rob’s place

I got so ticked off last week when we got four (4!) huge, heavy Yellow Pages from Bell South and AT&T. It’s such a waste of energy, space, resources, and time. I took ours from the front door and took them straight to the recycle bin.

I haven’t used any of these books for years. I use google. Just search and you’ll get the phone number. Just that easy.

So I looked up on google the phone number for Bell South and called them. They transferred me three times. Finally the last guy said, “wait, you’re not one of our customers?” “No, not for a few years now. But we get your Yellow Pages every year.” “Humm. Well there’s nothing I can do about it without an account number.”

So we’ll keep getting them and putting them into our recycle bin.

Oh, then this week we got two more of these books from Embarq (formally Sprint). Sigh.

Rule Number One: Sleep Tight
Rule Number Two: Don’t let the bed bugs bite.

However, I think Rule Number One should be to sleep relaxed. Although it wouldn’t rhyme, you’d sleep better.

Either way, you just can’t fail at Rule Number Two.

See what I mean? It’s everywhere.

We still have a couple weeks to Thanksgiving and Christmas is in full gear thanks to the marketers.

And I seem to be buying into it.

Though I refuse to upload my Christmas music to my iRob until Friday after Thanksgiving.

I used to hate it when I would see all the Christmas commercials, decorations, the Starbucks red cups, and music on before Thanksgiving. But for some reason, I think this year the marketers are winning me over.

It’s really strange. I know we just had Halloween and Thanksgiving is next week, but I’m kinda getting in the mood for Christmas.

Strange I know but true nonetheless.

via

Last week I was talking with my 5 year old niece. She wanted me to go outside and play. I told her I would “later”. She said she’d be gone by then (apparently kids know what “later” means to adults).

I told her I couldn’t go “now” but that wasn’t good enough for her. So I had to explain that time (present and future) can be in one of 4 places:

• now
• after now
• before later
• later

We decided to go outside “before later”. Truth be told, I think we went out “after now”.

I’ve been contemplating the difference in the meaning of “don’t” and “won’t”. Or “do not” and “will not”.

At first I thought there was a subtle difference but now I can’t tell that there is. In context they are “we do not do that” and “we will not do that”. Seems “will not” is more of a conviction level, while “do not” is a deliberate decision made before-hand.

But then again, practically there is no difference in the definitions I just gave.

So is there a difference in “do not” and “will not”? And if so, can you articulate it well in the comments?

You think you’ve got a big enough digital footprint on the internets?

Here’s the test: if you can have a link on your blog for “About Me” to go to a wikipedia entry for your name, then you’ve arrived.

Robert Scoble has arrived.

Yes, that’s not news to many people. It’s really more of an observation.

I hate it when people like this are right. A guy named Rob (not me) is also the Business Pundit (so says his blog). ‘Tis a good blog I like to follow.

But I hate it when he’s right about stuff like this post: Why I Gave Up Deserts To Become a Better Entrepreneur:

Plato wrote that “the first and best victory is to conquer the self.” Warren Buffett said something to the effect of “if you have discipline in the small things you will have discipline in the large things.” I’ve read enough about the human brain to know that if certain actions are repeatedly taken, the brain becomes used to them and they become easier. I started to wonder if I could build my overall discipline by practicing more discipline in a small area of my life. I needed something that was difficult, but not in my face every day. I decided to give up deserts. For one year.

I wasn’t cutting out sugar. The definition of a desert was anything sweet that I would eat after lunch or dinner because I was craving it. The goal was to fight the impulse, more than anything else. No ice cream, cakes, cookies, candy, brownies, pies, or anything that would typically be considered a dessert.

But he didn’t necessarily do it for health. He did it for the discipline that would translate into getting things done better.

Eight months have passed, and I’ve had no desserts, and there have really only been 3 or 4 occasions that I seriously struggled and thought I should give up the stupid goal. What are the results? Well, I think the past 8 months have been the single most productive period in my entire life. I still miss deadlines, forget about things, and sometimes get distracted, but not nearly as often as I used to. In other words, I think it is actually working. My ability to buckle down and focus even when I don’t feel like it has increased. In the same way that lifting weights makes a 50 pound box seem lighter the next time you have to carry it, focusing on a somewhat boring task for a few hours seems much easier than it was in the past.

A nice side benefit is that I’ve also felt much better in general. I’ve had more energy, I’ve slept better, and I’ve been sick less than normal. I haven’t seen any negative mental side effects such as decreased creativity, or a diminished capacity to deal with multitasking situations (although I try to avoid these when possible).

When I gave up sugar a couple years ago for health reasons, I, too, lost weight and felt great. I was able to concentrate easier. I wasn’t so easily distracted. Not like I am now.

Oh look! A crazy dog growling at his own leg!

But I have vacation coming up, birthdays, anniversaries, holidays. How will I ever make it?

I guess it’ll be one of those things I’ll perpetually start tomorrow.

Time to dig deep here. Bear with me.

Three names lately have really been impacting me. Lisa Nowak, Britney Spears, and Owen Wilson.

I’ve been finding myself so interested and engaged in their stories lately. I couldn’t put it all together until yesterday talking with a friend. The thing that these three have in common is that recently they reached their breaking point and it was all quite public. Being public gave me an opportunity to engage in their stories.

My heart was piqued by them because even though the media jumped on them and just ate up their falls I felt for them. Still do. And it’s for a couple of reasons.

One is that I realize that their breaking point is really not that far from where I can be. I’ve heard spiritual leaders say that we are all just one sin away from destruction. We’re capable of anything. And that, hopefully, keeps me humble. I could reach a breaking point and react the way these three did - snapping in a rage, desperate pleas for help, and giving up.

The second is that I know those root emotions they felt. I have felt betrayal. I’ve felt abandonment. I’ve felt isolation. I’ve felt hopelessness. I empathize. Thankfully my struggles aren’t as public as theirs. I couldn’t imagine trying to be real when the world demands so much and they are all watching just waiting for you to fall.

So if you are one of those who enjoys the ridicule of a ‘crazy astronaut’, ‘bald britney’, or ’suicide owen’ then I’m not with you. I’m with them. Only because I get them. There is always more the deeper you go. No one is immune. And we are all vulnerable even if we don’t want to admit it.

And I know this not just because my theology tells me so, but because my story has told me so too.

How to Decide What To Do, originally uploaded by orangejack.

My new philosophy on life and how I decide what I’m going to do.

View large version. Created in Microsoft Excel.

I realized that there are no mutts — only potential breeds.