best laid plans.

This is a report about not running today.  Usually, I write my Saturday morning running report in my head, as I run on Friday night.  I did not run last night, so I am writing this “live” on Saturday morning.

I chose not to run on Monday night this week because I had to give a presentation I did not want to give on Tuesday morning, and I didn’t want to risk injury (hey, you never know).  In spite of not believing in what I was going to do, I chose to embrace the suck and kicked ass.

My attempt to run on Wednesday night was foiled when our employer (Cathryn & I both work for the same company) decided to send her on training until Friday, and I could not get anyone to watch my children while I went for a run.

So I thought, “well, that will give me time to catch up on some other work in the evenings”, which I did.  The power of positivity!

Friday morning I was coming down with a cold, and I decided to stay off work as I had put in a lot of time already and could use the mental health break.  Besides, I had to prepare for the evening and Cathryn’s return, as it was our 10th Anniversary yesterday.

I had a lot planned, a nice dinner (which was excellent – steak and wine!), and some very unique gifts.  The traditional 10th anniversary gift is tin, and pewter is mostly tin, so that was the underlying theme.  The modern gift – diamonds – will have to wait until we have a chance to visit South Africa (my wife is a native of South Africa).

I thought with some luck I might catch a short run last night, once everything was quiet.

Dinner was excellent, as I mentioned, and the children were playing as they usually do before they go to bed.  I had just brewed the coffee and we were about to share a cup when “BOOM”.

Sometimes at my house, things go “BOOM”.

Last night’s “BOOM” went something like this.

(lots of noises of kids yelling and screaming) untelligible as I was downstairs getting the pyjamas

“Owen’s just split his head open, there’s blood everywhere!!!  Call 911!!!”

I’m still not sure who pushed who into what corner of a random wall / door / chest of drawers… there is blood everywhere in one of the bedrooms, it looks like a drive-by shooting gone bad (not that this one was bad, mind you…)

We had a good look at him while we were waiting for the ambulance, and it appeared to be a scalp wound (very vascular, those are) but as it was a head injury, it was still a good idea to go to hospital.  My mother was available to watch the other children, so we followed the ambulance.

I’m happy to report he is fine today (he’ll just have a nasty scar to explain if he ever decides as an adult to wear his hair really short).  Today is his birthday (along with the other 2/3 of the triplets) so that should be fun!!!

In any case, I didn’t run last night as we had to stay fairly late at the hospital for observation.  And this morning was just *not* going to be an early to rise day!

I did make some progress on my writing – 2632 words.  Next week, I plan to at least triple that, if not more.  Should be easy as I won’t be Mr. Mom… and assuming we don’t have to hang out at the hospital again

Welcome to life with four kids!  These are some of the stories that are contained within my book.

Take care of yourselves and your families, and have a safe and happy weekend.

viking fridays – words of praise.

Cattle die
kinsmen die
all men are mortal.
Words of praise
will never perish
nor a noble name.
- The Hávamál

Today we have a nice piece of artwork from our friend, the Friar.  I’m guessing that this one was the inspiration for his post about why our kids will never amount to anything.

I know not everyone has kids, so perhaps the linked post won’t apply to everyone, but what can we learn from it and how does it tie in to the words today?

“Words of praise will never perish, nor a noble name.”

Be kind to someone today.  Recognize them for who they are, and the good things that they do.  Heck, let them go out on a limb and do something crazy, and then tell them they did a good job (or help them get back up, if they fall over!)

Not only will those words stay with them, for a very long time, but you will gain respect.  Your name will gain respect, and people will speak of you as an honourable person.

The point is, we won’t be here forever.  People make mistakes, we all do.  I make plenty.  You know, fail early, fail often.

Let us not dwell on the losses in battle, but on the victories.  Let us raise our glasses high, and praise those who succeed – no matter how small the success, whether it be baby’s first sword, or that guy from accounting who finally figured out how to use the copier.

(And if you have kids, don’t be afraid to let them play with swords.  Really.  Okay, plastic swords.  With blunt tips.)

So what is it with these Vikings, anyway?  How could a people who pillage and burn be so wise?  Is it the horned helmets, or the kilts?

(Perhaps it was the shoes… or the beer…)

how to switch – part 1.

1. Collect underpants, err, buy a Mac
2. ?
3. Profit

So perhaps you’ve wondered about moving to the Dark Side, you like the Get a Mac commercials, but you’re not quite sure what to do in Phase 2, because you have a lot of files and applications on your PC.

