Ten-Yeared Professor
Ten years. I'm sitting here finding it hard to believe ten years have passed since I heard phrases like "Honey, I think my water broke" or "It's a girl" and "Do you want to cut the cord?"
Since then, so many other phrases have crossed my path. Barbies, Disney princesses, and all things pink have been introduced to my world. A second daughter five years later only intensified everything.
So what have I learned in the past decade of daddy-ness? Oh, a whole lot of things:
- Priorities - things like "time management" and "what's worth fighting for" have been completely redefined. I've learned to say "no" to a lot because saying "yes" to my daughters is more critical. The issues which once made me hyper seem to have little effect on me now.
- Management - ill-behaving executives and nasty managers are no contest any more. I'm not afraid to face them down or just walk away from bad behavior. Parenting teaches you how to herd the cats in the right direction. The "eat your spinach" message has taken on new meaning.
- Attention - being in the moment has become more critical than ever. There's little room for mind-wandering when a kid wants your attention. Same goes for clients.
- Multi-tasking - contrary to the prior bullet, I've also figured out how to juggle multiple things at once and not drop a single ball (most of the time).
- Diversity - imagine that... each kid is different. They are motivated by different things. They process things differently. They react differently to the world around them. And I have to be sensitive to those differences.
- Fun - if you're not having fun, you're not doing it right. Hearing my kids rip off one-liners in a way that would have a professional comedian in tears is fun. My best laughs of the past 10 years have been caused by my offspring.
I'd like to think that my kids have taught this old dog a trick or two in the past 10 years. They've made wonderful professors for this ever-eager student. But we haven't even hit the teenage years yet (about to enroll in "Advanced Parenthood"). The next ten should be even more interesting.
(Originally posted on 
I'm always amused by the things that come across my inbox and/or browser on Halloween. For example 
My friend, Adam, likes to be right. And for good reason. He's a very sharp executive who knows the IT arena inside and out. Plus he has a gregarious personality that would put almost anybody at ease. And he's a very critical analytical thinker who can easily sum up both sides of an argument before making his decision.
It's been another powerful weekend of teaching at 
Amazing... the transition from September to October brought with it many different events and activities. Besides my birthday the other day, I spoke at a 
As most of my blogospheric audience knows by now, 
The other night, I had the honor of photographing the annual Red Vs. Blue Bowl. Simply put, the Urbandale Police Department challenges the Urbandale Fire Department every year at a rousing game of flag football. This year, they raised over $13,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. (And for those who care about these fiercely fought contests, Police beat Fire 18-14 to win back the trophy after last year's defeat.)
It's been an interesting experience as I start preparing for the release of my next book. As with the past two, it's a business narrative (or business fable, if you will), a short novel with a business principle. I've been actively seeking those to write advance praise for it from a variety of sources. What amazes me is the number of people who are not only averse to the genre, they absolutely hate it. (I'm glad they are in the minority... I'd hate to think of a world where this mindset prevails.)
President Abraham Lincoln had to be emotional about this speech. This was more than a vested interest; he was leader and lives were lost under his leadership. And here he was... standing on the very ground where a fierce battle had been fought.
It's finals week at 
Do you know who Bob Probst was?
Two blogs down, two to go. OK, nothing like that, but two of the four blogs for whom I write either have ended or will end soon. A while back, I mentioned I was going to be writing for processgeek.com for Troy Worman. I exchanged emails with Troy last week about that website's demise. It appears as though Iowabiz.com is coming to an end as well (change in strategy of our corporate sponsor). Again, not surprising. For Iowabiz, I'm actually going to be "recycling" many of my posts over here. The readership on Iowabiz never really attained the same level as my readership, and (quite frankly) I wrote some pretty good stuff on project management over there, and I'd like to ensure it lives on somewhere.
I just received a very welcomed and wonderful email from 
Go Dogs Go! Handle the ball
"No prophet is accepted in his own village." -Jesus (Luke 4:24)
Tonight begins a new semester at 
t's pretty simple. Instead of writing 2007, you write 2008. That's all there really is to transitioning to a new year, right?
Happy Holidays from your friends at Carpe Factum, Inc.
I love the blogosphere. Anybody who's been reading these posts for a while should understand the passion with which I've approached these relationships, the writing, and the reading. What's even more enjoyable is watching the relationships evolve and grow. For example, after over a year of commenting back and forth and sending occasional emails, 
What I'm so excited about this year are all of the friendships and relationships that have developed and fortified. This month alone, I've been reminded of how lucky I am to know so many great people... but not just know them... to call them friends. Some people say that social media will replace traditional relationships... to which I say, "PHOOEY!"
I'm thankful that a guy like 
So, last night I'm busily preparing for my 
It's been a while since I've done my last MOST post. I decided when I started these that I would only post one that I thought would be interesting and engaging.
April Groves
A friend of mine was interviewing for a position at a well-known national company. He thought the position was perfect for him, and he was excited about the possibilities. He made it through his first interviews... and waited... and was finally called back for second interviews... and waited... and eventually was called back for a third round of interviews... and waited... and waited.
For those who don't know what a "meme" is, it's sort of like playing a game of tag with bloggers. Somebody comes up with an idea or a question and then tags a few bloggers, generally 3-7, to answer the question and tag some of their friends. I've responded to a few memes in my almost 18 months of business blogging, and I've learned a lot about my fellow bloggers, just as they've learned a few things about me.
It's been interesting around our house this summer. My wife, the English teacher, began her break by asking where her annotated copy of 
But there are so many quirky little things about the fair that I couldn't even begin to describe them all. You'd just have to experience them to believe they exist. How about tractor square dancing? (I had heard they originally wanted to try tractor ballet, but none of the John Deere's could fit into those tiny little tutus.) There are all of the rides and attractions on the midway, of course (or as I call it, mankind's monuments to unsafe practices). A trip through the Varied Industries Building yields some fascinating displays of Iowa's economy, and we do have many different types of businesses thriving in this state. One can't really say he's been to the fair until he's seen the famous Butter Cow, as well as whatever featured statue is made out of butter each year (this year, it's a butter Harry Potter... nice likeness, too). Of course, this is Iowa, so you must take in the livestock displays and some of the agricultural items... just to appreciate our heritage.
My sincerest sympathies go out to the residents of the Twin Cities, who are reeling tonight from the collapse of the I-35W bridge over the Mississippi River just north of downtown Minneapolis. I've been glued to the television since getting home from class at Drake tonight. People will be spending the next few days grieving and trying to figure out why this tragedy happened.
