America's Leak

Why is it that BP is so eager to contribute $500 million to study to effects of the impact of the oil spill when they should have spent the money to develop a fail safe plan.  Why is it we can place a camera to run a live feed 24 hours a day to the bottom of the gulf within feet of the oil leak, but BP can't find the technology to plug it?  Doesn't this make anyone pissed off?

What about the rumblings that our US Congress is debating a bill to increase the tax on oil to generate a revenue stream to PAY for the oil clean up.  This tax will undoubtedly be passed on to consumers and businesses.  BP and other oil companies are NOT going to eat this cost.  It will slowly be passed on until the entire tax is paid for by consumers.  Hide in plain site and we'll never see it.

I say enough already.  BP has put the current generation of the fishing industry out of work and probably the next generation as well not to mention the tourism industry to the entire region.  Shouldn't the leaders of this company be held responsible for their decision making ability before the accident and through today?  Why should we allow the decision makers at BP the ability to prolong a solution to plug the leak?  What happened to standards and the regulating authority to check to make sure these standards were kept up to date?  I've been in many different companies and know that regulatory agencies have audits on a regular basis to make sure that procedures and standards are maintained.  How can drilling for oil in an environmental sensitive area not be regulated?  How come there wasn't a Failure Modes Effects Analysis completed on drilling and extracting oil.  If there was one, oil rig explosion and pipe leaking would have been ranked EXTREMELY high to generate several solutions and preventative process steps.

Yep, I'm pissed that we continually have to hear about how BP hasn't plugged the leak and we get to watch thousands of people in orange vests wash oil soaked animals.  Not to mention that the oil keeps moving further inland up contributory waterways.

BP, oil companies, and congress who are so intrenched in old school politics you all played a role!  Stop trying to do the political thing and get this leak plugged....NOW!!

Until next time...

Timing is Everything

We've all heard this before that timing is everything.  Whether we are discussing a sporting event, school, or work.  People always want to use that phrase.  Why is timing everything?  Shouldn't it really be that each of us have planned and been diligent to make things happen so that timing had little to do with it rather it was all the planning and prior work that caused the event to happen.

I don't have a crystal ball and can't predict the future, but I do know that the harder you work and the more you plan the likelihood of having events come true improve dramatically.  Similarly, the work life balance doesn't come without planning and work.  Families need to work at striking that delicate balance to earn a living while nurturing a family.  I'm not always good at this, but I do plan and work at it to try and find the proper balance.  Although browsing the web you will find a great deal of individuals with all sorts of formulas to sell you on how to find the right work life balance I would stay clear of advice you need to pay for on this subject.

Each of us know what we need to do in order to find the right balance and it probably isn't the same for each of us.  some families may like when one spouse dominates the earnings working 80 hours per week while others may find the right balance with each spouse working part time.  In any case, it is up to your own family to find the right balance.  Begin today and you won't regret it.  Also, remember that what you do in your family your children are watching and learning by your actions.  If you create balance, the next generation will have an easier time finding balance. 

I've said before and I'll say it again.  No one on their death bed breathing their last breath is going to say "...if only I worked 80 hours per week I would of had balance."  Similarly, no one is going to breathe their last breath uttering "...don't forget to clean the toilet."

Find your work life balance and then we can begin to discuss how you add into that mix training for an Ironman.  The motto becomes I can sleep when I retire.

Until next time...

Possibilities

Possibilities are everywhere.  However, not everyone takes the opportunity to explore the possibilities that they come across daily.  This is unfortunate since some opportunities present themselves and we often are so busy to recognize them that the opportunity vanishes before it has a chance to materialize.

I've said it before in my ramblings to take time for yourself.  Seize an opportunity and make something out of it no matter how small it may be.  Just think what would have happened it people would have responded differently to the catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico.  Did the oil rig violently explode or were there warning signs prior to the worst environmental disaster this country has ever seen?  No one knows for sure except for the souls that were lost.

As 200,000+ gallons of oil daily continue to pollute one of this countries greatest natural wonders we should all take a moment and pause to see what possibilities we see every day that can lesson our demand for oil.  I don't have any magic answers, but each of us see possibilities in their daily lives where they can effect their own usage of oil.  Every little bit helps.

Just think if each of us were to stop drinking bottled water?  Did you know that one machine can pump out over 10,000 plastic bottles an hour.  You may wonder how eliminating bottled water would reduce the need for oil.  Think of it this way.  In order to manufacture bottles the raw material (polyethylene) needs to be shipped by truck to the bottle manufacturing plant.  After the bottles are created, the bottles need to be shipped to the water bottling company where filled bottles now hop on a truck to a distribution center.  After waiting at the distribution center for a few hours or days the filled bottles are trucked to their final retail destination.  This isn't all.  The consumer "drives" to the retail outlet where we purchase these bottles and transport them to various events and dispose of them in a garbage or recycling bin.  At this point, another truck picks up the discarded bottle and ships it to a recycling center or a landfill.  

