For those outside the Atlanta area, this probably doesn't mean much, but our multi-year drought has pushed our main water supply, Lake Lanier, way below optimal level. It's been slowly refilling and it looks like today will be the day it reaches full pool again, for the first time since fall of 2005! Come on rain, just another 0.02 feet to go!
Multi-year graph here.
Hearing all the talk of health-care "reform," I sort of glaze over. The one thing that particularly annoys me is that the legislation is so long, so wordy, so..well..just so much, that nobody really knows what it says. That's just crazy!
In my "simplify everything" dream, I'd wish that all legislation was required to start with a summary in plain language, and the summary couldn't be more than two or three sentences, and those sentences would have to be at a 6th grade reading level, or some such, as determine by an independent group NOT hired by the legislators. (OK, I know I'm already in trouble)
Then, every point in the bill would be required to fit that summary -- no extra stuff snuck in. Also, if a law supersedes an old law, then it would have to actually remove the old law, such that our volume of legislation would quit enlarging, and maybe...big wish...actually shrink a little. Finally, every bill would have an automatic expiration date, that would eliminate the law unless it were specifically re-presented and re-voted on.
OK...enough dreaming. Back to life.
I've had a few too many "nobody will believe" this type of experiences of late. Right now I can't think of a single one of them, but somehow I'm reminded of an old story. Way back in my early days, I worked for a radio station, and occasionally produced/directed for Ludlow Porch.
I don't have any idea why I remember this particular story, and I probably don't even remember it correctly, but I've always loved the punch line. The story goes something like this. There was this singer (probably a country singer) who was known by his friends to be a bit of a womanizer, but somehow his wife had stuck by him through the years. One time, while he was on the road, his wife decided to surprise him by showing up at his hotel. She knocked on the door a while, and he arrived at the door, barely dressed, and clearly there was a woman in the bed behind him. Without a pause, he looked at his wife and said, "Now, are you going to believe your eyes or are you going to believe the story I'm about to tell you?" It's possible there was more to the story, but that's the only line I ever cared about...
Probably not a good idea to use the line in that same context, but otherwise, it's amazing how useful that line is
Yup, my house is officially on the market. If you know anybody looking for a modest home in Suwanee, I'd love to hear from them.
I've had this marker for Twenty-Two years! Really, I've had it since at least 1987. Actually, I still have two of them. And they both still work. Sanford Transport Marker. I don't think markers like this are still made, but if they were, I'd buy a couple more -- that would probably last me the rest of my life.
This is so far from an IT/technology post, other than the comparison of how often we need to find "interesting" solutions to problems. Had this little challenge - an ugly drain in a tub.
For twelve years I've tolerated this. The drain in my guest bathroom was, um, ugly! Sometime in the past, before I bought the house, the cross members were broken out of the bottom of the drain piece. So, besides the piece being ugly and damaged, you were always looking at the drain pipe. Time to replace it. Well, ends up that's not really easy. The normal tool to do the removal relies on those cross members. With them missing, there's nothing to grab.
How do you unscrew something that you can't grab? Oh yeah, this is a fiberglass tub, so trying to cut the piece out isn't a very good choice.
Obviously I need a very good "inside" pipe wrench. Lowes and Home Depot have just the right thing. Well, almost. A great tool, but it's only for 1/2 inch pipe. Larger is hard to find. The opening I'm dealing with is over 2 inches!
.
.
A bit of Googling sort of led me to another possibility, an exhaust pipe expander. Well...looks sort of right, but not sure it's the right thing, and I'm tired of going to store after store after store not finding what I want. If I just wanted another tool to play with, I might go ahead and get one, but this was not the day.
So, now I'm to the point of looking at "what's in the house I can use?" I'm a woodworker, not a metal worker, so I have 2x4s and such, and saws. Oh...wait...there's a 2" dowel. Hmmm... could I create a "reverse" plier out of that? Sure!
Quickly split the dowel in two; put a block of wood between them, wrapped it with tape and...*almost* successful. Not enough gripping. Tried various rubber pads without success, and finally ended up putting a couple of drywall screws in, with just the sharp points exposed. Success!
(This isn't a political post, really!)
Is there any such thing as health insurance that's not a full health care plan? As I continue to do this out-on-my-own / self-employed thing, I'm looking for a plan that covers emergencies, but doesn't try to take care of my every need. I know how to pay doctors and pay for my trivial medications. I'm just looking for coverage in case something really bad happens. Isn't that what insurance is intended for, anyway?
Are you an expert in this area, or do you know one? I'd love to hear about it. (Have I just opened myself up to get spammed?)
As I'm doing a bit of marketing work, I'm drawn back to this simple little book, The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing. John Allen, one of the great marketing people of the world, introduced me to this book many, many, years ago. Sure, many of the examples are rather dated now, which actually puts a little humor into a recent re-read.
Obviously, there are 22 laws, but my overly-simplified summary brings it down to just one. Be unique!
How many organizations do you know who are in the same business as a lot of others, and there's nothing to distinguish one from another? How many churches are trying to be just like another?! Do you want to be just like everyone else, or do you want to have a bit of uniqueness? (rhetorical question)
How about your organization? How about you, personally? Is there something distinct about you, unlike anyone else?
Recent Comments