The Ticket

On Monday, one of the members in my prayer group told me of someone, a certain Jose, who has been mostly unemployed this year, who needed a plane ticket for Texas (from California) this coming weekend! I have offered my frequent flyers miles from time to time, but this time would be quite a challenge. It is a holiday weekend, and it was a last-minute ticket. I knew I would not have been asked had it not been important, but could the airlines help?

I called the Premier Executive line for United's elite flyers. The agent on the other end was very pleasant. She found one flight only from San Jose and one flight from San Francisco. Then she volunteered that both required the same number of FF miles; however, for those miles the flight from San Jose was first class and left a tad bit later although still very early in the morning and the one from San Francisco was economy and really early. Well, that was a no-brainer, especially since San Jose is the closer airport.

The agent patiently entered all the "gift" information for Jose and sent him a copy of the itinerary. Then she charged me the required $35 for the telephonic, last-minute transaction. I used God's credit card to pay for it.

Later, my friend called and said that Jose had noticed the charge on the itinerary. Should she pay it, she asked, or would he be charged at the airport. Neither, I explained. I had used God's credit card to pay for it, and I was certain that the money would appear before the card payment was due.

Then I settled down to work on bills since it was pay day. As I worked through the budget, I found a $35 bill that I had planned to pay this pay day but for some reason that I had not caught, it was already paid! I think it is fair to count those found dollars as payment for the $35 I owe on God's credit card.

My only comment: well, that did not take long! I think my friend Omar is correct -- God spoils me in not making me wait!

Oh, and one other comment: I love having this credit card; it has given me many opportunities to help people that I could not otherwise have done!

Live and Direct: Jim Gaffigan at the DC Improv, 6-27-10 OR The Trainwreck NOT Taken

First off, Jim Gaffigan put on a typically great show of mostly new material, though he did pull out some Doing My Time stuff towards the end. He played to his usual strengths, riffing on today's fast food culture and its inherent laziness. He did a particularly funny bit on McDonald's, and closed with one of the funnier updates on Hot Pockets i've heard in a while. As a pale, beefy Midwesterner myself, the man speaks my language. And since he cursed i think once the entire time, bringing Ma was not an issue. There is no question it was a good show. i even took my mother and sister, along with The Missus, and a good time was had by all, no doubt.

BUT DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE SHOW WE MISSED?

You may recall, i opined that picking up those JG tickets was going to kick me in the ass, based entirely on the fact that i later learned Courtney Love was playing the 9:30 Club that same night. Though i thought it seemed unlikely since she's allegedly clean and sober for her comeback, i knew deep in my heart of hearts that there was as good a chance as not that the one-time skank princess of my dreams would have a surefire meltdown on stage. i zigged when i should have zagged, however, and Court Court held court without me in attendance.

The Washington Post did a pretty good job of covering the wreckage.

There's nothing like a full-blown artist meltdown on stage. The closest i ever came was watching Shane MacGowan get so drunk on-stage with the Pogues he almost fell into the crowd on multiple occasions, but that's nothing compared TO GETTING TOPLESS NOT ONCE, BUT TWICE, DURING THE SHOW!!! My old man watched Joe Cocker fall offstage twice during one show, so i feel like this one could have been my chance to compete.

Oh well. At least, Gaffigan had us laughing out loud. Still not the same thing, though.

Pauvre, pauvre pussycat.

mp3: Hooooot Pocket! (Jim Gaffigan from Doing My Time)

mp3: Dear Prudence (Hole, some live show from Courtney's old website)

100 Shows of 2010 - #39: The Constellations/J-Roddy Walston & The Business @ Rock’n’Roll Hotel, 6/18/10

Birthday week was already plenty damn fine. But then, my little sweeties, it got even finer. I must credit this outpouring of super fineness to the terrific tandem of J-Roddy Walston & The Business and The (mighty fine) Constellations. The Baltimoreans and the Atlantanians came together for what was a one-two punch of sweaty, dancey, nasty rock’n’roll, with varying degrees of funk and soul and groovability thrown in for good measure. They both did it up somethin’ fierce, and it was one heck of a good time.

MINI RECAP: The Constellations = Supercalifragilistic! J-Roddy Walston & The Business = Expialidocious! Overall score: A-.

