Random musings

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Shaken, not stirred

There seems to be a controversy about whether it's better to shake or stir a martini, but being a James Bond fan (especially the original Sean Connery Bond), I'm going with shaken.

Especially since that's the way that Lorrie Nicoles of Tora Writing Services makes her world famous chocolate martinis! Never had a chocolate martini? No problem! Just come to Laptop Lounge in Walnut Creek today from 5:30 - 7:30 PM for their 5th Annual Hump Day Holiday Chocolate Party.

This is a great networking mixer for all of you business owners out there, as well as sales professionals like realtors, mortgage lenders and brokers, consultants, etc...anyone who needs a steady stream of customers.

I believe I've been to at least 2 or 3 of these events. It's always a lot of fun. Besides the chocolate martinis there will be lots of other chocolate treats and I believe some wine may be available.

If you do go, be sure to look for Leslie Reitzes, the Community Manager at Laptop Lounge, she can connect you with anybody you'd like to meet at the event.

Interesting days

Today - Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, International Civil Aviation Day and Cotton Candy Day

Tomorrow - Pretend To Be A Time Traveler Day and Brownie Day

Next Wednesday - Monkey Day

January 7 - Bobblehead Day, Tempura Day, Old Rock Day, Fruitcake Toss Day, Harlem Globetrotter's Day and I'm Not Going To Take It Anymore Day

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Dreams can come true

This post is from Harvey Mackay.

December 6 is a historic day for dreamers. On this day in 1877 Thomas Edison recited “Mary had a little lamb” into his phonograph invention and made the world’s first recording of human voice.

Edison, as we know, made many of his dreams come true.

And we all have benefitted from his persistence.

Dreams start out as little ideas that start to take shape even before we know it. There’s a mountain of research about “lucid dreaming,” a fascinating concept dealing with sleepers who are aware that they are dreaming and can even control their dreams. I can’t say I’ve mastered this technique, but think of the possibilities!

So for those of us who rely on our conscious surroundings, I recommend that you nurture your dreams by staying open to the opportunities that await. Consider how this story could have ended far differently if Monty Roberts had let others dampen his dreams.

In his book The Man Who Listens to Horses, famed horse trainer Monty Roberts tells about the time one of his teachers in high school assigned a paper called “My Goals in Life.” The teacher, Mr. Fowler, was interested only in practical goals – not fantasies about going to Hollywood to become a movie star, and the like. But young Monty had a serious dream. The son of a horse trainer, he longed to own a thoroughbred racehorse facility. Monty turned in a detailed plan to achieve his dream.

Mr. Fowler returned his paper with a failing grade. “It’s a wild, unattainable dream,” he told the teen. “I know your family and background; it would not be possible.” He insisted Monty rewrite the paper.

The next day, after talking with his mother, Monty returned his original paper to Mr. Fowler. He included a note saying he believed in his plan and the teacher shouldn’t limit his aspirations. Mr. Fowler didn’t respond at the time, but Monty got an A in the course.

Monty ultimately achieved his dream through hard work and determination. Many years later, he received a call from Mr. Fowler, who wanted to arrange a tour of Monty’s stables for his church group.

After the tour, Mr. Fowler told the group about the term paper and the note Monty had written. “There was a time when I told Monty that this was unattainable,” he said. “Now we’ve all had a good look around, and seen how he proved me wrong.” His student, he said, had taught him “the most valuable lesson I ever learned.”

Don’t give up on your dreams! And don’t allow others to discourage you. Don’t be afraid to ask for help or advice, but make sure you choose carefully whose counsel you will seek.
As I often say, believe in yourself, even when no one else does. If you don’t try, how will you ever succeed?

In 1782, Robert Shurtleff joined the Continental Army. He marched and fought with the men of the Fourth Massachusetts Regiment in the Revolutionary War.

He was a model soldier. During one battle, Shurtleff sustained a bullet wound to his leg that he tended himself before marching back into action. Word of Shurtleff’s courage and camaraderie spread amongst the troops. The soldiers had the utmost respect for him, though they nicknamed him “Molly” because of his smooth, hairless face. Soon he was tagged to become the assistant to a high-ranking officer.

But in 1783, a deadly fever swept through many of the Army’s camps. Shurtleff took ill, and that’s when his true identity was discovered: Shurtleff was really Deborah Sampson.

Sampson had spent much of her life as an indentured servant and longed for adventure. The Army seemed to offer the ideal solution as well as the opportunity to serve her country. She just had to hide the fact that she was a woman!

Once her identity was known, the Army was obliged to release her from duty – women weren’t allowed to serve. But the Army stepped up and awarded Sampson an honorable discharge and a military pension for her year in service.

After she married and raised a family, Sampson was ready for another adventure. She dusted off her old Army uniform and began touring the country, speaking about her experiences as a frontline soldier in the Revolutionary War – and maybe encouraging someone else to take a risk and follow a dream.

Mackay’s Moral: Better to chase a dream than to be pursued by regrets.

Interesting days

Today - Mitten Tree Day, Miners' Day and Pawnbrokers Day

Tomorrow - Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, International Civil Aviation Day and Cotton Candy Day

Next Tuesday - Violin Day

January 6 - Bean Day, Shortbread Day, Apple Tree Day, Cuddle Up Day and Three Kings Day

Monday, December 5, 2016

More beauty of math

I saw this picture on Facebook a couple of days ago:

I'd never seen a golden triangle as the basis of a logarithmic spiral before...just the rectangle like I wrote about a couple of weeks ago. A golden triangle is an isosceles triangle where the length of the longer sides is approximately 1.6180339 times the length of the shorter side...or exactly (1+sqr(5)/2) times as long as shown here:

{a \over b}=\varphi ={1+{\sqrt {5}} \over 2}.

