MacQuest Musings

Reading Steve Jobs' autobiography ebook on iPad

Winter Approaches . . .

You can feel it coming . . . the leaves are falling, the temperatures have dropped below 50° during the day, the wind is blustery, and the damp weather is penetrating coats, houses and lives . . . Fall is here, and Winter just around the corner. 

It is time to transplant the potted grasses into a protective ground site, winterize the scooter and park it in a corner of the garage, refill and hang the birdseed dispenser, bring out the space heater for my work area, and so much more. There is much I want to get done like clean up the copper water fountain, finish a couple of books, watch some of the DVR and VCR movies I've recorded, write the first draft of my "Balance" presentation, and prepare another good meal.

Slowly, ever so slowly, I am getting new work as the word gets out about my business. Self-promotion does not come easily, but is very important. I can use all the help I can get . . .

Where Did This Week Go?

Two major CON projects under development, but very limited resource information with which to proceed . . . need more work, budget is strained, work ethic is frustrated, personal perspective is dimmed, and minor details are chewing away my time.

Steve Jobs died this week, which was a much-anticipated shock . . . he was a great businessman, an innovational inspiration, and a nasty person to the people around him. We admire him, yet know that his treatment of others could be very ruthless . . . is this called a "mixed blessing"?

After an evening of discussion and reflection last night, I am determined to improve my life, starting with my attitude. I put in a lot of extra effort at the YMCA this morning, then came home to vacuum the carpets, scrub/buff the wood floors, dust everything, wash a couple loads of clothes, change the bedding, and refresh my domicile. This helped me feel like I've taken control of parts of my life.

There is much to do this weekend, starting with the Coffee Zone, and new involvement with "the group". The day will culminate with lunch with Jason, Mindy, Andrew, Alexis and CJ (some family time). Much more to do on Sunday. Its going to be a lonely weekend anyway, so I need to make it productive.

"Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.

Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.

Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.

And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.

They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

                   -- Steve Jobs

Five Places to Create Space in Your Life

by Roxanne at The Emmerich Group

Regaining control of your life is largely a matter of creating and jealously guarding spaces, simply refusing to allow the busyness to invade them. Here are five places and times to make calm and uninvaded:

• Your car. Do NOT listen to business reports on the radio as you commute. Get yourself a CD of smooth jazz or massage music or an audiobook novel. You'll arrive at the office ready to be productive.
• Your office. Think of five ways you can improve the climate of your office itself. Lamps instead of overhead lighting. An aromatic reed diffuser. A little bubbly desktop fountain thingy to drown out the ringing phones outside the door.
• Your home. If you have to bring work home, try to limit it to a defined time, after which you simply refuse to do it. If you have a home office, work there. Do NOT bring your work out into other spaces.
• Your bedtime routine. Create a calming routine and stick to it. Aromatherapy, soft music, low lighting--and a reasonable bedtime.
• Your waking routine. Waking to a buzzer or a yakking DJ is no way to start the day. Try one of the progressive alarms with a gradually brighter light and soft natural sounds.

For more relaxing ideas, go to www.RoxanneEmmerich.com.

Thoughts to Keep the Chill Away

by Dr Mardy

"One great thought breathed into a man may regenerate him." William Ellery Channing (died Oct. 2, 1842). Go ahead, take a deep breath.

"Money will not make you happy, and happy will not make you money." Groucho Marx (born Oct. 2, 1890). Chiasmus of a Marxist nature.

"A man is but the product of his thoughts; what he thinks, he becomes." Mohandas Gandhi (b. Oct. 2, 1869). What've you been thinking lately?

"A home-made friend wears longer than one you buy in the market." Austin O'Malley (born Oct. 1, 1858). They cost far less as well.

"The great obstacle to discovery-not ignorance but the illusion of knowledge." Daniel J. Boorstin (born Oct. 1, 1914). Avoid the error.

"Time is a dressmaker specializing in alterations." Faith Baldwin (born Oct. 1, 1893). Some alterations improve, others don't.

What a week in paradise?

I've been going madly all week, and haven't caught up with myself yet . . . 

Preparation for the Art & Jazz Festival

You got to love the humor of the guy who taped the little white paper on the Street Closed sign . . . didn't the street crew think the stage was big enough to stop traffic?

Labor Day Weekend Adventures

From a delightful trip to a Versailles open air market (via a couple of Dutch markets and produce shops) to the Lake of the Ozarks (a windy ride on the scooter) to a home-cooked meal and cards with friends, it was a weekend of fresh new and interesting memories that will warm me this winter. 

The temperatures have turned cool (47 degrees at night, 74 by day), and there is a hint of Fall in the air. Summer is past, and I still haven't been out fishing yet (maybe next weeked). There seems to be so much to do, yet each day builds up more expectations.

Tonight I substitute for George in presenting the new Lion OS for the Mac. We have a great appleJAC Mac Users Group with lots of great people. We should have a fun and educational time.

The Two-Wheeled Delight of My Life

For me, the Suzuki Burgman 650 does it all . . . Nimble. Quick. Smooth. Comfortable. Versatile. Economical. Fun. It is a cross between a scooter, Goldwing and bullet bike being fast, comfortable and very manuverable. Braking is outstanding. Storage is terrific. I've owned a number of bikes over a period of 46 years, but the Burgman 650 may be the best two wheeled vehicle I've ever owned.

When do you know that a bike is right for you? I think you should like how it looks and how it feels. Comfort doesn't just apply to your riding position, but also your mental state. In this regard, the Burgman 650 offers easiest most hassle-free riding I've ever done. Sure, the comfortable upright riding position with multiple choices where to put your feet is great, but the mental ease of riding this bike is terrific for those of us who want to do anything a street bike can do without trepidation.

In all my years of riding (on and off), this is the first bike that seems to call to me from its parking place. "Come ride me. Let's have some fun." It is the first bike that compels me to ride it. I used to look forward to rides, but I was usually done with it by the end of the ride, and I was glad to park it. The Burgman 650 makes me look forward to the next ride, and I start thinking about when I can ride it next. It is like an addiction. 

Burgman riders like to talk about a phenomenon called the "Burgman smile". It is a goofy grin that comes upon you as you discover all of the wonderful things this bike can do well. You can officially count me in as one of the latest folks that have come to understand and wear the Burgman smile.

Having read multiple reviews of satisfied owners and not readily finding any reviews that pan this bike, I am thrilled that this machine is parked at my place. I can see this bike providing many years of satisfied ownership. What is the opposite of buyers remorse? Whatever that is, that is what I have.

If you want to learn more, go to www.motorcycle.com/.