Today's fortune: A good time to start something new.
You know, that's not a bad idea.
Showing posts with label video. Show all posts
Showing posts with label video. Show all posts
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Friday, December 2, 2011
Today's fortune: December 2, 2011
Today's fortune: Practice makes perfect.
Today's fortune, a simple and common phrase dating back to approximately Yesteryear, is clearly referring to the fact that I haven't been practicing my ukelele as religiously as I had hoped.
Well, see, while I take full responsibility for my irresponsibility, a couple things happened. First, I got frustrated with the book I've been teaching myself out of. At the beginning the book was exactly what I needed I was learning chords and notes and I was getting pretty good at it. I even wrote a little tune, which I named "Jamie's Theme," and here is its world debut.
But something happened. There's a pretty major technique that I felt the book glossed over. I was angry about it, and I sat the ukelele aside for a while. I still pick it up and play chords - almost every day, in fact, while my computer boots up - but I haven't progressed any further in the book.
Then this other thing happened, and this is kind of silly. A couple weeks ago, the Kansas City Star ran a cover story on their Sunday magazine about how ukeleles were becoming more popular, particularly with teeny boppers and high school kids. No kidding.
I usually detest things that become trendy.
But I've decided to push past those hurdles. I'm going to continue to practice. By the end of the year - just 30 days away - I want to be able to play a song. A real song, not just a 20-second collection of chords.
I'm close. The next page in my lesson book is "Mary Had a Little Lamb." And the last song in the book is actually one I had hoped to learn even before I received the ukelele as a birthday gift from my wife - "Home On the Range."
Today's fortune, a simple and common phrase dating back to approximately Yesteryear, is clearly referring to the fact that I haven't been practicing my ukelele as religiously as I had hoped.
Well, see, while I take full responsibility for my irresponsibility, a couple things happened. First, I got frustrated with the book I've been teaching myself out of. At the beginning the book was exactly what I needed I was learning chords and notes and I was getting pretty good at it. I even wrote a little tune, which I named "Jamie's Theme," and here is its world debut.
But something happened. There's a pretty major technique that I felt the book glossed over. I was angry about it, and I sat the ukelele aside for a while. I still pick it up and play chords - almost every day, in fact, while my computer boots up - but I haven't progressed any further in the book.
Then this other thing happened, and this is kind of silly. A couple weeks ago, the Kansas City Star ran a cover story on their Sunday magazine about how ukeleles were becoming more popular, particularly with teeny boppers and high school kids. No kidding.
I usually detest things that become trendy.
But I've decided to push past those hurdles. I'm going to continue to practice. By the end of the year - just 30 days away - I want to be able to play a song. A real song, not just a 20-second collection of chords.
I'm close. The next page in my lesson book is "Mary Had a Little Lamb." And the last song in the book is actually one I had hoped to learn even before I received the ukelele as a birthday gift from my wife - "Home On the Range."
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Today's fortune: September 6, 2011
Today's fortune: Good things are coming to you in due course of time.
I don't know about you - and maybe I'm showing my age here - but this fortune reminds me of a television ad campaign from the 1980s and '90s that goes a little somethin' like this:
Heinz Ketchup abandoned the "Good things come to those who wait" ad campaign, probably about the same time they embraced squeeze-bottle ketchup like the rest of America - but I think the sentiment is still valid. I think about all the things I'm waiting for in my life, and I'm hopeful the time I'm putting in now will lead to good things. I want to publish a book. I want for Jamie to finish school and become a teacher. I want to have a kid. I want to secure financial independence for my family. I want December 31 to arrive so I never have to eat a fortune cookie ever again.
I believe this fortune will come true. All it takes is a little patience, and a little retro ketchup.
I don't know about you - and maybe I'm showing my age here - but this fortune reminds me of a television ad campaign from the 1980s and '90s that goes a little somethin' like this:
Heinz Ketchup abandoned the "Good things come to those who wait" ad campaign, probably about the same time they embraced squeeze-bottle ketchup like the rest of America - but I think the sentiment is still valid. I think about all the things I'm waiting for in my life, and I'm hopeful the time I'm putting in now will lead to good things. I want to publish a book. I want for Jamie to finish school and become a teacher. I want to have a kid. I want to secure financial independence for my family. I want December 31 to arrive so I never have to eat a fortune cookie ever again.
I believe this fortune will come true. All it takes is a little patience, and a little retro ketchup.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Today's fortune: March 4, 2011
Today's fortune: You will find your horizons suddenly broadened.