The vertex angle is 36 degrees and the two angles at the base are 72 degrees each. If you put ten of these triangles together you get a decagon:

And if you put five together, base angle to base angle, you get a pentagram:

Let's get back to the logarithmic spiral which is what got this whole thing started in the first place.

From Wikipedia:

The golden triangle is used to form a logarithmic spiral. By bisecting the base angles, a new point is created that in turn, makes another golden triangle. The bisection process can be continued infinitely, creating an infinite number of golden triangles. A logarithmic spiral can be drawn through the vertices. This spiral is also known as an equiangular spiral, a term coined by René Descartes. "If a straight line is drawn from the pole to any point on the curve, it cuts the curve at precisely the same angle," hence equiangular.

And it looks something like this:

Math can be a beautiful thing!

Interesting days

Today - World Soil Day, Sachertorte Day, Bathtub Party Day and International Ninja Day

Tomorrow - Mitten Tree Day, Miners' Day and Pawnbrokers Day

Next Monday - Gingerbread House Day and Poinsettia Day

January 5 - Whipped Cream Day and Bird Day

Sunday, December 4, 2016

The Funday Sunnies

Interesting days

Today - Dice Day, Wear Brown Shoes Day, Cab Franc Day, World Wildlife Conservation Day and Cookie Day One of my favorites!

Tomorrow - World Soil Day, Sachertorte Day, Bathtub Party Day and International Ninja Day

Next Sunday - Worldwide Candle Lighting Day, World Choral Day and International Mountain Day

January 4 - Spaghetti Day, Trivia Day, World Braille Day, Hypnotism Day and Pop Music Chart Day What song was #1 on the day you were born? Or any other day from 1940 until today? Check out this link to find out

Saturday, December 3, 2016

Your weekend guide to interesting days

Today - Disability Day, Roof Over Your Head Day and Make A Gift Day

Tomorrow - Dice Day, Wear Brown Shoes Day, Cab Franc Day, World Wildlife Conservation Day and Cookie Day

Next Saturday - International Shareware Day, Human Rights Day and Gingerbread Decorating Day

January 3- Drinking Straw Day, Festival Of Sleep Day and Chocolate-Covered Cherry Day And what could be better than Chocolate Covered Cherries? How about Chocolate-Covered Marzipan Cherries? Click on the link for Chocolate Covered Cherry Day for the recipe

Friday, December 2, 2016

The Friday Fishwrap

All the news that's fit to wrap around a dead fish

The week in review

Monday - "There is no I in team" Or is there?

Tuesday - "Team building" More on TEAM acronyms

Wednesday - "Systems" Save yourself time, energy and money

Thursday - "1. Tie a Necktie #TBT" Celebrating Tie Month

Interesting days

Thursday, December 1, 2016

1. Tie a Necktie #TBT

Here's a blog post from this day last year:

This is the first skill listed in the 100 Skills Every Man Should Know according to The Art of Manliness, which seems appropriate for the first day of Tie Month.

Even in our casual culture where hoodies are appropriate attire for billionaire CEOs, every man should know how to tie a tie. Funerals, weddings, and job interviews are just a few occasions when a sharp necktie is appropriate, and you’ll be attending plenty of those during your adult life. You don’t want to be the 30-something who needs to ask his mom to tie his tie for him.

There are several common knots; the four-in-hand, the Windsor and half-Windsor are the most popular, although there are quite a few more...82 more in fact according to the book The 85 Ways to Tie a Tie: The Science and Aesthetics of Tie Knots. The article in AoM illustrates how to tie these 3 knots, as well as the Shelby knot, in pictures and videos.

The Art of Manliness also has a quick guide to choosing the proper tie and knot depending on your build and the type of collar your shirt has. And here is a more in depth guide on How to Match a Tie with a Dress Shirt and Suit.

So, try to wear a tie at least once or twice during December, and here is a quick, visual guide on Dressing for the Holidays:

Interesting days

December will be Operation Santa Paws, Write a Business Plan Month, Human Rights Month and Tie Month

Today - World AIDS Day and Eat A Red Apple Day

Tomorrow - Bartender Appreciation Day, Faux Fur Friday and Fritters Day

Next Thursday - Pretend To Be A Time Traveler Day Check out my favorite time travel page at http://chronos.ws. It's also Brownie Day Yum!

January will be Celebration Of Life Month, Hot Tea Month, Be Kind To Food Servers Month, Get Organized Month, Soup Month, Oatmeal Month, Brainteaser Month and Creativity Month

January 1 - Besides being New Year's Day, it's also Bloody Mary Day, Polar Bear Swim Day, Copyright Law Day, Euro Day, Z Day and Commitment Day

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Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Shaken, not stirred

Interesting days

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Dreams can come true

Interesting days

Monday, December 5, 2016

More beauty of math

Interesting days

Sunday, December 4, 2016

The Funday Sunnies

Interesting days

Saturday, December 3, 2016

Your weekend guide to interesting days

Friday, December 2, 2016

The Friday Fishwrap

The week in review

Interesting days

This week

Next week

Next month

Thursday, December 1, 2016

1. Tie a Necktie #TBT

Interesting days