1 out of 2 isn’t very satisfying…

I picked one of the two NFL games today.

I got the Jets pick right (which nobody else seemed to see coming).  So that’s cool.

But I got the Eagles pick wrong… and that is aggravating to no end.

Not only do I like the Eagles… I despise the Cowboys.  With a vengeance.

The only good news out of all this is that Jerry Jones will probably keep Wade Phillips as their coach.  Which should keep them from winning the SuperBowl for at least a few more years.

Although, at this point, I have to admit that Tony Romo is frightening.  I don’t like his emergence at all.

And it still just ticks me off that the Eagles didn’t even show up for this game.

I mean, if you watched the game, Dallas couldn’t have done any more to hand the game to the Eagles at the start of the game.  But it was like the Eagles wanted to show the Cowboys that they wanted to win even less than the Cowboys.

And slowly the Eagles gave Dallas every single opportunity to get their mojo back.  And it was over.  It was over when Wade Phillips won his challenge of the Romo interception.

Done.  Even though it was the first quarter.

Aaaargh!  I just want to scream.  (which would be a really bad idea since it’s almost 3:00am).

I know nobody that reads this will care.  Heck, I shouldn’t care.

But sports is one of those things that can just get my blood boiling.  And I *hate* it when my teams lose.  And I hate it even more when they lose to the Cowboys.

And now I have to revise my predictions and say that the Cowboys will be in the NFC championship game after they beat the Vikings next week.  And writing that just made my throw up in my mouth a little.

But here’s my new dream…

Cards win tomorrow, then get by the Saints the following week (I’m less confident of that now… but very doable).  Then *we* get the opportunity to knock out the ‘Boys in their own house.

Oh, that would be sweet!

The other side of that, though, would be if the Cowboys beat the Cards.  Then I might just go on a 4 state shooting spree.

No. I Don’t Have Cancer….

Being bald has it’s advantages.

I love not worrying about my hair.  I love accepting / embracing what is and not feeling self-conscious about it.

I love how it looks… especially when I grow out my goatee, shave my head, and get to look mean.  It’s good practice for when the girls get older and start dating.

That’s not to say it doesn’t have its downsides, though.

For example, I went golfing on Christmas Eve.  At one point I was trying to jump into a moving golf cart.  Something I’ve done hundreds of times before.

But I forgot the golf cart had a GPS unit hanging from the roof and I accidentally dove head-first into it.  It wasn’t a big deal… but I have no hair to cushion the blow (the same principle applies when I walk into a high kitchen cupboard one of the kids has left open).

The first bad thing that happens is that every little blemish, bump and scrape is visible.  People with hair don’t have to worry about that (and it happens way more often than you realize).

In this instance I came away with a pretty good cut / scrape across the top of my head.

And that’s when the second disadvantage comes into play…

When I have a cut on my head I usually can’t shave again until the cut or scrape is healed.

This one was bad enough that I haven’t been able to shave my head since it happened.

It was so bad that Lauren texted me during church (during the sacrament, of all things) while I was up on the stand.  She told me to stop leaning forward and looking down because my bald head with a big scab on the crown looked gross.

At least my phone wasn’t sitting on the wood pillar next to my seat (to adjust the pulpit position and the sound).  And at least it wasn’t on vibrate.  And at least it didn’t vibrate *really* loud while the sacrament was being passed.

Oh, wait, all that really happened?  That was probably pretty embarrassing then.

Okay… so fast forward to today.

I’ve finally decided my head is healed enough to shave again.

Except now it’s so long I really need to buzz it with clippers first (the razor just doesn’t cut it after a certain point).  Only I’m way too lazy for that.  I figure I’ll just give it a go with the razor first and see what happens.

Didn’t work.

So I get out of the shower and make a mental note that I need to buzz my head as soon as I’m dry.

Only I’m a space cadet.  And I forget.  And I sit down at my computer… which means all bets are off.

2 hours later I’m hungry.  To put it mildly.

So I gather the family and head to a restaurant.

As we’re driving away Lauren screams.

Why?

Because I have an aborted, incomplete shave-job going on up top.  And I’m really hungry.  And I just don’t want to take the time to get out the clippers and buzz it before heading out.

So my mortified wife got to dine with an apparent cancer patient / burn victim tonight.  We got a lot of funny looks.

Whatever.

Wouldn’t be complete without the pics.  Enjoy…

 

P.S.  I still haven’t finished the job.  I better do it *right now* or I’ll probably end up going to church like this on Sunday.

Grind.

Some days are a grind.

Today was a grind.

I prefer to work in fits and starts.  Long periods of distraction interrupted by small flashes of brilliance.  I do 90% of my work in 5% of the time.

And then there are days like today.  Days I dread.  Days I see coming weeks in advance and do all I can to avoid, postpone, and ignore.

From the time I got home from taking Andi to school (about 6:30am) until now (about 11:00pm) I’ve been grinding.  Pushing.  Wrestling with work that just needs to be done.

It’s the details.  I’m not good at them.  I don’t like them.  And they’re inevitable.

