See? More word gushing....
So, on the way home from Baltimore this afternoon, I was listening to NPR and heard a "This I Believe" segment from Brian Grazer, a very successful Hollywood producer.
Despite considerable success, such that he "could retire to the golf course tomorrow where the worst that could happen is that [his] Bloody Mary is watered-down," he still chooses every day to "disrupt his comfort zone."
He says, "Disrupting my comfort zone, bombarding myself with challenging people and situations -- this is the best way I know to keep growing" -- which is why he's a huge success, and I'm not.... ;-)
It was a great essay that gave me chill bumps in a couple of places. It's worthy of both sharing and emulating.
Check it out at NPR.org.
Monday, June 26, 2006
This is what happens when you don't post for a long time
The words get all bottled up and then come out in a rush.
So, the President, with whom I, like millions of others, am disenchanted, announced yesterday that he's accepted from General Casey a plan for troop withdrawal. General Casey is commander of the Iraq operation (CINC South-Com?). The plan is a studied and phased withdrawal, based on the experience and recommendations of the commanders on the ground in Iraq.
Today, the Dems are calling the President and Republicans hypocritical for not accepting their ill-thought and non-planned "plan" for withdrawal, while crafting a "Replublian" withdrawal plan of their own. Note I say "Republican." It's not a Republican plan at all, but rather a military plan create by the people who know the situation best.
Let's think about this.
The Democratic plan was arbitrary, not based on input from the DOD or from commanders in the field. It said, bascially, that troop levels should be reduced in 2007 and beyond.
Casey's plan is (I assunme) based on careful study and consideration, created with the input of his field commanders and his command staff. It will consider the consequences and requirements for withdrawal, likely specifying acceptable levels of Iraqi security forces needed to replace US units. The plan likely won't leave American units exposed or Iraqi civilians at risk since it won't withdraw a US unit if an equivalent Iraqi secuity presence isn't there to take up the slack (at least this is my hope).
So, while the Democrats were bandstanding and hand-waving, the President and his military commanders were creating a careful PLAN for the safe withdrawal of our troops that will (hopefully) leave behind some modicum of security for the Iraqi people.
Hypocritical? Hardly.
Practical? Certainly.
Good on you, Mr. President.
So, the President, with whom I, like millions of others, am disenchanted, announced yesterday that he's accepted from General Casey a plan for troop withdrawal. General Casey is commander of the Iraq operation (CINC South-Com?). The plan is a studied and phased withdrawal, based on the experience and recommendations of the commanders on the ground in Iraq.
Today, the Dems are calling the President and Republicans hypocritical for not accepting their ill-thought and non-planned "plan" for withdrawal, while crafting a "Replublian" withdrawal plan of their own. Note I say "Republican." It's not a Republican plan at all, but rather a military plan create by the people who know the situation best.
Let's think about this.
The Democratic plan was arbitrary, not based on input from the DOD or from commanders in the field. It said, bascially, that troop levels should be reduced in 2007 and beyond.
Casey's plan is (I assunme) based on careful study and consideration, created with the input of his field commanders and his command staff. It will consider the consequences and requirements for withdrawal, likely specifying acceptable levels of Iraqi security forces needed to replace US units. The plan likely won't leave American units exposed or Iraqi civilians at risk since it won't withdraw a US unit if an equivalent Iraqi secuity presence isn't there to take up the slack (at least this is my hope).
So, while the Democrats were bandstanding and hand-waving, the President and his military commanders were creating a careful PLAN for the safe withdrawal of our troops that will (hopefully) leave behind some modicum of security for the Iraqi people.
Hypocritical? Hardly.
Practical? Certainly.
Good on you, Mr. President.
"Why Bother?"
Uh-oh! I feel a rant coming on! Stand back everyone, he's gonna blow!!!
Borders Books Stores: love 'em.
Borders Books Stores Coffee Shops: I officially hate 'em.
The places are staffed by condescending coffee makers who pass pompous judgment on our purchases and haughtily correct us when we use "Starbuck's Speak" in their arrogant company.
I shall explain, gentle reader.
I stopped by my neighborhood Borders to pick up a couple of books (Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore and The One Percent Doctrine by Ron Suskind). I grabbed my books, a couple of photo mags, paid and headed for the coffee shop to read a bit and work a bit.
