NezSez

Indiana Jones

Next to the original Star Wars Trilogy, Indiana Jones is probably my next all-time favorite movie franchise.

Whether or not the latest incarnation will be worthy of the original trilogy remains to be seen — I hope so.

Childhood memories

I remember being a teen, and watching The Last Crusade on the big screen. It was probably my first movie where I vivid recalled each and every scene afterwards, and this was only seeing it for one time.

Mind you this was first time I sat in a stadium-seating type of theater, with THX sound, etc., etc. so I think the whole experience simply blew me away.

Up till The Last Crusade, I was either too young and/or too poor to really go out watch movies on a regular basis, or to even appreciate the experience when I did. (I stayed home and played legos).

Inspiration

I know that Indiana Jones creator Geogry Lucas was inspired by the old serials of the 30’s and 40’s, and I’m glad that his creation serves as my own childhood serial

Key Points of Appeal

Here’s what appealed (and appeals) to me about these films:

• Good versus Evil - we get a clear delineation of good versus evil. Indy is good, and he’s always battling the bad guys. You can’t get more simple than that.
• Heroism - Indy normally tries to do the right thing. His sense of fairness and justice is usually right on the mark. He’s not the biggest bruiser out there, but he stands up for his beliefs and doesn’t normally back down from a fight. He’s also smart, and of course, has a bit of (movie magic) luck.
• Romance - there’s a romance to the series, and I’m referring to more than the onscreen flings that Indy might have. I’m referring to it being set in the period right as technology is beginning to come into its own. Today we have “steampunk” fiction, which is set in the Victorian or late-Victorian era: steam-power, the first “scientific fiction”, etc. Indiana Jones, being set in the 30’s and 40’s (at least with the first trilogy) allows us to experience the raw power of then-new technology, with no worries of environment/ecological impact and such
• Enjoying the Journey - sure each film has it’s underlying goal — the “MacGuffin”, as it were. But seriously, who didn’t enjoy the chase scenes, the (campy) Batman-styled fights, and exotic locales. (Speaking of locales, this is how I envision Casablanca would have looked like if it had been shot in color.) In the end, the Indy movies are a bunch of great roller coasters that we love to get on over and over again.
• Music - kudos to John Williams for composing yet another memorable theme — how many has he done? The rousing Raiders March — heroic, uplifting, epic — will live on in popular culture for a long time to come, to be recalled as easily as some of the other great themes — The Pink Panther, James Bond — or William’s own Star Wars or Jaws.
• Happy ending - all(?) of the films have a happy ending, at least of sorts. Things are resolved — Indy has saved the day (or the world). What more can we ask for? This is actually known as the Classic Hollywood ending where boy gets girl, and they live happily ever after. Of course, it’s been awhile since I’ve seen the original trilogy, but I do remember feelings of satisfaction from watching. That’s certainly not something I can say with the majority of movies out there.

In the end, I think it was every boy’s dream to grow up to be like Indiana. I still remember wanting a fedora for the longest time.

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With apologies to Jackie DeShannon and Burt Bacharach

What the world needs more of are hugs, big hugs
For the smallest tots to the largest of lugs
What the world needs more of are hugs, big hugs,
For friends and “enemies”, and even your pugs.

First off, they’re free and they’re effortless
And they’re warm, and they’re comforting, too
They show compassion, forgiveness and friendliness
And openness, it’s love through and through

What the world needs more of are hugs, huge hugs
It’s the social thing that we often don’t do
What the world needs more of are hugs, sweet hugs,
For everyone from here to Timbuktu

Please don’t let your egos get in the way
As we work to-gether face to face
On the issues that affect all our days
After all, we’re all part of the human race

What the world needs now is love, sweet love
Expressed so simply as the act of hugs
What the world needs now is love, sweet love,
No, not just for some but for everyone.

No, not just for some, oh, but just for everyone

I’ve always liked the original lyrics, but it’s pretty abstract. Hugs are more tangible.

Have you hugged someone lately?

“A Jack of All Trades, Master of None”

Have you ever heard that described of anyone?

Often, the connotation is negative, implying that the person is not worthy of praise, someone who is too undisciplined, scatterbrained or worse.