I already knew what to expect from J-Roddy Walston & The Business, having had the pleasure of seeing them once before down in Richmond a little while back. I thought I’d missed their set, but thankfully traffic and the hunt for parking didn’t band black me. The show ran way behind schedule, which turned out to be a good thing. As soon as they stepped onstage, it was pure, ballsy rock. The band doesn’t go for nuance as much as straightforward, balls-to-the-wall rock’n’roll, and it’s part of what makes them so charming. Walston himself has a perfect, bluesy howl that’s spot on for their brand of slightly raunchy rock. The entire band gets top marks for their showmanship, with their writhing around and frequent tossing of the hair (Walston especially, with those curls of his) adding emphasis to that big, bulky sound. They’re showy (just this side of being hams), they’re loud, they’re more than a little bit bad (and ladies: they’re all pretty worth lookin’ at). In short, they’re pure rock’n’roll.

After that, the crowd was good and ready for even more musical chaos. Lucky for us, The Constellations had ventured up from their lair of funk down in Atlanta to show us how to really have a good time. “We’re just gonna roll with it and see what happens,” they opined, before working their magic. Eight folks strong, the band laid down a set of delicious little groove-heavy songs, funky and sassy as all get out. I loved them from the word go, what with the be-fro’d bassist and the two ladies shimmying all 60s girl group style as they got their tambourine and maraca action on. Their songs had a curious effect on me, making me feel good but very, very bad at the same time. They got the herd dancin’, and they too looked like they were having more fun than a barrel of monkeys. And really, any band that covers Bowie (in this case, the way appropriate “Let’s Dance”) is ahead of the game in my book. With a bongo breakdown in the middle, no less. The Constellations are up to no good, and I certainly appreciate, enjoy, and encourage their sauciness. “We take no prisoners,” said they, and that’s not just whistlin’ Dixie. They came, they saw, and they kicked out the jams good and proper.

Brothers and sisters, I’m gonna tell you a little something. A little friendly advice from me to you. You need to go see both of these bands. You really do. If you’re itchin’ to dance, they’ve got you covered. They showed yours truly one hell of a good time, and they’ll do the same for you, no doubt.

mp3: Felicia (The Constellations from Southern Gothic)

Come Walk with Me

Many thanks to readers who commented on my post, The Price of Success. You gave me much upon which to reflect, including some ideas I had not considered, as I pondered how to respond to the fact that my job, as I know and love it, is going away. Not that I wanted this job to begin with. No, this job was God's idea, not mine. However, I have since made the job mine. I realized that when I learned that the job would take on such a different character.

I thought about a number of approaches I could take, and leaving was right up there at the top of the list. I noticed that some folks worried that I might leave; well, they'll cope, I figured. Of course, they would. But that is not the issue. I have been their scaffolding, and removing scaffolding all at once instead of bit by bit can cause even the most beautifully constructed buildings to collapse. I was not thinking of that, though, in the latter days of last week. I was not thinking of anyone's collapse except my own. I was angry, too, in some ways. I have spent four years building this division from a ragtag collection of people trying to learn to do international work to a pretty highly respected set of departments that has more than doubled in size since I came and is set to explode by fall to 350% of what it was. Although I was told that the split was being occasioned by success, not failure, there was a part of me that considered the split a vote of no confidence even though logically and by everything that has been said to me I know that is silly.

I also wondered where God fit into all of this. He sent me to a job, then let the job be fractured and me shunted off to work with only a portion of the projects I had developed -- and for someone to be placed above me who would do the international negotiating and representation while I made sure that the work got done well. Unfair! Or was this a sign that it really was time for me to move on? Had I completed my task? Early on, I was getting no answers to my pleas for clarification. Or, if I was, I was unaware. I am not good at subtle discernment. I need that conk on the head kind of of clarification.

I got it. A gentle conk. Friday evening as I was driving home from work, still distraught and again begging for guidance, I heard a gentle "Come walk with Me." Huh? It has been some time since I have taken my nightly walks around the mission. I have been coming home later and later from work (that growth and success has demanded more and more of my time) and have been too tired or had too many other chores to accomplish. I have missed them, those quiet times with God, just walking and talking, walking and listening, and walking in silence. Of course, I will come walk again, especially when coaxed in that gentle manner which I felt in the words, "Come walk with me."

And so, when I reached home, I grabbed something to eat, then put on a light jacket (summer evenings in our part of California are cool, even cold), and headed out the door for that walk. It felt so good to again be in that Presence in the twilight hours when there were few sounds and little light to distract me from enjoying the Company. I walked and walked, and I was not alone for any of that walk. Finally, I understood. Whatever the purpose for me to take this job four years ago, there is a purpose for me to retain it now. I don't know whether the two purposes coincide, but I do know one very important thing. I had been asking all the wrong questions, looking for the wrong kind of guidance, reasoning through the situation with the wrong kind of logic. You see, I thought the issue was about me -- what I should do, where I should work, what kinds of goals I should have, how I should respond. I learned on that walk that it is not about me at all.