My friends at work are getting sick of me. I lean on them heavily for the sake of this blog, and I've learned a lot from them. I've also been able to get to know them better than I ever could have without asking such questions as "What's your most memorable dream?", "Do you have any deep, dark secrets to share?" and "Do you need any advice today?"
The best way to broaden your horizons, though, is to soak up the knowledge of the people close to you. Today, two friends helped me do just that.
In yesterday's post, one friend told me about a memorable dream where he envisioned playing basketball in heaven. Basketball is one thing I don't enjoy or appreciate at all. I may have even written that they only play basketball in hell, but I don't really remember. I like the idea of basketball, and all team sports for that matter. But I just find the game boring, and I don't really know what's going on.
So I asked my friend what he could teach me about basketball that would make me appreciate the game more.
"You like baseball, right?" he asked.
"Of course," I said. "I love it."
"What do you love about baseball?"
That was a hard question, because the answer is intertwined with the history of my entire life. So I kept it simple. "Well, I guess I love the strategy behind it, the little games within the larger game."
"Okay. In basketball, do you know the difference between zone defense and man-to-man defense?" he asked.
"Yeah," I replied. "In man-to-man defense, each player guards another player, regardless of where he goes on the floor. In zone defense, a player guards a certain territory, regardless of which players cross through that territory."
"That's about right," he said. "If a team is playing zone defense, the offense will usually try to attack in between two defenders, drawing two players to one spot on the court. That means one person on offense will be un-covered, and he'll have an open shot."
That made some sense, and I could picture it in my head. He kept going.
"Some sports are team-oriented, like soccer. And some sports are all about you against another person, like boxing. Basketball has aspects of both. If a single player is good enough, they can take over the game by themselves. But there are five guys on the court, so it can also be very team-oriented."
That made a lot of sense. I can relate that to baseball, too. One swing of the bat or one pitch can change the game.
I decided to bone up on basketball by watching YouTube clips of the very best player of all time.
I admit, it's pretty easy to appreciate Jordan. I'm going to try to watch more basketball and appreciate the lesser mortals who play the game.
Another friend shared a hidden passion with me: a love for Bollywood films. I was surprised by this. The only time I ever seen Bollywood movies is when they're playing on the TVs at Indian restaurants.
My friend told me that almost all Bollywood movies are musicals, and they're almost all love stories. But the love stories are much different, much more complex and beautiful, than Hollywood romances.
I asked her for the name of her favorite Bollywood movie. She said it's a film called Ghajini. I did some research and discovered that it's actually a remake of the fascinating American film Memento. The title character of Ghajini is a killer with a damaged memory. He carries around Polaroids and tattoos his body with notes to help him remember things, just like in Memento.
But in the Bollywood version, there's singing and a love story, too. My friend told me a little bit about it. I won't ruin it for you, because judging from this preview, you should watch it yourself.
Basketball and Bollywood seem like a good start for a horizon expansion.
My friends at work are getting sick of me. I lean on them heavily for the sake of this blog, and I've learned a lot from them. I've also been able to get to know them better than I ever could have without asking such questions as "What's your most memorable dream?", "Do you have any deep, dark secrets to share?" and "Do you need any advice today?"
The best way to broaden your horizons, though, is to soak up the knowledge of the people close to you. Today, two friends helped me do just that.
In yesterday's post, one friend told me about a memorable dream where he envisioned playing basketball in heaven. Basketball is one thing I don't enjoy or appreciate at all. I may have even written that they only play basketball in hell, but I don't really remember. I like the idea of basketball, and all team sports for that matter. But I just find the game boring, and I don't really know what's going on.
So I asked my friend what he could teach me about basketball that would make me appreciate the game more.
"You like baseball, right?" he asked.
"Of course," I said. "I love it."
"What do you love about baseball?"
That was a hard question, because the answer is intertwined with the history of my entire life. So I kept it simple. "Well, I guess I love the strategy behind it, the little games within the larger game."
"Okay. In basketball, do you know the difference between zone defense and man-to-man defense?" he asked.
"Yeah," I replied. "In man-to-man defense, each player guards another player, regardless of where he goes on the floor. In zone defense, a player guards a certain territory, regardless of which players cross through that territory."
"That's about right," he said. "If a team is playing zone defense, the offense will usually try to attack in between two defenders, drawing two players to one spot on the court. That means one person on offense will be un-covered, and he'll have an open shot."
That made some sense, and I could picture it in my head. He kept going.
"Some sports are team-oriented, like soccer. And some sports are all about you against another person, like boxing. Basketball has aspects of both. If a single player is good enough, they can take over the game by themselves. But there are five guys on the court, so it can also be very team-oriented."
