Sunday, July 7, 2019

The week in review - June 21, 2019

Monday - "No blog post today" Oops. "I started one but again didn’t allow enough time to finish it. I know I’ve said I need to prepare some posts ahead of time so I don’t keep running into this problem. Maybe this time!"

Tuesday - "Time Is Of The Essence" From Harvey Mackay. "I've been using the Google calendar app for awhile for creating appointments and reminders."

Wednesday - "How to Lead an Unstoppable Team" From The Art of Manliness. "We will all be leading a team at some point...whether on our jobs, in our businesses, with our families and even with our customers."

Thursday - "YOUR BUSINESS IS KNOWN BY THE CUSTOMERS YOU KEEP #TBT" Another from Harvey Mackay. "Few issues baffle me more than the lack of service that businesses think their customers will tolerate. I just don’t understand how some companies keep their doors open. On the other hand, I’m sure that some of those businesses can’t figure out why they lose customers."

Interesting days



Tomorrow - Onion Rings Day, Chocolate Éclair Day, Positive Media Day and B Kinder Day

Next Friday - Happy Heart Hugs Day, Insurance Awareness Day, International Body Piercing Day, Ceviche Day, Tapioca Day and Paul Bunyan Day

July 21 - Junk Food Day, Lamington Day and Ice Cream Day

Week long celebrations:
July 20 - 28: Moth Week

Saturday, July 6, 2019

Your weekend guide to interesting days - July 6, 2019

This week


Sunday - Log Cabin Day, Social Media Day and Meteor Watch Day

Monday - International Joke Day, Canada Day, Second Half of the Year Day, Zip Code Day, Postal Worker Day, International Reggae Day, Creative Ice Cream Flavor Day and Gingersnap Day


Wednesday - Stay Out Of The Sun Day, Compliment Your Mirror Day, Eat Beans Day, International Plastic Bag Free Day, Disobedience Day, Chocolate Wafer Day and Air Conditioning Appreciation Day

Thursday - Independence Day, Independence From Meat Day, Barbecue Day, Spareribs Day, Caesar Salad Day and Jackfruit Day

Yesterday - Apple Turnover Day, Bikini Day and Mechanical Pencil Day

Today - Hop A Park Day, Fried Chicken Day, International Kissing Day, Take Your Webmaster To Lunch Day, Umbrella Cover Day and Virtually Hug a Virtual Assistant Day

Next week




Tuesday - Cow Appreciation Day and Sugar Cookie Day

Wednesday - Don’t Step On A Bee Day, Teddy Bear Picnic Day and Piña Colada Day


Friday - Etch A Sketch Day, Different Colored Eyes Day, Simplicity Day, Pecan Pie Day, Kebab Day and New Conversations Day

Saturday - International Rock Day, Beef Tallow Day, Embrace Your Geekness Day and French Fries Day

Next month












Friday, July 5, 2019

The week in review - July 5, 2019

Monday - "How to Grill the Perfect Burger" All three of the main posts this week are from The Art of Manliness. "Since Barbecue Day is coming up on the 4th of July, this article from The Art of Manliness seemed appropriate"

Tuesday - "6 Deficiencies That Are Sabotaging Your Social Life" All three of the main posts this week are from The Art of Manliness. "I suffer from all 6 of these deficiencies, but I'm going to work on them."

Wednesday - "The 5 Universal Laws of Success" All three of the main posts this week are from The Art of Manliness. "My guest today says that instead of getting jaded, you need to understand that hard work and talent, while necessary, aren’t sufficient for success."

Thursday - "May The Fourth (of July) Be With You #TBT" Apparently, every year I do a 4th of July post. "The Declaration of Independence from Britain was signed on July 4, 1776 and is celebrated as Independence Day or more commonly the 4th of July."

Interesting days



Tomorrow - Hop A Park Day, Fried Chicken Day, International Kissing Day, Take Your Webmaster To Lunch Day, Umbrella Cover Day and Virtually Hug a Virtual Assistant Day

Next Friday - Etch A Sketch Day, Different Colored Eyes Day, Simplicity Day, Pecan Pie Day, Kebab Day and New Conversations Day

August 5 - Work Like a Dog Day, Underwear Day and Oyster Day


Thursday, July 4, 2019

May The Fourth (of July) Be With You #TBT

Today's blog post was originally published last year:


Happy 4th of July to my friends in the US (and everywhere else too, since it's July 4th everywhere)!

The Declaration of Independence from Britain was signed on July 4, 1776 and is celebrated as Independence Day or more commonly the 4th of July.

Here are some facts from USA Today that you may not know about this holiday:
1. Congress didn't actually vote for independence on July 4
2. The Fourth of July didn't become an official holiday until over a century after America declared its independence.
3. During the Revolutionary War, George Washington gave his soldiers a special treat for the holiday.
4. In a bizarre coincidence, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams both died on July 4, 1826 — the nation's 50th birthday.
5. Calvin Coolidge is the only president to be born on July 4.
6. The United States isn't the only country to celebrate independence on July 4.
7. Celebrating with fireworks is as old as the holiday itself.
8. And today, fireworks are a massive industry.
9. July 4 is the biggest hot dog day of the year.
Here's some information on the 4th of July parade here in Modesto and here's some info on fireworks shows in the area.

The link for the Modesto 4th of July parade is still valid but here's an updated link for fireworks this year.

