Random thoughts and whatever else... from the Pacific Northwest.
An eclectic mash up with a little whimsy thrown in for good measure...
René Fabre, New Media Marketing
© ARFCO MEDIA an Audiorium Enterprise...
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Wishing you all a great St. Paddy’s Day…
These things I warmly wish to you-
Someone to love
Some work to do
A bit o’ sun
A bit o’ cheer
And a guardian angel always near.
Irish Blessings and Sayings, author unknown.
1 year agoThursday, March 10, 2011… Heading home from work this afternoon the windstorm we’ve been hearing about is finally hitting Seattle. Stuff is blowing sideways all over the place and you can see the wind bucking cars back and forth. I got home a few minutes after 6:00 pm and looked off my deck to the west.
The clouds were rolling by very fast. I could see 3 layers blowing in different directions. The photos don’t capture the drama that was taking place, but I was able to get a few shots that show some of the amazing colors. I love the way the sunlight plays off the clouds.
I was very glad I wasn’t flying… I watched a couple of planes that took off from Boeing Airfield in Seattle flying south into the wind over Renton. One appeared to be standing still for the longest time. Finally it turned to the left and went with the wind to the north.
Click any slide and it will take you to my Picasa Album for full size.
1 year agoLast weekend I got to be “Mr. Domestic” as I like to put it. Everyday the week before was about major events. Network meetings, conference calls, a sales meeting, the Northwest Video Summit, RE Barcamp, and we ended the week with Mike Mueller doing a couple of great Facebook Business Page workshops…
I did a little work on Saturday, but realistically that distinction blurs more and more. “What is working and when am I not working?” Anyway, the weekend was at my pace. Laundry, house cleaning, grocery shopping, a little leisurely home cooking. Having some down time was exactly what I needed.
During the events I was introduced to a bunch of new websites and apps and I just had to go check them all out. For each, of course, I had to go through the obligatory create your free account routine. Which got me to thinking…
René Fabre “Really, I wasn’t kidding!”
“When was it that I stopped reading the 1000+ words of legalese?”
I surmised my conditioning began back in the 80’s with furniture imports from Asia. Remember those exploded view pictures with cryptic English directions that would take 2 NCIS decoder specialists with a super computer days to dis-cipher? I was never capable of putting any of that furniture together without having to disassemble it at least twice.
I’m thinking the real shift in the “just click and move forward” way of life began with Microsoft. They pioneered it. I’ve never had to agree to more stuff that I couldn’t read nor understand just to use something I purchased with the exception of real estate.
Today, in our 21st Century mindset of most everything is FREE online, those agreement preambles have been taken to new heights never before imagined. Truly the art of numbing our minds with unintelligible boilerplate blandness to trigger our psychological surrender has been mastered. Your eyes scan over the words, paragraph after paragraph, and find no place to land. There’s nothing in bold nor bullets to grab our attention.
Yet at the end of it all… that little empty box just sits there all by itself, waiting for your click. It’s the only thing standing between you and a divine moment fulfilled.
“You want it?” Of course I do. “Then just check the box and it’s yours.”
Okay…
I missed this one. We had a closing last Wednesday (March 2, 2011) just as I was leaving for the Northwest Video Summit with Frank & Brian of Think Big Work Small. A young couple was closing the purchase of their new home and had their 5 year old with them. He was a really cute, intelligent, and well mannered young man.
I had a lot on my mind. Last week was super busy with the TBWS video summit, RE Barcamp Seattle 2011 (March 3), and Mike Mueller stayed in town to give 2 workshops for The Talon Group clients on Facebook Pages (March 4). What an amazing week and everyday was super action packed! (More about that in the next post.)
As I was scrambling to leave the office I could hear the initial beginnings of the closing and made a mental note to myself, ‘what a lovely family’, then off I went. I was out of the office for the rest of the week and it was just today I witnessed the gift that was left behind for all of us to enjoy.
I love making the white board available to kids. Their pictures tell so many stories.
What touches me is the happiness I see in this picture. How precious and note the smiles. Is that a rainbow, a gateway, or a bridge I see over the top star? There’s only one frown. I wondered if it was from the artist? There’s nothing like a closing to try a child’s patience, let alone his parents. I often wonder, “There’s got to be a way in these so called modern times that this could be way more simple and straight forward.”
Supposedly we are an advanced civilization leading the world into the 21st Century, yet we seem to go out of our way to make life a total complicated pain in the you know what. I mean the mind numbing humongous reams of boiler plate paperwork you need to sign your life away with (that would take you days to read and interpret) to make it happen, and all the city, county, state, and federal regulations that come with it. We didn’t invent that, escrow that is. We’re the unbiased 3rd party taking instructions.
To the child I hope it will be a happy home, full of love, play, dreams, and imagination. I hope he never has to worry about its market value or that it’s now a commodity, or worth less than the mortgage his parents committed themselves to every month for years to come.
Kids should never have to worry about all this crap us adults do. They should have a life as a kid and be able to grow up and go into the world with the sweet memories of HOME. Lord knows they’re gonna need it.
As a kid growing up I was blessed. Like any family we had good, not so good, and a few bad times. But I never worried about the value of our home and neither did my mom and dad. It wasn’t about that. It was what it was, our HOME and where we lived. I could always go to my room, my sanctuary. We didn’t think much about those that had a whole lot more. We were way too busy living our lives, being kids, and doing our thing.
Just sayin’…
1 year agoAs the old saying goes, March, in like a lion, out like a lamb. I’m thinking that might qualify this year. I’m looking forward to the lamb as the month goes by.
I know this is only the evening of the 2nd day and already I’ve seen sun, wind, rain, hail, and snow. I love the kaleidoscope of it all. It’s moody and bursting with energy at times. The air smells so fresh and invigorating.
Although I just washed my truck yesterday and it already looks like I’ve run a few creek beds, a swamp, and went off road on some old logging roads!
These pics are from my Eastlake office today. The weather oscillated all afternoon from sunny with blue skies, then the wind would pick up, dark clouds would roll in, and the rain would pound on the windows. All to brighten up again and repeat the pattern.
But to think we’re heading this month into Spring… St Patricks Day, and daylight savings time. Even as a NW native with no weather agenda, I’m ready!
1 year agoI was heading up Interstate 5 into Seattle late Friday afternoon, February 25th, 2011… when this car passed me an turned in front of me into my lane. That’s over 12 inches of snow on top! I’m not sure where they came from, but the car had Washington plates.
I was a little nervous if he hit a bump or the brakes… that has to be near 100 pounds of snow!
The Blackberry Chronicles
© ARFCO MEDIA 2011
We’re having some dramatic weather in Seattle today. I noticed the light change coming through the office windows and looked out to see this squall moving north over the lake. I was surprised when I looked at the photo that it appears to be in black and white. It was taken in color yet the low clouds and shadows have muted everything. Can you see the Space Needle hiding in the mist?
Lightning and thunder erupted as this little storm front ran into Capitol Hill just behind me.
The Blackberry Chronicles
ARFCO Media ©2011