I LOVE coffee and espresso. L-O-V-E them. When I order my drink of choice, a Venti Latte at Starbucks (aka a Large Latte at Borders), I get it with four espresso shots so I get that full coffee flavor. I always order it with skim (aka non-fat) milk and four shots. That's my drink. When I order at Starbucks the words "Quad Venti Skim Latte" (which is Starbucks Speak for my drink) leap forth with nary a thought.
In the mornings, I relish the high caffeine content, so I get it with "leaded" shots. However, in the afternoons (anytime after about 3:00 pm), I switch to decaf. I've found that drinking too much caffeine late in the afternoon can keep me up late (and recently I'm up at the butt-crack of dawn so I can be in Baltimore every day at 7:30 am to give training, requiring that I leave my place by 6:15-6:20 am -- and if you know me, you know this is Hell on Earth. But I digress)
So, back at Borders, I pile my stuff on a table to stake my claim to a comfy chair and head for the register to get a Large Four-Shot Decaf Non-Fat Latte (Borders Speak for my drink). On placing my order, the under-twenty-something order taker remarks "Four shots, why bother?"
Which by itself seems innocent enough, I guess. In response, I defend my choice of shot-count with "I like the taste of coffee," at the same time wondering why I'm defending my coffee selection to this impudent child.
She laughs, which doesn't help my suddenly foul mood, and remarks: "No, no. That's what it's called. Non-fat and decaf is called a 'Why bother'" guffaw-guffaw.
I look at her dead-panned and comment, flatly, "Oh. I see."
As she's handing me my change, she giggles again, "That made my day. That was pretty funny."
At least five spiteful comments blew through my brain, all of which, if given voice, would have been deadly hurtful. I bit my tongue. Literally. As I was walking away, I discovered my tongue was firmly clamped between my teeth. This made me smile. For a brief instant, anyway.
So, why did this impudent brat anger me so? Because she was the fourth Encounter of the Arrogant kind I've had with coffee makers at a Borders Coffee Shop. The first three were haughty rejoinders admonishing me for using Starbucks Speak at their little shops. Funny thing is, all three occurrences happened at different Borders stores, with different arrogant coffee makers, in two different cities -- all within about three months of each other. I now assiduously avoid using Starbucks Speak anywhere but in Starbucks -- to the point that I rehearse my coffee order before I speak it so as not to raise the ire of the Arrogant Borders Coffee Maker.
As to the "Why bother?" question, I answer: "To keep some of the fat out my diet and to not stay awake late tonight so I can get up early tomorrow" -- not that she deserves a reason for my particular choices in coffee beverages.
On the other hand (and here come some of the things I thought about saying, but withheld from her tender ears), I'm pretty sure this "little" girl has never said "No" to whole milk, or even a whole meal, in her short, petty, over-eating life. "Why bother" is funny to her because she obviously never bothers to consider the consequences of any of the ample quantities of food that pass between her lips. And where does she get off thinking that she has any right to question what I buy in her stupid little shop, anyway....?
So, I have a theory. The Borders Coffee Shops have Little Man syndrome; they're insecure. They know they aren't Starbucks, that they're a mere shadow of the powerhouse of coffee houses and are offended when anyone refers to Starbucks in their presence. And as part of their corporate training program, this insecurity is promulgated in the form of a Holier-than-Starbucks-And-The-Coffee-Drinking-Public-Because-They-Would-Rather-Be-At-Starbucks-Than-Here attitude.
This leads to a culture where it's acceptable to correct, in the most arrogant way, a person using terminology from the Other Coffee Shop, and to ridicule a customer's choice of coffee beverages. They're trained that they're better and smarter than Starbucks, as well as all the people who buy Starbucks coffee. The logic goes like this: everyone who drinks Starbucks coffee must be stupid, and since everyone drinks Starbucks, everyone must be stupid. And you don't have to be polite to stupid people, right?
So, a Non-Fat Decaf Latte is snidely referred to as a "Why bother?" and when someone absent mindedly orders a coffee using Italian, they get an arrogant lecture delivered through a haughty sneer.
Borders Books Stores: love 'em
Borders Books Store Coffee Shops: hate 'em.
Thanks for listening. I feel better now...
Borders Books Stores: love 'em.
Borders Books Stores Coffee Shops: I officially hate 'em.
The places are staffed by condescending coffee makers who pass pompous judgment on our purchases and haughtily correct us when we use "Starbuck's Speak" in their arrogant company.
I shall explain, gentle reader.
