Days of My Life

What: I have updated my blog to allow for comments.  That means that if you [dis]like something I have written, you can add your own two cents! Oh, think of the possibilities! :)

When: Now! Time is of the essence.

Where: To add a comment to a particular post, look for a “Comments (0)” link at the bottom of the entry.  Click it, and voila! You’ll be taken to page where you can add your comment and see others that have been posted.

Why: Because I want to make sure you’re paying attention!

Note: If you view my blog through Facebook, you can comment directly on Facebook, or on my blog at http://richman.tumblr.com.

Says the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center, according to today’s news.

So are the students/faculty brilliant, or behind the times? Have they missed centuries of winos validating their vice through the findings of modern science? Wine is made of grapes, and wine (in moderation) is good for the heart. Shouldn’t grapes, then, be good for the heart?? :)

I guess there are reasons that wine may provide different health benefits than grapes (e.g. maybe the fermentation process affects nutrients), but let’s just nix all those possibilities and move on. “Why?” you may ask. Well, because for now, I want you to focus on me - that is what this blog is meant for, after all - right?? ;) So, onto my story:

Last Friday, I treated my friends Greg & Rose, Greg, and Nick to a wine tasting event at Ruby Hill Winery in Livermore, in the spirit of celebrating Greg & Rose’s marriage (they were married at the winery in August). This was a splendid idea, and it brought me a little closer to one of life’s many pleasures: good wine.

The evening cost $15 each, and it was well worth it (it also promoted good cardiovascular health)! From 7-10pm we drank several flights of wine; ate unlimited snacks like meat, cheese, fruit, and cream puffs; and then we topped it all off by roasting marshmallows and making s’mores in the comfort of winery furniture. I can’t think of a better way I could’ve spent my Friday night. And that’s why I paid my way into the Ruby Hill Family.

It’s almost like I bought a timeshare-but better! No travel, no usage limits! ;) Actually, what I decided to do was join Ruby Hill’s wine club-something far less extravagant than buying my own piece of Hawaii. So, for the foreseeable future, I plan to take advantage of the perks of this high-brow, co-ed, non-business fraternity.  Hopefully, I’ll be able to convince my family and friends to join for some wine tasting. At it’s minimum, what I’m paying for is a couple bottles of wine every 3-months.. So that’s an assured benefit I can look forward to hehe…

Today, I’ll leave you with a quote I found online, courtesy of the Bishop of Seville, and www.wineloverspage.com/quotes:

“I have enjoyed great health at a great age because everyday since I can remember I have consumed a bottle of wine except when I have not felt well. Then I have consumed two bottles.”

So, here’s why the Obama/Biden ticket got my vote:
- Obama has been able to articulate his plan for our country far better than John McCain.
- Although he is a politician like the rest, Obama generally seems more genuine than McCain (e.g. when speaking about improving our health care and education systems).
- Obama sees that there are more ways to resolve conflict than just war. Believe it or not, I agree that his devilish plan to “meet without precondition” will go much further than flexing the most apathetic muscle in the world, aka Team USA. The world is looking to us to be leaders, not bullies-contrary to popular opinion. We have an opportunity to repair our struggling reputation and relationships-let’s take it.
- Barack is much more calm and thoughtful in his approach (can’t say the same for Biden).
- Obama has most often “played fair” in his campaign, and, at the same time, managed to convince me he’s a superior candidate for office.
- Change is needed. John McCain and Sarah Palin don’t represent change. They represent a constant-the buzz of conservative values and inflexibility that will appeal to a large portion of the American people, but will stifle our ability to think BIG. Don’t get me wrong-I also think we should avoid a “bleeding heart” liberal policy that drains funds that could be put to much better use elsewhere. But that’s not what Obama stands for.
- Sarah Palin always reminds me of her small mindedness (e.g. “Obama is palling around with terrorists,” “Russia is my neighbor”).
- Sarah Palin will breed hate & conformity, in the name of conservatism, across the country (I can hear it already, “America, it’s the right thing to do. Jail them all for not following our agenda. I’m ashamed of you!”).

Ok, at work, haven’t pressed send since the time I wrote it this morning. I encourage you to write me with your thoughts if you disagree with my opinions expressed here.

