Another Matthew Stibbe wanna-be post. His Matthew 2.0 post made me want to do something similar. Here's the list of Web 2.0 tools that I'm using on a regular basis:
Email: Gmail
Blogging: Blogger
RSS reader: Bloglines (and maybe soon Google Reader)
Business networking: LinkedIn
Online address book: Plaxo
Motivation: Joe's Goals
Like Matthew, I'm not always sure exactly what Web 2.0 is (not sure anyone is), but these sites/tools are definitely a quantum leap from static HTML. They've also become an integral part of the way I work and process information.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Matching PJs make me cool
I have a pair of pajama pants that are red, white, and black. I got them as a Christmas Eve present a year or two back. I also have a t-shirt from business school. It's gray with black trim and red and white lettering. One night, I discovered that these two pieces make a striking coordinated sleepwear ensemble. Didn't buy either of them, didn't plan it, but wearing the matching PJs somehow convinces me that I'm more fashionable than I really am. Kind of like flossing my teeth convinces me that I'm more meticulous and hygienic than I really am. My self-image is remarkably malleable. Is that bad?
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Christmas Cards from Neverland
Writing Christmas cards has an awe-inspring and unsettling effect. Two hours ago, I was a guy hurrying to do the dishes in the vain hope that I might get a decent night's sleep before my two-year-old barges into my room and I have to get ready for work. Then, as I sat down to help my wife crank out the Christmas cards, I read my high-school girlfriend's front-and-back 8-pt single-spaced discourse on her four boys and their 2005 home school adventures (aka last year's Christmas card). She also included a hand-written note about her mother's recently diagnosed leukemia and her sister's divorce. And just that fast, the time-space continuum collapsed and I am no longer just a guy doing the dishes. I'm a high-school football player with a girlfriend on the Pom Squad, a Mormon missionary learning Portuguese in Provo, and a wide-eyed young father of two crazy kids.
Of all the reasons for writing and sending Christmas cards (keeping in touch, breathing life into flagging friendships, and propping up my own self-worth come to mind), perhaps the most striking (at the moment at least) is the opportunity to contextualize my every-day experiences into a larger whole. How does the football player connect to the missionary connect to the new dad? How much and in what ways have I changed since then? Looking at my life, I've achieved a great many of my goals. So why do I feel so crappy so often? I've been richly blessed - I should remember that. I'm also living far below my privilege (and potential) in any number of arenas. I should remember that, too.
Well, the next batch of letters is almost finished printing. The metaphysical musings will have to wait a little longer - that decent night's sleep is rapidly becoming a pipe dream (again).
Of all the reasons for writing and sending Christmas cards (keeping in touch, breathing life into flagging friendships, and propping up my own self-worth come to mind), perhaps the most striking (at the moment at least) is the opportunity to contextualize my every-day experiences into a larger whole. How does the football player connect to the missionary connect to the new dad? How much and in what ways have I changed since then? Looking at my life, I've achieved a great many of my goals. So why do I feel so crappy so often? I've been richly blessed - I should remember that. I'm also living far below my privilege (and potential) in any number of arenas. I should remember that, too.
Well, the next batch of letters is almost finished printing. The metaphysical musings will have to wait a little longer - that decent night's sleep is rapidly becoming a pipe dream (again).
Thursday, December 07, 2006
4 for 4
Yesterday I woke up early, read my scriptures, brought my lunch to work, and exercised. Those are the four goals that I'm tracking w/ a cool little Web 2.0 tool that I found via Matthew Stibbe's blog (great read). The tool is called Joe's Goals and it is SLICK. Just create an account, throw in as many (or as few) goals as you want and then check them off as you go. VERY easy and a nice little motivational tool. It also produces a chart that you can embed in your blog (mine's in the right column). As you can see, I'm only 2 for 4 today and I've already given myself credit for reading my scriptures before I go to bed. Better get on that.
Saturday, December 02, 2006
Mormon Scouting is Funky
As of two weeks ago, I am the Team Coach for a brand new Varsity Scouting Team (a slightly mature version of a Boy Scout Troop). The Team is chartered by the LDS (Mormon) Church ward that I attend. Tonight, while I was at a party, I ran into my next-door neighbor, who is also associated with a local Boy Scout troop that meets at the Catholic church around the corner. As we chatted at some length about our Scouting experiences (I've had a few other Scouting experiences in the LDS church), I was struck by a couple of things that make LDS Scouting a bit, well, funky.
1) With few exceptions, neither the kids, nor their parents, nor their leaders sought out Scouting as a program in which they wanted to participate. The kids didn't say, "Hey, I love to camp, earn badges, and go to summer camp . . . I want to be a Scout." Instead, Scouting is given to them as the "activity arm" of the Young Men's program of their Church. In large part, being a Boy Scout is part of being a good Mormon. This tends to mean that the boys don't always want to be there and the parents aren't always as supportive as the parents in other Scout troops (NB: the parents in my ward seem to be very supportive).
2) Related to the above, leaders don't volunteer. Rather, they are called by their priesthood leaders. This means that many leaders (myself included) step into their roles somewhat reluctantly and without necessarily knowing what to do. I've got a long way to go before I have a decent handle on how to lead this kind of a group. I've also got a long way to go before my wife feels OK w/ the idea of me spending up to a third of my vacation time away from her and our 2 kids.
All that said, I love working with boys this age and I'm looking forward to "coaching the team."
1) With few exceptions, neither the kids, nor their parents, nor their leaders sought out Scouting as a program in which they wanted to participate. The kids didn't say, "Hey, I love to camp, earn badges, and go to summer camp . . . I want to be a Scout." Instead, Scouting is given to them as the "activity arm" of the Young Men's program of their Church. In large part, being a Boy Scout is part of being a good Mormon. This tends to mean that the boys don't always want to be there and the parents aren't always as supportive as the parents in other Scout troops (NB: the parents in my ward seem to be very supportive).
2) Related to the above, leaders don't volunteer. Rather, they are called by their priesthood leaders. This means that many leaders (myself included) step into their roles somewhat reluctantly and without necessarily knowing what to do. I've got a long way to go before I have a decent handle on how to lead this kind of a group. I've also got a long way to go before my wife feels OK w/ the idea of me spending up to a third of my vacation time away from her and our 2 kids.
All that said, I love working with boys this age and I'm looking forward to "coaching the team."
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