I beg to differ.

I consider myself well-versed in a variety of skills: writing, web design, illustration, graphic design, photography and videography.

And I like it.

However, I have learned that earning an actual living required me to focus on one vocation — guess which.

Everything else, however, still come into play in today’s world: website, marketing materials, blog, etc.

And for those of us running our own small business, we wear even more hats: owner, receptionist, secretary, accountant, advertising firm, salesperson, customer service, clerk, shipper, oh, and our actual profession.

That is, until we can (or decide to) find (or afford) a way to outsource — maybe hire an “office manager”, someone who will wear almost as many hats as we originally did.

Even blogging requires a variety of skills: content-writing, design, SEO, social (media) savviness, etc.

For me, being a versatilitist allows me to:

• continue learning - just as I’ve had to learn the different nuances to blogging, it’s the same with my own business, as I learn about marketing, workflow, and plan for the future.
• quash boredom - I often tell my older son, do you want to be a garbage man, someone who drives a truck around all day, along the same routes, emptying cans, every day, for years and years (apologies to all the sanitation engineers out there). I couldn’t do it, even if the pay and benefits are great (according to an episode of Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe).
• be self-reliant - I am quite happy not to have a boss to answer to (in the traditional sense, as all my clients are mini-bosses).
• control my own destiny - I’m not beholden to any one (except my family). Vacation? Okay, let’s plan for it. More time for the kids? So be it. More personal reading instead of blogging? Yes. And It’s only recently that I’ve taken that step — that I should be versatile in balancing my work and personal lives.

How about you? Are you versatile?

A few months ago I wrote about the Simple Pleasures in my life. Here’s a follow up post with 5 more:

1. Sleeping in late - this is especially high on my list, as being self-employed and with two kids, my days are often long, and I work on weekends, too. So the occasional morning of sleeping in is really welcomed. After a couple of intense days, there’s nothing like stretching out early in the morning, look lovingly at one’s partner still in deep slumber, and deciding to catch a few more winks. Next thing you know, it’s 10:30 AM.
2. An afternoon nap - almost a corollary to #1: I’m often up late working, or I have to wake up early to get in yet more work. Sometimes, before I pick up the kids, or perhaps during the time they do their after school homework, I sneak in a nap. Oh, so delicious! The bedroom faces towards the west, so we usually get the warm sunshine streaming in, and a short 15-20 minute nap really does wonders.
3. Beach revisited - we’re having terrific weather, and yesterday we took the kids out to the beach as a reward for having a great week at school. Being there reminded me of my earlier post, and now I could expand on it. Lying down on the warm sand, with the light ocean breezes sweeping over you is quite nice. Also nice, ironically, is rolling up your pants and getting into the freezing cold water. We were playing “tag” with the ocean, and got totally caught up in it — not to also mention the older kid got totally soaked from falling into the water!
4. Riding a bike - I’m not a runner or jogger because my knees complain afterwards, and to me it seems like it’s a lot of work to not get very far very fast. However, riding a bike is different. It can be more leisurely when you want, but also an intense work-out when you want. Plus, you cover more ground. The clickety-click of the gear system, scenery rolling by (Golden Gate Park, especially), all makes for an experience to relax the mind.
5. Listening to the kids - Their mom and I often enjoy listening to their conversations, which are often humorous and “cute” because kids say the funniest things (without meaning to be funny, usually). When that happens we just look at each other and smile — much more preferable to scolding them for something bad that they did.

Have a great weekend!

When I spoke of the 7 things I’m teaching my kids, one was keeping a positive attitude.

I thought I’d expand on that a bit.