I stopped by my neighborhood Borders to pick up a couple of books (Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore and The One Percent Doctrine by Ron Suskind). I grabbed my books, a couple of photo mags, paid and headed for the coffee shop to read a bit and work a bit.
I LOVE coffee and espresso. L-O-V-E them. When I order my drink of choice, a Venti Latte at Starbucks (aka a Large Latte at Borders), I get it with four espresso shots so I get that full coffee flavor. I always order it with skim (aka non-fat) milk and four shots. That's my drink. When I order at Starbucks the words "Quad Venti Skim Latte" (which is Starbucks Speak for my drink) leap forth with nary a thought.
In the mornings, I relish the high caffeine content, so I get it with "leaded" shots. However, in the afternoons (anytime after about 3:00 pm), I switch to decaf. I've found that drinking too much caffeine late in the afternoon can keep me up late (and recently I'm up at the butt-crack of dawn so I can be in Baltimore every day at 7:30 am to give training, requiring that I leave my place by 6:15-6:20 am -- and if you know me, you know this is Hell on Earth. But I digress)
So, back at Borders, I pile my stuff on a table to stake my claim to a comfy chair and head for the register to get a Large Four-Shot Decaf Non-Fat Latte (Borders Speak for my drink). On placing my order, the under-twenty-something order taker remarks "Four shots, why bother?"
Which by itself seems innocent enough, I guess. In response, I defend my choice of shot-count with "I like the taste of coffee," at the same time wondering why I'm defending my coffee selection to this impudent child.
She laughs, which doesn't help my suddenly foul mood, and remarks: "No, no. That's what it's called. Non-fat and decaf is called a 'Why bother'" guffaw-guffaw.
I look at her dead-panned and comment, flatly, "Oh. I see."
As she's handing me my change, she giggles again, "That made my day. That was pretty funny."
At least five spiteful comments blew through my brain, all of which, if given voice, would have been deadly hurtful. I bit my tongue. Literally. As I was walking away, I discovered my tongue was firmly clamped between my teeth. This made me smile. For a brief instant, anyway.
So, why did this impudent brat anger me so? Because she was the fourth Encounter of the Arrogant kind I've had with coffee makers at a Borders Coffee Shop. The first three were haughty rejoinders admonishing me for using Starbucks Speak at their little shops. Funny thing is, all three occurrences happened at different Borders stores, with different arrogant coffee makers, in two different cities -- all within about three months of each other. I now assiduously avoid using Starbucks Speak anywhere but in Starbucks -- to the point that I rehearse my coffee order before I speak it so as not to raise the ire of the Arrogant Borders Coffee Maker.
As to the "Why bother?" question, I answer: "To keep some of the fat out my diet and to not stay awake late tonight so I can get up early tomorrow" -- not that she deserves a reason for my particular choices in coffee beverages.
On the other hand (and here come some of the things I thought about saying, but withheld from her tender ears), I'm pretty sure this "little" girl has never said "No" to whole milk, or even a whole meal, in her short, petty, over-eating life. "Why bother" is funny to her because she obviously never bothers to consider the consequences of any of the ample quantities of food that pass between her lips. And where does she get off thinking that she has any right to question what I buy in her stupid little shop, anyway....?
So, I have a theory. The Borders Coffee Shops have Little Man syndrome; they're insecure. They know they aren't Starbucks, that they're a mere shadow of the powerhouse of coffee houses and are offended when anyone refers to Starbucks in their presence. And as part of their corporate training program, this insecurity is promulgated in the form of a Holier-than-Starbucks-And-The-Coffee-Drinking-Public-Because-They-Would-Rather-Be-At-Starbucks-Than-Here attitude.
This leads to a culture where it's acceptable to correct, in the most arrogant way, a person using terminology from the Other Coffee Shop, and to ridicule a customer's choice of coffee beverages. They're trained that they're better and smarter than Starbucks, as well as all the people who buy Starbucks coffee. The logic goes like this: everyone who drinks Starbucks coffee must be stupid, and since everyone drinks Starbucks, everyone must be stupid. And you don't have to be polite to stupid people, right?
So, a Non-Fat Decaf Latte is snidely referred to as a "Why bother?" and when someone absent mindedly orders a coffee using Italian, they get an arrogant lecture delivered through a haughty sneer.
Borders Books Stores: love 'em
Borders Books Store Coffee Shops: hate 'em.
Thanks for listening. I feel better now...
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)