Further proof of our automotive insanity

We're a bit obsessive with anything automotive. We catch a lot of flack from people about how often we cycle through cars. Today we made it even worse. I could try to rationalize why this happened, but ultimately, we just like new cars. So we got a 2007 G35 Sport. It's sweet and has all sorts of cool stuff--touch-screen navigation system, voice-controls (for nav, sound system, heating/cooling, etc), 9.3 GB hard drive for music, steerable headlights, backup camera, and 305 horsepower. We spent way too many hours at the dealer. I'm tired. Look for more info and some pics sometime tomorrow or later this week.

Kickin' butt

Today was a good day. I had a vacation day, but I did a little work this morning anyway. Then we ran--week 1 is now complete, and I'm starving all the time. I sunbathed for a bit to get some color. And tonight after dinner we went over to Chris and Slimey's where I kicked everyone's butt at Settlers. That's the one game I can often win, no matter who we play with. As an added bonus, Chris made banana pudding that we got to help them eat.

My plans for my week off are pretty exciting. I'll clean out the freezer. I'll soak our shower head in CLR. Fun stuff like that.

(Not a Tennessee) Volunteer

Awhile back, some people at work started coordinating a few volunteer opportunities with Habitat for Humanity and the Oregon Food Bank. Marc and I helped out with the Food Bank earlier this year, but then their volunteer coordinator left or was too busy or something, so it went on hiatus for a bit. This month, we're back in business with a new coordinator, and I went with about 10 other Sage employees this evening to help sort some food. In two hours, we packed over 4,000 pounds of food. I'll be okay if I never see another can of pickled beets again.

QBQ

Maybe I'm morphing a bit into a corporate drone, but sometimes I really enjoy the "created for the corporate masses" information that gets disseminated in various ways. I'm signed up for all sorts of industry and general business newsletters, and I read all the "hot" business-related books that my manager turns me onto. Some of these things are pretty valuable, and the best ones are applicable in our everyday lives.

QBQ and John G. Miller are a couple of my favorites. The QBQ books are short, easy reads that I'd recommend to anyone. The free e-mails you can sign up for are fun, relevant, and--for me anyway--inspiring. Here's a copy of the latest. I hope you like it.

From: John G. Miller [mailto:John@QBQ.com]
Subject: A Bridge Collapses: Let the Blame Begin!

QBQ! (The Question Behind the Question) QuickNote

Note: As always, we encourage you to email QBQ! QuickNotes on to all you know. And in this case, please send to every lawmaker and elected official you can reach by email. Thank you!

John G. Miller
--------------------

My wife, Karen, and I lived in Minneapolis, MN for 12 years. Three of our seven kids were born in the Twin Cities. I began my sales and training career there and QBQ! came to be in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. We love Minnesota. So we are feeling deep sadness over its recent tragedy. In fact, one of our client firms—Thrivent Financial for Lutherans—lost a beloved team member. Our hearts are heavy.

But I am discouraged over what's happening now politically. And sadly, what is occurring is so predictable and deeply woven into the fabric of our society, we hardly notice it. Right after of the collapse of the I-35W bridge into the Mississippi River, one Minnesota politician made a statement that was naive at best and gratuitous and false at worst. She said, "Bridges should not fall down in America!"

Huh? Really? Wow. It's always been my understanding that we live in an imperfect world with imperfect people who build imperfect things. And the truth is, things break. Tragic, but true.

Another politician in Washington, D.C made this statement: "We need to get to the bottom of this!" The bottom of what? There was no malice here. No person anywhere wanted this to happen.

These statements from our supposed leaders only have one aim: To initiate the Blame Game so they can score points against a political opponent. And it follows that if we buy into their propositions that human-made things shouldn't fail and we must find culprits, then the only choice left is to ask lousy questions such as, "Who made the mistake?" "Who allowed the bridge to crumble?" and "Who didn't fund the transportation bill?!"

But is acrimony, discord, and finger-pointing really what Minnesota and the United States need right now? Will this game of blame breed anything more than discontent, anger, and bitterness in those who have been impacted by this tragedy? Won't it simply leave the grieving stuck and unable to move forward? And isn't it all just a precursor to the legal suits that will soon follow?

When we look back, we'll all know it began with our elected officials setting the tone and leading the way by failing to remember or care that modeling is the most powerful of all teachers.

And what's odd is everyone I know will say, "Yes, blame is a bad thing!" and yet we continue to elect people who cannot wait to play gotcha. It's what many do best. Two years after a once-in-every-100-years storm swept over a city built below sea level, our two party political system and the media are still engaging in the whodunits. I often wonder what would've happened in September of 2005 if ninety million American adults had asked one simple question after Katrina: "What can I do right now to contribute?" I bet every home would be rebuilt, every pantry would be stocked, and every child would have new clothes.

I hope this time Minnesota will rise above what's become the accepted norm in our society. By ceasing the finger-pointing and recognizing the truth that all problems are in the past and solutions are now, we can work together to ensure a better future for us all. And then going forward when something breaks, we can stop asking, "Who broke it?" and start asking, "How can I help?" The answers that come may be good things like saying a prayer, hugging a friend, collaborating to solve real problems, and simply being thankful for every moment of this precious temporal journey we're all on called life.

