Quick Update: Life Progress Report

Sorry sorry.  As per my usual self, I’ve been terrible at keeping in touch with everyone (esp. grandma; sorry grandma!)  But just in case you are interested in what’s up with me, here is a brief update across the board:

Tried Carrot this morning.  Abuse is awesome.  Also tried Yoga Studio.  Not bad at passive-aggressively telling I am no longer quite as bendy as I used to be, but felt very good.  Prefer Carrot’s more direct abuse.  (Thanks Mary!)

JoMI (jomi.com) is now officially two years old (entering the terrible twos?). MGH, Harvard Medical School, UCSF, Stanford, and a number of others have renewed and I keep running into people who have seen our videos, so we are now prepping to move to the next stage.  Fun fact: 

Wrike – My Project Management Tool of Choice

Wrike.com is an awesome, awesome project management tool.  Blogging to pass on the love.

Why is it awesome?  Because it is light, makes no assumptions about my workflow, and is simple and intuitive.  Consists of tasks, arranged in folders (one-to-many), with dependencies (Gantt charts), integrated with email allowing for easy discussions and notifications, and time tracking to boot.  Currently, I use Wrike at JoMI along with FairSetup (my other project) allowing everyone on the team to, once a week, quickly review our activity and self-report on accomplishments/time allocation, which leads to short-cycle calibration within the team.

So far, Wrike has been particularly good at helping with the following:

• workflow management – when I have a multi-step workflow, easy to track progress
• prioritization – when people get overloaded, I am able to prioritize their (and my) attention
• memory – things no longer get lost
• rapport – making sure that we are all on the same page. This last one deserves more attention…

 

Burningman: It’s Burning, Man

It’s all in the comma.  A pause.  A self-awareness.  A narcissistic pleasure of inhaling the echo of one’s voice.  Except it’s not – when everything is everywhere and anything is possible; when art, drugs, music, dancing, love, bitterness, crazy costumes, fire – when all of it crescendos into a roaring cacophonous kaleidoscope, then it becomes uniform white noise.  A tabula rasa.  Specs of dust in a dust storm painting your vision.  And then it’s you, in a cloud, alone with your thoughts.  This was my burn.

I’ve had several people ask me “What is Burningman?”  I can’t speak for others, but to me it’s about two things: 1) extreme respect for individuality and 2) self-awareness.

Burningman: a Poetic Sunrise

I am waking up.  No.  I am being awakened.  Rudely.  By a man with a megaphone in the middle of a square, next to camp that generously provided couches and pillows…  the very couches and pillows upon which I am but one of many burners.  The sun is baking, but it’s early.  Too early.  Too early for this.  And he is yelling.  As if the megaphone isn’t loud enough.  And it goes something like this (crass, read at your own risk):

MegaBus Sucks

For those of you taking the MegaBus, beware – they don’t care about their customers.

I got a ticket from Boston to Secaucus for 10:20 on 9/7/2013.  All good, except I made an innocent mistake of mixing up AM and PM.  OK, no big deal – guys, just put me on the bus to NY at 11 and I’ll make my way to NJ myself.  And then…

Reintegrating into Default: Breathing Out

Got back to SF this morning.  Re-entering default after my second burn is more challenging than I thought it would be.  I apologize to anyone expecting to hear from me for delays – it has been an incredibly overwhelming few days.  The burn has pushed, challenged, and built me in ways I did not expect (as is usually the case).  In the meantime, a piece of advice from Samantha, a virgin burner brought to the burn by her son.  Paraphrasing:

“Focus on exhaling.  It’s easy.  You’ll have to inhale later anyway to match the exhale, so no need to worry about it.”

How I Make Decisions, Goals for JoVE

Let’s talk about making decisions.  Cause I get to phofphelesziz…  (dude next to me at Tosca suggested “proselytize”…  that’s almost the word, though not quite…  Gah!  Where is Fitzpatrick when you need him?!)

First, a very important question: What do I want?

Simple: I want to be happy 1) personally and 2) professionally.  Both must fit within certain constraints.  What are they?

Constraint 1: Regret

When faced with any difficult decision, I ask: “What will I regret in the future?”  That is, wa-a-a-ay out in the future, assuming that I grow old without growing senile.  All minutiae promptly crumbles off the core often clearing the path to a decision.

SHAME: US is Screwing Over Iraqis who Helped Us

I am ashamed to be an American today.  I learned about TheListProject.org. 

Synopsis: Iraqis who helped US in Iraq during and after the war have put themselves in danger and are now being murdered in Iraq, because US failed to protect them or take them in as refugees.  US had a moral obligation, went through the motions (senate passed a law allocating 25,000 visas), but…

The machine that should have allowed people to immigrate failed. 

Example: a guy worked as a forklift operator, attempted to immigrate as a refugee, provided US Immigration everything needed, had the American company he worked for vouch for him, and yet the system dragged the process on failing to adequately handle his case.  He started the process on June 28th, 2011.  Around June 2012, he was murdered. (source: http://www.thisamericanlife.org/takingnames/)

Game of Thrones… Season 3 Episode 9

Amtrak Train.  Diner cart.  I stand up dazed and angry.  Random lady sitting some tables back, as I pass by:

“Are you ok? I saw you were watching…”

Uhm…  no, lady.  I am not. But thank you for asking.  I have to pee, please watch my computer.  I walk over to the bathroom.  In a daze, somewhat relieved of reality, I walk back, four pairs of eyes, including the lady, commiserating.  We chat.  Group therapy just short of a collective hug.

NY to Boston Bus Options

So, since Fung Wah and Lucky Star are both suspended, discovered some new services.

1. GoBuses – just scored a ticket for $10.  Midtown to Cambridge (&Newton).  This is a rebrand of WorldWideBus. Midtown to Alewife.