That made a lot of sense. I can relate that to baseball, too. One swing of the bat or one pitch can change the game.
I decided to bone up on basketball by watching YouTube clips of the very best player of all time.
I admit, it's pretty easy to appreciate Jordan. I'm going to try to watch more basketball and appreciate the lesser mortals who play the game.
Another friend shared a hidden passion with me: a love for Bollywood films. I was surprised by this. The only time I ever seen Bollywood movies is when they're playing on the TVs at Indian restaurants.
My friend told me that almost all Bollywood movies are musicals, and they're almost all love stories. But the love stories are much different, much more complex and beautiful, than Hollywood romances.
I asked her for the name of her favorite Bollywood movie. She said it's a film called Ghajini. I did some research and discovered that it's actually a remake of the fascinating American film Memento. The title character of Ghajini is a killer with a damaged memory. He carries around Polaroids and tattoos his body with notes to help him remember things, just like in Memento.
But in the Bollywood version, there's singing and a love story, too. My friend told me a little bit about it. I won't ruin it for you, because judging from this preview, you should watch it yourself.
Basketball and Bollywood seem like a good start for a horizon expansion.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Today's fortune: March 3, 2011
Today's fortune: Your most memorable dream will come true.
Some have suggested, quite raunchily (is that a word?), that perhaps today's fortune is referring to my wildest fantasy. But for once in my life, I've decided to take the high road. I'm going to interpret the phrase "your most memorable dream" as literally as possible by talking about actual dreams - the kind that happen inside your subconscious when you're asleep.
Sadly, I'm pretty damn certain my most memorable dream will not be coming true.
In my most memorable dream, I'm the Pope.
Not just for pretend, either, but the actual honest-to-god (pun intended) Pope. However, I don't live in the Vatican (rather, I still live in my house in Kansas City), I don't wear Pope clothing and I don't ride around in the Popemobile. I'm just a regular guy who happens to be the Pope.
The most vivid scene from the dream is when I visit a local fast food restaurant. I walk in and everybody is shocked that the Pope himself would visit the establishment. The customers part and I stride to the counter. To the awed employee I say, "Hi, I'm the Pope, I'll take a number four..." And I get the food for free because, you know, I'm the Pope.
And that's pretty much the whole dream. The funniest part is, I'm not Catholic.
I think it was influenced by a viewing of one of my favorite movies, King Ralph:
Since my dream probably won't come true (Catholics everywhere are hoping it won't, at least), I decided to look into the dreams of friends and co-workers. Maybe one of theirs will.
The first person I asked told me she often dreams that she's Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. Interesting, but probably not coming true.
Another friend said he had a dream that he was playing basketball in heaven. The dream actually sounds awesome: "The court was like a flower bed, but I could still dribble." But everybody knows people in heaven only play baseball. If you wanna shoot hoops, you have to head south - the deeeeep south.
Another friend's most memorable dream is hilarious and topical.
"I was at some sort of reunion," my friend said. "Charlie Sheen was there, too. He was hitting on me in front of my boyfriend, and my boyfriend didn't like it. Next thing I know, I met Charlie Sheen at his parents' house for an after-reunion barbecue, and he gave me a beautiful blue dress.
"Charlie tried to get on me... you know the Charlie way. And I ran away in my beautiful blue dress and tall heels. I was running so fast, I could feel the wind rushing by. Then I woke up."
While I was thinking, "Some weird stuff goes on at Martin Sheen's place," my friend added this gem: "It was obviously a dream because I can't even walk in tall heels."
Actually, that one sounds like it could really come true. Let's hope not.
A musical fantasy was at the center of another friend's dream. "In my most memorable dream, I'm the lead singer of the band Cameo. My two brothers play the guitar and the bass. In the dream it's nighttime, and we're playing a concert. We're wearing the long trenchcoats just like Cameo wore, and we sounded just like Cameo."
Maybe my friend will re-unite the group. But I doubt it.
I hope my wife's most memorable dream won't come true, because it is actually a nightmare. "It's a recurring dream I had when I was a kid," Jamie said. "In the dream, I'm just a baby and I'm alone inside a car. The car is parked in front of a house, and there are kitties on the porch. The kitties start to walk toward me and it makes me happy, but when they get closer I realize they're not kitties but wild cats, like mountain lions or bobcats. They jump on top of the car and they're trying to get me."
Jamie says she still thinks about that dream, and worries about what it might mean.
