Clothes lines

Today at work, a girl asked if anyone knew where you could buy a clothesline. A clothesline? Wow. Do people really buy those? I thought people who had clotheslines had to make them. I'm sure you could buy the materials to make them, but I never considered that they came assembled.

Anyway, the thought of a clothes line got me thinking. I remember when my mom use to take our laundry outside to dry even though we had a dryer. One of my chores after school was to go take the clothes down. I hated that job! I remember sometime while watching cartoons, we might hear a crack of thunder from a summer storm that was brewing. After a few minutes mom might remember the clothes and scream "THERE'S CLOTHES ON THE LINE!!!" We would hurry outside to get them before they became wet again or before the wind blew them off into the pasture.

I also remember having to dodge them when we played football or riding bikes. Even when we were at a friend's house playing hide and seek, especially at night, we always pointed out where the clothes line was along with other hazardous obstacles. "Don't run around the barn - the clothes line is back there." I can still remember where a lot of people's clothes lines were from growing up.

What fun memories.

I wonder if when my son gets older, I will have to explain to him what clothes line is. Today, I can see how kids would ask "What's a clothes line?" I bet they won't believe it. The next generation of Americans may not understand the origination of "He got clothes lined!"

Did you or do you have a clothes line?

Cool Springs and good service

For memorial day weekend my family headed over the mountain to visit more family. We had a great time together and our 1 year old made the trip remarkably well. There were several things about the trip that got me thinking but, for now I only want to share one.

Over the course of 4 days, we stopped at 5 different restaurants in three different towns. One of the five was a fast food drive-thru. I am not going to name the restaurants because I realized good service has very little to do with the brand and nearly everything to do with the right employees. I concluded that Cool Springs/Franklin/Nashville, overall provides really good service in the food industry. I didn't say perfect, but compared to the other cities we stopped in, hands down, I would get reliable service at at least 1 out of 5 restaurants in Cool Springs.

It makes since I suppose. As a server in a more affluent part of town, you can be more confident that good service equals a really nice tip. In small towns...well...good service might get you a great tip every now and then, but not enough to incentives people.

Thoughts?

Yes, I have a scooter, go ahead and laugh

I have had my scooter for 2 years now and my wife has had hers for about a year and a half. I am starting to kick myself now for not opening up a scooter store in Franklin, because they are going to be the next BIG thing to drive. Gas has gotten out of hand.

I know I may look funny at 6"2 and 230 lbs. People may laugh at me all the way to the gas pump, but trust me, I am laughing at them all the way to the bank. Insurance is dirt cheap and I get over 80 miles a gallon. My wife does better since she is smaller.

The blue one is a 2006 Vino 125 by Yamaha, and the red one is a 2005. They are as good as a Vespa, and cheaper too! I saw a piece on WKRN last night about a new scooter store in Nashville. I can't wait to see these all over town. I have already started seeing more of them now. These things are a blast. they get to 55mph, but they are lighter and better suited for city life. There is no need to buy a huge bike that's loud, goes fast, and comes with a huge insurance premium. Get one.

Target Placed on Downtown Nashville

I was on Google maps, looking up some directions for an event I'm going to in downtown Nashville and I just happened to browse over the corner of 11th Ave. and Church Street. That's when I noticed a big red and white target in the parking lot. I wonder what it's there for...

Teach Yourself SQL

So my wife gets offered an interesting opportunity at her work. She knows very little about computers accept that for which she has been trained to do at work. She doesn't have a huge interest in coding and computer language...correction...she has no interest. Anyway, she was offered a job to work with SQL within her company which is hostto one of the world's largest SQL servers. I know, it's crazy! So I got some information from some of the web guys here and one of them let me borrow Sams Teach Yourself SQL in 10 Minutes by Ben Forta.

I took it home and showed it to her, but I ended up reading it. I actually found it to be very simple, and very, very, powerful in terms of searching databases. There are a lot operators that I don't have memorized but with a handy reference sheet, I'm confident that I can do SQL now. I just have to convince our web guys to let me practice some. I felt empowered by reading this book and I'll be adding SQL to my resume very soon.

As for my wife, I'm not sure what she has decided. They said they would train her, so we'll see what happens. This is a good lesson on if you will work hard, go the extra mile, and be friendly to your coworkers, opportunities will present themselves.

