April 2010

There were 29 posts published in April 2010 (this is page 2 of 3).

Cheap thoughts: performance reports

Daydreaming at a meeting last night, I realized that companies have it all wrong when they periodically gauge the performance of their employees. What they should be doing is asking their employees about the performance of the company. The shop-floor worker has a keen insight into what works and what doesn’t work, and her thoughts might not necessarily filter up to management. How can a process be improved? What causes slowdowns? What should the company be doing that it’s not? How can you as an employee be more successful?

Employees are valuable parts of the team and crucial to the company’s success. A smart business will do all it can to make that employee successful.

A reminder of last month

I couldn’t find my keys this morning, which delayed me long enough to be the first on the scene of a one-car wreck on the NC540 ramp to Davis Drive. The driver rolled his car but seemed ok, with a possible mild concussion. He was driving a black Honda station wagon.

There’s a message here somewhere.

Cheap thoughts: sickness registry

One of my coworkers is out today, ill with what he thinks is a stomach virus. It made me think that an online registry may be useful in cases like this where one is too sick to work but not sick enough to deal with the hassle of seeing a doctor. An online registry may be able to show how a virus like this one spreads.

Golf with your friends

Friday afternoon, my department at $WORK played hooky and hit the links at Hedingham for 18 holes of golf. The course was extremely soggy from Thursday night’s rain but we couldn’t use it as an excuse. What we lacked in talent we made up in wisecracks. It was a lot of fun.

It had been probably a dozen years or more since I picked up golf clubs. I forgot how much fun it (and challenging) it can be.

Perfect weather for a fun weekend

We had perfect weather for a weekend full of fun. Storms rumbled through late Thursday night that washed the insane amounts of pollen away, leaving the weekend with crystal-clear air.

Watching Great Blue Herons at Crabtree Creek.

We followed up yesterday’s great day with more fun stuff today. Once again, the house windows were open to let in nature and we ate a somewhat-chilly-but-fun pancake breakfast on our screened porch. Then in the late morning we finally got motivated to do some bike riding on the greenways. We started at Atlantic Avenue and rode to Lassiter Mill Falls again, taking some time to practice skimming stones on the water.
Continue reading →

Famous family

Tonight at our dinner out, I was talking with the kids about people who shared last names with famous people. Just for fun, I asked them if they knew anyone famous who had Turner as a last name.

Hallie looked at me and said, “well, … you, Daddy!”

“Who, me?” I playfully scoffed. “What makes you think I’m famous?”

“Well, you’re on the Parks and Recreation Board and do all those neighborhood meetings,” she answered matter-of-factly. There was a look of pride in her eye and I wasn’t going to argue with her.

I live a crazy life between work, family, and community. For too many evenings to count, I’ve been in some meeting when I might have been putting the kids to bed, attending one of their practices, or some other event. It’s hard being away, and not always fair to Kelly, but I’m glad to know that Hallie admires what I’m doing. It’s a true honor being famous in the eyes of my kids!

Thanks, I think

I met a foreign-born friend in person yesterday who had only known me from my online stuff. We were chatting when he said this:

“I was looking at the pictures of you on Facebook,” he said. “Those pictures when you had hair? You were a handsome guy!”

Hey, thanks!! I knew he was trying to compliment me and said it with the utmost sincerity, so it took about all I had not to burst out laughing. Kelly howled when I told her the story!

Great day with the family

It was a wonderful day spent with the family. While Kelly took Rocket for a run this morning, I decided to clean the pollen off our front and back porches. The kids soon joined in and at one point were actually squabbling over who would be helping more! It was music to my ears! I only hope this volunteerism will last through their teenage years.

After doing a great job helping me clean, the kids found some “action” in the front yard when the neighborhood kids came over to play. I kept an eye on them while I washed the pollen off our cars and Kelly mowed the grass. We had just enough time to get cleaned up before driving to Brier Creek for Hallie’s soccer game.
Continue reading →

Life should be measured in fun

As I was getting things done around the house today during this gorgeous spring day, I found myself thinking about my late friend, Gerry. Nearly all of my memories of him are of parties. It got me thinking: the moments that will stand out when I’m 88 years old aren’t the ones made in my cubicle at work, they’ll be of parties, of vacations, and of time spent with family and friends. The good times. And when you think about it, those times are typically a small percentage of our lives.

It made me consider how much of one’s life is spent on things that just don’t matter. Far too much! I don’t think I’ll pass up future chances to take vacations, or turn down a party invitation, or forgo spending quality time with my family and friends. Life is just too short.