1. All things equal, positive attitude wins out - if you had to choose between two job candidates, both with the same credentials, same skillset, and such, but one has the cheery, genuine I-want-to-know-you kind of smile, whom would you select?
2. All things UNequal, positive attitude wins out - or how about if one candidate is quite a bit more qualified than the other candidate, but the other is more personable, and you can tell she would work well within the team, whom would you choose? Along those lines, I tell my son that we may not be the tallest, fastest, strongest, best-looking, smartest, wittiest person — although we can certainly strive towards excellence — but how far we can get in life can depend a lot on a positive attitude.
3. Positive Attitudes Helps You Overcome Setbacks - one of the most upsetting things the older brother does is to have fits over minor setbacks, such as forgetting to write a word in an alphabetizing exercise and needing to start over. I tell him with a bad attitude that puts you in a sulky mood, unwilling to go further, how will the work get done.0
4. Positive Attitude invites compassion - I tell my son that if he has a good attitude, when he is stuck at something, I am more than happy to help, even if it’s an “easy” question (up to a point). However, I tell him, a bad attitude from him puts me in a bad mood also, and then I’m just not that open to helping.
5. Positive Attitude is Charisma - I touched on this in my D&D post, but we’ve heard the saying, “It’s not what you know, but who you know”, really refers to our charisma. Of course, we need to know something, have some skill or expertise, but charisma is what gains another person’s trust — meaning a customer or client, or employment, or cutting through some red tape, etc. Having a positive attitude is really an important component to having a strong charisma.

It’s not easy raising two rambunctious little boys, and I must admit, I sometimes lose patience with them — that’s when I take my own time-out and go read in my bedroom while their mom takes over.

But I’m hoping that constant drilling and reminders now will help them tremendously when they’re older.

During this time of year, sports fans are usually glued to their TV’s to watch the NCAA basketball championship tourney — also called March Madness. And basically right after that comes the professional NBA Playoffs. It’s the best time to be a basketball fan.

And while I’m pleased that our local professional team (the Golden State Warriors) is in the hunt for a playoff spot, I’m writing this to talk about dealing with pressure situations, in which during this time there will be plenty.

Clutch Performers

For athletes, we often praise the ones who are “clutch”, who, with the game on the line, are able to score the winning basket from the field, be it a lay-up against the “trees” clogging the lanes to the basket, a long-ranged jump shot over the outstretched arms of two defenders, or the successful free throws amidst the howling and hooting of thousands upon thousands of rabid fans, all with only seconds left on the game clock.

Real Life Pressure Situations

But for the rest of us mere mortals, let me ask you have you ever:

• Put in an all-nighter for a term paper, and wound up getting an A?
• Made a presentation in front of investors, and aced all the hard questions, landing the big contract?
• Received the proverbial client’s curve ball — something you never expected — but kept your cool and proceeded (and succeeded) as if you expected it all along?

Those are all pressure situations where the expectation to perform and deliver is high — and it feels GREAT when you do.

People often get paid big bucks for that kind of performance, and deservedly so.

Reason for Failure

However, many people do buckle under the stress.

And the stress comes from getting into a state of mind where uncertainty, doubt and/or fear reigns:

• What if I mess up?
• I’m not prepared!!
• What’s the next step?

These and any number of other questions and thoughts run through the mind, and the subsequent failure to perform is often summarized as paralysis by analysis.

Qualities of Clutch Performers

Clutch performers, on the other hand, have these qualities:

• Confidence from Practice - no one is born perfect, and neither does intense practice make one perfect, despite the popular saying. However, what practice DOES do is train your muscles, honing their “muscle memory”, and perfect practice instills the confidence to perform perfectly, so when the time comes, the person who has practiced a lot appears to perform effortlessly. When you know you’ve done it (successfully) before (in practice), you can be confident you’ll do it again (in real game situations). That’s the reason why Michael Jordan, Jerry Rice, Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly were notorious for their intense practices/rehearsals.
• Being Prepared - basically, this is the same as confidence from practice, but it bears explaining that the best performers are always prepared. For the job seeker, it’s as simple as doing the basic research of a company at which you want to work. For the self-employed, it’s keeping apprised of what the competition in your market is doing. For the lone woman traveling at night, it’s being aware of your surroundings. Preparation also comes from real practical experience — both successes and failures. Everything you do (or choose to do) prepares you for new challenges.
• Stay in the moment and let the chips fall where they may - the confidence from practice and preparation also allows the clutch performer to stay focused in the present, allowing their minds or bodies to perform without distraction. Sometimes we hear of athletes getting into “the zone”, in which the action seems to be flowing in slow motion. My theory is that when someone is in “the zone”, that person’s mind must be operating at peak efficiency and thus is able to process all the incoming sensory stimuli, making necessary calculations, adjustments, recollections and reactions at lightning speed. The effect would seem like the outside world has suddenly slowed down.
• Know that failures are inevitable, but see them as minor setbacks on the road to their goal(s) - Michael Jordan did not always make the game-winning shot, but that never stopped him from continuously honing his game, working on eliminating his weaknesses, and maintaining confidence in himself. His sheer force of will would not allow wallowing in defeat. Clutch performers know that failure does not mean the end of the world, and in doing so, is able to move on after the occasional lapses. That awareness and acceptance also allow them to stay in the moment, and drives them to persevere.

