Which one is best?

So there is shelfari, book sense, weread, goodreads and I am sure a few more. I am having trouble selling on a social reading site. I just realized that be weRead book shelf link is way out of date.

I think I will get rid of it altogether. There has to. Be a better way

Building vs. maintaining

When a rich man gave bags of gold to his servants to watch over while he was away
5 bags to one
3 bags to another
1 to the last
he came back to find that mr. five bags and mr. three bags had used the money to create a business and doubled the money.

Mr. one bag buried the money to keep from losing it.

Mr. Richman said, “What were you thinking? you didn’t even get the interest by sticking it in a savings account? What’s wrong with you?”

The first two built something. The last just wanted to maintain.

Building something. A pyramid. A moonlanding. A system. A website.

Some people are driven to build something. The idea, the concept of what isn’t yet created. But to build something that will last, either in memory or in continuing use…

Some people are not driven. Some people are completely okay with just maintaining. just doing the minimum, just keeping the humm.

But maintaining is never improving.

I have just realized that there really are people not interested in building. I think building something is so compelling it has been hard for me to recognize that some people not only are not intersted in building, but are actively opposed to building and improving.

Why? Why would building something be opposed?

there is risk. There is risk of failure. There is also risk of losing what is invested.

That bag of gold might get stolen or lost!

I long ago decided that the risk of losing the investment is far less painful than losing the opportunity of spending my time on

THE MOST EXCITING THING LIFE HAS TO OFFER

even babies know that building–a tower of blocks?–is likely to result in the blocks getting knocked over. But what else are blocks for?
What else is our life and our time and our resources for?

Well. So there are people who don’t see it that way.

to be kinder to the people who don’t want to get on board with the building project I am pushing,
It is true that we have limited attention. I cannot really give focus on building a better system for every single task in my life.

you have to choose. And you sometimes need to get a bunch of people to choose the same thing to make it happen.

To make a pyramid.
or a moonlanding
or a website

and there may be a lot of people unwilling to build that pyramid

But if the vision can be imparted, and if the rest of the team can be infected, then maybe they will want to do it. It takes a lot of smart people to make
a moonlanding

or a website

It takes the person with the drive to build, to inspire the others. Those builders ought to be in high demand. They ought to be recognizable…and picked out by those people wanting something extraordinary built.

what the nerds did

they built something.

One of my new friends described how he was forced out of his old job. “It was hard to leave behind what I had built”

Yeah. I know.

I told him he really needed to read Miriam. Miriam tells that story pretty well.

But we were watching a documentary about the moon landing, and i realized…yeah. THAT. BUilding something. Not even a physical something, but building something.

That is what I do. THat is what I am passionate about in my career.

that’s why I tell people, just maintaning is not enough. It has to grow, and be improved upon.

But the nerds did it. THe nerds did it because they all believed. And it cost them.

But they still believe it was worth it.

Gardening

I have a tomato, peppers, and zucchini plant growing in my planter boxes. Chris got them for me last year, and this year I wanted to start and get some stuff growing for the summer. I ended up getting any vegetable plant the garden shops were selling.

I told Chris about it:

“My swiss chard is doing really well…””

“Is swiss chard really bland?”

“no, it’s actually got a stronger flavor than regular chard…”

“Shouldn’t it be neutral? Being Swiss?”

….I should have seen this coming…

He was not letting it go. “Does it at least have holes? Like the cheese?”

“Oh, yes, it does have holes. does that make you happy?”

 

when it hurts to care

Sometimes in life, it hurts when you care.

But if it hurts, I think it’s time to take my caring in a new direction.

And if it hurts to care, so that I stop caring…also very bad. Best to find another way to spend my time.

It can be done

good people

It’s good to be with good people

One this my traipse through my ten years of blog has shown me is how valuable conversations with people are. I am inspired and enlightened when I talk with other people about what I”m thinking.

 

I think it is supposed to work like that.

Monday

Well, tuesday, really. But it’s the first day back at work.

LAST weekend, I thought I needed to hang myself out to dry.

THIS weekend was amazing. I feel refreshed and full of optimism. Was it the one-two punch of the ‘vacation’ away from home followed by a weekend of getting stuff done AT home?

Maybe. I’ll take it.

I feel a lot more in charge of my life today.

privacy is wonderful

My first version of my blog ten years ago did not have a privacy setting.

But that was a long time ago. Now I can make any and all of my posts private.

That makes this space all the more useful.

what’s different about today?

I know for sure it’s not yesterday. That’s different. That should serve me as a reminder not to dress for yesterday’s weather

The things that were important yesterday might not be important today. So, maybe what was impossible yesterday is possible today.

I’m gonna go see….

Did you blink?

If the internet blinked, no one would have noticed I upgraded my blog. It was down for a little bit.

But i did it!

SQL and PHP had to be adjusted, and much love to Liquid Web for their awesome customer support.

The front page of the blog doesnt’ look that different…But! My posting backend is very pretty…

 

AHHHHHhhhhh