completed and experience shared solidifies in both of us the knowledge that our partnership is meant to be. She and I make a good team, even when we have our personal moments of failure. It’s truly a blessing to have in my life a woman who allows my dreams to orbit the earth but also keeps my feet planted firmly on the ground.<br /><br /><br />PS. God speed to the crew of the Atlantis. Wishing them all a safe return home.danaCreativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839166246795328800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913356845060967413.post-34695518698996016752011-06-19T07:53:00.000-07:002011-06-19T07:59:57.427-07:00Father's Day MemorialI can't believe it's been nearly seven years since my father passed. Although I get to celebrate this special day with my kids, Father's Day has seemed a bit hollow for me since I lost my dad, my hero, and my friend. <br /><br />Below is a reposting of the eulogy I wrote for him. You can find the original posting <a href="http://mysite.verizon.net/gilg13/johnny.html" TARGET="_blank">here</a>. <br /><br />***********************************************************************************<br /><br />We are gathered here today to mourn the passing of my father, John Robert Gonzalez. I like to think that we are not only here to grieve, but also to celebrate the life of a man many people knew simply as Johnny. From his brothers and sisters in Mexico and present here today, to Pascuale Cafiero, his dear friend and fellow Longshoreman in Brooklyn, to the members of Corpus Christi Parish, Johnny was always larger than life in his own way. And even though the sickness to which he eventually succumbed physically left him a shadow of his former self, nothing can ever reduce the man that was Johnny.<br /><br />Johnny was by no means perfect, his many flaws a product of the old-school, blue-collar world in which he grew up. Yet despite his flaws, Johnny was loved by all who knew him. As a worker, Johnny redefined the concept of work ethic and was not happy unless he was doing something. He realized that corners were made for placing your drink and not for the cutting. As a friend, he was known for his selflessness. The first to offer a helping hand, Johnny was the last person to ever ask for assistance. As a military veteran, he served his country in order to support his family back in Mexico. As a loving husband, he would be the first to tell you that my mother was the best thing to ever happen to him. As a father he worked tirelessly to ensure we had a roof over our heads, food on our table and most importantly, an education for our future success. He taught us to trust implicitly, allowing us to jump from the second story of my grandmother’s apartment building. I knew full well he would always catch me, and like so many other situations in my life, he never let me fall.<br /><br />Johnny was loved despite his flaws. His confidence in his ability to do a job was surpassed only by his own personal insecurity. What some people saw as a perfectionist was many times his overwhelming sense of self doubt. How could someone like him ever make a mark in this world? How could he ever leave a legacy for others to see? I believe it is clear to me that his legacy is visible in the faces of everyone here today. It is clear that Johnny’s legacy is found in the unadulterated love for his grandchildren. There is a saying that the Catholic dictionary defines justice as your children having children, and his legacy – my children Natalie and Daniel and my nephews Leo and Luis – will bear down this justice on my brother and me for many years to come. Johnny’s legacy is not in what he had in his bank account or in financial assets in some investment portfolio. It is not found in the cars he drove or the house in which he lived. Johnny’s legacy is in the outpouring of love you all have shown him, both in his passing and in his time on Earth. His legacy lives in all of us and in the wonderful memories we created and shared with him. His legacy did not end when his spirit left his body to ascend to Heaven. Rather, it is merely beginning and will forever shine in how we celebrate the life of the man we all knew as Johnny. The Book of Luke teaches us, “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” And it fills my heart with joy to see everyone here to exalt my father.<br /><br />Dad, I pray to God that you are with Him in Heaven, finally enjoying the peace and rest you so well deserve. I also pray that I can be the type of worker you were for the vast majority of your life, the type of friend you were to everyone you knew, and the type of provider you were for your family. I pray that I can be half the father to my children that you were to me. I hope I can be a hero to someone in the way you were always a hero to me. Thank you for always making me feel loved, and please know that we all love you, Johnny. Please know that I will always love you, Dad.danaCreativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839166246795328800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913356845060967413.post-27217957699187660212011-05-30T20:10:00.000-07:002011-05-30T20:21:36.276-07:00Five Years LaterOne thousand eight hundred twenty five days (give or take). That’s how long it’s been since my life changed, since my world changed.<br /><br />I’ve recently been thinking a lot about family and what family means to me. As those who know me will tell you, my world begins and ends with my kids. My son and daughter are my everything. They are my North. They are my constant. I am who I am because of them. I live the life that I do for them.<br /><br />Beyond my children, I have a loving, giving, and exceptionally fulfilling relationship with my wife. We fit together. We complement each other. Our marriage is not always roses and it’s far from perfect, but we are indeed perfect for each other.