The Mills

Optimal Autumnal Aspen

Originally uploaded by Fort Photo

Another gorgeous post by Fort Photo. I really like this guy’s work – he focuses on nature shots of the American West as I see it.

So I read track on the order of 135 blogs. It’s too much. Every so often I unsubscribe from one or two, with a twinge of regret (yes, I’m an information addict.) This time, I figured I’d post it, in case somebody else wants it.

Virtual Collector (http://virtualcollector.blogspot.com) focuses on posts related to Russia and the Georgian conflict remnants. It’s very eye-opening, on the spot stuff. While I highly recommend it, I can’t track it any more. Enjoy!

We’re working on painting the kitchen. It was wallpapered when we moved in, and with Jenny and kids’ help we pulled the old wallpaper off. Now we’re repainting with a nice sky blue.

I’ve been feeling frustrated at work for some time now. I’m struggling to get along with a couple of people at times. I travel more than I’d like, but professionally I’d be derelict if I didn’t – and I really ought to be at a few more meetings I’m missing. (There’s really not anyone else to send). The career path upward at my employer is througy sales – selling more service contracts to keep more people employed and pad the pockets of the higher-ups. I really don’t feel like I have peers or a mentor in my company, and I feel like my co-workers with are respectful but hard to relate to. (Most of them are retired military).

So I’ve posted my resume a couple of places. I’ve intentionally not applied to much, waiting for something interesting to come along. I’ve gotten a few nibbles, but nothing I’d really spend too much effort on. Then the other day I got an email from someone on the east coast. I responded back saying that I’m not interested in relocating. They persisted, saying the contract is substantial. We continued discussion for a few emails, and so I sent what I thought was just beyond the outer limits of acceptability. I figured for sure they’d say no, and we could all go on our merry way. However, the recruiter has said they’ve put the info in front of the client (yes, another consulting group).

I may actually end up considering moving again. This was not in the plan at all.

Holy cow. That’s all I can say about this screed. This guy has defined intelligent womanhood in such a way that no woman I know well (not my wonderful wife, with a degree in physics, and not the amazing friend of ours working on her PhD and already teaching at 3 universities) would want to fit his definition of intelligent. He seems to believe only the violently anti-male version of the women’s rights movement has any validity.

The painful quotes:

“every thoughtful or liberal or intuitive or open-minded white woman I know worth her vagina monologue and her self-determination and two centuries of nonstop striving for equal rights and sexual freedom and exhaustive patriarchal unshackling is right now openly horrified, appalled at what the addition of shrill PTA hockey-mom Sarah Palin seems to have done for the soggy, comatose McCain campaign…”

and

“Truly, among women in the know and especially among those who fought so hard to bring Hillary Clinton to the brink of history, nausea and a general recoiling appear to be the universal reactions to Palin’s sudden presence on the national stage, stemming straight from the idea that there’s even a slight chance in hell such an antagonistic, anti-female politico could be within a 72-year-old heartbeat of becoming the most powerful and iconic woman of all time. “

Wow. There’s antagonistic, and then there’s this. The crazy part? I do actually know people who agree with him.

The Solitude of Self Nocturnality

Originally uploaded by Fort Photo

This is a gorgeus picture!

Another good man passes on.

“I’m saddened and offended by the idea that companies exist to enrich their owners… That is the very least of their roles; they are far more worthy, more honorable, and more important than that. Without the vital creative force of business, our world would be impoverished beyond reckoning.” – Michael Hammer, as quoted by the New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/05/business/05hammer.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Update:I forgot to post the link to the original article. I first read about Michael at http://advice.cio.com/abbie_lundberg/remembering_michael_hammer_father_of_reengineering