So come on, Minnesota, we're pullin' for you to show the rest of us how to live. And once you've lead us through this tough time, let's all practice some personal accountability in this country by firing the blamers we put into office and find some real leaders.

Anybody with me?
---------------------------------------------
By: John G. Miller, Author of QBQ! and Flipping the Switch
Edited by: Kristin Lindeen

Please enjoy a CBS piece on QBQ! that ran recently: http://www.cbs4denver.com/video/?id=30433@kcnc.dayport.com

Please forward this QuickNote story to colleagues, clients, friends, and family who would enjoy being introduced to QBQ! Also, send us your QBQ! stories.

The new book Flipping the Switch … Unleash the Power of Personal Accountability can now be purchased at QBQ.com, and is available in stores and online everywhere! (Published by Putnam, publishers of QBQ! and Who Moved My Cheese?)

At our site John's complete QBQ! keynote presentation is available for listening or download. To receive QBQ! QuickNotes stop by www.QBQ.com today! Also explore "QBQ! Communication" keynotes and workshops conducted by David Levin (co-author of QBQ! and Flipping the Switch).

Speaker and facilitator Kristin (Miller) Lindeen calls youth to a higher standard in presenting "QBQ! for Youth" sessions, while also conducting interactive workshops for adults. Contact her dad at John@QBQ.com.

How to reach us:

QBQ, Inc.
Helping Organizations Make Personal Accountability a Core Value
11368 Nucla Street, Denver, CO 80022
303-286-9900, Fax: 303-286-9911
Email: info@QBQ.com

QuickNotes ™ may be forwarded by email or printed in their entirety for personal use. © QBQ, Inc. 2007.

All rights reserved. QBQ, QBQ!, and The Question Behind the Question are trademarks of QBQ, Inc.

Running, cont.

Big accomplishment--we ran again today. On the plus side, it was cool outside today. On the minus side, we decided to run on pavement around our neighborhood instead of hitting up a local high school's rubber track. Next time we'll be on a track. My feet were better today (since I had my blister covered up and my new running socks on), the iPods and headphones rocked, and my new running shorts were comfy. I think I can keep this up. I really want a runner's body...

This is another short week at work. I'm off on Friday and all next week. I don't know what to do with all this spare time!

Excuses, excuses

New hobbies are often a good reason to get new toys. The kickoff of our running routine yesterday + this being one of the months during the year when I get 3 paychecks instead of 2 = new iPods for me and Marc. We went to the Mac Store today, where I got a blue Shuffle (running with my 3rd gen iPod didn't seem feasible) and Marc got a green Nano. I've had my iPod for a few years now, but this is Marc's introduction to iPod mania and iTunes. So you can guess what we'll be doing this afternoon.

Also, we saw the Bourne Ultimatum this morning. Awesome movie. I'm a sucker for action flicks. Oh, and Matt Damon's pretty hot; that always helps a movie.

Big Nothing

We've been on quite the movie spree lately, taking advantage of the Blockbuster deal where you can exchange your mailed movies for free in-store rentals. Most recently, we got Hot Fuzz and Big Nothing, so it's been a bit of a Simon Pegg-athon at our house the past two nights. Hot Fuzz was good, but nothing spectacular. I really liked Big Nothing though. It was oddly, darkly amusing.

Tomorrow we start our running routine. Wish us luck!

Step 0

I know a lot of people who run. And they like it. This is a little beyond my comprehension--but then I'm the girl who volunteered to be the goalie on my field hockey team in high school purely so that I wouldn't have to run as many laps as everyone else. For whatever reason, I've become slightly obsessed with the idea of becoming a runner myself. So tonight Marc and I went out to Portland Running Company to get real running shoes. I knew that I needed help picking out shoes, and the employees at PRC did not disappoint. They watched us run, diagnosed our running style/issues, and brought out tons of shoes for us to try out. They watched us run again, and they let us run around the parking lot to try everything out. It was a great experience, so I highly recommend them to any runner in the PDX area.

That was step 0. Now the real fun begins with actually getting our butts off the couch--that'll be step 1.

An Inconvenient Use of Statistics

We watched An Inconvenient Truth a few days ago. While I have to credit Al Gore with a wonderful speaking ability, I'm really not a member of his fan club. I thought the movie was interesting, but it certainly didn't convince me of anything. I know the power of numbers and graphs and how easy it is to bend them to show (or distort) exactly what you want. That's about all Al did the whole time. I didn't come away with any profound truth or discovery that will change my life. If you liked that movie, you might also like to read about global dimming.

Part of my problem with the environmental battle is my awareness that there's a whole lot I don't know on both sides. I'd want to read it and examine the sources and their funding myself before I really take a stand one way or the other. Sorry, but I don't put a whole ton of faith in the views expressed by lifelong politician in a major motion picture.

Sometimes I think my iPod is playing tricks on me

I'm not usually one to personify inanimate objects, but sometimes I think my iPod is just messing with me. Today, out of 250+ songs in my dynamic playlist, it opted to play these four songs back-to-back:

The Way - Fastball
The Other Way - Weezer
No Other Way - Jack Johnson
Nothing in my Way - Keane

Then, a few songs later, Always All Ways by Lostprophets.

Bizarro.