That one water bottle logs about 300 road miles and fuel to complete its journey.  Just think about the other 9,999 bottles per hour that one machine can manufacture and the amount of fuel it takes to move those bottles through their journey.

Just think of the possibilities and next time reach for the tap!

Moms!

What would the world be like without all the wonderful mothers!  Once a year to take the time to thank moms for all they do is not enough.  Just think if moms went on a revolt for a day.  What do you think would happen...

You would see a great number of individuals wearing the same clothes they had the day before since laundry wasn't done.  The restaurant industry would have their single largest sales day in history since lunches wouldn't be ready to take to school or work.  Pets around the globe would go without food and water for the day.  Children would eat pop tarts or some other sugary thing before school only to crash hard an hour into the day (Remember, these same children will go without lunch since no moms were there to make it for them).

Basically, moms hold this country together and should be recognized for it.  Hopefully, you all thanked the moms you know for being moms and all they do.  If not, there's always today, tomorrow, and everyday to thank them.

Great work moms!!

Fridays!

For the majority of the population Friday's mean that they have reached the end of the work week.  However, how many individuals leave work physically only to think about work for the next 48 hours?  Doing so takes a toll on the body.  In fact, most aspects of you life will be affected by your work if you don't have the ability to separate work from personal time.

Each of us will use different methods to leave work at the door when leaving the office or checking out for the day.  If you don't have something that you use to provide this separation, then you need to find something quick before you become ineffective at work!  It sounds simple, but having a hobby (any hobby) will provide you relief from the daily reminders of work.  Simple activities such as reading, yard work, gardening, painting, exercise, or even people watching at the mall will provide you a great deal of benefits in your life.

How many of us can truly say that once we leave the office for the day we can truly turn it off?  Not many, but with some hobbies that we look forward to each and every day it will definitely help provide some sanity in the daily world we live in.  Find your hobby today.  In fact, you can probably search for "hobbies" on the internet and you will have a list longer than you have time to read in the 48 hours each of us have every week to live our lives.

Choose a hobby today to begin living.  You won't regret it and your work will actually improve.  Finding any outlet to express yourself and actually begin living is one part of finding your work life balance.  Start today since tomorrow is no longer here.

Until next time...

Weekends

Every once in a while its good to find a place to explore your deep down "red-neck" being.  My "red-neck" being is found in a little cabin in the middle of 80 acres that usually consist of off road vehicles, guns, beer, and great food.  The food usually keeps on giving long after the "red-neck" fun has ended since eating more than 10lbs of semi-mooing red meat in a 48 hour period spells GI trauma!

Below is a snapshot that illustrates the type of fun that is had by my fellow "red-neck" brethren.    Please notice the proper safety equipment that all red-necks must where.

Alright - I had to remove the picture since it took too long to load.  People were getting annoyed with the delay.  I'll have to reduce the resolution for faster loading.

Until next time...

Right of Spring

This time of year is special.  Spring is among us and America's past time is alive and well for little leaguers all over the country.  In my part of the woods, this leads to coaching boys to throw, field, and hit a baseball.  This will be my 4th year coaching and each year I learn something new from the players I coach.

First off, kids can be so intuitive that they almost know the next baseball drill before I even say it.  They also have grown a great deal from 4 years ago.  I have coached several of these boys for the past 4 years and they have improved to the point of throwing faster, more accurate, and hitting the ball further.  They have better presence on the field and understand the mechanics of routine plays.  What I don't understand is  what I have learned in those same four years.

Have you ever thought about what you learned yesterday?  How about the last four years?  Hopefully, something has changed in the last four years of your life.  Just think if as we age we don't learn new things.  What if we went day after day and never learned any thing new?  Would our lives be boring?  You bet.

That's why I challenge each of you to do something new.  Why wait until tomorrow.  Tomorrow may never come or you may end up pushing tomorrow out too far that you won't allow it to come.  You may be asking, what does this person do that is new.  For me, I simply challenge myself to participate in different triathlons.  That goal pushes me to do different things throughout the year that I wouldn't have done otherwise such as swimming in a lake when the water temp hovers around 55 degrees (cold with lots of shrinkage).   I've also participated in a very cold wet running event held in December that has you running through swamps and with "bulls" literally (very shocking only I was too tired to go any faster)!

Yep, its time to try something new so in a few years you will look back and think about how much you have grown.

Remember the best part of life is a work life balance.  Start yours today!