It's about those will be most affected. It is about the nervous newbies whose hands I have held, the heavily burdened have used my open-door policy to bring family and personal matters to my attention and seek support and advice, and and the junior managers have looked to me for mentoring. Someone else will have to do that now, but who will facilitate the transition if I do not stay and do that? It is about the department that was planned to be broken apart -- I have already been able to snuff out that plan. It is about the department planned to be transferred to a division head who would derail its success and growth for reasons of lack of knowledge and the skills to continue its support -- I have already been able to get it transferred to another division head instead. I would like to have kept these departments. They were two of my favorites, and their successes have been outstanding. Now two of my peers will oversee the continued success of these projects. Sigh! My ego would like to feel injured, abused. But my ego does not have a role here. I insist that my managers use a servant leadership approach. So must I. In that approach, there is no room for the ego, and so, too, my ego must be pushed aside for the sake of those who need my help.

As for the long run, we shall see what happens. Two years remain until all the transitions are complete and I get "demoted" into reporting to an intermediary and not directly to my current boss, before the new guy gets to handle all the glory and I get to handle all the problems. There may be options in the long run. There are usually options. The critical thing is what God wants from me. I think I can rest assured that if I start to stray again from the path He would have me take, I will get another call to "Come walk with Me."

Return of the Minneapolis Funk!

From time to time, there will be a rumor about Prince putting together one of his old bands again. If recent interviews and His Royal Badness' continuous descent into shithouse rat crazy are to be believed, however, there's little point in holding one's breath waiting for that to actually happen. As luck would have it, however, members of The Family (the group formed following the departure of Morris Day from The Time and the first to perform "Nothing Compares 2 U," amongst other bits of trivia) have reunited under the moniker of Fdeluxe, and it looks like they're getting ready to drop a new CD in the coming months.

i first ran across the band some months ago, i believe following a link from Wendy & Lisa's website, if memory serves. Theirs or Shelia E.'s, probably. (You bet your ass i can name drop Revolution types with the best of them, thank you very much). Fdeluxe was offering up a free single at the time, and just today i received an update from their email list informing me of a new rough mix track.

The band currently consists of St. Paul Peterson, Susannah Melvoin, Eric Leeds and Jellybean Johnson. Newer track "Gaslight" is a funk workout. Melvoin's vocals are a bit more weathered, but no less sultry. When Leeds' horns drop in, well, it's a party, 'nuff said. Johnson and Peterson provide a backbone groove you just can't find anymore these days, it sadly seems.

i suppose that's all about to change, though, isn't it? Let the Funkolution proceed!

mp3: @8 (Fdeluxe from Best of St. Paul: Straight to the Funk, Vol. 1)

mp3: Gaslight (Fdeluxe from Upcoming TBA CD)

Monday Morning Meditation #46: Please Don't Kill the Messenger

Good morning! It hardly seems like a whole week has passed since the last MMM, yet I know it has because it was a brutal week that I am glad is in the past. I look forward to an easier week this week -- says the eternal optimist! And speaking of work, how ironic that I as I moved fluidly through the various chapters of 2 Chronicles, I should get stopped by a chapter (18) that totally reminded me of work. Absolutely reflected, thousands of years ago, what I have experienced in the 21st century.

What is it that captured my attention? The killing of (or at least turning on) the messenger. But first, let me relate the story.

Jehoshaphat, the grandson of Solomon and great-grandson of King David, came into power as King of Judah. in this position, he decided to ally himself with Ahab, King of Israel. Together, they considered waging war on the Aramians in Ramoth Gilead. Jehoshaphat agreed to support Ahab but wanted him first to consult with a prophet of God. Ahab turned to Macaiah, who prophesied destruction. Since this is not what Ahab wanted to hear, he had Macaiah imprisoned and fed only bread and water to ensure that he would return -- the proverbial blaming of the messenger for the message. Not heeding the message, Ahab did what he had wanted to do all along: he want to war. And he was killed. Not listening to messengers can be dangerous!

Reading: 2 Chronicles 18.

Meditation: "Don't kill the messenger" is a message that I deliver to new managers at least once every year. That is during the time that we have our annual reverse evaluation.

The reverse evaluation is a management tool that I have introduced into every organization that I have overseen in the past 20 years. It is a highly effective tool, but it is rare that I can get others (peers) to use it. However, a consultant for Fortune 500 companies, someone who served as a member of the Board of Directors for an organization over which I presided 15 years ago, fell in love with the tool and has disseminated it as part of his consulting practice. I don't know how many of those companies may have adopted it, but one thing is certain: It only works if you don't kill the messenger.

