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.

It's Football Season!

It was about this time last year that I wrote a post entitled Lo, the Sun Through Darkness Pierces. Melodramatic in a tongue-in-cheek sort of way, it was my ode to the advent of a new football season. Happily, we have once again reached that time of the year, and the first pre-season football game will be on TV tonight. (Well, unless you count Sunday night's Hall of Fame Game.) I feel good. And even though the temperature outside my door is supposed to be in three digits again today, tonight's kickoff signals that fall is coming -- eventually. I hope.

My morning started with the news that Bret Favre was traded last night to the New York Jets. I have mixed feelings about it all. Favre is the ultimate man's man and a great quarterback and ambassador for the sport. I love to see him play, and he fits the Green Bay persona. I had grown weary of the end-of-the-season "will he retire?" drama every year for the past three years. Sure, I thought he had a few more good years left in him, but really wanted him to either play or not play -- just be clear about it and quit jerking us around. Certainly, the Packers could have handled this latest situation better. Ultimately, however, I think Favre paddled his own canoe. I don't see him as a Jet. Time will tell.

As for our Jacksonville Jaguars, we are excited. Last season was good, and all the pieces appear to be in place now -- assuming they stay healthy. Again, time will tell. Either way, I will be a loyal fan.

Play ball!

Confession of a Deliquent Blogger

I last posted some two months ago. That fact shames me. Moreover, I am shamed that my last post was such a downer. My discouragement at the time spilled into my writing. Then again, perhaps that isn't a bad thing if my intent in blogging is to portray honesty. And my post that day was an honest presentation of how I was feeling.

Since that last post, I have thought about blogging literally every day. So why haven't I written? I feel a bit like Richard Bach, one of my favorite writers. In the preface to his book Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah, he confesses that he really doesn't like to write and will resist it until an idea "stalks over the rubble, seizes me by the throat and gently says, 'I will not let you go until you set me, in words, on paper.'" In my case, I truly do have a need to write but I put so much pressure on myself to say something relevant or earth-shattering every time. I've written a few posts that have captivated people and moved them to do something -- and that felt great. That isn't likely to occur every time, however, so I need to get over it. For the time being, then, I will be content to share the "daytight compartments" that make up my life and hope someone will read along and connect now and then.

I'll keep it short for today with a promise of more to come. Much is happening, and I am both excited and terrified. You'll see what I mean...