As I was leaving work for the day, I had taken pages of notes on people's dreams, but I knew none of them were coming true. I made one last effort and asked a guy who works near me on the widget floor. In the past he had talked to me about his grandfather, who passed away in 2006. My friend was very close to this man, and was devastated by his passing.
"Right after he died, I had a dream that my grandpa came to my wedding," my friend told me today. "He was there, watching me walk down the aisle. He was standing next to my grandma. And I was so happy."
The dream happened nearly five years ago, long before my friend became engaged. He's getting married this summer.
Buddy, your dream is coming true. Your grandpa will be there with you that day.
Some have suggested, quite raunchily (is that a word?), that perhaps today's fortune is referring to my wildest fantasy. But for once in my life, I've decided to take the high road. I'm going to interpret the phrase "your most memorable dream" as literally as possible by talking about actual dreams - the kind that happen inside your subconscious when you're asleep.
Sadly, I'm pretty damn certain my most memorable dream will not be coming true.
In my most memorable dream, I'm the Pope.
Not just for pretend, either, but the actual honest-to-god (pun intended) Pope. However, I don't live in the Vatican (rather, I still live in my house in Kansas City), I don't wear Pope clothing and I don't ride around in the Popemobile. I'm just a regular guy who happens to be the Pope.
The most vivid scene from the dream is when I visit a local fast food restaurant. I walk in and everybody is shocked that the Pope himself would visit the establishment. The customers part and I stride to the counter. To the awed employee I say, "Hi, I'm the Pope, I'll take a number four..." And I get the food for free because, you know, I'm the Pope.
And that's pretty much the whole dream. The funniest part is, I'm not Catholic.
I think it was influenced by a viewing of one of my favorite movies, King Ralph:
Since my dream probably won't come true (Catholics everywhere are hoping it won't, at least), I decided to look into the dreams of friends and co-workers. Maybe one of theirs will.
The first person I asked told me she often dreams that she's Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. Interesting, but probably not coming true.
Another friend said he had a dream that he was playing basketball in heaven. The dream actually sounds awesome: "The court was like a flower bed, but I could still dribble." But everybody knows people in heaven only play baseball. If you wanna shoot hoops, you have to head south - the deeeeep south.
Another friend's most memorable dream is hilarious and topical.
"I was at some sort of reunion," my friend said. "Charlie Sheen was there, too. He was hitting on me in front of my boyfriend, and my boyfriend didn't like it. Next thing I know, I met Charlie Sheen at his parents' house for an after-reunion barbecue, and he gave me a beautiful blue dress.
"Charlie tried to get on me... you know the Charlie way. And I ran away in my beautiful blue dress and tall heels. I was running so fast, I could feel the wind rushing by. Then I woke up."
While I was thinking, "Some weird stuff goes on at Martin Sheen's place," my friend added this gem: "It was obviously a dream because I can't even walk in tall heels."
Actually, that one sounds like it could really come true. Let's hope not.
A musical fantasy was at the center of another friend's dream. "In my most memorable dream, I'm the lead singer of the band Cameo. My two brothers play the guitar and the bass. In the dream it's nighttime, and we're playing a concert. We're wearing the long trenchcoats just like Cameo wore, and we sounded just like Cameo."
Is that freakin' Levar Burton? And don't get me started on the red jockstrap...
Maybe my friend will re-unite the group. But I doubt it.
I hope my wife's most memorable dream won't come true, because it is actually a nightmare. "It's a recurring dream I had when I was a kid," Jamie said. "In the dream, I'm just a baby and I'm alone inside a car. The car is parked in front of a house, and there are kitties on the porch. The kitties start to walk toward me and it makes me happy, but when they get closer I realize they're not kitties but wild cats, like mountain lions or bobcats. They jump on top of the car and they're trying to get me."
Jamie says she still thinks about that dream, and worries about what it might mean.
As I was leaving work for the day, I had taken pages of notes on people's dreams, but I knew none of them were coming true. I made one last effort and asked a guy who works near me on the widget floor. In the past he had talked to me about his grandfather, who passed away in 2006. My friend was very close to this man, and was devastated by his passing.
"Right after he died, I had a dream that my grandpa came to my wedding," my friend told me today. "He was there, watching me walk down the aisle. He was standing next to my grandma. And I was so happy."
The dream happened nearly five years ago, long before my friend became engaged. He's getting married this summer.
Buddy, your dream is coming true. Your grandpa will be there with you that day.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Today's fortune: March 2, 2011
Today's fortune: When the flowers bloom, so will great joy in your life.
And man, could I ever use it.