Essentially, in the reverse evaluation representatives from each subordinate unit collect anonymous feedback about what management policies work and don't work for productivity, motivation, positive organizational culture, and general happiness of the work force. Sometimes, employees feel like they are rating their bosses, and I suppose that to some extent they are. The representatives provide the feedback publicly at an offsite. This can be somewhat embarrassing and off-putting to managers if they are interested more in what they can get from the workforce or their image than the truth (i.e., like Ahab, wanting to have the truth twisted to match what they want).

For new managers, this can be a very difficult experience. Most survive it and come to respect their Maciahs and welcome their insights and information. We have a saying in my division: "We love and protect messengers." However, there are upon occasions those new managers whose egos (like that of Ahab) will not let them accept the truth. As a result, also like Ahab, they perish. I nearly always have to replace them.

As for me, I make a promise to the unit representatives (the Micaiahs) that I keep: there will be no repercussions from telling the truth regardless of how difficult that truth may be to hear. That goes for everyone, beginning with me. If I am doing something that is impeding employees' productivity and/or happiness, I want to know about it so that I can avoid it. I have no intention of marching to Gilead if that is not where I should be going!

Contemplation: That is far as I can go with you this Monday morning. I must retire to private prayer to thank God for giving me so many good "prophets," to praise Him for the ways in which He helps me suppress the ego that would otherwise rise up during moments of receiving truths I do not want to hear, to repent for any times I have closed my ears to such input, and to ask Him to help me develop the much greater humility that I need. Now I retire to spend as much time as I can in contemplation, my favorite part of the day, letting God take over the direction in which my relationship with Him moves.

I will leave you to your prayer and contemplation, but first, I would like to bring to your attention a Monday morning prayer post that you might enjoy:

Fr. Austin Fleming, priest of the Archdiocese of Boston and pastor in Concord, Massachusetts, posts a prayer each Monday morning that he calls "Monday Morning Offering." I enjoy his prayers very much. I hope you also will find them inspirational. He has graciously given me permission to include a link to his blog on my Monday Morning Meditation posts. (During the week, he also posts great homilies and other thoughtful discussions. I enjoy reading those, too.)

For additional inspiration throughout the week, I would point out two sets of blogs: (1) the list of devotional blogs that follow the enumeration of Monday Morning Meditations on the sidebar of this blog and (2) my blogroll, where I am following a number of inspirational priests and writers about spiritual matters. I learn so very much from all these people. I highly recommend them to you.

At The Cinema: Breakdancing as Far as the Eye Can See

In addition to a whole mess of anime and Katt Williams specials, i somehow found myself watching the original Breakin' movie about three times whilst resting up the past couple of weeks. OK, i feel asleep while it was on more than actually, intently watching it, but it's really only about three or four dance scenes anyway, right? And while the cable channels apparently think it's fine to taunt viewers with Epi One, only to NOT show Breakin' II: Electric Boogaloo, i personally find it borderline criminal. And while i'm not going to be hosting the entirety of either flick here at LET, that doesn't mean i can't post a few tracks for the community's enjoyment.

Essentially, it's the story of a couple of street dancers hooking up with a rich, white chick who helps the troubled, inner city youth take their moves to the next level of acceptance in the dance community. No, there's no confusion over Oscar overlooking any Thesbian talent here, but there are some dope moves, so you take the cheesey acting as the price of admission. Of particular interest to me is the fact that there's virtually no hip hop at all on either of these soundtracks, just a lot of dance heavy R&B. It's all good, though, because the movie does mark the first appearance of one Mr. Ice-T, so it's not all goofy BS. Which is nice.

Incidentally, i also caught Planet B-Boy this past weekend on a friend's recommendation. Whereas the Breakin' franchise was pure fiction (though we all wanna be Turbo, Ozone or Special K), Planet B-Boy was a documentary about the annual Battle of the Year breakdance dance-off held in Germany. At least according to this movie, it's the high water mark for breakdancers the world over. And get this, the U.S. isn't even a top three contender in these things. Anyway, not a bad look at the contest and the teams that made up that particular year, but it suffered badly from the whole reality TV phenomena wherein more focus is given to the teams than the actual dancing. i'd have preferred to see a lot more locking and popping and a lot less talking and jiving about living in South Korea, but to each, their own, i suppose. Unfortunately, i do not have any music to share from Planet B-Boy, but you inquisitive minds can find something, i'm sure.

So bust out your cardboard, load these tracks onto a cassette tape, blast the boom box, and let's get freaky, y'all.

mp3: Reckless (Chris "The Glove" Taylor and Ice-T from Breakin' OST)

mp3: There's No Stopping Us (Ollie & Jerry from Breakin' OST)

mp3: Body Work (Hot Streak from Breakin' OST)

mp3: Din Daa Daa (Original Mix) (George Kranz from Breakin' II: Electric Boogaloo OST)

mp3: I Don't Wanna Come Down (Mark Scott from Breakin' II: Electric Boogaloo OST)

Well, shit, i guess we do have time for a couple of Breakin' moves.

