Archive for the ‘different perspectives’ Category
Thursday, May 20th, 2010
So I convened a group of friends and we set out to find the best lyrics ever written. …Turns out the assignment was HARD. Lyrics don’t seem to be very memorable in isolation of other things.
Inevitably, you think of the music—the melody that plays in your head and the way the song makes you feel. Two good examples that made this point for me were from my brother Hoopes and my friend Ben. Hoopes picked “If I had 1,000,000 Dollars” by the Barenaked Ladies and Ben picked “I Feel Good” by James Brown. For melodies and feeling, these songs are among the best, but as for lyric poetry…
You also think of the memories associated with the song: The awesome live concert, the music that inspired you in school, old feelings of love, adventure, friendship. This became especially clear after my friend Craig earnestly professed the best lyrics ever written were: “she wore an itsy-bitsy-teenie-weenie-yellow-polka-dot bikini.”
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Tags: lyrics, music
Posted in different perspectives | 4 Comments »
Thursday, May 6th, 2010
I just returned from a whirlwind vacation of visiting friends, sightseeing and of course – some much needed relaxation. What a trip… we started in Seattle, visited Vancouver Island, took a beautiful (but long) train ride through the Pacific Northwest to San Francisco, and then hopped on a plane to Las Vegas (remember – what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas). Talk about planes, trains, and automobiles!
The lllooonnnggg train ride marked the midway point of our vacation. As a side note, if you have never taken an overnight Amtrak excursion—I recommend it. It is a nice way to see the countryside and a way to make new friends (you have a captive audience; no one can escape you on a train). There is really not that much to do on a train except talk. Unfortunately for my husband, I’m a talker! About six hours into our trip, he politely asked if we could have some quiet time. Without my husband to distract me with his incessant listening, my mind began to drift towards work. I found my phone—yes I had “bars” and yes I had 3G! My heart beat quickened and my hands were shaking. What sort of emails would I have? Were there any problems that needed to be solved (after all, I am the Solutions Engineer)? Please, please let me be needed! Just as I was about to press the “email” button on my phone, when I caught a glimpse of the snow capped mountains out of my window. I almost, almost, gave in and checked emails. Instead, I turned my head and watched the beautiful scenery go by and started thinking about the importance of taking a vacation.
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Tags: train, workaholic
Posted in different perspectives, thought you'd like to know | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, March 30th, 2010
Creating and maintaining a company’s culture can often be a daunting task. From mission statements to events, and values to phone greetings, there are a variety of components that comprise a company’s culture. At Think Up Consulting, we like to maintain our company culture by scheduling regular events. As the resident Social Savant for Think Up Consulting, I am constantly coming up with new ways to enhance our company’s culture, while relying on old standbys like our monthly themed potluck (this month’s event pays homage to Alice in Wonderland.) I like to think of planning an event like creating a soup—there are certain ingredients that you must have in order for the event—or soup—to be successful. The video below reveals my secret recipe for cooking up company culture. Now, I’m no Julia Child, but this recipe has yet to fail and can be used for a variety of cultural events. Enjoy!
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Tags: culture, events, potluck, recipe
Posted in different perspectives, what I'm thinking | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, March 16th, 2010
I’ve never been one for conventions. So, when I was asked to write a blog I decided I would submit a vlog. Here’s my story about my journey all the way from Southern California to Greenville, SC and my insight on why I now call this beautiful city home. (more…)
Tags: dude, greenville, southern california, southern culture, ya'll
Posted in different perspectives, local | 10 Comments »
Friday, February 26th, 2010
Recently, I went to see the circus for the first time in twenty years. Yes…I am an adult. And yes… I think I enjoyed the circus as much as the kids surrounding me. One of the most interesting/frustrating parts of my circus experience was how many different acts were presented simultaneously. Should I focus on the Chinese act or the Latin dancers? The acrobats or the little people? It was maddening to try to absorb and see everything going on around me. Even now when I think back on it, I only remember a blur of entertainment and portions of the main acts. But that’s okay…right? The circus’s goal wasn’t to have attendees remember each act, costume, or piece of trivia. Its purpose was to provide a magical experience.
Sometimes it can be tempting to entertain rather than train in a training course. While being entertained is fun, unlike the circus, the goal of a good training course should be to meet the course’s learning objectives. Without good learning objectives your training becomes like a family vacation where everyone gets in the car and just starts driving with no map, no GPS, no compass, and no real destination. If you are really lucky you might end up someplace exciting, but you could greatly increase your chances of success by choosing your destination ahead of time.
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Tags: circus, cognitive load, learning objectives, training
Posted in different perspectives, learning | No Comments »
Monday, February 15th, 2010
During the past three weeks, the water cooler talk here in Greenville has invariably turned to the musical Wicked’s stint at our local performing arts venue—The Peace Center. And, while I could drone on & on about its many virtues – the music (I have been caught singing Defying Gravity at the top of my lungs while sitting at a stoplight more times than I care to remember), the plot, and the set—they can’t compare to the creative spirit the production represents. And, it was that creative spirit that spurred some interesting thoughts and discussion about original thinking.
Gregory Maguire’s book which inspired the musical is a parallel novel to The Wizard of Oz books written by Frank Baum and tells the classic story from a totally different perspective – that of the two witches. While all of us struggle to create original and innovative ideas, I would argue creating a parallel thought to a classic and timeless design sometimes may seem more daunting. How do you borrow from a masterpiece without appearing that you are shamelessly stealing? How do you retain the integrity of the original concept while giving it your own signature? Many times we shy away from turning to classic ideas for inspiration because we don’t want the output to seem contrived.
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Tags: greenville, originality, wicked
Posted in different perspectives, local | No Comments »