Archive for October, 2009

Motivation

Today’s Word of the Week, “motivation”, brings to mind an interesting anecdote from a few years back.

A friend of mine commented on how hard it would be for them to be self-employed because they had no motivation. They went on the say that they believed that I was very motivated and asked how did I stay so motivated.

Truth be told, I believe that I am the least motivated person on the face of the Earth! I hate being on a time schedule and deadlines are like the plague to my ears. Working for oneself can be a chore unto itself. You don’t have a boss breathing down your neck. You are your own boss, which in theory sounds lovely. However, in practice this is a bit of pain as well.

So how do you stay motivated when there’s no one tapping you in the shoulder and no one there to kick-start your projects? I’ve found that breaking down your more mundane tasks into shorter working time blocks helps. By taking small five-minute breaks, you can return to the task slightly refreshed and re-focused to continue. I also believe that rewarding your self with little media “treats” can be helpful as well. For example, I love to play scrabble online, so after I reach a milestone in my project I might play a quick ten-minute game. But one could also read an article or a few pages from your favorite book, if that’s your healthy “vice”.

All in all, it’s very hard staying motivated and there are a million books and videos out there claiming to have key. What it comes down to is basically, loving what you do. Because that’s the ultimate answer to the motivation conundrum.

Brussel Who?

As I’ve indicated in some earlier anecdotes on etablog.com, I am a vegetarian. One of my favorite vegetables is the brussel sprout.

I know that a lot of people, including my other half, find them bitter and un-appetizing but for me you just have to cook them the right way to truly appreciate their appeal. I like to sauté them in butter with a touch of water in the bottom of a saucepan – nothing else.
For some this may be a little too plain but in my view it allows the true essence of the brussel sprout to shine through. I also try not to over cook it and usually like to have them slightly al dente.

I recently came across another method of cooking this vegetable. One tosses the raw vegetable in a casserole dish with some olive oil, thyme and salt and pepper to taste. Place the ovenproof dish in center of the oven at about 350 degrees for thirty-five to forty-five minutes. The brussels come out lovely and succulent with a gorgeous color and delicious flavor.

You can also try this method with a lot of other hearty root vegetables, like squash, parsnips and swedes. Just remember that you may have to adjust the cooking time but the result should be the same – a great tasting, scrumptious treat.

An Anecdote of a Spider and his Web

A couple of days ago Mark and I saw a largish house spider lurking outside of our flat. He was nestled against the wall leading up to the first floor landing of the building’s entrance. I’m not deathly afraid of the little beasties, but I’m not in love with them either.

So I cajoled Mark into coaxing our new lodger back down into the street outside. Mark gingerly approached the spider with a bit of paper and stretched up towards him. He sort of fell onto the paper and as we started to transport him to this new home, he managed to scuttle away. He sprinted under the wheels of my bike and disappeared into the darkness outside. Or so we thought.

This morning I spotted him a little further down the wall. Having to come face to face with him every time we exited and entered our building was a tad too much for me. So I once again begged Mark to release him into the sunshine outside. This time the transplant was successful.

As Mark placed him onto a seemingly vacant cobweb, a much smaller spider came out of nowhere and attacked. Our spider, being much larger, enveloped him and they became one. I turned away, because I am a bit squeamish but Mark later related that our spider was not the aggressor. He merely started to explore this wild and untamed land only to be attacked for no reason. Obviously the smaller spider felt threatened and this was probably his cobweb. We had interfered with nature, but it’s my sincere belief that our spider would have found that web located just a few feet outside our front door anyway. Therefore my conscience is clear.

Check out the photo of our alpha-spider. What a fine specimen he is!

A Note to a Past President

Being a Brit and slightly green behind the ears when it comes to American presidential history, I was pleasantly surprised after reading an article a few months back concerning Lyndon B. Johnson.

It has been my belief that John F. Kennedy received all the credit in relation to getting the vote for African-Americans and other Civil Rights’ Legislation. However, it came to my knowledge that whilst, JFK got the ball rolling. Lyndon Johnson executed many of the actual bills and even went so far as to initiate new ones.

I’m not going to pretend to be an historian and this isn’t meant to be a history lesson. So I am not going to reiterate dates and laws here in specific detail because you can find that sort of information anywhere on the Internet or in reference books.

What I would like to point out is the little appreciated fact that President Johnson was a prominent and determined advocate for the same rights for all American citizens. Coming from the South and being able to convince many Southern Democrats to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and a year later the Voting Rights Act Bill was an almost insurmountable feat that he overcame.

It just goes to show that in spite of the fact that LBJ grew up in a segregated society that didn’t believe in it’s heart that all men were equal, he dismissed that ideal. It was his determination to give all Americans the right to fair employment, fair housing and equal education; that is a testament to the greatness of his person. Therefore his body of work is well deserving of this category and his character goes above and beyond any dutiful call.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

This month is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Like many people, my life has been touched and changed by cancer. Not necessarily breast cancer but other forms that are just as life threatening.

It’s heart wrenching to know that so many women are completely debilitated by this horrific disease every day. It is imperative that women get tested on a regular basis so that this sickness can be caught and treated early.

I’ve had mammograms and they are by no means pleasant but I know that it is essential to female health. The more that we get this information out there the more women may take notice.

Living in the USA, I have been without health insurance at one time. It was a very scary and unpleasant experience. Luckily I am in good health and nothing emergent occurred. However I understand the need to give all women access to testing because this goes a long way to early detection and prevention in some cases.

You can donate to the American Cancer Society here
You can donate to the Cancer Research UK here

Thanks everyone and stay healthy.

Appearances

I’ve chosen this week’s word because I believe that appearances are the very last thing one should consider when judging an individual or generally assessing a situation.

I know that many people will disagree and say that it’s all about how you portray yourself – that’s who you are. I still beg to differ. It’s easy to put on a suit and be that corporate person who says and does all the right things, always towing the party line. But what does that really say about you as a real person?

If we are all doomed to being the same then why even bother to get out of the bed in the morning? I know this may sound like a bit of a rant and in a way it is. I’m just a little bit miffed about sometimes being judged and not having a level playing field when it comes to an initial contact. And I’m not just talking race here. This is true when it comes something as permanent sex and as frivolous as hairstyling.

So what am I trying to say? In a nutshell, just assess your own preconceived notions and try not to classify that person solely on how they look. You could be missing out on a golden opportunity or a truly fulfilling experience.