<br /><br />My mother still lives in South Florida and I keep in touch with her at least once a week. My mother in law lives with my wife and me, and it’s very nice having someone else around the house to interact with and make us coffee in the morning (thanks, Patsy).<br /><br />My brother and I maintain a good relationship, although he has his life and I have mine. We probably don’t keep in touch as often as we should, but with Facebook, Twitter, and text messaging, we do alright to keep each other abreast of the important things going on.<br /><br />Outside all the above, I’ve been staring at the concept of family with a sense of amalgamation as to how that word applies to my life.<br /><br />I once had a conversation with a friend of mine about this very topic. She was adamant the label family applied only to those related to you by blood or marriage. I apply a more broad approach to the word, allowing it to incorporate individuals with whom you have no blood relation but are still critical people in your life. She told me there were words other than family to describe those relationships. I proceeded to tell her she was the sister I never had.<br /><br />It was five years ago this weekend, Memorial Day 2006, when my eyes were opened to the idea that family could be something greater that DNA and marriage certificates. Lee and I traveled to Isle of Palms, South Carolina for the first ever <a href="http://bit.ly/SH_Hang_Recap" target="_blank">Sister Hazel Hazelnut Hang</a>. It was a great experience with three days filled of amazing music and fun times. More importantly, it’s where we first met the wonderful collection of individuals with whom we interact on a regular basis. It’s where we were introduced to our Hazelnut Family (and my wife did an excellent job <a href="http://purrfectlee.wordpress.com/2011/05/27/no-one-fights-alone/" target="_blank">capturing exactly what that family means to us</a>).<br /><br />Amidst recent commentary from the South Florida home front, which included snarky comments about fleeing Miami and implied assertions of family abandonment, the idea of what family is has weighed heavily on my mind. Yes, I love my aunts and uncles, and I miss my cousins because they’re the people with whom I grew up. Thanks to today’s technology and the continued proliferation of social media, it’s a lot easier to keep in touch with them. I’ve even found renewed relationships with several of them as a result.<br /><br />Still, my life is in Tampa because my kids are in Tampa. I make no apologies for that at all. In a perfect world we’d all live within an hour’s drive of each other, and we’d routinely get together like we did when we were kids. But the world is not perfect, and we all should be focusing on the life ahead instead of the memories of what’s now so far behind us.<br /><br />Living in Tampa also affords me the added bonus of being near some of the people who make up my other family. These are individuals with whom I’ve bonded over the years. We came together as a result music and that weekend trip Lee and I took five years ago. We stayed together because we share a commitment to and for each other, a passion for doing right by others, and a desire to share the magic of music with others so that their lives can be positively impacted as ours have.<br /><br />I can say honestly and without equivocation the life I lead today and the world in which I live is a direct result of Memorial Day weekend 2006. My music family has helped me grow into who I am, and I will forever be grateful for the many wonderful and blessed relationships that were created as a result of that event.<br /><br />You and I may disagree on the definition of family, but there’s no disputing the power and impact the love of family can have. In my case, it was life changing.danaCreativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839166246795328800noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913356845060967413.post-82706306191596284232011-05-26T21:58:00.000-07:002011-05-26T22:07:44.980-07:00The Rules of EngagementI am a diehard sports fan. I love sports. Watching, coaching, partaking; I can’t get enough of sports (with the exception of Cricket. I just refuse to get into that at all.) Specifically, I get crazy about the teams from my hometown. So with the Miami Heat reaching the NBA Finals, instead of being 100% consumed with joy, I’m actually a little saddened.<br /><br />My good friend Matt is a diehard sports fan. He loves sports. Watching, critiquing, …..er, watching; he can’t get enough of sports. (I actually think he would get into Cricket). Specifically, Matt is crazy about the teams from Dallas. Rangers, Stars, Cowboys, and, of course, the Mavericks.<br /><br />The Miami Heat will face the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011 NBA Finals.<br /><br />You can see my dilemma.<br /><br />My dilemma is fueled by the fact it’s very easy for me to slip into obnoxious fan mode. I wish I could control it. I wish I could promise you it wouldn’t happen. But that would be the equivalent of asking Bruce Banner to control the raging, green monster inside of him. It just happens. Throw in a case of beer and it happens a lot faster.<br /><br />I need to emphasize Matt is not just a friend. He’s a very good friend. He’s in my inner circle. He’s one of the first numbers I’d call in the event of an emergency. My family celebrates the holidays with his family. He and his wife come over to our house just to hang out. We’re tight like that.