Making Decisions

Working with web guys all day long, I get my fair share of flow charts, but I really like the simplicity of this one. I stumbled upon this chart here.

My Rookie Year as a Dad

So, yesterday was my son's first birthday and today I realized that I had made it through my rookie year as a dad. Did I get rookie of the year? I doubt it. I'm just excited to have made it the first 365 days and all of us are still alive. I was a little concerned after the first night at home together when my wife, me, and our son were all crying before the sun came up again. I kept thinking "how long can I go without sleep?"

There were some scares this first year, but overall being a dad is pretty cool. Except between the hours of 10pm and 6am that is.

Anyway, I sat with my son tonight, rocking him in his favorite chair. We both quickly faded off into dreamland as the country music helped put us to sleep. I woke up after a few minutes and thought to myself, "the last half hour alone was what made today a great day."

Now it's a quarter 'till eleven and I am still awake...arghhhh!

Churchgoer vs Christian

I've had tons of people send me a link to this video over the past few days, so I guess it is time to blog it. My heritage is in churches of Christ, and you can tell this video is done by those affiliated with the non-denominational denomination. Here's how I can tell.

1. It's much longer than it needs to be.
2. They mention Abilene University which is affiliated with the CofC
3. They give props to 728b which is like the churches of Christ anthem song from the old Great Songs of the Church hymnal. I can hear the bass line now..."There is a God...He is alive.."

Anyway, generally speaking, the video makes a great point.

3 Minute Management Lesson

Another email in...it made me laugh a little. I didn't "LOL" but I laughed on the inside.

Lesson 1
A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up her shower, when the doorbell rings. The wife quickly wraps herself in a towel and runs downstairs. When she opens the door, there stands Bob, the next-door neighbor.

Before she says a word, Bob says, "I'll give you $800 to drop that towel." After thinking for a moment, the woman drops her towel and stands naked in front of Bob. After a few seconds, Bob hands her $800 and leaves.

The woman wraps back up in the towel and goes back upstairs. When she gets to the bathroom, her husband asks, "Who was that?" "It was Bob the next door neighbor," she replies. "Great!" the husband says, "did he say anything about the $800 he owes me?"

Moral of the story: If you share critical information pertaining to credit and risk with your shareholders in time, you may be in a position to prevent avoidable exposure.


Lesson 2
A priest offered a Nun a lift. She got in and crossed her legs, forcing her gown to reveal a leg. The priest nearly had an accident. After controlling the car, he stealthily slid his hand up her leg. The nun said, "Father, remember Psalm 129?"

The priest removed his hand. But, changing gears, he let his hand slide up her leg again. The nun once again said, "Father, remember Psalm 129?" The priest apologized "Sorry sister but the flesh is weak."

Arriving at the convent, the nun went on her way. On his arrival at the church, the priest rushed to look up Psalm 129*. It said, "Go forth and seek, further up, you will find glory."

Moral of the story: If you are not well informed in your job, you might miss a great opportunity.

* Psalm 129 is not an accurate reference.

Lesson 3
A sales rep, an administration clerk, and the manager are walking to lunch when they find an antique oil lamp. They rub it and a Genie comes out.

The Genie says, "I'll give each of you just one wish." Me first! Me first!" says the admin clerk. "I want to be in the Bahamas, driving a speedboat, without a care in the world." Puff! She's gone.

Me next! Me next!" says the sales rep. "I want to be in Hawaii, relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of Pina Coladas and the love of my life." Puff! He's gone. "OK, you're up," the Genie says to the manager.

The manager says, "I want those two back in the office after lunch."

Moral of the story: Always let your boss have the first say.


Lesson 4
An eagle was sitting on a tree resting, doing nothing. A small rabbit saw the eagle and asked him, "Can I also sit like you and do nothing?" The eagle answered "Sure, why not." So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the eagle and rested. All of a sudden, a fox appeared, jumped on the rabbit and ate it.

Moral of the story: To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very, very high up.


Lesson 5
A turkey was chatting with a bull. "I would love to be able to get to the top of that tree, "sighed the turkey, "but I haven't got the energy."