How about you? Got any tips or stories on dealing with pressure situations?

photo credit: *tom*

Blogging everyday
Reading, writing, commenting
A lot of hard work

photo credit: quas

A couple of years ago, a friend bought one of my kids a toy bowling set. They took to it immediately and played and played with it. However, it wasn’t long before we noticed cracks developing in some of the pins.

Sure enough, at one point, one of the pins broke into several pieces after a particularly “intense” frame. I could only surmise that cheap, brittle plastic was used in the set’s construction. No doubt the toy was bought at one of those “5 and dime” stores (inflation has turned them into dollar stores).

Looking for Bargains

I’m not against being frugal — it used to be that I was always on the look-out for bargains. But, especially after that experience, and being self-employed for the last few years, I am more acutely aware that there is a lot behind the final product or service we see in ads or stores.

To Get Products to the Stores

Now, whenever I see a product — whether it’s a toy, or a piece of furniture, or even a car — I also see it as something that has undergone a production and distribution cycle that include things like conceptualization, resource acquisition, creation, distribution, marketing and customer service. (I apply the same evaluation for services: painting, roofing, landscaping, etc.)

Costs are Incurred at Every Step

I then think about the price in terms of the wholesale costs for each of these steps:

• conceptualization - paying designers, engineers, inventors, research and development, etc.
• resource acquisition - paying for, and growing and harvesting raw materials, digging them out of the ground, refinining etc.
• creation - the actual process of construction, through labor and/or machines, all of which must be paid for
• distribution - packaging, shipping, trucking, etc.
• customer service - retail services, warranties, repairs and replacements, etc.
• support infrastructure - all the buildings, administrative staff, insurance, etc., needed to run each of the above “components”

Economies of Scale

I also take into account whether the item is mass produced, or whether the service is provided by a local small business — since materials or services do not come cheap on a single unit basis — in order to see if product is (seemingly) affordable, or worth what is being charged.

When a Bargain is Not Really a Bargain

However, when I see a product that is too cheap, then I have to assume one or more of the following must be true:

1. Outsourced manufacturing - The product is produced overseas, where wages are much lower, and worker treatment may be substandard or abusive, such as sweat shops
2. Remainders - the product is being dumped, sold at a loss because it couldn’t be sold otherwise. No one really wants it because it’s a piece of junk
3. Product Sold at a Loss - a strategy to gain market share, stifle competition, etc., like what Microsoft is doing with the Xbox 360
4. Short-sighted Management - product is manufactured with profit as the only motive — people and resources are unduly exploited for short term gain, perhaps a disregard for health and environment, etc.
5. Product is made of shoddy material, or with materials that might be unsafe - lower grade ore, cheaper plastics carcinogenic paints, leaded materials, less robust circuits, etc.
6. Product is unreliable - poorly designed components, mediorcre workmanship, and such can result in an inferior product like a cheap PC, or a car that’s a “lemon”

If it’s a service, then I have to consider whether or not the person offering the service is executing sound business practices. If the price is too low, he or she may be subsidizing the service with income from a full-time job. If there is no other job, then I would wonder whether this particular small business will be around in a year or two.

Cheapest May Not be the Best Option

So as you can see, sometimes purchasing a product or service based on the cheapest price will not turn out all that beneficial.

The product may be unsafe or it may break sooner than later — such that you need to junk it, contributing to our landfills, and need to go out and buy a replacement. Or returning it or getting it serviced may be more trouble than it’s worth due to poor customer service.

The service may turn out to be a one-time thing, with little or no recourse if you are unsatisfied.