Uggh.

And I’ve been avoiding this particular backlog for many, many months (a special genius I have).  So it’s big.  Huge.  Ginormous.

It mocks me.  Taunts my weakness.  I hate it.

There’s no genius to getting it done.  No moment of triumph to offset the drudge of the grind.  No brilliant, lustrous, magnificent idea on the other side.  And no grand experiment to prove.

And if you know me, you know there is absolutely no motivation to see myself through the grind.  No drive.  No power.  No passion.

For Lauren, the simple act of crossing off each item one by one is joy, itself.  Not me.  Not close.

So I’m bored.

And I have nothing to write tonight.

My mind is numb.  My creativity oppressed.  I feel like a country song.

And no end in sight.  Several days to go.  The curse of procrastination.

(Sigh)

Back to work.  The grind is waiting.

(Heavy sigh)

It’s going to be a long night.

(Long, drawn out, audible sigh… hoping for some pity from Lauren.  Previous sighs apparently not working)

A Little Nook Nook…

*Grin*

I got a new toy today.

Did you know I really like getting new toys?  Especially when I’m the only one I know who has said toy.

I am an admitted gadget- and gizmo-aholic.

So when my new Barnes & Noble Nook arrived today I just had to drop everything to check it out.  (Don’t judge the photos too harshly… I’m not my sisters or my daughter and I don’t walk around constantly with a camera in my pocket.  So my iPhone camera will have to suffice.)

In case you don’t know what a Nook is, it’s a ebook reader.  It uses a super-cool display technology that looks exactly like printed paper… you seriously can’t tell it’s an electronic display.  Andi still thought the printed sticker was on the screen when I first showed it to her.

Since the display is like paper it’s supposed to be much easier on the eyes than reading from a computer screen.

And that also helps give the Nook a ridiculously long battery life… I think it’s a couple weeks of use.

And it can hold thousands of books and documents (I can send personal documents or pdfs from my computer to my Nook).

Anyway… that’s all well and good.  But that’s only the justification I used to convince Lauren to let me get it.

Really, I just wanted to get it because it seemed cool.  And it’s just a bonus that it could actually prove to be very useful as well.

Did I mention I like slick new gadgets?

I started it up and bought my first 2 books immediately (SuperFreakonomics and Rising Tide).  Way easy… and the books are automatically delivered wirelessly a few seconds later.

I like that I can adjust the text size (since my old-man eyes sometimes need a bigger font) and even the font.  I can even highlight and bookmark.

Surprisingly, there isn’t a good version of the scriptures available yet.

But there are hundreds of thousands of other books available.  Seriously.  And a bunch of them are free.

And usually digital books are significantly cheaper than their physical counterparts (for obvious reasons).  New bestsellers (only available in hardback offline) are usually less than $10.

I’m excited to read my first full book on it.  I’ll let you know how it goes.

Also, I like gadgets.

Ain’t Technology Grand?

I just finished giving my 5th webinar.  And it hit me that I’m running a business that was entirely impossible not very long ago.

I give web-based seminars (webinars) that are attended live by hundreds of people from all over the world (more than a dozen countries today).  There is a live video feed that can either be of me or my computer screen.  Live audio.  A whiteboard application.

I can even have multiple presenters from anywhere in the world.

I can do live surveys.  Participants can “raise their hands” and ask questions.  They can chat with me or each other.

I can see who’s attending and chat with them individually, or as a group.  I can even see who’s paying attention and who’s not.

It’s just cool… ridiculously so.  And perfect for me.  And I take it for granted that I can communicate like this.

It will never replace live seminars (nor would I want it to).  But what a great way to run an internet-age seminar company.  I can even record the webinar with one click and make it available afterwards for viewing anytime.

Technology can be a real pain sometimes.  Sometimes I dread it.  Often times I despise it.

Mostly, though, I’m fascinated by it.

The stuff we can do today that wasn’t even a faint hope when I first started in business is mind-boggling.

Even something as simple as a blog is a minor miracle… don’t you think?  The ability to communicate intimately with dozens, hundreds, or even thousands at a time is so staggeringly powerful.  The nascent influence we each have today (even if we don’t recognize or acknowledge it) is mind-blowing and awe-inspiring (or possibly frightening).

And so cool.

I’m glad I’m alive today.  Not sure how I would do in any other age (duh), but today couldn’t fit me much better.

Somewhere, the Football Gods are Laughing…

It’s unfortunate that my only 2 blog readers are female… because today I need to blog about something distinctly male.  The NFL.

Every year at least one team has a spectacular regular season (this year it’s at least the Colts and the Saints… I should probably include the Vikings, too).  And every year said team(s) gets cautious at the end and starts playing not to lose instead of playing to win.

Now, they do this for an ostensibly good reason… to protect their players from potential injury while preparing for the playoffs.

But here’s the deal… in the process they invariably anger the football gods.

Now I don’t really believe in football gods (I’m not superstitious… just a little stitious).  But I do believe that it’s harder to turn on and off winning attitudes and culture than most football X and O guys think.  Or else they wouldn’t insist on killing their SuperBowl chances each year by willingly giving up a winning attitude and culture.

