Posts from the ‘confession wednesday’ Category

I get NSF on my emotional bank account

I hate giving up. I hate quitting. I hate them so much I overextend myself way too often. I do it with friends, family, lovers, work and with myself. Lately I have been trying to keep as positive of an attitude that I can with my two jobs…the rest of my life is what it is right now so work is focus #1 (for the most part).

This is the second small company I have worked for; not the first I found issues with motivation, dedication and commitment from the employees. I just can never figure out why many companies don’t like hearing suggestions or ideas from people low on the corporate totem pole. Sometimes problems that seem major, are really minor and the person at the end of the line sees were the real bottleneck is. I find that many companies don’t want to tweak their corporate process and they don’t want to hear about minor issues until things get really bad. Why? What is wrong with striving for continuous improvement?

Devils Advocate: When too much time is spent on reevaluating the situation or process that is working; less time is being spent on the actual work. A healthy balance must exist between work and evaluation.

I once worked for a very large corporation as an intern. Well they had this awesome suggestion program! When your suggestion was used, you received a check for $150 or so. You could submit as many suggestions as you wanted with some minor rules. Things like: you could only get paid for a used suggestion every 6 months; you could not suggest something that was specific to your job in the suggestion program…you were supposed to just innovate in your job and discuss it with your boss. Very simple and mostly common sense rules; with the exception of one rule: you could not be a intern, co op or contract employee. Well as I said, I was an intern…but I had some ideas that were pretty interesting in my eyes and a few of my coworkers! So to start the process on the right foot I submitted a suggestion to change the suggestion program to allow co ops and interns to participate. I even used one of the 7 corporate principals [“there are no barriers to teamwork”] to illustrate this concept. Well of course I got a form letter saying that my “suggestion to change the program to allow co ops and interns to participate in the program was denied because it was submitted by a co op or intern. We [Company Name] currently do not allow interns and co ops to participate in the program so your suggestion has not been evaluated.”

Awesome! Well I ended up talking to a few financial managers about it and they almost died at the absurdity in the response. After being told a few times that they were going to look into it I just shrugged it off as a funny moment (a Dilbert-ism if you will) and eventually when a full time job rolled around I left the company to work in my field. About 3 months after I left I got an email from one of my friends there: Attention all employees, we are pleased to announce a change in the suggestion program! Now we are allowing all interns and co ops to participate in the program and receive the same rewards as our full time employees. How Awesome!

While it is a totally different issue; I am in that boat again at the company I work at now. It seems that our corporate struggle and a lowly peon’s suggestions for corporate restructuring are not taken as having enough merit since I haven’t worked here that long and I have yet to attain my degree.

On the flip side, my other job is volunteer in that I don’t get paid; however, it is a full fledged job. I am on the board of directors for a small library and museum in the city. After a little corporate struggle there I put in my two cents and with some additional help from a friend we are making changes. This past week I was promoted to the vice president of the corporation and one of the primary directors of operations and planning.

Different perspectives, different work environments…same issues and same suggestions. Just different outcomes. Why can’t life be like that more often?

I have made this letter longer than usual, because I lack the time to make it short.
– Blaise Pascal

I’m a kid at heart

I love toys, cheesy jokes and cartoons. A trip to Toys ‘R Us is just as fun for me now as it was when I was 10…the only difference is now I can buy whatever I want and mommy and daddy can’t say no!! Muhahaha!! Bring on the toys! When I studied engineering I wanted to eventually design toys. I might not have followed my dream then, but I still love toys. I have an eight year old nephew that I love shopping for because I just buy what I want and give it to him…it’s really just a ploy to buy what I want and play with it when he is around – I just don’t tell anyone that.

When I was in Atlanta [1999] all of these kids were running around this fountain in Olympic park. I just had to join them! The object of course was not to have mom and dad yell at you for getting all wet. So if you timed it just right you could jump in the middle of the rings and not get wet! The other game was to run on the rings as the water sprayed up in sequential order. It was like Hollywood with bullets spraying sand right behind your feet! Too much fun!! The little guy in red (on right) didn’t make it. :)

Ah the Coke factory! One of my all time favorite pictures…I spent fifty cents for a small old school glass bottle of Coke and had a photo op with a Coke Polar Bear. Just chillin’ with my bud and sharing a coke.

