Advise Me, Please

I remember when Jagged Little Pill came out when I was a teenager. Alanis Morrisette singing "It's the good advice that you just didn't take". There is always that eternal question "Do I go with my gut, or do I follow their advice?". Going into new situations we all carry with us preconceived notions and basic strategies. Wisdom suggests that there is a time to stick to the plan, but you also must be willing to discard that plan and go with the flow.

In fantasy baseball this week I saw evidence of this. My benevolent father and big brother showered me with advice. They could see that my team was floundering and they wanted to help. I humbly instituted their ideas, ignoring my own. Right away I was fifteen points further in the hole than I would have been if I had stuck to my guns. So how do you know? In this scenario they had the on-field knowledge of the players and their statistics. What do I know? I had just lost the first three games of the season after all.

I recently started a new job. I was full of confidence in my abilities. I have run my own catering business. I have formal culinary training in cooking and restaurant management. And yet, here was a new company, and a new set of parameters to work in. So how do you know? When do you abandon your original strategy for success? Clearly I need to listen to the experienced people who surround me and have already learned the ropes, but to what extent?

The marriage advice flows like milk and honey when you near the promised lands, and when Diana and I got married the advice flooded in from all over. Before we were married someone said that they thought we should try living together first. Then there were lots of suggestions on how to get through the terrible first six months, then the first year, then the first five years (none of which were terrible for us).

Nothing elicits advice like having kids does. Do you want a closer bond between you and all the familial relations that you assumed were dead long ago? Have a couple babies. We were blessed with boundless advice from- "Put a little rice cereal in her bottle" to- "You have to pick your battles".

Advice is a fickle friend, no doubt. It seems to help and harm in equal portions. Listening to good natured advice rarely hurts. We all have to draw our own line in the sand as to when listening turns to implementing those pearls of wisdom. We would be remiss to never translate some of their advice into reality in an attempt to make our lives better in some way, and we would be fools if we didn't let a large part of it go in one ear and out the other.





- Posted from my iPhone

Tiptoe Through The Tulips

It is tulip time in Woodland. Benno Dobbe and his family put on a tulip festival each year at the Holland America Bulb Farms. The striking beauty of those flowers put me in a reflective mood.

The Reflector ran a bio-piece on Benno Dobbe a couple years back detailing his move here from Holland as a young boy. These days Mr. Dobbe is a prominent figure in Woodland and his business is a cornerstone of the community. All I remember about the piece is that it was interesting and that Benno has genuine Dutch roots.

When you stroll down the rows of tulips, basking in their glory, it is easy to forget how much work truly goes into getting their fragile petals in full bloom. I found myself pondering how impressive it was that these flowers have such vivid colors and come in so many varieties. For a moment I even slipped into thinking "I can't believe all this happens in nature". Then I corrected myself. It wasn't without work and trials. I had the opportunity to read The Black Tulip by Alexandre Dumas awhile back, and I was surprised by this window into Dutch history. The cultivation, research, and old-time politics needed to develop the existing breeds of tulips is jaw dropping.

Stretching past the tulip's deep historic roots into present day, I witnessed firsthand some of the blood, sweat, and tears that goes into this plant's survival. A couple years ago my company ran a food booth at the tulip festival and it stressed me out to see some of the "backstage" posturing involved with producing a successful crop of cut tulips. Not least of which is the wildly unpredictable weather in April. When we were there it was 80 degrees one weekend and another weekend they had the sonic cannon out to break up hail while it was still in the clouds (a hailstorm can wipe out an entire crop, each crystalline lump leaving a blemish on the soft blooms). In the gospel according to Matthew chapter 6, Jesus instructs us to "Consider the lilies of the field" and he reminds us that they "neither toil, nor spin". Well, those lazy lilies might not toil or spin but tulips on the other-hand are real workhorses.

I am struggling to find a moral to my story. I think I wanted to say something about the Protestant work ethic  or being good stewards of our blessings, or maybe that we should stop and smell the roses (err.. Tulips). Perhaps we shall leave it open like a "Choose Your Own Adventure" book from when I was a kid...



p.s. for some ukelele fun and insight into the title of this post watch this video

- Posted from my iPhone

Sack 'o' Potatoes

Some days feel longer than others.

Last night I slept 6 hours. I got out of bed at 4:30 this morning and went to work. I then spent 11 hours at work trying to "manage" the miracle equivalent of keeping a two legged chair upright. Sat in an hour of Portland traffic on my way home. When I got home Diana had already started work, and she continued to work for another two hours.

Today wasn't the first time that I had a marathon day of working. Over the last three years, when I owned my own company, there were many such days. It is still the kind of day that can really take the mustard out of you. I am now resting on my living room floor, in front of darling Olivia swinging in her travel swing, and I feel like a sack of potatoes. I will have to find my second wind somewhere, however, LOST is on tonight.

Can't... Sleep... Yet...

- Posted from my iPhone

Absent-minded

When I was a kid I remember reading a couple books with older scholarly gentleman who were refered to as being absent-minded. I always found it to be a curious description. The kind of word that is used mostly in print and not as much in conversation. Something akin to Franklin W. Dixon's (The Hardy Boys) use of the word careening. Now as an adult I find myself indentifying with that queer trait more and more.

Today at work I was absent-minded. Not because I was inventing some kind of Rube Goldberg device, but because I couldn't stop thinking about going on a date with my wife. I would find myself interacting with customers, folding up spinach, bacon, and cheese omelets, and all the while thinking of how I could spend an evening treating my wife like royalty. I had just spent all week abusing her like a lowly peasant, it seemed that a little princess treatment was in order.

One of the unfortunate side effects of being married ten years is that you get very good at taking your wife for granted. On top of being unappreciative of her finer qualities, I have also developed a knack for taking out my stress on her. This manifests itself in childish displays of temper and lashing out for no good reason. Inexcusable. Sometimes the best you can do is have a conversation with mutual respect on a human level and apologize for acting like an ass. And, every once in a while you get a chance to go out on the town.

Planning a romantic time together isn't as hard as some would have you believe. All it takes is a morning of absent-mindedness at work.

- Posted from my iPhone

Blog Party!

When I started my blog at the beginning of this year I didn't realize it would be so much fun! I also didn't realize how many people either were already, or were thinking about blogging themselves. It's sort of like being in a fun little club. Or sorority.

Yes, I said a sorority. There are a lot of women that I know who are dabbling in the blogosphere. The original one that I knew about was my sister-in-law Tina (http://www.temost.xanga.com/). Apparently now we have my other sister-in-law Carrie (http://www.iheartjulio.blogspot.com/) and my niece Katelyn (http://www.ilovemymatt.blogspot.com/) involved in the fun. I also learned that my sister Crystal is in on the act (http://www.questadadoption.blogspot.com/) although hers is private so it is a little harder to zip in and out checking on it. It is sort of like going to a baby shower thinking it is guy/girl and realizing that you are the only guy in the room.

My inspiration for starting a blog came from reading famous columnist and blogger Mark Steyn (http://www.steynonline.com/). At least he is a guy which makes me feel a little better.

- Posted from my iPhone