Her hair was the same thin shade of gray as the weather-beaten pickets of the fence around her frozen garden. She had a way with horses, and she was alone on Christmas Eve. There is little in my life I regret as much as that I would not stay for just one cookie, just one cup of tea.
You can now get Joseph Bottum's memorable article on Kindle.
[HT: Instapundit.com]
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Break Out
Everything won't be in order. There will always be more items to prepare or study. You may sense that tomorrow would be a better time or perhaps even next month. That old companion Failure will be waving to you at the gate and promising to catch up. But if you are wise, you will keep moving and will shrug off the excuses that tug at your elbow. It will not be a short trip and every step will count. Expect delays, frustration, depression, and weariness. They are all part of the journey and those tales of a smooth path are myths. Watch the sky. Listen to the world and enjoy the small things. Savor your progress. This is your time.
Use it.
Not Fair
At Anderson Layman's Blog, some thoughts on fairness from P.J. O'Rourke.
Having spent a large portion of my life helping organizations prevent and address illegal discrimination, alarm bells go off when I hear cries for "fairness." It is far easier to determine whether there was discrimination - and that's hard enough - than to decide what's fair. "Unfair" often boils down to "something that doesn't benefit me."
Having spent a large portion of my life helping organizations prevent and address illegal discrimination, alarm bells go off when I hear cries for "fairness." It is far easier to determine whether there was discrimination - and that's hard enough - than to decide what's fair. "Unfair" often boils down to "something that doesn't benefit me."
Pulp Days
Widely circulated pulp fiction magazines such as Argosy once provided opportunities for new writers. We lost a lot when those magazines disappeared.
Quote of the Day
Culture is what we do when we do not consciously decide what to do.
- Russell L. Ackoff and Sheldon Rovin
- Russell L. Ackoff and Sheldon Rovin
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Knowing the Ropes: 27 Questions
A few things to learn quickly on any job:
- How can you make a positive difference?
- What will get you fired?
- Who are the key players?
- What are the alliances?
- What are the ongoing competitions?
- Where do you learn the most?
- Which ball must never be dropped?
- What is the jargon?
- What goes unpunished by management and yet is frowned on?
- Where is Siberia?
- Who are the stars?
- Why are they stars?
- Where is the fast track?
- What does it take to get promoted?
- Will a path to advancement have to be created?
- Which assignments are pluses?
- Which are minuses?
- What is the boss really like?
- What can you learn?
- What are the professional backgrounds of people?
- Are you in a hole or on a ladder?
- Which co-workers will drag you down?
- Who knows the most about certain subjects?
- What is the real organization chart?
- What is a reasonable pace?
- How long do people stay in your job?
- What are the priorities?
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