Today was rough. I mean, sandpaper-to-the-face rough. I-needed-a-beer-the-second-I-got-home rough. I-nearly-didn't-make-it-home-for-want-of-stopping-at-a-bar-on-the-way rough.
I didn't receive an overwhelming amount of new widgets today, but the ones I did work on were doozies.
Let me explain something about the job of a widget maker. Even though I am assigned anywhere between five and nine widgets every day on this production level, that doesn't mean I finish all of those widgets every day. In fact, most of them take several days to finish as we await widget parts to come in from the field. Some widgets do get finished in one day, but those are rare. On the other end of the spectrum, I have a few widgets I received in early February that I haven't finished yet.
So while I may have only received five or six new widgets today, in reality I'm in different stages of completion with nearly forty widgets.
The ones I spent the most time on today were extremely complicated, and they kicked my butt. I am wiped out after this day of work. And I may have hit the proverbial "wall" I hear people talking about around the office.
I was thinking about today's fortune, though, and its meaning. "When the flowers bloom," it says, "so will great joy in your life."
Spring begins officially in about two and a half weeks. Maybe that's what this fortune is referring to. By then, I'll have been bumped up to the next widget production level, and I'll be one step closer to full production.
Perhaps I'm going to find my groove by the first day of Spring. That would certainly bring me great joy.
'Cause I sure as hell didn't see any flowers blooming today.
That being said, there was one bright spot in my day. I finished my oldest widget, one that has been sitting in my inventory since my very first week on the widget floor back in January.
It was nice to put the last piece of the puzzle in place and close that sucker out.
So maybe the buds are beginning to bloom. It is nearly Spring, after all.
And man, could I ever use it.
Today was rough. I mean, sandpaper-to-the-face rough. I-needed-a-beer-the-second-I-got-home rough. I-nearly-didn't-make-it-home-for-want-of-stopping-at-a-bar-on-the-way rough.
I didn't receive an overwhelming amount of new widgets today, but the ones I did work on were doozies.
Let me explain something about the job of a widget maker. Even though I am assigned anywhere between five and nine widgets every day on this production level, that doesn't mean I finish all of those widgets every day. In fact, most of them take several days to finish as we await widget parts to come in from the field. Some widgets do get finished in one day, but those are rare. On the other end of the spectrum, I have a few widgets I received in early February that I haven't finished yet.
So while I may have only received five or six new widgets today, in reality I'm in different stages of completion with nearly forty widgets.
The ones I spent the most time on today were extremely complicated, and they kicked my butt. I am wiped out after this day of work. And I may have hit the proverbial "wall" I hear people talking about around the office.
I was thinking about today's fortune, though, and its meaning. "When the flowers bloom," it says, "so will great joy in your life."
Spring begins officially in about two and a half weeks. Maybe that's what this fortune is referring to. By then, I'll have been bumped up to the next widget production level, and I'll be one step closer to full production.
Perhaps I'm going to find my groove by the first day of Spring. That would certainly bring me great joy.
'Cause I sure as hell didn't see any flowers blooming today.
That being said, there was one bright spot in my day. I finished my oldest widget, one that has been sitting in my inventory since my very first week on the widget floor back in January.
It was nice to put the last piece of the puzzle in place and close that sucker out.
So maybe the buds are beginning to bloom. It is nearly Spring, after all.
Friday, February 18, 2011
VIDEO FORTUNE, part 2: February 18, 2011
Today's fortune: A friend will soon reveal an exciting secret to you!
The script:
Today’s fortune was “A friend will soon reveal an exciting secret to you!” As usual, I shamelessly asked for help. But it’s strange to ask somebody to tell you a secret. That goes against the code of the secret: they can be offered, but never requested.
I did it anyway, and most of my friends shared something small and ultimately not exciting. But I would be a bad friend if I revealed those here, so I’ll stick to generalities. One friend fessed up to enjoying an embarrassing TV show. Another admitted they were addicted to a certain type of candy. Yet another confessed to hating a popular wedding tradition.However, one friend revealed something much more deep and dark, something that pains them to this day. I was stunned by this person’s frankness, and I promised I would never tell a soul.
When somebody tells you a secret, they are giving you a piece of themselves, and they are welcoming you into a part of their lives not many get to see. That responsibility should never be taken lightly.
VIDEO FORTUNE! Day 49: February 18, 2011
Today's fortune: A friend will soon reveal an exciting secret to you!
Today's lucky numbers: 3 7 22 33 46 47
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Coming Friday: Video Fortune!
My Daily Fortune is entering the world of the... mid-20th century.
