Are We Going to Rise to the Challenge?

Over the last few months I have perusing a much broader selection of blogs and the comments thereof. I don't want to sound pedantic or holier than thou, but in a lot of cases I am simply amazed at some of the comments related to the current circumstances that we (the country, the populace, the economy, the individuals) find ourselves in.

It is not that people are upset, scared, concerned about what is going to happen to themselves and their families. That is perfectly natural. What is upsetting me are the cries that all of this is "unfair", and that this "shouldn't be happening". "Shouldn't be happening?" "Unfair?"

How did we get to a position where people assume that living in the lap of luxury by any historical or current international standard is a given? When people read about Zimbabwe or Somalia or Afghanistan or any of the number of other places that comprise the majority of the human race do they think they reading fiction. Do they stop for even a second to understand that they have been living in an incredible rare period of time when they are literally wallowing in luxury? This is mandated to us? We're supposed to expect that without having done anything to earn it it should just keep coming?

If you are a religious or spiritual person, I'd ask you this. Do you think God put you on this Earth for the purpose of having everything you want without worrying about it? Do you know the story of any saint or holy person that has ever achieved those higher states without suffering and sacrifice?

If you are a secular person, surely you believe in evolution, in the survival of the fittest. What happens to species that become over specialized, that can adapt to changing, harder, challenging circumstances? Oh that's right, they become extinct.

So what are we as a people going to do now that we are being faced with challenges - serious challenges - challenges that are going to demand sacrifice, fortitude, perseverance, will power, and a tolerance of pain and suffering. Are we going to huddle in groups a cry and whine because we are being challenged, because all the luxury we once had is going away?

Or are we going to understand that the only real growth, the only real reason for being alive is to respond to the challenges of life no matter how hard, no matter how long?

Computers - AAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHH

As I mentioned over Thanksgiving that I had to get a new computer to keep the ole consulting business humming. I was pretty proud of myself in getting everything moved over without any outside help.

But I should have known that there would be collateral damage because this is the computer world where nothing is really plug and play. First I had an issue with a storage device that I had bought just weeks before the new computer from the Apple store. Seems that the new Mac's firewire connection is a different shape. Why they should change it, I don't know. That means I have to use a USB connection. But there is some issue with power because when I use the USB connection the device keeps going on and off. That's frustrating but not I can deal with it.

I also found that they have changed the connection apparatus for hooking up an outside monitor or connecting to a projector and the one from the previous MacBook Pro will no longer work. So I'm going to have to lay out money for that.

Then there was a problem with the Syncing software for my phone. It required that I reregister the software and I can't find the old product code. So I bought the upgrade and installed that. Great. Except the new upgrade doesn't work with MS Office for Mac 2004. They didn't tell me that on the site selling the upgrade. As it turns out the Entourage program (Outlook for Mac) that I have has been on the fritz and I need to do the upgrade anyway. I just didn't appreciate the two hours I lost this afternoon trying to get this all figured out.

New Bar Set for Travel Blunders

With all the travel that I do, at least once every six months I do something stupid that ends up costing me money. In the past this has included buying non-refundable tickets for jobs that were not quite firmed up that ended up being canceled, making non-refundable reservations for the wrong date, making non-refundable reservations for flights leaving at PM when I thought I was doing AM.

I have now raised the bar to a whole new level that has me wondering what can possibly outdo it.

Yesterday I was scheduled to give a talk to a group of asset managers on the topic of business succession - a good opportunity for me to troll for clients and referrals to clients. Got up in the morning to the airport, fly to Phoenix. I'm there in plenty of time. I go to the USAir Club and do some work. Grab a bite to eat and then head to grab a cab to go to my meeting. I give the name of the hotel and convention center where the meeting is to the cab driver. He looks at me strangely and say, "I don't know of anything named that in Phoenix - Las Vegas yes but not Phoenix."

I suddenly have a sinking feeling. I call my contact. "Ya were at the Mandalay Bay in LAS VEGAS." My talk is schedule a hour and a half from now. After thinking I would have to totally cancel, my contact calls me up and let's me know that there are almost hourly flights from Phoenix to Las Vegas. I'm worried about getting back to Albuquerque that night. I get on line and sure enough I can catch a flight in an hour and catch another flight home from Las Vegas that evening. I book the flight. Go to the kiosk and pick up my boarding pass and I'm at my place to give my talk just an hour and half late. My contact had moved the schedule around to accommodate me.

Other than eating a bit of crow for the 'planning' professional screwing up the planning and being out of pocket many hundreds of dollars to book the extra flights, the presentation went quite well.

Now what can I think of to top this?

Charting Your Course Through Troubled Waters - Part 5

Time for a bit of the metaphysical - the spiritual.

I usually stay away from this in the vast majority of my public discourse. I think I only have touched on it once in my blog right after my kidney donation operation. But during the times we are in now when I see so many going through so much pain and fear, especially those close to me, I am reminded of my own journey.

