O' the day - 2020.02.27

TIL that Hogan's Heroes was not only a satire, but a satire within a satire. The writer, producer, and main "Nazi" actors? All Jewish. Who knew that a throwaway sitcom from the 60s was actually a social commentary that may have gone over a lot of heads, including mine?

O' the day - 2020.02.24

Am I too low-energy for my team? Does my laidback (at work, anyway) nature calm my employees, or simply put them to sleep? Where's the balance between being a soothing presence that instills confidence in quiet authority, and having no visible outward drive?

O' the day - 2020.02.20

Being asked to (informally) mentor my same-level colleagues is oddly satisfying and terrifying. On the one hand, it means I've reached the stability and maturity point in my career where my experience is valued, especially to younger and less experienced leaders. On the other hand - I think it means I'm old.

O' the day - 2020.02.13

Is busy-ness my business? Is that all I do - run from one meeting to the next, from one task to the other, without ever fully focusing on any of them? What kind of service - or disservice - am I doing to my personal stakeholders when I'm not ever completely present? How do you say "no" when it's the boss asking? These are all questions I wrestle with every day, and am seemingly no closer to answers now than 20 years ago.

O' the day - 2020.02.11

Is indiscriminate learning just being a data slut? If you let anything and everything into your head on a constant basis, do you run the risk of a) forgetting all of it, or b) being accused of learning with just anyone?

O' the day - 2020.02.10

"Trying and struggling looks like incompetence right up until the moment it looks like success" (Farnam Street blog) - so perhaps what I'm doing is just prepping for the ultimate win? Every day spent in vain is simply a step toward the breakthrough? I guess I knew this, but it looks a bit different when put this way.

O' the day - 2020.02.06

Welcome back! The idea of a pill that mimics (some of) the effects of exercise is intriguing to me, as someone who has a difficult time exercising because of pain issues (and let's be honest - I just don't want to). Being able to swallow a tablet and not feel guilty about the lack of movement in my life is extremely appealing to me, though exercise conveys a number of other benefits that the meds can't touch. Is this a positive development for those with true inability to exercise, or just another way for Americans (and me) to be lazy and not feel too terribly sorry about it?

O' the day - 2020.02.03

Pain is a funny thing. What does one do if one is not in chronic, constant pain? How much more life is there to be lived without the specter overlooming, without the careful planning to always have abatement ready? How much more time would one gain without the time spent just trying to breathe through an episode, waiting for the relief to come?