<br /><br />So in the interest of keeping a good thing solid, I’ve developed what I would like to call the 2011 NBA Finals Rules of Engagement:<br /><br /><ol><br /><li>Under no circumstances are Matt and I allowed to watch any of the games together. I don’t care if he’s picking up the tab or providing all the beer. It ain’t happening. </li><br /><li>In-game commentary shall be limited to text messaging only. Unlike Twitter and Facebook, text messaging remains the last bastion of true private conversation. </li><br /><li>The ability of one person to be obnoxious following a win is directly proportional to how obnoxious the loser was during the game. Grace begets grace and douche begets douche. </li><br /><li>Both parties are reminded that opinion is NOT fact. All commentary must begin with “I think” or “I believe.” Caveat: Any commentary that is substantiated by documentable statistics is allowed (which means I will lose this part every time). </li><br /><li>No blaming the refs. Bad calls will be made that adversely impact both teams. It happens in all sports. Overall, it evens out. Both parties have to live with it. </li><br /><li>The first person to use the word ‘Wambulance’ agrees to let the other person slap him in the face.</li><br /><li>The first person to use the word ‘Meh’ agrees to let the other person punch him in the throat (I totally put that in there for my own benefit). </li><br /><li>Any wagering on the series is not to exceed $20 and cannot lead to the humiliation of the losing party (although I do love the idea of Matt wearing a LeBron James jersey to work). </li></ol><br /><p>In the end, it’s all just a game and we’ll both return to being best of friends. That is, of course, unless the Heat lose because the refs decided to baby Dirk Nowitzki all series, and the Mavs played dirty, and the Cowboys still suck, and Nolan Ryan was overrated, and the Stars should have stayed in Minnesota, and Jerry Jones is the reason for the lockout, and Debbie was a skank anyway, and….. </p><br /><p>…meh! </p>danaCreativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839166246795328800noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913356845060967413.post-44395710896216817862011-05-13T19:21:00.000-07:002011-05-13T19:48:26.268-07:00The Courage To WriteIf there’s one word I really hate it’s ‘facade'. The word itself and the slyness with which it’s usually said conjure up images of movie sets for old westerns. You know the ones. The buildings are merely planks of plywood painted to look like actual structures; thin 2x4’s the only thing keeping them up in the back.<br /><br />Facade. I bet your reading of the word makes you think of someone whom you feel is fake. Someone who is not anything close to genuine. Someone who tries their best to make you think they’re someone they’re not.<br /><br />We live in a world of facade. We live in a world where style almost always trumps substance. We live in society that embraces flash, worships immediacy, and cowers to political correctness. Honesty is not only a lonely word, it’s a forgotten concept.<br /><br />But then you have moments when you come across people who are striving to be honest individuals. People working hard simply to be authentic. Who would have thought it could be an ordeal to just be yourself?<br /><br />I am fortunate and blessed to live with a person like that.<br /><br />Watching my wife on her journey of authenticity has been and continues to be an inspiration for me. It also serves as a reminder of what courage is. As I’ve been privy to most of the feedback she’s received from her writing, I’m reminded of what it takes to write and publish your thoughts, feelings, and emotions for all the world to see. Blogging in the manner which my wife does takes a type of courage very few people posses.<br /><br />It’s not like writers of editorials who are paid to take a position on a subject and express their opinions with words. It’s not like a talk radio host who must be both entertaining, informed, and always one step ahead of the audience. It’s also not like other bloggers who are, on their own scale, Internet celebrities and whose blogs are more a commercial vehicle than a portal of introspection.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.purrfectlee.com/" target="_blank">My wife’s blog</a> is none of those things. If we’re lucky, it never will become one of those things.<br /><br />The road to authenticity begins with a realization that there’s a whole lot of distance between here and there. It also begins with the conscious decision to take what’s been given you, both the good and the bad, and to make the most with it not just for yourself but also for the greater good. It’s akin to playing poker and having all your cards dealt face up. You can’t bluff your way through a hand. When life is good, you take the pot. When it’s not, you take your loss and wait patiently until a new hand is drawn.<br /><br />The admiration I have for my wife, as well as the many other writer’s out there who pour their heart and soul into the words they create, is hard to describe. The rawness with which they write is mesmerizing. Their ability to make my eyes tear and my heart ache is breathtaking. Through all the chaos, noise, and superficiality, their voices serve as a compass that reminds me of which way I want to go. It’s a moment of focus in a whirlwind of blur.<br /><br />There’s a lot in this life to distract us. There’s a lot in this life to make us think we’re bigger than we are. If, however, you ever feel the desire to take off your shoes and feel the earth underneath your feet, I invite you to find a blogger that inspires you, and to latch on to that person’s work.<br /><br />Better yet, if you really want to explore the inner workings of your life, take a moment to write down what you’re thinking. You don’t have to post it online or share it with anyone. Write it for you. Write it for the experience of being your authentic self.