Interesting days






Wednesday, July 3, 2019

The 5 Universal Laws of Success

Today's blog post is based on a podcast from The Art of Manliness. I know, that's the third one this week...I didn't do it on purpose but I thought that all three were interesting topics.
We’re told that talent and hard work pays off. But we’ve all seen instances where people who were equally or even less talented and hard working than we are, still got the raise, the buzz, the promotion, or the recognition that we so keenly wanted for ourselves. 
It can make a man downright cynical. 
My guest today says that instead of getting jaded, you need to understand that hard work and talent, while necessary, aren’t sufficient for success. His name is Albert-László Barabási, and he’s a professor of network science and the author of the book The Formula: The Universal Laws of Success. We begin our conversation discussing how László’s work in network science helped him uncover the hidden connections that lead to success. László then explains the difference between performance and success, and how it’s possible to be a high performer, but not be successful. We then dig into the five universal laws that László and his researchers found cut across the achievement of success in every field, along with practical takeaways you can start implementing in your life to experience more success yourself. 
 I'm still in the process of listening to the podcast, but I needed to get this blog post out.

Show Highlights

 
  • What is “network science” and how that field of study led to this book
  • How people generally define success (and how they think it’s attained) 
  • Distinguishing between performance and success 
  • What the real-life Red Baron can teach us about this distinction 
  • The rare phenomenon of posthumous recognition  
  • How important is fame? How does fame interact with the idea of success?
  • The importance of networks to your success
  • Why performance is bounded, and success is unbounded
  • Why success leads to more success (and how to reach success in the first place) 
  • What role does visibility play in success?
  • How pop culture “Bestselling” lists actually come about 
  • The importance of a good start 
  • Why collaboration isn’t all it’s cracked up to be (and how to get more credit for things) 
  • Why your best work often happens early in your career (and why that doesn’t have to be the case) 
Collaboration is a big thing with AT&T. In fact, we're moving everybody to centralized collaboration zones.

Interesting days



Tomorrow - Independence Day, Independence From Meat Day, Barbecue Day, Spareribs Day, Caesar Salad Day and Jackfruit Day

Next Wednesday - Don’t Step On A Bee Day, Teddy Bear Picnic Day and Piña Colada Day

August 3 - Watermelon Day, Mustard Day, Clean Your Floors Day, Sandcastle Day, Disc Golf Day and White Wine Day


Tuesday, July 2, 2019

6 Deficiencies That Are Sabotaging Your Social Life

Today's blog post is from an article on The Art of Manliness:
It’s often been said that the definition of insanity is doing the same things while expecting different results. 
If you apply this definition to people’s social lives, there are a lot of folks out there who are certifiably nuts. 
They complain that they struggle to make friends, find a special someone, and get ahead at work, but they continue to approach the interpersonal interactions that could remedy these situations, in the very same ways that have stymied their success all along. 
If you’re not getting the results you want in your social life, it’s beneficial to take a step back and try to figure out where you might be going wrong. 
Below is a diagnostic tool to help you with this process: listed are 6 social skill deficiencies that can be holding you back from better connecting with others, along with how to address these shortcomings, so that people start responding to you in a new, more positive way.  
I suffer from all 6 of these deficiencies, but I'm going to work on them.
1. Not being able to initiate small talk.
2. Not being able to keep a conversation going.
3. Not bothering to think of conversation questions beforehand.
4. Not demonstrating positive body language.
5. Not making healthy eye contact.
6. Not thinking about how the other person feels.
Be sure to check out the article for helpful tips on how to overcome these deficiencies.

Interesting days



Tomorrow - Stay Out Of The Sun Day, Compliment Your Mirror Day, Eat Beans Day, International Plastic Bag Free Day, Disobedience Day, Chocolate Wafer Day and Air Conditioning Appreciation Day

Next Tuesday - Cow Appreciation Day and Sugar Cookie Day

August 2 - International Beer Day, Ice Cream Sandwich Day and Coloring Book Day


Monday, July 1, 2019

How to Grill the Perfect Burger

Since Barbecue Day is coming up on the 4th of July, this article from The Art of Manliness seemed appropriate:
Smoke wafts through the air, there’s a cold beer in your hand, and the smell of freshly cut grass drifts by on the breeze. Nothing beats a summer barbecue, and when it comes to grilling, there’s just no substitute for the perfect burger. 
Unfortunately, cooking the perfect burger is an essential grilling skill that lots of people don’t have (and don’t even know they don’t have). Burgers aren’t meant to be football-shaped balls of meat, hidden within the recesses of an oversized bun. Nor should they be dry and filled with non-burger ingredients, like breadcrumbs and eggs. They should be juicy and thick, but not too thick, and seasoned with basic ingredients that don’t hide the burger’s true flavor. If that sounds like a burger you want, read on.

Before you start grilling your perfect burger, make sure to start with the best meat possible — a freshly ground mix of 80/20 chuck. Chuck is a cut of beef and 80/20 means that 20 percent of the ground beef is made up of fat. Any less than 20 percent fat and the burger tends to be too lean, which will make it come out dry. Once you’ve got your meat, it’s time to start grilling.
The article also includes an illustrated guide:


I'll be at my sister's on the 4th of July...she decided to move her birthday from December 23rd to July 4th. I'm not sure what their plans are for dinner.

Interesting days