Well, why don't you nibble on some of my droppings?" replied the bull. They're packed with nutrients." The turkey pecked at a lump of dung, and found it actually gave him enough strength to reach the lowest branch of the tree.

The next day, after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch. Finally after a fourth night, the turkey was proudly perched at the top of the tree. He was promptly spotted by a farmer, who shot him out of the tree.

Moral of the story : Bullshit might get you to the top, but it won't keep you there.


Lesson 6
A little bird was flying south for the winter. It was so cold the bird froze and fell to the ground into a large field. While he was lying there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on him. As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, he began to realize how warm he was. The dung was actually thawing him out! He lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy.

A passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate. Following the sound, the cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow dung, and promptly dug him out and ate him.

Moral of the story
1. Not everyone who shits on you is your enemy.
2. Not everyone who gets you out of shit is your friend.
3. And when you're in deep shit, it's best to keep your mouth shut!

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

Yesterday, on my lunch break, I finished up Patrick Lencioni's The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. Much like Death by Meeting, the fable did a great job of making you connect to the characters in the story. I also like the fact that the main character, Kathryn, has a connection to Casey and Will in Death by Meeting.

There are five dysfunctions, Lencioni addresses; (1) Absence of Trust. (2) Fear of Conflict. (3) Lack of Commitment. (4) Avoidance of Accountability. (5) Inattention to Results.

At the end of the book, he provides a survey for your team to take that will help identify a few areas that may be or are problem areas for your team based on the 5 dysfunctions. My teammates humored me and took it. It was interesting and thankfully we appear to be a functional team.

However, here's the irony. On one of the questions, our team said that rarely do our "team members call out one another's deficiencies or unproductive behaviors." That means, we are either all very productive and efficient and there is rarely anything to "call out" or we were all scared to "call out" others on the survey, making the whole survey inaccurate. Hopefully it is the first reason.

This is another good read. Check it out.

Wikipedia Critisicm

You may find this interesting. Wikipedia is host to its on criticism.

Brain Food

Here is some trivia for you. I received these via email but I have not had a chance to verify all of them. I question a few, but most of them I have heard one time or another. Enjoy.

• The liquid inside young coconuts can be used as a substitute for blood plasma.
• No piece of paper can be folded in half more than seven times.
• Donkeys kill more people annually than plane crashes.
• You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching television.
• Oak trees do not produce acorns until they are fifty years of age or older.
• The first product [purchased] to have a bar code was Wrigley's gum.
• The King of Hearts is the only king without a mustache.
• American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one olive from each salad served in first-class.
• Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise.
• Apples, not caffeine, are more efficient at waking you up in the morning.
• Most dust particles in your house are made from DEAD SKIN!
• The first owner of the Marlboro Company died of lung cancer. So did the first "Marlboro Man."
• Pearls melt in vinegar.
• The three most valuable brand names on earth: Marlboro, Coca Cola, and Budweiser, in that order.
• It is possible to lead a cow upstairs...but, not downstairs.
• A duck's quack doesn't echo, and no one knows why.
• Dentists have recommended that a toothbrush be kept at least six feet away from a toilet to avoid airborne particles resulting from the flush.
• Turtles can breathe through their butts.

There you go. Do you feel smarter? Are there any of these that you know for a fact, aren't true? Are there any other fun facts you would add?

Frustration

My homepage is set to open up to my blog, but it seems that my blog can't be found. How frustrating? I can add new posts but I can't read my blog! I hate 404 not found!

Tennessean Handgun Permit Poll

There is a bill on capital hill that if passed, will allow Tennesseans with handgun permits to carry their guns inside public parks. So, today the Tennessean put up a poll asking the following question.

Should Tennesseans with handgun permits be allowed to carry weapons in public parks and on playgrounds?

...and on playgrounds? I guess we know where the editors at the Tennessean stand on the issue. At the time I voted, nearly 87% of voters voted "yes" anyway.

I bring all of this up because Shorpy's blog posted a very funny picture today. A kid carrying a gun and a smoker's pipe from 1938. View it here. I got a kick out of it.

Do I look like Matti Vanhanen?