On Friday, Feb. 18, I'll be bringing you the site's first-ever Video Fortune.
Here's how it will work: on Friday morning I'll post a video of me opening the cookie and revealing the fortune and lucky numbers. Then Friday afternoon I'll post a second video where I'll talk about the fortune. I'll post the text, too, for those who read this site on a non-video-playing mobile device and those with a slow internet connection.
Thanks for reading, and don't forget to "tune in" on Friday!
On Friday, Feb. 18, I'll be bringing you the site's first-ever Video Fortune.
Here's how it will work: on Friday morning I'll post a video of me opening the cookie and revealing the fortune and lucky numbers. Then Friday afternoon I'll post a second video where I'll talk about the fortune. I'll post the text, too, for those who read this site on a non-video-playing mobile device and those with a slow internet connection.
Thanks for reading, and don't forget to "tune in" on Friday!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Today's fortune: January 12, 2011
Today's fortune: A short stranger will soon enter your life with blessings to share.
(Before I begin, I want to mention my friend Phil. He's been pestering me incessantly to be mentioned on the blog. I thought today's post was the appropriate place, since I'll be writing about short people.)
I now know what it feels like to be a very bad, very clumsy stalker.
While I was thinking about this unusual fortune today at work, I kept looking around the place for short co-workers. But the problem with co-workers is that even if I don't know them personally, they're not technically strangers.
Another problem I encountered is this: by nature, I'm fairly shy. I've never been one to go up and speak to random people. I wish I had that skill; those folks never seem lonely. My mother is able to do that. The running joke in the family is that Mom has never met a stranger. She'll talk to anybody. We kid her about it, but the truth of the matter is my mom has many, many friends, due in large part to her outgoing personality.
In the case of today's fortune, I found inspiration: a way to draw "blessings" from short strangers without actually having to talk to them.
After work, I drove to Half Price Books, my favorite store in the entire world. My plan was to find short people in the store and follow them to see what sections they visited and what items they purchased, and to see what blessings I could draw from their selections.
This is where the stalker skills come in to play.
Upon entering Half Price Books, though, I ran into a problem. It was almost as if a freaking basketball tournament was in town. I couldn't find a single short person.
Finally, I found a short guy. He wasn't that short, though, and as such I didn't draw many blessings from him. The gentleman had two books in his hand, one of them I couldn't identify and another a novel by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.
I've read Crime and Punishment, but I don't remember much of it. I'm sure there are a lot of "blessings" to draw from Dostoyevsky, but jeez, who has the time or the energy for that?
In the music section I found an even shorter fellow coasting through the used CDs. He was flipping through the S's, and at different times he examined albums by Steppenwolf, Rod Stewart and Styx. In one hand he was grasping a Fleetwood Mac CD, and I saw that he eventually purchased it.
All I know about Fleetwood Mac is that they sing "Landslide," Stevie Nicks is a member, and my wife loves them. That song, "Landslide," is pretty powerful, and it's been covered to death. I personally prefer the Smashing Pumpkins' version:
"Time makes you bolder / Children get older / I'm getting older too." There's a blessing to be had there, especially as I ponder the year in which I'll be turning 32.
As I stalked the Fleetwood Mac purchaser, I noticed that he had noticed me, so I quite covertly turned around and nearly slammed face-first into a shelf of audiobooks. The first book I saw was an abridgement of Twain's "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," read by Paul Newman. What a perfect combination. Newman is my all-time favorite actor (Hud, anybody?), and I was blessed by his work. I also feel a personal connection to Twain. Several years back I worked an internship at the Hannibal Courier-Post, a newspaper Twain worked for.
But two short guys did not seem like enough. Then I realized that in the back of the store, there's an entire section dedicated to the shortest people of all. I walked back to the kids' books and began to browse.
The first thing that drew my eye was in the young adult chapter books section. When I was a kid, I was crazy about the Hardy Boys - the original versions my Dad read to me, as well as the "Hardy Boys Casefiles" written in the '80s. I found the very first Hardy Boys Casefiles book, Dead on Target, and bought it. I'm looking forward to reading it again and rediscovering some blessed childhood memories.
Finally, I visited the picture books section. Immediately I searched for one of my all-time favorites: "Where The Wild Things Are."
This book is one powerful little blessing. If you haven't read it or seen the recent movie, "Wild Things" is about a little boy named Max who gets sent to his room by his mother for causing mischief. In his room, he creates a fantasy world filled with "wild things," and he's engrossed in this world for what seems "almost a year." But Max finally gets lonely and decides to journey back home, and the fantasy world turns back into his room.