<br /><br />You want to live your life? Get real.danaCreativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839166246795328800noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913356845060967413.post-58220418236442926772011-05-03T07:45:00.000-07:002011-05-03T07:56:46.228-07:00Giving InIt’s a daily struggle for me to get into gear. The blessing that is working from home has a flip side, a side that is weighted down by sluggishness and complacency. I thoroughly enjoy not having to commute into work, but I also have to fight myself to ‘get going’ in the mornings and get the ball rolling. Sometimes inspiration - not to mention the crack of the boss’ whip - comes soon after 8:00 AM. Other times I feel like I don’t get out of second gear until well past 10:00. <br /><br />Still, there is no rhyme or reason as to why or when the moment of energetic infusion hits. It could be a pressing deliverable for work, it could be a crisis situation (which in my work world usually means systems outage), or it could be the right song playing on the radio at the just right time. <br /><br />Sometimes it’s a tweet from a friend. Sometimes it’s a blog post that I take a moment to read because, after all, I don’t feel like doing much of anything else. Sometimes something as simple as someone’s Facebook status can change my perspective and outlook for the day. <br /><br />Inspiration is funny like that. She’s a clever little devil. <br /><br />I’ve had this voice in my head for the past month now. It was a little, nagging whisper I’ve been ignoring for some time, and it finally go to me today. <br /><br />“You need to write more!”<br /><br />For weeks and weeks, it was there like that faint buzz you sometimes hear when an electronic device is turned on. I’d simply cast it aside like an annoying pet begging for food next to the dinner table. <br /><br />“Go away. I’m ‘busy’.”<br /><br />“No you’re not. You’ve been staring at ESPN.com for thirty five minutes.”<br /><br />So as I gave into my lack of motivation this morning, I was bombarded online by message after message after message. It’s as if this little voice took over the Internet and deliberately directed content my way. <br /><br />There was a tweet about how Rome wasn’t built in a day, but at some point the project DID start. My friend wrote a blog the mentions how Stephen Kings writes every day. Another friend’s blog got me thinking about what my calling is, and whether or not that voice in my head has something to do with it. This all came to a head when I received notification that someone I admire and is an inspiration to me is following me on twitter (yeah, I don’t get it either). <br /><br />So here I am … BAM … shaking off the morning molasses and feeding the voice in my head. Call her my muse, call her a bitch; either way, both are probably correct. <br /><br />Lazy is tempting seductress, one that fills you with emptiness and the regrets of missed opportunities. I know her well. Still, you never know when inspiration is going swoop in to help save you from lazy’s quicksand grip. Once she does, however, don’t let yourself hide behind excuses. I know I have. <br /><br />The reward of the accomplishment is in looking back at all that was overcome to reach that point.danaCreativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839166246795328800noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913356845060967413.post-62595222116550294152011-04-26T05:26:00.001-07:002011-04-26T05:44:26.536-07:00Missing Teen in South FloridaI was asked by a friend of mine in Miami to help spread the word regarding a missing 17 year-old from Miami.<br /><br />Nicole Marie Dones was last seen on April 18, 2011, and she's believed to be in the company of her boyfriend Jackson Powell.<br /><br />Please see the attached flyers for more information, and contact Detective A. Mancha of the Miami Dade Police Department (305-418-7201) should you have information regarding Nicole's disappearance.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1pb4bPfFuJZ2f61LggXcy_rrLT4xR7dOkqYYKvCD74DbB-m51LEaed4vaNvJbK2vxbTx6nm3B-GgqRuS8V4CFeny0loio29cFKbX8REEjRnThvn6-u1cEyqzElLXKA7e4jPoPPzkA-O21/s1600/Missing+Child+Flyer-Jackson+and+Nicole.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 204px; HEIGHT: 249px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599870903591322610" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1pb4bPfFuJZ2f61LggXcy_rrLT4xR7dOkqYYKvCD74DbB-m51LEaed4vaNvJbK2vxbTx6nm3B-GgqRuS8V4CFeny0loio29cFKbX8REEjRnThvn6-u1cEyqzElLXKA7e4jPoPPzkA-O21/s320/Missing+Child+Flyer-Jackson+and+Nicole.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><em><a href="http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/Families-Looking-for-Missing-Miami-Teens-120480384.html">News report from NBC Miami</a></em></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><em><span style="font-size:78%;"></span></em><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><em><span style="font-size:78%;"></span></em>danaCreativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839166246795328800noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913356845060967413.post-21345224443770116442011-03-21T20:08:00.001-07:002011-03-22T06:45:52.038-07:00Plinko and LifeMy kids are coming off their Spring Break and it got me to thinking about the wonderful childhood memories I have from when I was out of school. Those days were glorious. I’d wake up, watch back-to-back episodes of ‘Family Ties’, and my mom would make me her world famous (i.e. the world inside my head) egg and cheese sandwich (two of them, actually). Then ‘The Price is Right’ would come on and I’d be mesmerized by my mom’s ability to know the price of EVERYTHING!<br /><br />One of my favorite TPIR games was always <a href="http://www.kongregate.com/games/StapleGun/plinko" target="_blank">Plinko</a>. I would be so consumed by how contestants would stand there and ponder the exact, perfect location of where to drop the chip so that it would land where they wanted it to. Even at an early age, I quickly realized the game of Plinko was simply a metaphor for life itself; random supersedes planning and there are no guarantees in life.