Desert Pond

Blog

  • Hugging and Business – Why the Two Don’t Mix

    Hugging cat
    © Marcus in NY

    As the final day with my employer approaches, there has been a lot of reminiscing at work.  I’ve been with the same group of people for more than 10 years.  Today, we got into a discussion about hugging and business and why I think the two don’t mix.

    I know, you’re saying, “Well, it seems kind of obvious why the two shouldn’t go together.  Don’t they teach you that in workplace harrassment classes?

    Yes, but I work in an unusual, tightly knit industry.  Sometimes too tightly knit.  When the group of us involved in this particular business congregate at a conference, there’s an awful lot of hugging – as if it’s a family reunion.

    When I attended my first conference, I noticed it right off the bat.  Why are all of these people hugging each other?  This is supposed to be a professional atmosphere.  Not being the huggy type, it really struck me as a bit bizarre.

    And then, I saw one coming my way.  A business acquaintance I’d met maybe once or twice before.  He had the look of a hugger and he was walking towards me.  His arms started to outstretch.  I’m sure my eyes were the size of saucers and I did the only thing I could think of to escape the oncoming squeeze.  I stuck my hand straight out in front of me in traditional hand shake position.  He faltered for a moment, recovered, grinned and shook my hand.  “Not a hugger, huh?”, he asked.  I smiled back and shook my head.

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  • Goodbye Corporate Life

    Goodbye Corporate Life
    © Atee83 | Dreamstime

    I’m saying goodbye to the corporate life. Maybe it will turn out to be a mistake. Maybe not. I really hope not, anyway. No matter what, though, I believe my work life quality is about to change significantly for the better.

    I quit my job – a very nice, corporate job at a well-recognized and ages old organization with benefits and a corner office.

    Some will think me crazy for doing so and the intent of this post is not to ask whether or not I should have done so. It’s to explain why I did so.

    I’ve played the game. I’ve crawled my way through corporate politics. I’ve sandwiched my share of constructive criticism in between bits of positive reinforcement. I’ve been the mouse whose cheese was moved and I’ve moved my share of cheese. I know how to manage in a minute, remotely, and in the middle of the night. I know being in the red is bad. I’ve worked with empire-builders, lazy suck-ups and those who did all the work but never got enough credit.  I’ve been through more corporate fire-drills than a volunteer fireman.

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  • No Age Limit on Road Rage

    Toy Truck
    © Scott Rothstein | Dreamstime

    While attempting to enter a freeway from the service lane, a friend of mine experienced a most surprising incident of road rage.

    Only after he told me his story did I realize that I am probably guilty of gauging the possibility of irritating the drivers near me to the point of danger purely by age. The younger they are, the less likely I am to honk my horn or wave my hands in the air wildly as a sign that I think they just pulled a really, stupid move.

    Apparently, my thinking is a bit naive.

    The service lane my friend was on merges with the entrance ramp to the freeway. He made all the right moves to signal his intent to merge but could see a minivan coming up behind him. It was obvious the minivan had no intention of letting my friend merge – at least not easily. He kept the nose of his bumper just at the tail end of my friend’s car. (I won’t say where, exactly, this incident occurred but suffice it to say that drivers there are not known for passive and friendly driving.)

    In a split-second decision, my friend chose to merge anyway, stepping on the gas to gain that extra foot or so needed to clear the nose of the minivan. He must have misjudged because he ended up clipping the minivan’s front head-light.

    I can hear my friend now. “Crap.” (my parents read this blog)

    Not wanting to block the on ramp, he continued to enter the freeway and then pulled over on the shoulder expecting Minivan Man to pull up behind him.

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  • Robot Mop – My New Best Friend

    Robot Mop
    iRobot Roomba Floor Washer

    Meet my robot mop.  She’s short and round and cleans my floors for free – 24/7,  if asked.  She never complains, has completely freed my back from having to sweep, vacuum and mop large amounts of tile floor, and sits quietly in the corner when not in use.

    My parents have used an iRobot vacuum for over a year now and have raved about it since they brought “her” home.  She’s been dubbed “Bridget” by my niece and they love to watch her roam the floors sucking up any dirt she might find.

    So, while visiting my parents over the holidays, Dad and I got into a discussion about the one he has in his garage, too, to keep his workshop area clean.  This led to quite some time investigating the iRobot site and my “oohing” and “ahhing” over all of the cool products – especially the robot floor washer.

    You see, when you live in Arizona, tile floors are a pretty big deal.  They help keep your house cool and are easier to keep clean with all of the dust that floats through our air and, well, I think they’re just part of our normal desert decor.  They look really cool – until you have to clean them.  And, of course, I had to get a nice, light beige floor tile.  It can take me well over three hours a week just to do the tile floors, between sweeping or vacuuming and then mopping.

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  • Making Friends Online

    There’s a lot of value in writing online.   One of the best benefits, though?  Making friends online.  I have friends all over the world.  Amazing, since the only country I’ve ever been to outside the United States is Canada.  (In itself, that’s odd considering I live only a few short hours from Mexico…)

    If you’re trying to make your way as an internet marketer, it’s easy to come across people online who are going through the same things you are.  Reading, learning, creating, writing….struggling.  There’s a lot of research that goes into putting quality work online.  Then – you find one with whom you just click.  You think alike, share ideas, coach each other, pull each other, and push at each other to keep moving.

    Emails whiz across the ether, over oceans, across deserts from one end of the world to another.   Sometimes the emails are bits of info – a new idea, a new website, a new tool we can use in our work.  Sometimes, they’re just funny because we’re tired, can’t think straight or really need a break.

    My online IM partner is a man in Spain I have never met.  I know him only through his words.  I know he is funny, intelligent and creative.  I’ve often thought our emails back and forth would make a great blog all in their own.  There are lots of internet marketing lessons in those emails.  Life lessons, too- valuable, pull-yourself-apart, put-yourself-back-together lessons.

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