I went over to Stars in You to find out which famous person I look like. It's a neat site, but can be a little slow. Basically, you need a picture of yourself to upload, and the site will show you several stars that you resemble. According to the site I look 76% like Matti Vanhanen. Who is Matti Vanhanen?

I had no idea who Matti was until today, but apparently I look like the Prime Minister of Finland. I'm not going to tell you who is who below, but I am sure you can figure it out if you know me or know who Matti is. If you don't know either of us, I think you can still figure it out.


Now, do you think we look a like? At least 76% worth?

The One Minute Manager

This weekend I read Ken Blanchard's The One Minute Manager. It was a quick read and a very simple approach to managing others and yourself. From setting one minute goals, to one minute praisings, to one minute reprimands, I was reminded of the phrase people in our company use often. It is to "catch somebody doing something right."

I enjoyed the book.

NBC's The Office - Crossing the line?

I love The Office on NBC. I think it is hilarious, but last night they crossed the line. I felt ashamed and dirty just watching the show with my wife. Now, I can never trust the content of that show again. What if my in-laws were there? Yikes! I have to screen the show now before I watch it...thanks NBC.

NBC...you're losing your edge. Recently it was the VT shooter footage, now a sitcom has a guy sticking his finger through the zipper of his pants and making crude remarks? C'mon! What's happening to you people?

Death by Meetings

I just finished Patrick Lencioni's fable, Death by Meeting. It was recommended to me by a pretty successful fellow, so I figured he knew what he was talking about. It was enjoyable and easy to read. Once I got going in the book, I couldn't put it down. I had to find out if Will and Casey were going to make it, and you know what...I can't tell you the ending but here is what I can tell you.

Lencioni suggests that company's loose a ton of productivity and momentum from meetings. This book opened my eyes to better meetings and better agendas. It's funny, I think most people see this title and immediately think..."thank goodness, someone is finally advocating less meetings." I was surprised to find that the story doesn't necessarily promote less meetings (sometime company's need more), it simply promotes more effective meetings.

I can recall some pretty awesome meetings, and I can recall some pretty crappy ones too. This book got me excited about the next meeting.

US Bird Feeder

I received the following story in email today and I thought it was interesting. I have no idea who wrote it or who it belongs to, so I will gladly take it down if it is copyrighted. If it is, please let me know.

I bought a bird feeder. I hung it on my back porch and filled it with seed. Within a week we had hundreds of birds taking advantage of the continuous flow of free and easily accessible food. But then the birds started building nests in the boards of the patio, above the table, and next to the barbecue.

Then came the poop. It was everywhere: on the patio tile, the chairs, the table...everywhere. Then some of the birds turned mean: They would dive bomb me and try to peck me even though I had fed them out of my own pocket. And others birds were boisterous and loud: They sat on the feeder and squawked and screamed at all hours of the day and night and demanded that I fill it when it got low on food.

After a while, I couldn't even sit on my own back porch anymore. I took down the bird feeder and in three days the birds were gone. I cleaned up their mess and took down the many nests they had built all over the patio. Soon, the back yard was like it used to be...quite, serene and no one demanding their rights to a free meal.

Now lets see...our government gives out free food, subsidized housing, free medical care, free education and allows anyone born here to be a automatic citizen. Then the illegals came by the tens of thousands. Suddenly our taxes went up to pay for free services; small apartments are housing 5 families: you have to wait 6 hours to be seen by an emergency room doctor: you child's 2nd grade class is behind other schools because over half the class doesn't speak English: Corn Flakes now come in a bilingual box; I have to press "one" to hear my bank talk to me in English, and people waving flags other than "Old Glory" are squawking and screaming in the streets, demanding more rights and free liberties.

Maybe it's time for the government to take down the bird feeder.

So, do you have an opinion?

Blog Changes?

I've been thinking about changing my blog title and color scheme. Pet Peeving, has taken a turn from what I had initially intended for the blog to be. I am afraid first impressions reveal it as a pessimistic and negative blog. I don't want it to be that way, nor do I think most of the content is that way.

What do you think? Any ideas?

Here's what my blog is. It's about me, my thoughts, my interests, my experiences, my conversations...it's about Ben. Since some Canadian has BenForrest.com, I got left with BenForrest.org. I would like to have a dot com domain for the blog, so my name is out. What do you suggest?