I've written about my history in dealing with crisis and talked about the emotional and tangible steps one can take to try and take charge of one's destiny. But on a deeper level it is important ot understand that things come into our life for a purpose. Through out much of my life I have learned that the things that were so painful, so difficult to deal with, were the things that ultimately, allowed me to become happy, peaceful, even successful.

So what do we do that thing that comes to our life is not pleasant? How do we react? What do we do with it?

A very sweet soul, Becky, who is another living organ donor with her own foundation, put a poen from a Sufi saint and poet, Rumi on her blog last week. The words are so apropos to this that I copied them for you.

The Guest House
Rumi

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice.
meet them at the door laughing and invite them in.

Be grateful for whatever comes.
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

My Birthday Dinner

Here is the blow by blow of my birthday dinner yesterday.

As reported yesterday, Wife went out and got the good semi-boneless leg of lamb (I love leg of lamb) and some great cheeses (I am a real Francophile from having studied there). I used a very simple Julia Child recipe with a mustard, soy coating.

Below are the ingredients I used for coating the leg of lamb - dijon mustard, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, thyme, rosemary, salt, pepper, and olive oil

The coating and Wife's beautiful leg - I MEAN HER LEG OF LAMB

Leg ready for the oven

Tasty leg coming out of the oven

Awesome cheeses purchased by wife

Finished product with garlic steamed broccoli and 2ooo Bordeaux (mmmmm)

No birthday cake for this boy - birthday cheese (I told Wife we should have put a candle in it)

Counting My Blessings

A number of the blogs I read have been talking about issues related to losing jobs either in their own family or with people that are close to them. This is going to be very bad unfortunately and it is really just starting. I'm incredibly thankful to be doing OK and am incredibly motivated as well to make sure it stays that way.

I haven't posted any pictures lately of the renovation! How could I be so thoughtless?

Walls and ceilings are up. Windows are in and they are putting scaffolding up that will be in place until the last stuccoing. They're doing more electrical and plumbing. Unfortunately they won't have broken through until after Christmas.

This is really - big

Today is my birthday. Geez that means I have to change my profile on the blog. Got a bunch of birthday cards from business contacts using Plaxo. Not sure I really like this as it seems a bit artificial. Wife and I tend not to do much on our birthdays. I was late getting back from LA yesterday and early up today and was half way out the door when I rememberd, "Oh ya it's my birthday." Then didn't give it much thought.

Wife when I got back mid-morning is full into work, looks at her computer calendar and sheepishly gets up, gives me a kiss and says happy birthday. Then I said "Oh, I've got to get something out of the freezer for dinner." But she's feeling just a tad guilty so she asks if I want to go out (Friday night - no thank you) or if I want her to pick up a chicken from the grocery store. Puhlease - we're talking the Pewter Chef here - grocery store chicken is for exhausted I don't want to cook nights. So then she upped the ante to Popeye's Fried Chicken. Now I know shes getting serious because it is my favorite fast food chicken. But I said no because you can't pair it up with a good wine and I want to dig into my collection for a bottle worthy of my birthday. So I told her that I really want a leg of lamb and yes I know I will be the one cooking it and by the way I want some good cheese and bread too. So that's what it looks like it's going to be.

Euro-Meal Special

Thanksgiving for most of those that I cook for is first and foremost a traditional meal. This means there is not a whole lot of room for creative cookery. Well I didn't tromp all the way up to Salt Lake City to just make the same old, same old for Gaius Derf and Agent W. The meal that I made for them on Friday was actually going to a brunch on Thursday but we rescheduled it when we realized that we would have had way too much for the day.

The Menu

Brussels Sprout Salad
Open Face Prosciutto and Cheese Sandwiches with Pineapple Salad
Ramekins of Creamed Spinach with Baked Eggs
Cheese

The salad - Shredded Brussels sprouts dressed with toasted walnuts, lemon juice, olive oil, and pecarino romano cheese.

The sandwiches - I fried the prosciutto until it was crisp (think of it as super bacon), toasted one side of the bread in the oil from the prosciutto, topped it with gruyere cheese and put under the broiler. The pineapple with some raisins had been marinating overnight in a little rum and honey.

The ramekins - I made a killer creamed spinach from scratch from a Julia Child recipe, put it in the ramekins, put an egg in each one, covered with parmesean cheese and baked.

Cheese - camambert and a kick but gorganzola dulce (young smooth - sooo good)

Pictures (thanks to Agent W):

Gaius Derf and Wife watching me cut Brussels Sprouts into fine shreds - a thankless task
Just what the heck are they so smiley about anyway?

My open face sandwiches prior to toasting

The still giddy looking Derf and Wife with salads
What do they know that I don't?

Finished sandwiches with pineapple salad

My ramekins just out of the oven

Whatever Gaius Derf and Wife were into evidently I got some too!