<br /><br />As I was perusing the Internet today, it came to my attention today is World Down Syndrome Day. As a result of my perusing, I came across two blogs, both by mothers with a child with Down Syndrome, both retelling their stories of being pregnant and how they dealt with the idea of having a child with an extra chromosome.<br /><br />This, again, got me to thinking of when my ex-wife was pregnant with our children. Both times we were asked by her OB if we wanted a test to screen for abnormalities or possible birth defects. Twice we told him, “thanks, but no” as it wouldn’t matter either way. Termination of the pregnancy was never an option, so the screening would simply be a waste of time for all involved.<br /><br />Both blogs I read today touched on the conversation of terminating a pregnancy where the parents became aware there was an issue with the child. In the first blog, both parents started down the path of having an abortion until something made them change their mind; a decision they would celebrate given the beautiful child they had as a result. In the second blog, the mother was not aware of her child having Down Syndrome. In fact, her pre-natal test had ruled out DS. It didn’t matter either way. For her, too, termination was never an option.<br /><br />I look back at those days of doctor’s visits and ultrasounds, and it all seems light-years ago. I have two beautiful and healthy children, one eleven years old and the other just several weeks away from turning ten. I can’t imagine a life without them, and their good health is my good fortune. I thank God every day for that blessing that is all too often taken for granted.<br /><br />Still, I believe my love for them would be no less had they been born with a condition or birth defect. I look at my cousin who deals with struggle after struggle with an autistic child. She and her husband lose sleep on a regular basis, are routinely at either a doctor’s office or hospital, and live their lives with a certain sense of an impending “what’s next?” mentality. Still, they love their son like there’s no tomorrow, and the love they share between themselves is immeasurable. It’s the love you develop only after having sweat and bled with someone else, and I look at my cousin with a world of admiration. I like to think I could be as strong as she, yet I thank the Lord I was not put in the position to find out.<br /><br />In the end, life, and the events that fill it, is random. It really doesn’t matter where you place that Plinko chip. It’s going to fall where it’s going to fall, and there really is very little we can do to predict or control what happens once we let the chip go.<br /><br />There are two things, however, we are able to dictate. Faith and love.<br /><br />Our faith in God and our acceptance of His will determine for us how we experience life. We can either fill our lives with anxiety, despair, and frustration, or we can give ourselves to the mystery that is God’s choosing, knowing that when He selects us for a particular challenge, it is for a purpose and it is for the betterment of a greater good. We may never realize or understand it, still it’s our place to accept it nonetheless.<br /><br />We also control how we choose to love others. It can be so easy for the parent of a special needs child to lay blame for the situation on their spouse or external circumstances. We can allow adversity to handcuff our heart’s ability to love and, in turn, be loved. Or we can find both strength and comfort in the love of those who surround us and support us. Love is not only an emotion but also a tool. It is up to us to choose if we use it to build or to destroy.<br /><br />I never thought in looking back at those memories of my early youth a simple game on a television game show would lead to such a deep and thought provoking blog post. Funny how life is random that way.danaCreativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839166246795328800noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913356845060967413.post-21695366326990801452011-03-15T19:44:00.000-07:002011-03-15T19:56:24.268-07:00Catching GrenadesHi. My name is Gil … and I am apparently very late to this party.<br /><br />Call me clueless, call me out of touch, call me addicted to the 80’s on 8 channel on my Sirius satellite radio; but I had never, until this evening, heard the Bruno Mars song ‘Grenade’.<br /><br />I stumbled across it as a result of following Chris Rock’s twitter feed. The famed comedian had a post about the song. I thought <a href="http://bit.ly/CR_Grenade" target="_blank">the tweet</a> was in reference to Mars' song “Just The Way You Are”. My wife, who is light-years more in touch with what’s cool and popular than I am, promptly corrected me. This, by the way, is a common occurrence in our household.<br /><br />I gave the song a listen and studied the lyrics. It’s pleasant musically and a very interesting read lyrically. To me, the song speaks to a severely imbalanced relationship in which one person clearly places the other on a pedestal without any sense of reciprocation of passion and feeling. Hmmm. Where was this song for me in <a href="http://bit.ly/DEC05KML" target="_blank">late 2005</a>?<br /><br />This got me to thinking about my relationship with my wife, and what is the litmus test of true love. Would I catch a grenade for her? The deviation from the more appropriate phrasing notwithstanding (<em>it should be “I’d jump on a grenade for you” since merely catching a grenade would still send shards of shrapnel flying everywhere, but I digress</em>), yes. Without hesitation and without equivocation. In a moment of split-second decision making, I would absolutely give my life for that of my spouse. The same holds true for my kids.<br /><br />Throw my hand on a blade? Check.<br /><br />Jump in front of a train? Yep.<br /><br />Go through all of the pain? For sure.<br /><br />Take a bullet straight through my brain? Bring it on.