Sabbath Sunday #27: Dona Nobis Pacem

Fr. Christian Mathis (Blessed Is the Kingdom) has made the suggestion that we "rest" on the Sabbath by taking a break from our normal blogging and sharing an older post of which we are particularly fond. Rest? Gladly! I don't get to do that very often, but now, thanks to Fr. Christian, I get to do it at least once a week -- and it gives me more time to spend with God, which is a wonderful gift.

Having just spent some time talking with my daughter Lizzie who lives in South Carolina, I was reminded of the post I wrote about our experiences in the former Soviet Union. Although it was written for a specific purpose - to celebrate Peace Day last November 5 - I think it bears re-sharing. After all, peace is something we always need. Here is the post: Dona Nobis Pacem.

Omission?

The following story was another of those sent to me by a friend in email. I really doubted its truth, so I looked up Roosevelt's speech. The story is true. Here it is:

--------------
Today I went to visit the new World War II Memorial in Washington, DC. I got an unexpected history lesson. Because I'm a baby boomer, I was one of the youngest in the crowd. Most were the age of my parents, veterans of "the greatest war," with their families. It was a beautiful day, and people were smiling and happy to be there. Hundreds of us milled around the memorial, reading the inspiring words of Eisenhower and Truman that are engraved there.

On the Pacific side of the memorial, a group of us gathered to read the words President Roosevelt used to announce the attack on Pearl Harbor:

Yesterday, December 7, 1941 -- a date which will live in infamy -- the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked.

One elderly woman read the words aloud:

With confidence in our armed forces, with the abounding determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph.

But as she read, she suddenly turned angry. "Wait a minute," she said. "They left out the end of the quote. They left out the most important part. Roosevelt ended the message with 'so help us God.'"

Her husband said, "You are probably right. We're not supposed to say things like that now."

"I know I'm right," she insisted. "I remember the speech." The two looked dismayed, shook their heads sadly and walked away.

Listening to their conversation, I thought to myself, "Well, it has been over 50 years; she's probably forgotten."

But she had not forgotten. She was right. I went home and pulled out the book my book club is reading, Flags of Our Fathers by James Bradley. It's about the battle at Iwo Jima. I haven't gotten very far in the book. It's tough to read because it's a graphic description of the WWII battles in the Pacific. But right there it was on page 58: Roosevelt's speech to the nation ends in "so help us God."

The people who edited out that part of the speech when they engraved it on the memorial could have fooled me. I was born after the war! But they couldn't fool the people who were there. Roosevelt's words are engraved on their hearts.

----------------
So, do you think the words were omitted deliberately? Unintentionally? For lack of space (hm, no room for God)?

(I promise to get back to original posts now that my week in purgatory is over. However, the things that have been falling into my email recently are too interesting or touching not to share!)

The Untitled Interview #45: Starring Patrick Park

I’m gonna go ahead and say that I don’t think I’ve been getting enough troubadourian goodness in my diet these days. Fortunately, there’s always Patrick Park to come to the rescue in just this kind of situation. The good Mister Park follows in the footsteps of many a singer-songwriter before him, and not just when it comes to moving out to LA for inspirational-type purposes. Give the man a guitar and beautiful things just seem to happen.

And give the man some questions, and pretty good answers will be returned. Check out the musings of Mister Park below, and of course, make sure you listen to any and all of his music you can get your little paws on. Oh, and should you even run into him, you might wanna challenge him to a game of chess. Just sayin'.

Les Enfants Terribles: How the hell are you?
Patrick Park: I'm really good. A bit tired, I just got back from tour last night so now I'm trying to figure out what to do with myself. It always seems like it takes me a week or so to get back into the swing of being at home again.

LET: What was the last song you listened to?
PP: Uh, well the last song I listened to was “Barracuda”, that's what was on the radio when I went to get coffee.

LET: Playing music is:
PP: Absolutely necessary.

LET: What album most made you realize you wanted to make music?
PP: God there's been a lot, but I guess maybe the two that stand out in my mind are The Zombies' Odyssey And Oracle and Bob Dylan's Time's They Are A Changing.

LET: Beatles or Stones?
PP: Beatles all the way.