Rather than wait around for one of the Underpants Gnomes to explain it, I set out to discover for myself what it takes to switch painlessly to a Mac and take everything with you.

Sure, you could just find alternatives – but what if you can’t?

–

Phase 1

Duh.  Buy a Mac.  Unbox it, turn it on, bask in the light, feel the effects of the reality distortion field.

(Hey.  I realize it is just a computer.  But, people like different things, there are many different kinds of cars too, for instance.  A car is a car, true.  Except that your Toyata Yaris won’t win the Indy 500.  So there are differences.  And feature for feature, a Mac and a similarly spec’d PC do cost about the same.)

–

Phase 2

Everyone will always say at this point, “back up your data”.  Well, you could do that.

Eh, what’s the fun in that!  Besides, we’re assuming you are getting a new Mac, so you’ll still have your old computer with your data as your backup.

Then again, if you’re like me, and you’ve sold your current computer to a friend (hi Friar!), it is good to have a backup.  I won’t bore you with too many hardware details.  Probably the easiest thing to do is use a portable hard drive.  If you have a home network and a shared folder somewhere else, you could also do it that way.

So, with that out of the way, we can move on to the fun stuff.  How to get your old computer onto your new Mac.

I’ve chosen to use a couple of products from a company called Vmware.  The first product is aptly named Converter, and what it does is make a virtual machine image out of your current computer.  It is very easy to use.  Simply install on your current computer, start it up and follow the instructions.

The built-in help will guide you if you are not sure what to do (or you could contact a helpful person, like me!) – in the end, you will have a folder containing two files.  This is your virtual machine.

You will need to transfer these files onto your new Mac, so with some luck, your portable hard drive will have sufficient space, or you can use your network if you have one.  It is worth noting that the virtual machine is only as large as the used portion of the physical hard drive, not the total size i.e. if you had only 20 gigabytes of files on your original PC, and the hard drive was 100 gigabytes, your virtual machine would only take up 20 gigabytes.

(This of course is just a simplified overview.  I will have a detailed document with nice pictures available as a PDF download within two or three weeks.  I think that most folks wouldn’t want to read pages and pages of heavy tech stuff here – if you did, there is a good chance you probably already know how to use Vmware!)

–

Phase 3

This part is up to you.  You know your craft, you have set your goals, and you can and will be successful.  If you think a Mac could help you to do this better, then my hope is that my words today could help smooth the transition.

But before that, we’ll have to finish Phase 2.

Next week, a continuation of Phase 2 – transferring your virtual machine onto your new Mac, installing the second product, Vmware Fusion, and running your Windows software.

(Note – there are other products as well, such as Parallels Desktop and VirtualBox – these would also work in a similar way.  As I’m not affiliated with any of them, I just chose the one I know best.  It is also worth mentioning that Vmware Fusion and Parallels Desktop are both payware, and VirtualBox is free.)

practice what you preach.

Let me tell you the story of a man, a husband, a father, who works 0715 to 1530 as a nuclear engineer.  He started a blog a few months ago, which talks positively of personal life change and tends to have a motivational flavour.

This man is currently writing a book, which he plans to sell and talk about on Oprah one day.  He also has a few other business ideas, which keep him very busy.

But this man is human.  Like all of us.  Every so often, he gets stuck in a rut and needs help from some of his friends.

If I were to list all of this man’s friends here, it would take up pages and pages.  Plus, the man is on the hook for a link post soon anyway, which means he will be writing that list soon.

(It’s in the can Harry, honest!)

Today I’d like to single out Nick because of something he wrote in response to a question at ImprovedLives, something the man needed to hear.

Just launch it.

Nick was referring back to the man’s own blog as an example of how to change your life, or lose it.

The man – being human – needs help to get back on course every so often, and he was starting to stray.  He needs help to focus on the bigger picture.

Nick’s words made the man think.  The man had just gone through a very challenging weekend, even though it was full of a lot of happiness for his son’s 7th birthday party, the man spent a lot of time reflecting on what he wants to do in life and what is important.

The man thought about something Steve Jobs said in his Commencement Address at Stanford on June 12, 2005.

Steve’s words were:

When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: “If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.” It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

The man thought about those words this morning, and wrote the key words you see in the photo above on an index card, and taped it to the mirror in his bathroom, where he gets ready for work each day.