<br /><br />It’s called devotion. Like a seed, it is a feeling that lives inside all of us. However, it is activated only after a unique set of circumstances, experiences, and beliefs have come together and given that kernel of emotion a reason to grow. Devotion allows us to easily sacrifice what others will not for the benefit of someone else or the greater good.<br /><br />We see it in missionaries who forego leisure and luxury to reach out to others. We see it in scientists who spend eighteen hours a day in labs researching possible cures for the diseases that kill us. We see it in the eyes of the women and men who put on a uniform and defend our great nation.<br /><br />One thing I didn’t mention about the Bruno Mars song is that it’s also a study in hyperbole. It’s a boy’s overly exaggerated cry out to the object of his affection, a cry that is amplified because she does not feel the same for him. It’s cute, catchy, and clever, but it is not a song about devotion.<br /><br />True devotion is selfless. There is no, “I agree to do this if…..”. Devotion, in its purest form, is saintly and does not bring with it conditions.<br /><br />I’ve mentioned before how my life is full to the brim with blessings. I have two awesome and healthy kids, I have a beautiful wife that continues to amaze me on a daily basis, a wonderful home to share with them, and a laundry list of other things for which I am eternally grateful to God.<br /><br />One thing I’d never thought of, however, was the gift of devotion. God has given me a wonderful life, but more spectacular than that, He’s given me a family I’d willingly die for. You can’t ask for anything more than that.danaCreativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839166246795328800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913356845060967413.post-34622680604117142862011-02-13T18:56:00.000-08:002011-02-14T07:08:54.123-08:00Gil's Love FestThe following blog post is from my dear friend <a href="http://3fourletterwords.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Lindsey Goodall</a>. For Valentine's Day, I invited several fellow bloggers to come together and guest blog on each other's sites. I hope you take a moment to check out Lindsey's other posts and follow her on <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/3fourletterword" target="_blank">Twitter </a>as well. Enjoy.<br /><br />---------------------------------------------------------------------<br /><em>For year’s I have been reading this blog and am so honored to have the opportunity to guest post here today! Always so moved and inspired by Gil’s writing, it would have never even occurred to me that I would be working on a piece to submit to be featured here. But had you told me the opportunity would arise and that the topic he would propose for a guest posting round robin, would be "love". . . I would have not been surprised in the least.<br /><br />More specifically, what he proposed was that several of us bloggers we write about something we love. Not someone we love, but “causes or dreams” near and dear to our hearts. We would then share our writing with another to be posted on their blog as a sort of guest post love fest celebrating Valentine’s day. Based on the alphabetical order of our last names, I was assigned to write for Gil’s blog. So here I am, writing about love on the blog of the one person in my life, who so clearly exemplifies the word for me. So, without further ado, I bring you, not a post about a cause or dream I hold dear to my heart, rather a post that will likely make the owner of this blog second guess his decision to suggest a love fest.</em><br /><br />Gil Gonzalez values love and LIVES love more than any other human being I've ever known. <strong>Simply put Gil defines MAN LOVE.</strong><br /><br />Before we go any further, let me clarify here, Gil is a guys guy. I am not trying to revoke his man card here. If you know Gil in the real world or only in cyberspace, you know that Gil is a guy’s guy. He breathes sports and relishes in potty humor just like the best of them. I have no doubt that he could walk up to any man in the world and kick start a conversation about business, politics, sports or beer/tequila. <strong>Gil is 100% dude despite his capacity to love.</strong><br /><br />Gil adores his children and his A-mazing wife, <a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.purrfectlee.com&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFPCw8L8aq1RwwxMxaKFqxM9N-Y9Q" target="_blank" bitly="BITLY_PROCESSED" linkindex="0">Lee,</a> in the ways you would expect a doting father and husband to do. <strong>Gil kicks it up a notch, and raises the bar for all you other Y-chromosers, though when it comes to giving love to everyone else in his life.</strong> I've written <a href="http://3fourletterwords.blogspot.com/2010/11/dont-get-mad.html#comments" target="_blank" bitly="BITLY_PROCESSED" linkindex="1">before</a> about how touched I was when he took the time to protect my personal branding and then sent me a detailed explanation of why he bothered. Here's the rub though. . . I am just one of a thousand people that Gil treats this way.<br /><br />Over the years, I have seen him embrace and encourage every single person he meets. <strong>He values people and treasures relationships.</strong> The best part, is that he is not afraid to share it because of man card revocation or because of crossing any awkward social boundaries. He gives his love without limitation.<br /><br />A few years ago, Gil and I <a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2F%23%21%2Fpages%2FOperation-Swan-Dive%2F9326517364%3Fv%3Dinfo&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNG5r3Y46c690x3ZpWLlzh6yu4_DBQ" target="_blank" bitly="BITLY_PROCESSED" linkindex="2">jumped out of a plane together </a>(<em>shout out to Kara and Kelly</em>). I was the first to jump, and as I took one glance back at my friends before flying the friendly skies, with sheer panic on his face, I saw Gil mouthing <strong>"I LOVE YOU".