Life is short so I say enjoy it while you can. Don’t forget to stop and smell the roses…but most of all don’t forget those carefree days when you were young and being an adult sounded so “cool”. Now you are an adult, but you can still enjoy being young at heart.

“Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.”
– Carl Sandburg

Note: “Confession Wednesdays” are here to stay.

I sing out loud in my car

I know I know! Almost everyone does this so who cares. Well…this is a little more specific then the title leads you to believe. Like most people, I sing out loud in my car, however, I have a tendency to rock out to certain songs more then others. Define “rock out”? Let’s just say I can’t believe I haven’t wrecked my car yet. I mean I have wrecked my car, but not from rocking out…not yet anyway.

A perfect example of this situation and a song I always rock out to:
– Yesterday on the drive home from work
The song:
– Like a Prayer; by Madonna.

Life is a mystery, everyone must stand alone
I hear you call my name, and it feels like…

When you call my name it’s like a little prayer
Down on my knees I want to take you there
In the midnight hour I can feel your power
Just like a prayer, you know I’ll take you there

I hear your voice, it’s like an angel sighing
I have no choice I hear your voice
Feels like fire

I close my eyes, oh god I think I’m falling
Out of the sky, I close my eyes
Heaven help me

When you call my name it’s like a little prayer
Down on my knees I want to take you there
In the midnight hour I can feel your power
Just like a prayer, you know I’ll take you there

Like a child, you whisper softly to me
You’re in control just like a dream
Now I’m chasing

It’s like a dream, no ending no beginning
You’re here with me, it’s like a dream

When you call my name it’s like a little prayer
Down on my knees I want to take you there
In the midnight hour I can feel your power
Just like a prayer, you know I’ll take you there
When you call my name it’s like a little prayer
Down on my knees I want to take you there
In the midnight hour I can feel your power
Just like a prayer, you know I’ll take you there

Just like a prayer, your voice can take me there
Just like it used to be, you are a mystery
Just like a dream, you don’t know what you see
Just like a prayer your voice can take me there

Just like a prayer, I’ll take you there
It’s like a dream to me
Just like a prayer, I’ll take you there
It’s like a dream to me

Now this song can be the original or the club remix…it doesn’t matter. Every time this song comes on I crank the radio, clap my hands and sing my a$$ off. I love that song and I love the part with the mini-pause, then Madonna says “Let the choir sing!” There are times I am shaking my head and swaying from side to side so much you would think I was carrying an entire Baptist church choir in my backseat.

That’s my confession.

I don’t know about your local radio stations, but here they have a thing called “Confession Wednesdays”. This will now become a regular feature of The Babbling Dweeb.
– bd

I judge blogs by their title

Not that my blog is awesome, nor is it saving the world from anything…but there are a lot of blogs out there that fall short.

I enjoy quotes and I like creativity…even though mine seems to disappear at odd moments when it should thrive. However, I see your [anyone] blogs and your titles; sometimes even the descriptions draw me in. You content turns me away. There are so many AWESOME titles out there I would need a blog just to list them…seriously there is an amazing amount of creativity out there in terms of titles.

I go to book stores, I even skip covers online and I am addicted to certain marketing strategies that I fall victim to continuously. It’s awesome because I work for a marketing company and I collect(ed) ads throughout college that I liked. I still fall for good marketing and advertising. I’ll buy a book for its content, but when a choice on books arises I’ll chose on cover art. Why? I have NO idea!! Usually with those types of books there is little lost. That seems to be the opposite of the problem with blogs.

I skim the blogs with so-so titles and some have great content, but I find myself addicted to the ones with awesome titles that have terrible content or none at all. You know the blogs that haven’t been updated in weeks or months except to say “hey sorry all, I plan on writing more soon as ____ is over.” I’m not a reality show junkie, but I might be a blog junkie. I want need my content.

Then I hop online and bounce through the blogs with small lists of “blog links” and sometimes I hit up the blogs who’s authors have commented on other blogs. That’s when you find little pieces of gold hidden in the slurry.

That’s when the searching has paid off and the little blog that looks good, reads like crap, but has a link to something good…pays off. That’s where I think I fit in :)