Because, the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row.  And the man needs to change something.

So the man sent an email today, to the local newspaper.  The man will be offering resume writing and consulting services as a start.  The man will also be placing another advertisement next week, to offer personal productivity consulting.

You see, the man feels that he is a good person to do this, because he is all too human, because he understands what it means to fall, and what it means to get back up again.

never be complete.

“Fuck off with your sofa units and strine green stripe patterns, I say never be complete, I say stop being perfect, I say let… lets evolve, let the chips fall where they may.”
- Tyler Durden, Fight Club

Never be complete.

Is the glass half empty, or half full?

Or more importantly, if it is half full, should it ever be full?  A nice glass of red wine, swirl it around and watch the wine tears form on the sides of the glass.  Can this happen if the glass is full, if it is complete?

Is a bottle of wine ever complete, or does it improve with age?  Do we improve with age, do we become wiser?  Will we ever be complete?  Should we be?

“A goal is not always meant to be reached, it often serves simply as something to aim at… Not failure, but low aim, is the crime. In great attempts it is glorious even to fail.”
- Bruce Lee

Do something crazy.  Set the most ludicrous goals you can imagine.  Go after them.  And live for now.

Never be complete.

–

Running – this week I did not run on Monday or Wednesday.  Monday, I decided to stay in and spend some time reflecting on my goals.  Wednesday, I was going to run, and then I had a really great video chat with my brother-in-law.  Live for now.  He said if I wanted to go run, he could let me go – but I had not spoken with him for over a month, and I always enjoy our chats, so we did that instead.  I could run later.

	Distance	Time	Weight
Monday	- km	- min	200 lb
Wednesday	-	-	201
Friday	8.0	58	198

Writing – last week, I forgot to put in the writing report, and Wendi scolded me so here we have it:

1927 words written this week on the story of my hero.  I did not write as much as I anticipated, as I’ve been trying out a new program called Scrivener, and I’m learning the inner workings as I will (finally!) have a follow-up post to my story about Q10.

The wine – Ruffino Chianti 2006 – very nice after a run.  The cheese and crackers helped.

One final point about never being complete.

As I mentioned yesterday, I have ideas that are waiting to be explored.

There is a good chance that you do, too.

They will never be perfect.  They will never be complete.  But they are good enough.  The time is now.

viking fridays – a friend’s fire.

Go you must.
No guest shall stay
in one place for ever.
Love will be lost
if you sit too long
at a friend’s fire.
- The Hávamál

Friday afternoon meetings.  Ugh.  Problem.

Solution?

Call this guy.

When the Friar isn’t showing off his best ASS-ets, he’s whipping up great cartoons like this one above.

This might sound like a rant, or a moan.

It is.  Why, oh why, is Friday afternoon THE most popular time to hold meetings?

Why do the managers insist on sitting at the fire for too long?

Solution?  Call 1-800-VIK-ING1.  Get up, take action.  Nothing ever gets done if you just sit around and talk about it.

I sincerely believe that if we spent more time doing and less time talking about it, we’d be further ahead where I work.

Or is it a different kind of fire?

Have you sat too long at the fire of an idea – sat and thought, rather than standing up and taking action?

Sitting around a fire and chatting endlessly about something can be a lot of fun.

I know that I am guilty of that myself, I have many ideas that are ripe for the picking, but I’ve been sitting by the fire.  I mean, you have to relax, you have to plan, chat with your friends on Twitter and so forth.

But sooner or later, you have to get up and take action, or love will be lost.

Don’t sit too long by the fire.

the forever people.

Today I took a walk with my family, to the ruins of a gone and mostly forgotten town called Rolphton, Ontario.

Well, it does still exist on the map and people live there, but it is a mere shadow of what it once was, what I remember from when I was a child.  When I was about 7 years old, the same age as our oldest child, I had a friend who lived there.

His name was John.  I cannot remember his last name.  I remember riding my bicycle on the crooked roads of the town, it was a company town, planned and built for the employees of Canada’s first nuclear power plant, NPD.

At one time, as I remember it, there were many houses there, a church, a hospital, recreational facilities, old growth trees (the town was really well planned and they did not clear cut), tire swings, the sounds of children playing, the smell of barbecues… all this I remember, from 30 years ago.

The church was the host for summer activities for local children both within and outside of the town.  I lived in a small trailer park about 3 miles east of the town, so I was lucky enough to be able to go to these summer camps.  I still bear a scar on my left knee from an injury I sustained during a play-day there.