</strong> While that sentiment is generally shared by those in more intimate relationships, this is what Gil does that sets him apart. <strong>He gives it so freely, that it is often received in the precisely right moment.<br /></strong><br />We were all terrified about what we were doing, having just watched the "you are going to die video", but in the years since that experience, I've often felt that what he gave me, by saying those 3 little words, was really an "everything is going to be alright" at a time that I needed to hear it most in my life. Honestly, he probably just didn't know what else to say in that incredibly adrenaline filled moment and once in a lifetime moment, but had that jump taken a horrible turn for the worse, the last words I would have heard would have been "I love you". That, my friends, was a gift.<br /><br />Today, Valentine’s day, I would encourage you to do as Gil so often does. <strong>Give the gift of the words “I love you”, without restraint</strong>. Regardless of the context of your relationship with them, share the love. Instead of hogging the love only for those only in your inner circle, spread it outside that circle to other people in your life as well!<br /><br />Oh, and I love you too, Gil! It is truly and honor and a privilege to be your friend!<br /><br />------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /><div align="left"><span style="font-family:lucida grande;font-size:85%;">After much chastisement from friends, Lindsey Goodall has reluctantly accepted the title of “do-gooder”. In addition to her non-profit work and play, she is a writer, runner, and late bloomer. You can read all about her quest for coming clean with herself at </span><a href="http://www.3fourletterwords.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:lucida grande;font-size:85%;">www.3fourletterwords.blogspot.com</span></a><span style="font-family:lucida grande;font-size:85%;">.</span></div>danaCreativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839166246795328800noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913356845060967413.post-48740548127479358682011-02-08T07:52:00.000-08:002011-02-08T08:05:47.713-08:00Groupon, F*ck OffThere’s a line in one of my favorite Billy Joel songs, “Angry Young Man”, that reads “it’s a comfort to know his intentions are good.” That is where I am going to start regarding my opinion of the recent Groupon/Super Bowl ad controversy and Andrew Mason.<br /><br />If you haven’t seen it or are unaware of the issue, deal-of-the-day website <a href="http://www.groupon.com/" target="_blank">Groupon</a> ran a series of ads that many viewers found offensive. The reason for the negative response is because the ads appear to mock serious social issues.<br /><br />In response to the public outcry, Groupon CEO Andrew Mason <a href="http://www.groupon.com/blog/cities/our-super-bowl-ads-and-how-were-helping-these-causes/" target="_blank">posted a blog</a> explaining the company’s reasoning for the ads.<br /><br />As I mentioned earlier, Mason clearly explained the ads are meant to, “highlight the often trivial nature of stuff on Groupon when juxtaposed against bigger world issues, making fun of Groupon.” Mason goes on to compare the campaign, created by ad firm Crispin Porter & Bogusky, to another CP+B Super bowl ad for <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1m71m-LBqFQ" target="_blank">Hulu</a>. This is where Mason meets his colossal #FAIL point.<br /><br />The Hulu ad is clearly a joke. It’s a very well conceived and brilliantly delivered, tongue-in-cheek look at TV consumption in America. The audience walks away from the ad knowing that Hulu is poking fun at both themselves and the viewers.<br /><br />The new Groupon ads do not do that. They don’t even come close.<br /><br />If you look at them <a href="http://savethemoney.groupon.com/" target="_blank">collectively</a>, it is possible to see a theme develop. However, for individuals seeing the ads for the first time, the impact is almost horrific. They come across as at the very least confusing and at their worst, downright insulting.<br /><br />Mason’s failure was allowing CP+B to affect his voice as well as his vision. Groupon tried to be clever and witty with their ads and the juxtaposition they paint between serious issues and penny-pinching consumerism. What they failed to consider is that social awareness is not meant to be the subject of “Ha ha. Just kidding.” antics.<br /><br />It’s ironic that a company that has succeeded by providing value to its customers failed to understand that value, in and of itself, exists because of emotion. Value is psychological, and without the emotion we place on a particular good or service, there is no such thing as value.<br /><br />Social awareness and giving, in turn, is wholly emotional. Millions of people sacrifice their time, money, and at times their very own lives, for causes and efforts in which they deeply believe. Social good bleeds emotion, and it is not something that should be treated with flippant disregard, as was the case with the Groupon ad campaign.<br /><br />Sure, Andrew Mason can look back and try to retrospectively justify his company’s decision as one of raising awareness for issues while poking fun at themselves. He can attempt to rationalize the campaign by claiming the ads are different and not about traditional self-promotion. Mason may even employ service recovery actions to make clear the ads are indeed about social awareness.<br /><br />The fact remains, however, the decision to employ this ad campaign was to deliberately create buzz about his company, be it positive or negative. It was a $3 million* investment in creating brand awareness. It was a move designed for the benefit of Groupon at the expense of the millions of people who are emotionally invested in social good and social awareness.