It sends the wrong message to players, fans, and opponents.  And it will inevitably come back to haunt those teams that do it.

Because human beings aren’t wired that way.  And even though football players (and presumably coaches) are taught that it’s the hard, physical skills that matter… it’s the “soft” psychological and emotional edges that give the championship advantage.

And that’s why playing not to lose at the end of the regular season is a loser attitude and instantly identifies those organizations that don’t have the soft skills to win this year.  (I believe it’s why the Colts have only 1 SuperBowl win in a decade of dominance.  It’s an organizational attitude that places talent over emotion and momentum.  And that equals regular season wins and predictable postseason “flops.”)

So I make a few predictions… based entirely off of the emotional momentum and playoff “mojo” of each team as I see it.  Because I believe in a league of parity (unlike, say, baseball) that energy has far more to do with playoff success than pure talent.

My 2009/2010 Mojo Picks…

Neither of the 2 best teams this year will win the SuperBowl.  Indy and New Orleans are done.  (Although Peyton Manning scares the bejeebers out of me and could single-handedly prove me wrong.  But I doubt it).

And the inverse corollary also holds true… those teams that were forced to maintain the competitive instinct to the end because they were battling for their playoff lives will carry over an emotional advantage that won’t easily be overcome by superior (talent-wise) teams suddenly trying to turn it back on for the playoffs.  This is especially true in the AFC where final playoff teams weren’t decided until the last game.

So even though on paper Baltimore and the Jets shouldn’t beat New England and the Bengals… they will.  (Although New England played to win every game, because I don’t think Bill Belichick knows any other way.  In this case I think it’s just been too long since the Pats played a meaningful game.  But they’re a team that could certainly win next week and make a long run.)

The NFC is a little tougher.

I think the Cards and Eagles win next week (even though Dallas is technically the hotter team… no way Wade Phillips converts that to a W.  Philly rolls Dallas in the intangibles game).  And at least one of them will then take down one of the NFC favorites the following week.  The other NFC favorite will lose in the conference championship (if they even make it that far).

That means the NFC SuperBowl team will be either the Cardinals or the Eagles.  I say Eagles.  But that may or may not be a pick solely for the reverse jinx effect I’m trying to muster.

In the AFC I pick the Jets and Ravens in round 1 (although I wouldn’t be surprised if the Pats win… Coach Belichick gets this more than any other coach in the league).

The Jets will lose in the next round because they just don’t have the talent to hang with anyone else.  That is my sole talent pick heading into the playoffs… the Jets go down on talent, not energy and emotion.

At some point the Chargers will lose because they don’t have enough of the energy at their core (and it starts with coach Norv Turner… he’s the AFC equivalent of Wade Phillips in Dallas).  I just don’t know if it will be in round 2 or 3 (because they could face the Jets).

New England, Baltimore and Indy could all make a SuperBowl run.  They all have “it.”  And since I’ve already taken down the Colts and Pats, I’m going to go with Baltimore as the AFC SuperBowl team… although picking Joe Flacco over Tom Brady and (especially) Peyton Manning doesn’t even make sense to me.

I might change that pick depending on how they show up energetically for round 1.  But I’ll think I’ll look pretty good next week.

So that’s my all-mojo NFL prediction post.  The teams that play in the SuperBowl will be there on mojo… not talent.  And the teams going home before then have already sealed their fate by tempting the football gods late in the season.  And they must be punished for it.

Attentional Blindness…

Okay… I’m figuring day 2 will be the hardest (it’s the one that even threw Brooke last year).  So I’m getting it out of the way early.

Last night Holly came in and asked me where to find some videos that I sometimes use for training / teaching.  They’re cool videos that you can show your kids to prove to them that they aren’t as aware as they think they are.

The first video is at http://dothetest.co.uk.  I like the original one better than the new one.  Check it out.

The next several videos are my favorites.  I use them a lot.  You’ll get a kick out of them.  See how “blind” you are before giving your kids the test.

Each of the videos below is a 12-second still video.  During each video a major change will occur in the picture over the 12 seconds.  Your job is to spot the change.  It’s not as easy as it sounds ;-)

Oh… and here’s a tip… since you probably won’t get the change the first time around (especially for the first 3), you’ll want to replay them.  When you replay the video you’ll also want to close your eyes or cover the video when it resets.  When the video starts playing over then the picture resets instantly to the original and it will ruin the effect… you’ll see the jump.  And if you can’t figure out what is changing that’s also how you “cheat.”

No cheating until you’ve given each picture several attempts on your own.

Video 1 (The River… and my favorite)

Video 2 (The Couch)

Video 3 (The Cafe)

Video 4 (The Cornfield)

Video 5 (The Market)

Video 6 (The Medal)

Now for the homework… after watching the videos (and proving that you aren’t as aware as you think you are), think about the other areas in your life where your attentional commitments have created blindness to other relationships or needs.  They’re there.  And just being aware of your blindness makes a huge difference.