Coming Soon...

To anyone who still checks in, I will be coming back very shortly. Don't give up on me.

Color Is Everything

I posted briefly last week about the face lift to this blog. Since that time, the face has been lifted again in terms of colors. My talents at color coordination are elementary at best. Fortunately, my fellow blogger and cyber-friend Suzy has quite the knack for that sort of thing. This brief post, then, is simply to say thanks to Suzy and her friend, Jill, for helping me perfect what Heather (aka "Goofy Girl") started. The actual blogging, I suppose, is up to me now!

Check Out the Facelift!

I am very excited to write my first post in my new and improved blog template. Of course, I take little, if any, credit for it. When my blogging friend, Suzy Soro, had her site revamped, I was so impressed that I contacted her designer to do mine as well. So here is a plug for "Goofy Girl Designs." Nice job, Heather! I'm still tweaking the color a little, but am quite happy with the results. You'll find her logo on my sidebar. Click it to go to her site.

Happy blogging to us all!

Wish You Were Here

Just a few weeks ago there was the sad news that LeRoi Moore of the Dave Matthews Band had suddenly died. Yesterday it was Richard Wright, keyboardist and one of the founding members of Pink Floyd. He was 65 and had cancer. Although his name was less a household word than some of the other Floyd musicians (Waters, Barrett and Gilmour, for example), his influence on the band and on music was undeniable.

I regret that I did not become a fan until the late 80's, about the time Pink Floyd disbanded. I was in Indianapolis one Friday night when they were performing in the RCA Dome (or "Hoosier Dome" at the time). The sounds could be heard all over downtown, and I was taken aback by what I heard. I've loved their music -- especially the later material -- ever since.

Rest in peace, Richard Wright. As the song says, "wish you were here."

Another Day; More of Fay!

The editorial cartoon below says it all. Our unwelcome tropical guest continues to linger, leaving streets and yards looking like rivers. I considered buying a canoe last year for recreation. Now I could use one just to get to my mailbox.

Fay, Fay, Go Away!

Those of us who live in the Sunshine State have a bone to pick with Mother Nature. One of her fickle children, Fay, is visiting -- and she won't leave! And she won't even decide what she wants to do or where she wants to go. This tropical storm (thankfully NOT a hurricane as predicted) has stalled off the coast of Daytona where it continues to drop copious quantities of rain. Even here in Jacksonville, we are being beaten silly by the wind and rain bands. Last I heard, it will be sometime Saturday before it's close to being over.

So most of us are stuck at home as the authorities have urged people to stay in. TV is annoying because the local news teams stay on the air around the clock, essentially foaming at the mouth. If there were actually any NEWS to report, such coverage might be understandable. But the storm is stationary. It's windy. It's raining -- hard. We know that, right? So, dear news people, let us know if something changes. Until then, put something else on, okay?

Does it show that I'm a little cranky today? Maybe Florida is not where I belong.

Another Day That the Music Died a Little

My morning started as usual. I got my coffee and sat down at the computer to check the news and headlines. One particularly sad one jumped off the page at me: "LeRoi Moore, saxophone player for Dave Matthews Band, dies."

I knew that LeRoi had been injured in an ATV accident a few months ago and was originally in critical condition. The last I heard, he was recovering nicely. So this news came as a shock. I love the music of the Dave Matthews Band, and LeRoi Moore was such a central part of the sound and spirit of what they do. On stage, LeRoi personified cool.

I saw that the Band performed last night as scheduled rather than canceling to grieve. The show was dedicated to LeRoi. It was a fitting thing to do, given the man and the band. Except for these few words, I am speechless.

Michael Goes to FaceBook...

Unless you've been in a coma for the past few years, you surely know that social networking sites are the big thing. I first became somewhat aware of it when my daughter started talking about "My Space." I thought it was just a kid thing. Then I started hearing about adults with My Space pages. I didn't bite -- although I did take steps to ensure my daughter's safety on the site.

