Author Archives: JohnDallas

A very new year

It is with renewed enthusiasm that I greet the new year.  The turning of a number is but a symbolic marker, but can be used as a psychological turning point as well.  The trials and tribulations of the past have a great chasm to cross to stay in the present.  The road ahead is paved with good intentions and more possibilities than we can imagine.  We will all be better off if we only put our minds to it and lead the naysayers to look at the world differently.  There are pots of gold under the many rainbows to come and are ours for the taking!  🙂

I am glad to say that 2008 is over.  It was a year of great turbulence personally and professionally.  2009 holds many challenges and a lot of unknown, but it is new.  I look forward to learning more about myself, others and all that is new in the world.  I want to push myself further than I have before and impose and new self-discipline so I can feel better about myself.

There is more news to come in the new year.  Stay tuned and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Stay interested and interesting!

John

Merry Christmas

A few days late, but I was busy with a 3yr old!!  I hope everyone has had a great Christmas.  Ready for the New Year’s Eve party?  Woot!

Oh, you should really try hitting the random article link on Wikipedia.  It has some weird stuff on there!

Stay interested and interesting!

John

Another one bites the dust!

I am living a range of emotions now that I have learned another colleague is leaving the company.

I am sad at losing a great person to touch base with on different issues.  Someone who keeps me in touch with another side of the business and who I enjoy catching up with.  Maybe I should have done it more…

I am glad that she has other opportunities, or so I assume.  She has not confirmed anything!  But, she has a few days left, so I can only deduct that she is leaving of her own accord.

I am jealous of change others go through while I am tired and frustrated lately.  There is too much work and we have not yet figured out how to handle it properly.

I am hopeful that she will have another adventure and will keep in touch to share her experience.

I am regretful that I have not been social enough with some people, she being one of them.

It gives me great joy and hope that I have these emotions.  It tells me that I am building relationships that I can count on over time.  It keeps me aware of the impact some people have on me that I may take for granted.  It is only when they leave do we realize their value.  I know I need to be a better person and make the time to make things right all around.  I just hope that those I count among my friends understand and take the time to lend a hand as they usually do.

Thank you very much dear colleague for all the great days we had together.  Your smile lifted my spirits and you were always great with me.  Keep in touch.  I hope our paths cross again some day in business and know that they will cross again in life.

Stay interested and interesting!

John

I have issues

No!  Not those kinds of issues.  Stop reading NOW if you think I am coming unglued, off the hook or losing my marbles.  Now, where did that bag of cat’s eyes go?

I have issues around not having enough time to indulge in some of the things I truly love doing.  Here is a short, but not exhaustive list!  (I know you love lists!)

1. READING:  It is important to read.  You can read actual books or just browse the internet.  Any way you consume your reading, you are building your vocabulary and the repository of thought we call our brain.  Here are some good books I have read recently:

    • Anathem by Neal Stephenson – Another 900 page masterpiece.
    • Planet Simpson by Chris Turner – The story of a generation.  Mine!
    • Bringing Down The House by Ben Mezrich – The movie 21 was based on this.
    • Rigged by Ben Mezrich – Story of the founding of the Dubai mercantile exchange.

    2.  RESEARCH:  Ok, I may be a little weird.  I think I am a typical geek.  According to my geek score, I am a “cool, modern geek”.  Take that cool kids from high school!!    Yes, I like to look stuff up and ask who, what, when, where, why and how for as long as I can.  I like to delve in to subjects that may bore “normal” people.  I ask for textbooks as Christmas and birthday gifts.  People know that if they get me a gift card at Chapters, that I will be VERY happy.

    3.  PLAYING SPORTS:  I played college basketball and am now woefully out of shape.  I hate looking at my beer gut and not being able to dunk anymore.  It is quite depressing.  However!  I can get motivated to exercise, but that would cut in to time for #1 and #2!!  😉

    In addition to the TOP 3, I love lots of other stuff that are usually the priorities for my time.  First, my daughter is the best.  I love to get down on the floor and play Barbie with her.  I know it may be corny, but it is for her, so I don’t care.  😛

    The last thing I am getting to love is writing.  Again, I just have to make some time to make it happen and try to make it worth reading.

    Let me know what you love doing, I am interested!

    Stay interested and interesting!

    John

    Facebook

    Maybe I am the only one who will admit it publically, but I like Facebook.  I have found many friends from my past.  I enjoy catching up with them and seeing what they are up to.  Maybe that makes me a voyeur or a little weird, but I really don’t mind the moniker.  That is who I am.   People need to realize that they are not the idealized versions that they think others are.  All people are real and have real problems.

    If you haven’t already, go and sign up.  Have fun.  It is not a competition, but simply another way to connect and communicate.  Use it!  www.facebook.com

    Stay interested and interesting!

    John

    Long term planning

    I need a plan.  Not just a plan to get me through the day or the weekend, though that would be good.  I need something to get me motivated about the next five years.  I am really at a loss as to what direction to take and need to put together a vision for myself.

    I want to do what is best for my family and that will keep me passionate about my work.  I fear that my current situation will not sustain me over the long term.  I would like to pretend I am going to write, consult and be the best family man ever, but I have some work to do…

    Any suggestions would be great.

    Stay interested and interesting!

    PS: Go on iTunes and subscribe to Leo Laporte’s The Tech Guy podcast.  It will keep you up to date on technology!

    John

    Change is coming!

    And I am not talking about Obama, though that is pretty damn impressive.  I keep thinking about ideas for consulting and have not yet landed on anything concrete, but the more I ponder my future, the more I see myself being a person of confidence who can help more than just those who will listen in a large corporation with new leadership.  I find myself often expressing my opinion, but not necessarily making headway.  I want people to pay me to start a change for them, push them along the right path and provide sage advice as they take their first steps.  Then, I want to back off and do it all over again somewhere else.

    This should not be too hard, but I just have not figured out where to start.  I guess I could start talking to some people who do it today and get a feel for what is required.  I am not sure what the overall qualifications look like, but figure I can learn anything, so I should be OK.  Also, I have a friend who makes chocolate, so I can bribe my way with delicious treats!  😉

    I am also torn with the opportunities I see for me at my current job, but am having trouble with the culture change.  It is not the change itself, but the direction it is taking.  I have not bought in to it yet and I don’t think that is a good thing…

    I guess I will tough it out a while longer, do some research and reserve a decision for AFTER the bonus payout.

    Stay interested and interesting!

    John