Monthly Archives: August 2009
the philanthropist
for the past eight weeks i have been glued to a new show on NBC called The Philanthropist. it caught my interest because the title character is played by james purefoy who i enjoyed as marc antony on the HBO series Rome. i was hooked by the second episode, which centered around the turmoil in myanmar (or burma) where many of the refugees in okc are from. i’m very impressed with this international drama, which was filmed everywhere from south africa to mozambique to prague. each installment is exciting and engaging, with its spectacular location footage, high action, sensationalistic characters, and emotionally charged circumstances, but the story lines are based on very real conditions in the countries it features. once you’re drawn in by the allure of the good-looking billionaire playboy Teddy Rist and his vigilante heroics, and the heart-tugging people he encounters, the show offers practical ways to make a difference. pretty sneaky…glamorize outreach with a hollywood polish then give people easy ways to jump in while they’re motivated. i love it.
while Teddy’s impulsive actions, impossible connections, and affinity for throwing around huge wads of money are hardly realistic, much less feasible for the average volunteer, anything that promotes awareness to people who are not usually exposed to the reality of global unrest is good in my opinion. the eight-part series is complete now, and i don’t believe there are plans to air any new episodes, but you can watch all of the previously aired shows here.
if you’d like ideas for simple ways to get involved on a variety of levels, check out the links in the “do some good” section of my WHERE I BROWSE page.
*interestingly, the drama is inspired by real life entrepreneur-turned-full-time philanthropist Bobby Sager.
the new gig
this is not a blog about my life. the posts here cover the topics that excite me, and what is on my mind regarding them, not necessarily the happenings of my daily activities. (although much of the time those areas overlap, thankfully.) i know i’ve said so, but i write when the subject provokes an urge to get my bottle-necked thoughts on paper, and i publish here when those recorded thoughts seem like something i’d want to catalog for future reference. (or when i think it’s an online conversation-starter!)
what i’m getting at is that in the year since i started this web journal, i have been conspicuously silent about one area of my life: work. this may not seem odd to the many who compartmentalize work into a separate category from hobbies, but for the majority of my employed years i have sought positions in areas that are my hobbies. work has always been my play, my mission, my passion. last year i talked about my shift in philosophy when i accepted my first just-a-job position. later i whined about how i was struggling with that decision. but otherwise i have not felt compelled to write about métier since this area of my life was relegated from enthusiasm to obligation. however, since most (all?) of my readers are friends and family, and everyone is curious about this, i figured the blog is the new mass email. so here’s the scoop:
i thought i would have no need to change jobs while i’m in this take-advantage-of-my-pre-mommy-years, degree-using, debt-obliterating phase of my career. however, i was approached by a former colleague with an offer that has more compensation & flexibility with less stress & hours, so i jumped at the chance. (plus, you know me…i crave periodic change. protracted routine kills me.) so, no more advertising for me! now i get to get a little techie. the vitals –> this is who i work for: inkwell business products, and this is what i do: managed print services. i consult with CFOs about managing operating expenses in a commonly overlooked area – document storage and output. i’m actually kinda excited about it, partially because so far the job environment has delivered on all the improvements i’d hoped for, but mostly because now i’ll have time to work on building my own budding language business! (more on that to come…)
absence makes the garden grow faster?
- they’re even crowding onto the walkway
now that i am officially a member of the those-who-garden club, leaving town for a few days holds a whole new dimension.
it’s not just that a friend or neighbor gets recruited to dutifully water the thirsty veggies in OK’s 100 degree summer, although that is one more task on the vacation prep checklist. the real anxiety comes upon our return, when i nervously visualize pest infestation or tomatoes that have been choked out by an errant cuke vine curling tightly around their stem.
while there is typically much critical pruning to be done, i’m often astonished to discover how productive my hardworking plants have been in my absence. last year, after a long weekend on the lake with friends, i came home to find this monster waiting for me. and last week, after and impromptu getaway with lee, i was shocked by several football-sized squash hiding among the foliage.
- july growth
in general, the entire garden had burst into a forest of overgrowth, in the span of six days! maybe it always blooms that quickly and i just don’t notice the change as much when i am monitoring it daily, but wow, what a difference from the last photo shoot!
the homecoming harvest filled several baskets—cucumbers and peppers and tomatoes and okra and zucchini and basil and sage and parsley, oh my! it’s got me thinking about dinner… i see a spicy veggie pignolia pasta…or perhaps a rich moroccan-style risotto. and there’s always pesto or tabbouleh or zucchini bread or a cool bisque… um, gotta go, i hear a few recipe books calling.
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- the best thank you for garden-sitting
plenty to share with the neighbors
pile 'em up for the paring!
to a fault
i might’ve mentioned a time or two that i earnestly enjoy learning. about almost anything. i generally take the read-DO-read approach to unfamiliar undertakings. here’s what it looks like: research enough through books and the internet to get started, employ the ‘ole trial-and-error method until ruin is imminent, then desperately scour said books and web pages for the vital pieces of information missed on the first round.
although chaotic, this pattern is significantly more gratifying for me than bringing in an expert. “give me a day or two, i can figure it out” seems to be my subconscious determination. this self-teaching penchant can also lead to an unhealthy quantity of time spent mastering skills i will have little use for in the future. but, true to my sickness, i actually like obtaining the useless information. and my quest is not always motivated by an industrious DIY productivity. often a how-to i look up is out of sheer curiosity, or perhaps the need for a challenge.
exhibit a: a few weeks ago i had my first blogiversary and celebrated by gifting my weblog with a new name, url, and license for a makeover (access to the style sheet). having previously taught myself a bit more than basic html, and after an in-depth CL class that utilized some java and python, i thought i might be able to decipher enough CSS to tweak the format and maybe add a fresh coat of paint to the faded wallpaper.
i should have known. i should have predicted the obsessive all-nighter that inevitably sat in ambush around the corner. as the wee hours crept by i was driven by both small successes (centered masthead! navigation features!) and futile code-testing (if anyone knows anyone who can help me thread the comments, i’d be über-grateful to know the secret). i sleepily reprimanded myself for “wasting time” on something that was clearly unnecessary, and certainly not knowledge i would ever need in my daily life. (neither is it helpful to recall in a life-threatening situation, nor impressive to share at a dinner party.) but, learning is what i do, to a fault, perhaps, and i never feel like time spent in discovery is a waste. i have certainly forfeited sleep for less worthy causes.