LET: Top 5 albums (of now, of this month, or of ever):
PP: Top 5 albums of the moment in no particular order:

John Lee Hooker - Real Folk Blues
Mississippi John Hurt - Live Vol. 1
My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
Elliott Smith - Either/Or
Wolf Parade - Apologies to the Queen Mary

LET: Favorite music-related movie?
PP: Don't Look Back, Gimme Shelter, or The Last Waltz.

LET: Half full or half empty?
PP: Definitely half full.

LET: Which of your peers do you think is making the best music these days?
PP: There's a lot of great music out there right now. Some of the many bands I like are Wolf Parade, Beach House, Warpaint, Sera Cahoone, Seawolf, Gregory Alan Isakov, Animal Collective, and AA Bondy.

LET: Little-known Patrick Park fact?
PP: I'm a fanatical chess dork. I probably play at least 10 games a day, and spend free time on tour working out problems. Sad really.

LET: What's the first thing you think when you wake up in the morning?
PP: Uh…Where am I?

LET: The greatest record store in the world is:
PP: It's a toss up between Amoeba in LA or Twist and Shout in Denver.

LET: Shaken or stirred?
PP: Neat.

LET: You've been in LA for a little while now. Do you ever miss all the snow of Colorado?
PP: I definitely do. I still consider Colorado my home even though I've been living in LA for some time now. I've come to really like a lot of things about LA, but I miss seasons. It can be a little like Groundhog Day here.

LET: If you weren't a musician you'd be:
PP: God, I have no idea honestly. I hope that I never have to figure that one out.

LET: What music most makes you think of Colorado? Of LA?
PP: Of Colorado, pine trees, mountains, indian paint brush, rattle snakes. Of LA, traffic, burritos, sunburns.

LET: If you were so inclined, whom would you form a tribute band in honor of?
PP: Maybe Wire. Those songs are super fun to play.

LET: Best song ever written?
PP: I have no idea. If I had to choose one I would say maybe, “The Times They Are A Changin” by Bob Dylan.

mp3: Blackbird Through the Dark (Patrick Park from Come What Will)

FunJunkie's Summer Burn 2010, Part the Second

The Missus was more than kind enough to help me put together the covers for these mixtape masterpieces last night, so they're en route to recipients in far off lands even now. Part of the experience of FunJunkie's annual Summer Burn, you see, is the case itself.

Last year, i went shitty and just used iTunes auto-jewel-case-cover-program, which is pretty plebeian on its own. Of course, that was the year i exchanged with some graphic designer who sent me this lush, handmade piece with silk screening and the whole nine yards. So this year, i returned to my fourth grade collaging skills for the cover (pictured here) and even bought some nifty program at Best Buy that was supposed to be the shit's tits, but the paper fucked up my printer. Long story short if it's not too late already, The Missus came through like a champ, so they actually looked like they were made by more than a drunken goat herder.

If you enjoyed yesterday's foray into the mind of Uncle Terrible's summer mix mentality, here's some more of the same. Only infinitely different.

mp3: All Talk (ft. LCD Soundsystem and Christian Bale) (Kid Cudi from his website)

mp3: Lately Troisieme (Memoryhouse also from their site)

mp3: The Curse (Josh Ritter from So Runs the World Away)

mp3: Laughing with a Mouthful of Blood (St. Vincent from Actor)

mp3: Exile (Enya from Watermark)

mp3: Getting to Know You (ft. Lilla D'mone) (Alex B from Moments)

mp3: Shutterbug (Big Boi from Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty)

mp3: Ain't No Sunshine (Bill Withers from Just As I Am)

mp3: Eat Boiled Peanutz (ft. Buttafly) (Digital Underground from "...Cuz a DU Party Don't Stop!")

mp3: Today's Your Day (ft. Chalin 2na) (Fatlip from The Loneliest Punk)

mp3: Smokin' Cheeba Cheeba (George Benson and the Harlem Underground Band from Erotic Moods)

mp3: I Heart California (Admiral Radley from I Heart California)

mp3: Heavy Deeds (Sun Araw from Heavy Deeds)

7 Quick Takes Friday #31

What a week! I am not certain that I can even recall every day so I shall simply point out the high points (or, in some cases, the low points). I decided to illustrate each point with flowers, mainly because I am feeling the need for something pretty to cheer me up as I look back over the last week! (Check out Jennifer Fulwiler's blog on the same meme; she hosts the meme on her Conversion Diary blog, and this week her post is far cheerier than mine, I fear.)