<br /><br />With every action or decision, intention is important. Andrew Mason did not intend to offend his audience. But in a way, he really did.<br /><br /><br /><em><span style="font-size:78%;">*Source: </span></em><a href="http://www.superbowl-commercials.org/1071.html" target="_blank"><em><span style="font-size:78%;">http://www.superbowl-commercials.org/1071.html</span></em></a>danaCreativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839166246795328800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913356845060967413.post-68553131274035057152011-01-31T19:58:00.000-08:002011-01-31T20:17:00.596-08:00Sponsored by the Letter 'F'<p>As I sat down to right this last blog for the month, my mind was inundated with alliteration. My mind was on the month of February, and all I could think about was words that begin with the letter ‘F’. Yes, that includes the ever versatile, never dull to say F-bomb.<br /><br />So, in honor of the lovely month of February, here is a list of choice F-words that will hopefully recap the month that was, as well as set the tone for the month that will be.<br /><br />Finish: I mentioned <a href="http://danacreative.blogspot.com/2011/01/masonry-of-motherhood.html" target="_blank">last night</a> I would most likely not be posting blogs as routinely as I did in January. The <a href="http://danacreative.blogspot.com/2011/01/30-day-writing-challenge.html" target="_blank">30-Day Writing Challenge</a> was fun, and it was indeed a challenge. It allowed me to explore topics I had never considered, as well as find some cathartic moments to help me get over issues that still remained a bit unresolved. However, now that I’ve proven to myself that I can indeed block out time to write on a daily basis, I must be fair to myself and finish writing Volume IV of <a href="http://bit.ly/dc_lives" target="_blank">Lives</a>. The short novel series I began writing in April of 2009 has been living in limbo for some time now. Part of it has been the deliberate hiatus of the project. Part of it has been deliberate avoidance on my part. With Volume III written (albeit unreleased), the story of Cate and Max needs its finality, and this is the month to do that.<br /><br />Fortify: It’s important for me to review what Lee and I were able to accomplish with our 30-Day Writing Challenge and learn from it. In my case, not only were my eyes opened to new ideas and styles, I was also able to strengthen and reinforce some of the lessons I had learned in the six years I’ve been blogging. Mood has as much to do with writing as muse. It’s amazing how fickle my attitude can be, and what begins as a great plan to sit down and write gets tossed out the window because of a small incident that upsets me. This month reminded me that although it’s great to have a goal to write, you can’t be a slave to your writing. When it’s not there, it’s not there. And if you try to force it, you’re not being true to yourself as a writer or to your audience. Sometimes, it’s okay to just shrug your shoulders and say “fuck it”.<br /><br />Foresee: One thing I truly enjoyed about the 30-Day Writing Challenge was having a list of topic ideas for each day. Mapping out about what it was I wanted to write resolved half the problems I used to have in terms of writing daily. Before, I’d sit down and think about what to write and I’d be stuck with nothing. With our ‘road map’, however, I would be able to think about the topic as I sat on conference calls. I’d be able to jot notes as I waited for Natalie’s soccer practice to finish. I’d be able to use my morning constitutional as productive time. (Over share?).<br /><br />So, given the fine fellowship we were able to foster following our first listing of fascinating topics (I told you I had an alliteration avalanche), her is a list of topics and ideas for the month of February. I am not putting any dates to them and I am not listing them in any particular order. This is about looking at a topic and either being able to write about it or letting it steer your imagination in a direction that allows you to write about something else.<br /><br />Since February is the month of love, several of the topics have love-themed qualities to them. Also, Lee received feedback on one of her posts suggesting the next set of topics be about what ‘we’ can do together. Finally, Lee and I both explored some dark and painful topics in our writing in January. We want this to month to be positive, light-hearted, and fun. Given all that, here’s the list (again, in no particular order).<br /><br />Happy writing, everyone.</p><ul><li>First Kiss</li><li>First Car</li><li>First Love</li><li>Childhood Crush</li><li>Favorites (Pet, Food, Restaurant, Vacation, TV Show, Actor/Actress, Athlete, Sports Team (<em>Pro</em>), Sports Team (<em>College</em>), Day of the Week, Season of the Year, Shirt, Relative, Book*, Song*, Movie*)</li><li>Describe Yourself as a Sixteen Years Old</li><li>Proudest Professional Moment</li><li>Guilty Pleasures</li><li>Neighbors / Community</li><li>Siblings or Cousin</li><li>Tackling a Home Improvement Projects</li><li>Hobbies</li><li>Causes you love/support</li><li>Common Courtesy</li><li>Common Sense</li><li>Misunderstood Song Lyrics</li><li>Your Role Model</li><li>Mission Work (i.e. could you leave it all to go serve/help others?)</li><li>Tolerance/Understanding (i.e. seeing an argument from the perspective of your adversary)</li><li>One Thing in the World You’d Like to Change</li></ul><p>If you think of something you’d like to see added to the list, please feel free to leave a comment below of visit <a href="http://purrfectlee.wordpress.com/2011/01/31/dear-self/" target="_blank">Lee’s site</a> and leave a comment there. Thanks!<br /><br /><em><span style="font-size:78%;">* I know these were covered in January, but there may be someone coming across this posting for the first time.</span></em></p>danaCreativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839166246795328800noreply@blogger.com2