Max finds his supper waiting for him. The last page of the book declares, "and it was still hot."
The blessing here is that no matter what, your mother will always love you.
I'm happy this strange fortune led me back to such a simple message.
(Before I begin, I want to mention my friend Phil. He's been pestering me incessantly to be mentioned on the blog. I thought today's post was the appropriate place, since I'll be writing about short people.)
I now know what it feels like to be a very bad, very clumsy stalker.
While I was thinking about this unusual fortune today at work, I kept looking around the place for short co-workers. But the problem with co-workers is that even if I don't know them personally, they're not technically strangers.
Another problem I encountered is this: by nature, I'm fairly shy. I've never been one to go up and speak to random people. I wish I had that skill; those folks never seem lonely. My mother is able to do that. The running joke in the family is that Mom has never met a stranger. She'll talk to anybody. We kid her about it, but the truth of the matter is my mom has many, many friends, due in large part to her outgoing personality.
In the case of today's fortune, I found inspiration: a way to draw "blessings" from short strangers without actually having to talk to them.
After work, I drove to Half Price Books, my favorite store in the entire world. My plan was to find short people in the store and follow them to see what sections they visited and what items they purchased, and to see what blessings I could draw from their selections.
This is where the stalker skills come in to play.
Upon entering Half Price Books, though, I ran into a problem. It was almost as if a freaking basketball tournament was in town. I couldn't find a single short person.
Finally, I found a short guy. He wasn't that short, though, and as such I didn't draw many blessings from him. The gentleman had two books in his hand, one of them I couldn't identify and another a novel by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.
I've read Crime and Punishment, but I don't remember much of it. I'm sure there are a lot of "blessings" to draw from Dostoyevsky, but jeez, who has the time or the energy for that?
In the music section I found an even shorter fellow coasting through the used CDs. He was flipping through the S's, and at different times he examined albums by Steppenwolf, Rod Stewart and Styx. In one hand he was grasping a Fleetwood Mac CD, and I saw that he eventually purchased it.
All I know about Fleetwood Mac is that they sing "Landslide," Stevie Nicks is a member, and my wife loves them. That song, "Landslide," is pretty powerful, and it's been covered to death. I personally prefer the Smashing Pumpkins' version:
"Time makes you bolder / Children get older / I'm getting older too." There's a blessing to be had there, especially as I ponder the year in which I'll be turning 32.
As I stalked the Fleetwood Mac purchaser, I noticed that he had noticed me, so I quite covertly turned around and nearly slammed face-first into a shelf of audiobooks. The first book I saw was an abridgement of Twain's "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," read by Paul Newman. What a perfect combination. Newman is my all-time favorite actor (Hud, anybody?), and I was blessed by his work. I also feel a personal connection to Twain. Several years back I worked an internship at the Hannibal Courier-Post, a newspaper Twain worked for.
But two short guys did not seem like enough. Then I realized that in the back of the store, there's an entire section dedicated to the shortest people of all. I walked back to the kids' books and began to browse.
The first thing that drew my eye was in the young adult chapter books section. When I was a kid, I was crazy about the Hardy Boys - the original versions my Dad read to me, as well as the "Hardy Boys Casefiles" written in the '80s. I found the very first Hardy Boys Casefiles book, Dead on Target, and bought it. I'm looking forward to reading it again and rediscovering some blessed childhood memories.
Finally, I visited the picture books section. Immediately I searched for one of my all-time favorites: "Where The Wild Things Are."
This book is one powerful little blessing. If you haven't read it or seen the recent movie, "Wild Things" is about a little boy named Max who gets sent to his room by his mother for causing mischief. In his room, he creates a fantasy world filled with "wild things," and he's engrossed in this world for what seems "almost a year." But Max finally gets lonely and decides to journey back home, and the fantasy world turns back into his room.
Max finds his supper waiting for him. The last page of the book declares, "and it was still hot."
The blessing here is that no matter what, your mother will always love you.
I'm happy this strange fortune led me back to such a simple message.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
VIDEO: Fox 4 News feature about My Daily Fortune!
For some reason I'm unable to embed the video, but here's the link to the Fox 4 website.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Today's fortune: January 3, 2011
Today's fortune: You would do well to work as a team in the coming week.
Okay, embarrassing confession time. There's a certain television program to which I am addicted. It's not appointment TV for me, but whenever I come across the show, I have to stop and watch.
The show is Wonder Pets.