1. The week started out not at all well (little did I know that it would be downhill from there) with the announced retirement of our Director of Operations. Now, retirements are good events, things to celebrate. However, in this case, the director, who has been retired in place for a while, decided to make a point about his boss being too demanding. (Let's see: the boss demanded that the director come to work to work every day, that he show up sober, that he put in a full day of work, and that he actually accomplish work, such as meeting deadlines on supplying equipment and desks for new employees. I suppose that was pretty off-putting.) Actually, the boss can be abrasive, for which I have informally counseled him on several occasions, the problem being that he does not know when he is. The director wanted to talk to me, stated that the retirement decision was not an act of defiance but a matter of his health (he does indeed have health problems), and that he would stay to help out with making sure our ops needs for the year were met if I would ask him to do so. Well, hm, now what to say? I told him we could not put his health at risk for any selfish need. He accepted that, but I am sure that he was frustrated because this was clearly an attempt to walk back his decision to retire. However, since he has essentially done no work for six months and two bosses in a row have not been able to keep him at work for more than 2-3 hours a day, letting him follow through on his retirement, the coward's way out perhaps, seemed the gentlest thing to do. I did ask him not to leave bitter, no matter how angry he was with his boss, because the emotions associated with his last days at work may color how he remembers his entire tenure with us for years to come. He left my office not entirely satisfied.

2. Sunday was our annual fiesta at the mission. Donnie, Doah, and I had signed up to be the clean up crew for the first shift, 11-1. It was fun, a nice release from a difficult week with no idea that the one to come would be even more difficult. The fiesta started with our local Indians dancing and pulling the community into their dances. Clean up chores provided relaxation by comparison. After our turn at clean-up, Donnie, Doah, and I had some BBQ chicken and prepared to enjoy the fiesta activities when I noticed that only one person had showed up for the next shift, 1-3. I looked at the volunteer book, and, gulp, there was no one signed up for 3-4 or 6-7 and only one person from 4-5. The crowd, at any given point, numbered about 300, with many people coming in from out of town. After some discussion, Donnie decided to take Doah back to his group home by himself after the two of them had spent some fun time with the games. I tracked down the fiesta chair and asked her about the empty clean-up list. She said she had been unable to get others to volunteer so she was going to handle it herself at the end of the day. That being clearly a formula for disaster, I offered to fill in for all the other shifts. I enjoyed some of the activities in the midst of cleaning and got some time to talk to a priest who had just arrived from Nigeria to fill in while our parish priest is on a pilgrimage to Europe. I dragged myself home around 8:30, putting one foot slowly in front of the other until I reached the house and collapsed on the couch, where I spent the night sleeping. Morning came far too fast, and after all the bending over to pick up trash (golly, grown people can make worse messes than kids) the day before, I could barely move but by the end of the day, I had run around so much taking care of crises that I had forgotten all about my stiff legs. Oh, right, they actually were not stiff anymore!

3. In the middle of all the cleaning on Sunday, my brother Rollie called from Ohio. It being Father's Day, Noelle had called her uncle to wish him a happy day. Then,they got talking. "Did you know," Rollie asked me, "that the doctors are planning to go ahead with amputation of Noelle's legs soon?" Ah, no. She had called Donnie that morning but somehow the conversation had not gotten around to that. It is a discussion that we have had. For years, Noelle's legs have been nothing more than impediments to her ability to move around. Her view is that she will be more mobile without them. Moreover, she is tired of having to daily clean infections; this has been going on for more than two years, with long periods of time spent on a pump. She is tired of it. As she says, "My legs are not value-added. Why would I fight to keep them when they threaten my life?" It is a reasonable question. (I will provide updates on the Twitterlets and Clan of Mahlou.)

4. Miracle! Miracle! After eight months of searching, interviews, and lost opportunities, I have a new admin assistant! Oh, blessed help! Janie showed up Monday afternoon after in-processing with Personnel. It is so wonderful to have someone keeping my calendar, doing my filing, managing people in the outside office, answering the nuisance calls, photocopying. All the things that were causing me to work until late hours in the evening so that I could do my real job during the day. Yes! I feel truly spoiled now! This was definitely the brightest spot of this week.

5. One day later, bam! There went my happiness bubble. My boss called an emergency meeting and announced that my division would be fractured into pieces, with the best projects going to a couple of my peers, leaving me essentially with the most troublesome, but visible and glitzy projects, with a higher level supervisor to step in for the glitzy part, leaving the troublesome part for me to handle. Well, there is more to the story, but since I blogged about it yesterday, I will just refer you to that post: The Price of Success.

