There has been a lot of fuss
and noise in my business
changes in compensation to employees
changes in employment status
changes in how banks price their loans
all in the name of "Protecting the Consumer"
but in the end it all feels like
"Protecting the Banks".
In the end
loans are the bank's greatest asset
and the bank will protect its profit
by either paying employees less
or charging people more.
Meanwhile, all the noise
and distraction
creates unease and distress
a big kerfuffle, indeed.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Passion Party #357 - Unplug Weekend
I know a place
where vacation means to vacate,
to clear away
to spend days being aware of the basic elements
water - earth - fire - air
to spend days being aware that you
can let go of 90% of the tings
that fill your mind on a daily basis
all those things that seem so important
but are rally just passing clouds.
I know a place
where the sky is huge
and the land is empty
inhospitable enough that
man has been unable to ruin it
beautiful enough that
man has been willing to preserve it
I know a place
where you can spend
three days with
no computer
no cell phone
no TV screens
"Off the grid".
What is it that you find
where no one can find you?
where vacation means to vacate,
to clear away
to spend days being aware of the basic elements
water - earth - fire - air
to spend days being aware that you
can let go of 90% of the tings
that fill your mind on a daily basis
all those things that seem so important
but are rally just passing clouds.
I know a place
where the sky is huge
and the land is empty
inhospitable enough that
man has been unable to ruin it
beautiful enough that
man has been willing to preserve it
I know a place
where you can spend
three days with
no computer
no cell phone
no TV screens
"Off the grid".
What is it that you find
where no one can find you?
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Passion Party #356 - Fractured World
We live in a fractured world
where strength is weakness
and doubt is certainty
where change is constant
and stability is an illusion
Hold my hand
this, too, shall pass
we will get through this together.
How tightly we are bound
in this web of humanity
Even when I feel alone
I am part of the fabric of life
and the weave continues.
where strength is weakness
and doubt is certainty
where change is constant
and stability is an illusion
Hold my hand
this, too, shall pass
we will get through this together.
How tightly we are bound
in this web of humanity
Even when I feel alone
I am part of the fabric of life
and the weave continues.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Passion Party #355 - Freedom
Tonight we celebrate our freedom
with a story from long ago
and a feast of friends.
We remember a time
when to become free
we had to be uprooted
little time to pack or prepare
not knowing where we were going
and trusting
that where we end up
will be better than where we are now
in slavery.
Tonight is the start
we leave tyranny behind
for the hope of the future
gathering with friends and family
to continue the journey.
with a story from long ago
and a feast of friends.
We remember a time
when to become free
we had to be uprooted
little time to pack or prepare
not knowing where we were going
and trusting
that where we end up
will be better than where we are now
in slavery.
Tonight is the start
we leave tyranny behind
for the hope of the future
gathering with friends and family
to continue the journey.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Passion Party #354 - Mind Over Matter
Bending spoons
or levitation
are wonderful parlor tricks
but my goal is enlightenment,
not entertainment.
To do this I need to find like minds:
people that share my values
I need to find friends:
people who I care about
and who care about me,
people that matter to me.
Because, as Dr. Seuss may have said,
"Be who you are and say what you feel,
because those who mind don't matter
and those who matter don't mind."
or levitation
are wonderful parlor tricks
but my goal is enlightenment,
not entertainment.
To do this I need to find like minds:
people that share my values
I need to find friends:
people who I care about
and who care about me,
people that matter to me.
Because, as Dr. Seuss may have said,
"Be who you are and say what you feel,
because those who mind don't matter
and those who matter don't mind."
Monday, April 11, 2011
Passion Party #353 - The 90 Day List
I love making lists
Starting the day with 6 - 10 things to do
and crossing them off, one by one,
gives me great satisfaction
and a feeling of accomplishment.
My favorite list is my "C" list,
a list of things to do in the next 90 days.
I create this list once every three months
writing down my Big Goals,
vacation plans,
specific things I want to complete or achieve in the next three months.
I keep this list handy
but I rarely look at it,
generally lost in my
day-to-day activities.
Then, almost like magic,
when the 90 days are done and I look at
the "C" list
virtually all the items have been completed.
Perhaps there is one to carry over.
More often than not
if the task is not done
it means to me that it was just that:
a task
and time has shown me it is not for me to do.
It is time to move on.
Starting the day with 6 - 10 things to do
and crossing them off, one by one,
gives me great satisfaction
and a feeling of accomplishment.
My favorite list is my "C" list,
a list of things to do in the next 90 days.
I create this list once every three months
writing down my Big Goals,
vacation plans,
specific things I want to complete or achieve in the next three months.
I keep this list handy
but I rarely look at it,
generally lost in my
day-to-day activities.
Then, almost like magic,
when the 90 days are done and I look at
the "C" list
virtually all the items have been completed.
Perhaps there is one to carry over.
More often than not
if the task is not done
it means to me that it was just that:
a task
and time has shown me it is not for me to do.
It is time to move on.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Passion Party #352 - Help Others Today
It is a day to be grateful.
There is so much pain and suffering in this world
natural and man-made disasters
connecting us and
re-connecting us.
I am grateful
that I live in a peaceful city
with people that I love.
I am grateful that I have a job that fills a real need
and that I get paid for doing it.
I am grateful that I live without fear.
I am grateful that, in whatever small way
I can help others today.
There is so much pain and suffering in this world
natural and man-made disasters
connecting us and
re-connecting us.
I am grateful
that I live in a peaceful city
with people that I love.
I am grateful that I have a job that fills a real need
and that I get paid for doing it.
I am grateful that I live without fear.
I am grateful that, in whatever small way
I can help others today.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Passion Party #351 - The Happiest Man In America
Sure, you say you are happy
but are you REALLY happy?
On a scale of 100,
is your sense of "well-being" above 90?
Gallup.com (the people known for predicting US election results)
have, for the last three years, been surveying Americans to measure "the good life".
According to an article in the NY Times, this formula (called the Gallup-Healthways Well- Being Index) asks questions about emotional status, work satisfaction, eating habits, income, stress level and other indicators of the quality of life.
If you take a statistical composite for the 2010 Happiest Person in America, what does this person look like?
Gallup's answer: he's a tall, Asian American, observant Jew who is at least 65 and married, has children, lives in Hawaii, runs his own business and has a household income more than $120,000 a year.
A few phone calls later, and the NY Times reporter was speaking to Alvin Wong in Honolulu...
To see the article go here
To see more raw data on the study, go to
Well-Being index
As for me, I just have to wait a few years, move to Honolulu and become Asian...
but are you REALLY happy?
On a scale of 100,
is your sense of "well-being" above 90?
Gallup.com (the people known for predicting US election results)
have, for the last three years, been surveying Americans to measure "the good life".
According to an article in the NY Times, this formula (called the Gallup-Healthways Well- Being Index) asks questions about emotional status, work satisfaction, eating habits, income, stress level and other indicators of the quality of life.
If you take a statistical composite for the 2010 Happiest Person in America, what does this person look like?
Gallup's answer: he's a tall, Asian American, observant Jew who is at least 65 and married, has children, lives in Hawaii, runs his own business and has a household income more than $120,000 a year.
A few phone calls later, and the NY Times reporter was speaking to Alvin Wong in Honolulu...
To see the article go here
To see more raw data on the study, go to
Well-Being index
As for me, I just have to wait a few years, move to Honolulu and become Asian...
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