Hiding Everything on Facebook ..

Dear Lord .. how does this happen?

I am sure, through a convoluted series of posts and ‘accepts’ that it does.

Let’s not let THAT happen again.

Yeah, I’m fifty (something), but I talk like I’m thirty (something)

Here’s what I know:

• LOL.
• LOLCats (that does date me .. a bit).
• FWIW.
• BYOB (that dates me, even more). See the world, post-Mad Men, but pre-when-we-had-to-stop-giving-booze-to-clients.

Beyond that, I also know:

• TTBOMK (always fun).
• STFU (reminding all that ‘U’ somehow manifests itself as ‘door’ for the FCC-proper-types).
• WTF (Whisky-Tango-Foxtrot, which, in no way, shape or form can be FCC-proper).

For (my) whimsy, I’d add:

• EHTM (Everything Happens To Me (lyric)).
• SCRHYUTM (Spring Can Really Hang You up the Most (lyric)).
• IAMNFAM (It’s a Marvelous Night for a Moondance (lyric)).

So .. where does that put me? Where does it put you?

When I was 25 ..

.. it was a very good year.

Granted, mine was styled in copper .. diesel, but a very nice ride.

It was an Asteroid after all ..

.. confirmed (or, at least firmly postulated) by a herd of American and European researchers.

This bunch have tested (and re-tested) debris from the Chicxulub impact crater off the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. Their findings include a timeline that spans 11,000 years for the impact, almost simultaneous with the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction. From the article:

When dealing with geological timescales, a range of 11,000 years is about as accurate as you can get. As the research paper puts it, though, “the Chicxulub impact likely triggered a state shift of ecosystems already under near-critical stress.”

Not a bad timeline after all. Please see: Finally confirmed: An asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs | ExtremeTech

Now. If we can only solve the chicken or the egg question.

A Funny Thing at LAX ..

.. certainly a leading statement: all you need to do is look about and you’ll see LOTS of funny things at LAX ..

.. at SEA as well .. remember Moonies?

.. but I digress.

There was this trip .. I had just finished a few days with my favorite customer in Santa Monica and had made my way back to the airport along Route 9. On time, had even negotiated security .. even received the TSA-mandated ‘massage’ (yes: even I get patted down now and again).

Sitting in the waiting area, 40 minutes before the flight, and the overhead says:

Welcome to Alaska Airlines flight 485. We are ready for pre-boarding. As we have no small children and no identified individuals who require additional time to board, would Michael Coates please approach the podium?

I almost didn’t get up. However, curiosity absolutely overwhelmed me. I got up.

In reality, the flight was severely under-booked .. only a few seats from cancellation (there are several LAX-SEA flights a day, the next departing a mere 40 minutes later) .. but close enough to fly (this is all per the agent).

I was the only Gold (the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan) on the entire flight .. the gate agents thought they should give me a special thrill .. which they did.

Just wait until I get to the Million Miler. Not long now.

Hunter as Highlander of the Month

Some exciting news for Hunter this past week: he was chosen by the Shoreline Directed Studies Department as the “Highlander of the Month” for February.

The honor comes with a certificate, school recognition and a ceremony held last Friday.

We received a letter from his principal; the snaps below are from the ceremony.

Way to go Hunter!

The Journey to ‘Operational’

There is a point at which we all want to ‘do our jobs’.

• If your job is solely execution, rejoice! Being operational means your prayers are answered. Your goals are clear; you can rock the house, crush your goals and enjoy your Friday nights.
• For those who fall in the realm of ‘continuous improvement’ .. while noble, it impacts the group above .. but, more so: your life. How much is too much (or too little)? Please think, and plan before you strike. Ask the question: are you operational? Can your team function and succeed?
• Then, there is those who fall under the definition of ‘visionary’ .. as long as you recognize that you are not trying to manage chaos (in the form of introducing changes for changes’ sake), there may be value. As above: can your team function and succeed?

Note that a visionary without execution is .. well .. not as valuable. Our visionaries need to get their hands dirty now and then; by themselves, or by proxy. Engage a Tiger Team .. a group who can close the loop.

The business goes on, though .. it is critical that we avoid being the bottleneck to others’ success.