Birthday time again

Ah, once again my birthday is here and I get to pause to think about were I am on my life-time line. Of course we never know how long that line is but I choose to think that at now 49 I am a little over half way (but not much). This year I sit back with a nice smile on my face.

• A wife that loves me. (Judy)
• A school and a job that I love. (DSU)
• Two cats who need me (at least at dinner time). (Bandit and Samantha)
• Good long-time friends
• Great sisters and brother and in-laws
• much much more

I have it pretty good.

I just had one of my students stop by who is graduating this spring. He has a job waiting at just over $50,000 right out of school. We talked about his choices and it turns out he turned down another offer for $53,000. The job market is great for Computer Scientists at the moment with most of the kids I know getting offers from 47 to 53 thousand. Wow, to have that much financial security right out of school is nothing like when I graduated. The thing that really makes me feel old however is that a couple of my students are forgoing the money to go with smaller startup companies. Not the salaries nor benefits of the bigger places. I know I could not see myself taking that risk. "I could not see myself taking that risk" I think that says it all. Oh to be young and daring again. Oh well, I did that once, quit school, lived and skied in western Colorado, totally enjoyed having the rest of my life to settle down.

Yes, it was fun being young but I sure enjoy where I am now.

I really do have it pretty damn good.

(at least for one more year!)

Global Warming - a failure

Carbon fireflies floating upward into the clear night sky. Stacks of empty aged aerosol cans at my feet . Finger numb from the press of plastic valves. With hopeful anticipation a glance at the thermometer on the garage wall.

[13 BELOW ]

The mocking squeak of snow underfoot as I retreat indoors.

Damn!!

Failure at Global Warming again.

Who is a 'JERK" ?

Sometimes we get so busy with all the many many little things in life that over time we forget some of the lessons we have learned and applied in our dealings with others. One of mine that I had lost track of is one I called the “who is really a Jerk?” approach to others. It is a variation of the old “Do onto others …” and goes like this:

“Assume that when someone acts like a Jerk that they are having a very bad day and cut them some slack”

For much of my adult life I was very good at applying this attitude but in the last couple of years as I went through a period of OVERLOAD at both the personal and professional level I kind of lost track of it. Now don’t get me wrong, there are “Jerks” in the world and I would guess we all have met one. However, I believe that only about 1 in a million is really a “Jerk”, instead they are people who, at that moment in time, are acting in a Jerk-like way.

So why, if they are not really “Jerks” are they acting like one? I choose to believe that they are just having a very bad day. I know that I sure have had a life full of times that I have acted in a Jerk-like way and I would guess you have too. Why, because we are human. End of story, no deep analysis needed, period !!!! We are human!! OK you say; then what about those people who act in a jerk-like way for more than a day, maybe a week, or a month, etc? Most people are fortunate enough to live in an environment that is stable and bad days come and go, but for some, whole periods of life are bad days. Now that is not an excuse for acting like a jerk for a long period of time or even for just a day but it does allow me to respond to them in a more understanding way.

Have I acted like a Jerk sometimes? You bet!! More than I would ever like to admit. I bet you have too,  Now it is possible that you are one of those special people who doesn’t think that they have ever acted like a Jerk and I guess all I can say to you is “Good for you, your truly 1 in a million!”

Stephen