Have a great day.

I’ll be working to bring a fun experience to my home page, but for now it’s a work in progress.

I’m not sure what my new project will offer in the end, but I hope it is something you’ll visit often.

This drives me nuts. Today, my post is about people who buy themselves time on deliverables by posing questions that are unneeded, and possibly make no sense, in hopes of the requester haplessly looking for an answer that isn‘t even relevant to the original inquiry.

Individuals may spout different reasons for doing this, aside from just being lazy.  Those reasons may include competing priorities, confusion about the request, or plain old overload.  I agree that these things come up, but regardless, the correct approach to any of these situations is to talk to the requester candidly about the delay, and come up with an appropriate game plan.  This ensures that we’re working most efficiently, and getting the job done! :)

Don’t confuse the subject of my complaints with scenarios where a rookie is inquiring, or where an individual is making a genuine attempt to gather information. No, my frustration stems only from situations where a person hasn’t turned over a deliverable or answered a previous question, and is trying to buy his or herself time.  Of course, I’ve experienced this in my professional life - and continue to see it in my current role - or I wouldn’t be blogging about it. The fact is, it’s counterproductive, and we’re in a world where productivity matters.

At the end of the day, I like to say, “Cut the fat,” when it comes to work. Sometimes this means getting rid of people who aren’t pulling their weight, and other times it means making business practices/processes more efficient.

So stop sending those superfluous emails, and clear the bottleneck!

As Quasimodo hailed from his bell tower, who would’ve thought he suffered from more than back problems? As it turns out, his poor posture was the result of years at a desk, coding Pascal and C+. Repetitive stress injuries are nothing new, people! A recent study points to Quasi’s second ailment: bad wrists!

Last night, I had a dream that I was using my new Eee PC. Of highest concern wasn’t the style or the performance-it actually looked different than the real one-but instead, I was focusing on how the keyboard felt, and what my posture was like while I typed. I wanted to make sure everything felt ok, and that I didn’t have any issues with comfort. Call me neurotic, but the dream reflects something I think about often: my body’s preservation (no, not postmortem you sicko). Weird, huh?

Not so weird, I’d argue! Posture is something that should be on the top of our minds from the time we wake through a good night’s sleep, unless we want to end up like Quasimodo! Throughout my day, I make a conscious effort to curb slouching, shoulder rounding, and anything that may compromise my structural integrity. This includes considering how my keyboard and mouse are setup. If I feel like my wrist(s) are tired, I move things around a bit. How else can I expect to look and feel this good forever? ;) Seriously.

As school children, most all of us had to carry backpacks full of books, and today we’ve replaced them with laptop-filled messenger bags & backpacks, and paper-filled briefcases. This day-to-day activity puts stress on our body that is easy to overlook-it’s all part of our work-life routine, after all. I’d like to challenge you to be more aware of your posture at all times. If you catch yourself doing one of the above-mentioned things, correct yourself. You owe it to your body!

My laptop arrives today, and once I get passed my infatuation, I’ll be feeling it out to make sure that my new blogging machine is more ergonomically correct than my Blackberry. I’ll report back soon! Have a great day & be well!

…having to retype things.

First, it was my Facebook status - a rather witty crack touting Obama’s superiority to McCain.

Now, it was my Tumblog. I spent all day, literally, writing up my thoughts on today’s jury process - which turned out to be a mess - and then I found out Google Chrome isn’t very compatible with Tumblr (my blog application). Long story short, I lost all my work, and now I’d have to retype to share with you. I’m too tired to do that. The one thought I will share is that most components of the jury selection process, once I left the initial waiting room that I was so thrilled with, turned out to be a JOKE.

OK, off to pull some brownies out of the oven!

I’ve always dreaded the possibility of being selected as a juror, but today I don’t feel that way. Instead, I’m intrigued by what’s to come, and I’m actually impressed by the efficiency of the jury waiting room. The one thing I’ll say I am still not looking forward to is the pay reduction if I’m selected. Life with a mortgage on $15/day sounds a bit challenging. So, if I’m selected, I’ll be reading up on my rights as a WF employee, as they relate to living in poverty.

Time to wait and see if my name is called!