I'm not five years old, and I don't have a child, so there's no logic behind my affection for the show. Jamie would probably say I have a five-year-old sense of humor, which is probably true. But there's something about Linny, Tuck and Ming-Ming too, and whenever I see those cute little Wonder Pets on TV, I'm hooked.
The whole premise of the show is that you can accomplish more as a team than you ever can as an individual. Their most famous expression is, "What's gonna work? TEAMWORK!"
Jamie and I have taken to chanting this around the house, especially when we're both working together on chores or cooking dinner. I know... it's stupid. But, well, there it is. We do it anyway.
I only mention the Wonder Pets because in most ways I think their slogan is true: teamwork, in whatever form, is always the best way to get things done.
The irony of today's fortune is that just today I got out of a teamwork situation and into an individual performance role. At work, I'm nearing the end of a seven-week training session, which has been mostly a classroom setting. As a class, we all worked together to solve problems. Today, we started working individually (which more closely reflects the job). For me, and I think for others in the class, the experience has been a bit jarring. We don't have each other to lean on any more. We're all alone. And it's a little scary.
Teams provide a security blanket. And when a team suddenly disappears, that blanket is yanked away.
We're all going to have to learn how to fend for ourselves now, and in a way that's good. Stronger individuals make up better teams. And if we can swim as individuals, any teams we're on in the future are that much less likely to sink.
Let's talk details: the fortune states that "You would do well to work as a team in the coming week."
Timewise, fortunes don't get much more specific than that.
What other team situations are going to present themselves to me this week? It's difficult to foresee anything coming down the road. But here's something: my wife and I work as a team every day. We complete one another. We finish each other's sentences. I'm generally lost and confused when she's not around. In the coming week, I need to focus on that, and find ways to make our husband-wife team function even more efficiently.
Also, there's this: at my place of employment, there are tons of opportunities to get involved with teams on an extracurricular basis. They have clubs of all kinds, sporting activities and other get-togethers. When I finally leave training in a couple weeks, I'll be on a team with six or seven people. And the managers at my work always refer to the employees as a family. "Family," in a corporate setting at least, is just a softer word for "team."
As Ming-Ming would say, this is sewious. And I'm going to take it sewiously.
Vewy sewiously.
Okay, embarrassing confession time. There's a certain television program to which I am addicted. It's not appointment TV for me, but whenever I come across the show, I have to stop and watch.
The show is Wonder Pets.
I'm not five years old, and I don't have a child, so there's no logic behind my affection for the show. Jamie would probably say I have a five-year-old sense of humor, which is probably true. But there's something about Linny, Tuck and Ming-Ming too, and whenever I see those cute little Wonder Pets on TV, I'm hooked.
The whole premise of the show is that you can accomplish more as a team than you ever can as an individual. Their most famous expression is, "What's gonna work? TEAMWORK!"
Jamie and I have taken to chanting this around the house, especially when we're both working together on chores or cooking dinner. I know... it's stupid. But, well, there it is. We do it anyway.
I only mention the Wonder Pets because in most ways I think their slogan is true: teamwork, in whatever form, is always the best way to get things done.
The irony of today's fortune is that just today I got out of a teamwork situation and into an individual performance role. At work, I'm nearing the end of a seven-week training session, which has been mostly a classroom setting. As a class, we all worked together to solve problems. Today, we started working individually (which more closely reflects the job). For me, and I think for others in the class, the experience has been a bit jarring. We don't have each other to lean on any more. We're all alone. And it's a little scary.
Teams provide a security blanket. And when a team suddenly disappears, that blanket is yanked away.
We're all going to have to learn how to fend for ourselves now, and in a way that's good. Stronger individuals make up better teams. And if we can swim as individuals, any teams we're on in the future are that much less likely to sink.
Let's talk details: the fortune states that "You would do well to work as a team in the coming week."
Timewise, fortunes don't get much more specific than that.
What other team situations are going to present themselves to me this week? It's difficult to foresee anything coming down the road. But here's something: my wife and I work as a team every day. We complete one another. We finish each other's sentences. I'm generally lost and confused when she's not around. In the coming week, I need to focus on that, and find ways to make our husband-wife team function even more efficiently.
Also, there's this: at my place of employment, there are tons of opportunities to get involved with teams on an extracurricular basis. They have clubs of all kinds, sporting activities and other get-togethers. When I finally leave training in a couple weeks, I'll be on a team with six or seven people. And the managers at my work always refer to the employees as a family. "Family," in a corporate setting at least, is just a softer word for "team."
As Ming-Ming would say, this is sewious. And I'm going to take it sewiously.
Vewy sewiously.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
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