At age 10, my family moved to another town about 18 miles east of Rolphton, and because we attended different schools, I never saw my friend John again.  The reactor was decommissioned in 1983 and most of the employees and their families moved to another nuclear power site about 8 hours away.

Strangely enough, I met a man from a town near that other site when I was at university, and he knew John.  But we never met again.

The empty and overgrown streets of Rolphton seem to be alive with the ghosts of my childhood.  When I walk there, I can still hear the sounds, and see the people in my mind.  The sounds, the people, looking much like my family does in the pictures we took.

I spoke with Ellen today (in the comments) about this town, about how some people haven’t had anyone think about them for a long time.

Some of the people have passed on, some are still no doubt alive.  Some may even have returned to live in other towns nearby.

I write this today so that there is someone out there, thinking of them.

They are the forever people.

–

I credit the title of today’s post to a song called The Forever People by a British doom metal band, My Dying Bride.  Yes, I listen to some strange music.  But it does have meaning.

Read to me
Make your words as pictures
Reveal to me
The forever people

Names become more
More than words
In foreign tongue
Universal doctrine

Remember each one
Named even this day
We’ll never forget
Like it or not

Their beloved is theirs
And they are his
Praise the Lord?
Hail the King?

This to me
A figure of tragedy
They are trivial
They are forgettable
A sombre tale
Of mankinds hope
Show me its truth
And with joy
I will follow

(My Dying Bride, The Forever People, from the album As the Flower Withers, 1992)

running debrief – the five year plan.

(Or, why the Dirty Rotten Imbeciles get it)

My mind certainly does wander to strange stuff on the run.  Tonight was a good run, I met some friends who didn’t believe that I run in my funny shoes, but I proved it to them tonight and I even did a little Muhammad Ali dance for them… “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee”

Speaking of bees, I ran by a lilac bush.  What a wonderful smell late at night.  Followed by the smell of motor oil… I’m thinking somebody in that neighbourhood is doing a little home auto maintenance and not being a good environmentalist.

Usually I’ll have a song or two, or maybe even a whole album, in my head.

It could be just about anything – the other night it was a hard trance song by Cosmic Gate, “I Feel Wonderful”…

Tonight was something edgier, a raw sound with a message.  It’s really loud and fun, the sort of thing you might play if you were annoyed with someone (Monika might appreciate it, even if it isn’t her taste in music).  A song from my past, back to 1987…

I lose, you win
I lose, you win
I lose, you win
I lose again
But you’re on my five-year plan
Your time will come
When you least expect it, expect it!
The five-year plan
You fucked me over
You did me wrong
You know why
I wrote this song
The five-year plan
Until then, I’ll just pretend
That you are still my friend
But in the end, your time will come
When you least expect it, expect it!
The five-year plan
I don’t forget so easily
No, I’m not so quick to forget
The five-year plan
I hold a grudge
I live for revenge
The five-year plan
I win, you lose
I win, you lose
I win!

(Dirty Rotten Imbeciles, “The Five Year Plan”, from the album Crossover)

And why was this running through my head?  Not long after I rejoined my current company, we acquired a new fearless leader, who had a five year plan.

A fearless leader who is no longer with us, because things started to come unravelled, and today a really major project was cancelled.  We all knew it would be cancelled, but management would not, could not, admit it.

Until today.

(Note, I am not bitter or worried about my position, not at all.  I am not holding a grudge, nor do I live for revenge.  I don’t advocate either.  I just like the song!)

The cancellation was inevitable.

Just as my five year plan is inevitable.  My five year plan includes me.  Working for myself.

So I smiled as I ran through the night, it is a catchy little tune with just the right tempo for my running.  Even though the vampires were out, I had a great time.

Anyway, to the running report…

How did I do this week?

	Distance	Time	Weight
Monday	- km	- min	199 lb
Wednesday	6.1	47	200
Friday	6.2	44	200

I did not run Monday night, as I was working on a special ultra turbo super top secret project… tonight I was slightly faster than I was on Wednesday, and I likely could have gone further.  I will have to start carrying a timepiece so I know how much to push myself.

I generally take a random path to keep things interesting, but as you can see I sometimes misjudge the distance.  I really thought I had gone much further…

To our former fearless leader, I say:

I win, you lose.

Start off with 6 weeks, and once you’re on your way, keep going on your five year plan.

viking fridays – axe and sword.