I later learned about LinkedIn, a professional networking site. As a professional, it did seem to behoove me to participate in that site. I have actually gotten some leads that way, so the benefit is becoming more clear. Check me out if you'd like.

More recently, I have been hearing about Facebook. Someone said it was a "My Space for adults." Kids do use it, though. I do, however, notice that the kids are older. I still had little interest in using the site until I attended a professional meeting a few weeks ago and the speaker recommended using the social networking sites. If you haven't looked for a job in recent years, you may not be aware that the process has changed. It has changed A LOT, in fact. The human element is gone as everything is web-based. You may never speak to or hear from a person. Social networking, then, gives you a tool for finding people (actual human beings!) inside a particular organization or company that might be able to get your name or face in front of someone else in the organization or company. So I decided to give Facebook a shot.

While my venture in Facebook was initially for professional networking only, I have found it to be quite a bit of fun as I've reconnected with several old friends. And imagine my surprise when I found my daughter on Facebook! At sixteen, she has painfully little time for Dad, so her Facebook page gives me way to touch base with her. Moreover, the "friending" process is addictive -- sort of like collecting. I am enjoying this.

Check me out at Facebook then. Here is my profile link. Better yet, invite me to be your friend. I promise I won't ask you for money!

The Latest from the Career Front

I mentioned a while back that my position in my last company was eliminated, leaving me without a job for the first time in my professional life. It is now August, and I remain unemployed. I never would have believed it would take so long. But I'm surviving.

I have been interested in changing careers for a while, but there never seems to be an ideal time to do that. Unless, of course, your current career has stalled. Perhaps, then, this is the perfect time.

The thing that keeps coming my way is financial planning. I very much enjoy helping people, and my style and demeanor have always been known to be most professional. So, for the time being at least, it appears that I am heading in that direction. This weekend, in fact, I will spend ten hours a day from Friday until Monday in a class in preparation for the first of my licenses. I am both excited and very scared.

I have tending to make "safe" choices all my life -- many of them paying off for a while at least. But I have felt as if I'm cheating myself out of the level of success that "safe" choices permit. As a financial planner, I will have my own practice. The sky will be the limit of the success that is available. And the potential for failure, some might argue, is equally great. The fear of failure, however, too often keeps us from attempting the very things that might bring us the most satisfaction. It brings to mind a quote from Frank A. Clark that says, "If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn't lead anywhere." True enough.

I welcome comments on the move I am contemplating. In a few week, I hope to need some referrals. Wish me luck!

The Guitar in the Corner

At heart, I have always been a musician. In fact, I was the runner up for a music scholarship at Furman University, and I turned down a music scholarship at another university. In those days, I played French horn very well and wanted to get my degree in French horn performance. Before playing the horn, I was a quite good trumpet player. For as long as I can remember, however, I have been fascinated with the guitar.

If you were stroll into my bedroom, in the far corner you would see a guitar. A lovely Ovation guitar, in fact. You may even comment on it, assuming that I play. Unfortunately, you would be wrong -- for the most part, anyway. I have dabbled at the guitar for some twenty years. I even took a semester of classical guitar at Furman. Moreover, my friend Jeff and I wrote songs and performed in coffee houses during our college days. He would play piano and I would play guitar, but only if the guitar part was fairly easy. I have quite a bit of natural musical talent, but it just does not appear to transfer itself to skill on the guitar. Perhaps I lack the dexterity? Perhaps I lack hand strength? I don't know. I do know, however, that I my proficiency only gets to a certain level of mediocrity before it hits a wall. It frustrates me. Consequently, I find myself playing less and less, leaving that beautiful instrument standing alone in the corner.

I have considered selling the guitar, especially now that money is tight. As little as I play it, I am pretty sure that I would miss it nevertheless and end up buying another one. The guitar is my white whale, I fear. I can't conquer it; I can't let it go.