A lot of times, we don’t think or even consider any of these things — we’re happy to simply buy, buy, buy.

photo credit: *tdl*

Have you ever:

• Shared a joke with friends?
• At a game, gave a high five to a complete stranger next to you after your team has just made a tough score?
• Chatted with a coworker about a TV show at the water cooler?

What do these three actions have in common?

They satisfy a need to belong.

The Instinct to Belong

I’m sure the development of this need harkens back to the days of the caveman — banding together was the prudent way for early man (and woman) to survive encounters with woolly mammoths, saber-toothed tigers and the like (oh, my!) — those who didn’t, did not survive, and so the instinct was passed on.

Today, however, with those dangers extinct, we find other reasons to bond together. In the end, after food and water, and perhaps shelter, that next need is the need to feel a part of a group, whether it’s a life-partner in the form of a husband or wife, or something beyond a simple pairing.

Benefits of a Group

Indeed, there many benefits to being in a group

• Teamwork - working together can overcome many weaknesses
• Social skills - being successful usually means developing social skills
• Respect for others - the best teams usually have members who respect one another
• Support from others and camaraderie within the group - when one member is down, the others can pick him or her up
• Getting things Done fast - such as in an assembly line
• Brainstorming ideas in a meeting
• Strength in numbers
• Specialists are able to be developed or recruited, since other aspects are handled by others in the group, etc.

In fact, achievements such as building the Golden Gate Bridge or Hoover Dam is only possible through the power of a group. The strongest nations, the strongest corporations, are all groups.

Being in The In Crowd

It’s more than a great Ramsey Lewis composition, the “in” crowd is what makes us feel happy when we belong to one, and certainly makes us feel bad when we don’t — whether it’s a discussion on the latest episode of Heroes, or joining the after-work soccer team, the good feeling we get from being part of something is usually ingrained in all of us from the time we’re born, with things like:

• Being held in mommy’s bosom, where it was always warm and safe
• Cuddling with a parent as a toddler
• Playing in small groups in preschool

And then leading on to:

• School clubs
• Spelling bees
• Kick ball teams
• Birthday parties
• Sleepovers
• Music class
• Little league

Then we hear conversations like:

• “Oh, my kid got into the GIFTED program.”
• “My daughter’s teacher is Ms. Smith — teacher of the year.”
• “My son got into Harvard.”
• “My daughter got a full scholarship.”

These are all everyday conversations we might hear, but they all seem to point to one thing.

A Sense of Competition, and OneUpmanship

In our society, we are taught to (try to) thrive on competition. That push to be better than the other guy or gal is oftentimes a great motivator, and many individuals excel. As a person develops their skills, he or she may find him or herself:

• on a team, or even an “elite” team
• in a fraternity or sorority
• in a club
• joining a political party
• becoming part of the workforce, for a company, or starting his or her own
• at a company, become part of a department
• joining a union, and so on.

The Dangers of a Group

As we can see, society inevitably puts us into a group. And while we’ve seen the benefits of being in a group, there are also many dangers. Those dangers also begin early in our lives.

For instance, in school, we get the “bad apples” who are immediately grouped by being sent to detention. “Loners” may be shunned by the rest of the students for being “strange” or “radical”.

At work, sometimes the employees (”us”) versus customers (”them”) will result in poor customer service — ever get the “that’s not my department” line from an employee? Or a certain department (HR or Accounting or middle management) will eliminate members of the “regular” employees.

However, the true dangers come from exploitation of individuals in the name of the group, simply because the need to belong is so strong:

• Gangs - the need to belong is strong enough to entice some young people to join a gang, where terms like “family”, “brother” or “sister” are often used. Actions are executed in the name of the gang — “initiation” rites, such as robbing someone “outside” the family, turf wars, and worse — done to elicit praise from the leader(s), to get that love that is perhaps missing from their own (broken?) homes or parents that are too “busy” or uncaring, or to have a purpose
• Fanatic groups - think of the extreme right, groups led by zealous fanatics who use their charisma to gather a devoted following, oftentimes pitting them against the rest of society or other groups deemed unworthy, promising deliverance for successful execution of their agendas
• Religion - Religion is supposed to based on teachings of their founders (Christ, Buddha, Mohammed, etc.), and these teachings are taught by those who know “the truth” — the religious leaders — and so they form the group at the top, a group that has great power. But, some of these groups inevitably abuse that power and become corrupted. For all the good that is done, there are also great harm done in the name of religion. Think the Spanish Inquisition, the Crusades, and so-called “Holy” wars
• Politics - the “us versus them” card is often played here as well, resulting in impasses on policies at home, questionable campaign contributions that can sway decisions one way or another. Groups can cause civil unrests and other disturbances. Special interests are groups as well, and have sometimes been linked to conflicts and wars abroad. There are many examples today, but easy historical examples include Hitler and the Nazis, the plight of Native Americans, global Colonialism, Yellow Journalism, etc.

Suppression of Individual Thought and Critical Thinking

It’s easy to see how the group can be exploited by its leaders. Through the use of peer pressure, fear (of being cast out, or even losing his or her life), or simply the promise of love, individual thought and critical thinking can easily be suppressed, forgotten, or simply abandoned.

This can lead to the Lemming effect, where individuals simply go along with the group, not really knowing, or caring, in what direction they’re headed — mob think.

But I think a lot has to the do with the ones who lead the groups. Be it a gang, political, religious, corporate, whatever, leaders of groups have great power. And sometimes decisions are made not in the best interest of the group, but rather in the best interest of the leaders (e.g. to preserve their power and status).

Group is Great But One Still Has to Think

In the end, I think it’s important to be aware of the grouping phenomenon/instinct. Unless one is a total hermit, becoming part of a group is inevitable.

One still should practice critical thinking, especially when the direction we’re headed is not ideal, and voice his or her concerns, or simply leave the group.

One still needs to tell the Emperor he has no clothes.

The Group to Which We All Belong

Ultimately, we should remember that, whether we want to or not, from the moment we are born, we already belong to one group.

The human race.

I love bread, and I’m often amazed by it.

Think about it. Someone figured out that it was a great idea to mix crushed grain with water into a dough and cook it over a fire to create the first bread.

Later on, through accident or design, leavening agents (such as yeast) allowed for the dough to rise, creating the “modern” bread.

When I’m totally starving, I can devour an entire sourdough baguette. Plain.

Bread is, simply said, another of life’s simple pleasures.

Bread Appeals to all the Senses

• Sight - have you ever looked at breads? I’m not talking about the factory-made, store bought “clones” like Wonderbread, but rather the artisan, hand-made breads, where each individual loaf has a crust that’s unique unto itself, almost like a fingerprint, but similar to the other members of its “breadthen”. Some breads are “lacerated” prior to baking, resulting in crust with character — hills and valleys, nooks and crannies. The texture continues inside each loaf, in the “crumb”, where leavened breads exhibit air pockets, some fine and uniform, others randomly sized, almost swiss cheese-like. The natural colors of bread are all warm, earth tones. A bread loaf is such a simple looking thing from afar, but really a feast for the eyes seen up close.
• Smell - one of the best smells on earth is the smell of freshly-baked loaves of bread, just brought out of the oven. There’s something so rejuvenating about that smell, and being exposed to fresh bread simply flips my gastronomic dial to “hungry”.
• Touch - with fresh bread, one does not need to even slice it — tearing off a large chunk works just fine. The crust breaks apart, and the interior stretches, releasing steam into the air. The aroma is especially strong then.
• Taste - and who can resist simply munching down on a piece of freshly baked bread, no spreads, no condiments needed. Yum! Of course, after a few hours, when cooled, the bread invites one to ply its surface with a favorite spread or jam, or perhaps to turn it into a toast of some sort — say, garlic bread!
• Hearing - and when we’re greedily devouring our favorite breads, we also experience the crackle of new bread being broken, or the crunch of perfectly toasted garlic bread, and of course the rumblings of the stomaches of everyone careless enough to see you savoring.

Anyone hungry yet?

(I’m not even going to go into all the types of breads out there — my favorite’s sourdough French bread — more information on bread can be had in this Wikipedia entry.)

If you liked this post, you may also like my earlier post: Simple Pleasures of Life

Photo credit: isolatediguana