Never walk
away from home
ahead of your axe and sword.
You can’t feel a battle
in your bones
or foresee a fight.
- The Hávamál

So what is our Viking friend Garpack talking about today?  Certainly even the Vikings didn’t get into battles every single day, or did they?

Be prepared, Robert Baden-Powell wrote.  You never know when you might need your matches and a pocket knife.

Opportunity knocks.  Be ready to answer the door.

The American Express Card.  Don’t leave home without it.

While I don’t carry an axe and sword like our little friend Garpack (though sometimes, I wish I did!), I never leave home without my paper and pen.  If inspiration strikes, I want to be able to capture it before I forget my train of thought.  I have enough trouble remembering where I live and the names of my kids!

Besides, the pen is mightier than the sword and all that…

(Although, I wouldn’t try to take on Tei if all I had was a pen… see #3 and #5 on her list if you don’t believe me… swords and tiny fists…)

When you leave home, what do you take with you to face the day, to take advantage of what life throws your way?

I figure a lot of us are writers, so perhaps many will say “paper and pen” as I have said.

I also tend to dress well when I leave the home – you never know when you might run into the CEO of some company for which you’d like to do a job, or perhaps you’ll see that pretty girl or that studly guy at the coffee shop.

I guess that’s one of the cool things about life – you never know what is just around the corner.  Ideas can come from anywhere.

A business opportunity, a new friend, an idea for a new book, a sunset to be enjoyed… I plan to be prepared, always.  I may not get a second chance.

As our Viking friend would say, “Vær Beredt!”

And enjoy each and every sunset.

how to make 6 weeks work for you.

(Is it just the shoes, or is there a method behind the madness?)

So you’ve decided that you want to become a veterinarian, but you’re not sure how collecting underpants is going to help you, or at least you don’t know what the “?” is in your three-phase business plan.

Here’s how I look at it – life presents you with a series of problems, and you are the problem solver.  It is up to you to figure out how best to solve the problems so that you benefit in some way.

And even though it is sometimes hard to see it, that which does not kill you really does make you stronger.

So don’t be upset if you can’t crack that nut graf the first time.  As long as it really doesn’t kill you, you have another shot at it.

Anyway.  So you want to solve a problem, learn to run, write a book, you name it.  These are all problems, at a base level.  You’ll need a problem solving strategy, and a set of tools to help you achieve that.  I know I definitely need a problem solving strategy, because I’ve been traveling a very crooked path through life.

Because we can’t all have Dave Navarro personally kick us in the ass every day (hey, he’s awesome, but he’s got a family too), I’ll start off by introducing the problem solving strategy that I’ve been using effectively for almost 20 years.

Next, I’ll talk about some of the tools I use to help me do what I do.  The tools are intentionally simple, which encourages one to actually use them.

Finally, over the coming days I’ll delve into the different parts of the strategy and show how the tools can be used at each step.

Interestingly enough, the problem solving strategy I use has 6 Steps.  (Right now, you’re thinking, what is it with this guy and the Number 6?  I am not a number, I am a free man!)

The strategy:

1. Inspiration
2. Definition
3. Exploration
4. Evolution
5. Execution
6. Reflection

Note that Step 6 usually returns us to Step 1, and that is a good thing.

The tools:

1. Vision Board – a primary source of daily inspiration, a great way to keep your eyes on the prize
2. Mind mapping – brainstorming on steroids, a great way to see the links between your ideas and the method to your madness
3. Don’t Break the Chain (thanks Jerry!) – a really great way to keep you honest, and on track
4. hipster PDA – the best single tool I’ve ever used, doesn’t need batteries, and keeps the mind clear to focus on important things
5. Google Docs – ah, my friend that allows me instant access to my running list of goals and tasks
6. Moleskine (or any old notebook, if you’re not an arTEESTe…) – my journal, my space for reflection at a most personal level

Although the strategy is a numbered list, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with jumping around and in fact I believe that the ability to do that is essential to achieving what you set out to do.

The tools may be used in one or more of the Steps, and I will talk more about the tools through each of the 6 Steps.

After all, you only have 6 weeks – and Tyler is watching you…

Next time: inspiration – how to find it, and make it work for you.

(PS – thank you all for your patience, I have not posted for a few days as I had some other important business to attend to… I haven’t quite reached the point where I have sufficient posts to set this up automatically.  But I will get there… can and will.)

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