6. The icing on this week's cake was Thursday's visitor: one of the senior members of the Board of Directors in from Washington. Brand new to the Board, he had already made his mark by firing one of the most senior people among others on the board over which he has oversight -- well, not firing precisely but rather forcing her to resign. So, at least, that is what we heard. My boss and the CEO senior here fretted about how best to receive him, nervous about an axe falling on them. As it turned out, he turned out to be quite charming. When it was my turn to present our programs, I combined the dozens of them into like groups and quickly ran through all of them. When I finished, I asked if he had questions. His response was, "No; I am speechless." Gee, now I have confirmation that I am overworked! ;) Everyone was quite taken with him, and he was quite taken with all of us. Yes! Perhaps it was that prayer I said before the formal meeting? The one where I asked for help for all of us? It would not be the first time that God came to a staff meeting with me!

7. The week ended with an hour of brainstorming with my boss on a new project we have to provide support to some programs in Afghanistan. My staff is having some difficulty getting its hands around the various things we need to do to make the programs successful. Several have visited there to gather information and provide on-site help. I will be heading in that direction soon. It was wonderfully peaceful and re-invigorating to put aside all the concern, worry, and potential frustration (I'm still putting aside frustration after having given it up for Lent this year) and spend some time on positive activity. We came up with a plan to handle one sticky problem, and I left for home a bit re-heartened.

So, some ups, some downs, and life goes on. Wishing you all a weekend filled with flowers, cheer, and relaxation!

FunJunkie's 2010 Summer Burn!

For the fourth or fifth year in a row now, i'm participating in FunJunkie's annual Summer Burn. Essentially, the fine chaps over at the site host an annual "mix swap" with anyone who signs up to participate. To prove you're not a wanker who just wants free CDs for nothing, you have to sign up ahead of time and even send them a postcard to prove you are for reals, but other than that, it's just putting together a mix of just about anything one that you, the sender, feel is "summer-y" music. Pretty simple, eh?

In return for your efforts, you are supposed to receive two random mixes from two random folks who also are in the mix mastering mood. Unfortunately, i think i'm batting under .500 in the receipt department over the past few years, but i do it because i love making mixes. It's called the Summer Burn as CDs are due to be sent out on the actual summer solstice, but, as usual, i'm a couple of days behind. However, my mixes officially are done, i've spent all morning working on the covers, and they'll be in the mail first thing tomorrow (still need The Missus to help a bit with the covers, what with me having sausage fingers and all). But why should the fun stop with two random strangers when i can share the fruits of my loom with literally hundreds, if not thousands, of random strangers?

Now, i'm leaving a couple of tracks off these posts (Part II to follow shortly, but blogger.com only allows for so many labels per post, so...) because A. i don't want to raise the ire of any lawyers bitching about recent releases and B. gotta have a lil' sumfin' special for the folks who actually signed up, right?

Many of these tracks already have been recommended here at LET, but when combined into one mix, well, they'll probably cause an aural orgasm the likes of which your undergarments may not survive, so consider yourself forewarned. For hot, sticky nights. Drugs not included, but certainly not discouraged, either.

Without further ado, Burn, Baby, Burn, Part the First.

mp3: When I'm With You (Best Coast from Best Coast 7" )

mp3: Blackmagic (José James from Blackmagic)

mp3: Snowflake (Malachai from Ugly Side of Love)

mp3: When I'm Small (Phantogram from Eyelid Movies)

mp3: Lovers' Carvings (Bibio from Ambivalence Avenue)

mp3: All I Want (Joni Mitchell from Blue)

mp3: Sweepstakes ft. Mos Def and Hynotic Brass Ensemble (Gorillaz from Plastic Beach)

mp3: Beautiful People (The Books from The Way Out)

mp3: Sole Brother (Born Ruffians from Say It)

mp3: Dontchusee (Chin Chin from Chin Chin)

mp3: Go Outside (The Cults from The Cults 7")

mp3: Where's Danny? (Danny! from Where's Danny? )

mp3: At Last (The Dø from A Mouthful)

mp3: We All Wanna Be Prince (Felix Da Housecat from He Was King)

mp3: Photo Shoot (Gucci Mane Remix) (Flying Lotus from Adult Swim and Beaterator present ATL RMX)

mp3: Fresh Hex (ft. Beck) (Tobacco from Maniac Meat)

mp3: We Are Water (HEALTH from Get Color)

mp3: Hurry Up and Wait (Nocando from Jimmy the Lock)

The Price of Success

I have not blogged for a couple of days mainly because I have been in shock. I still am.

Occasionally I discuss on these pages various aspects of my work, moderately modified to maintain anonymity. Probably one aspect of my job, though, that has not been made clear is that we are two intertwined organizations, a joint venture of sorts. Let us call them Company A and Company B. My boss and I work for Company B, but my boss reports to the CEO of Company A. (It's a bit complicated, so I hope I can explain how my organization works well enough to make my shock understandable.)

For the past four years, when I was pushed into the door of this company where I had worked many years ago but had no intention of returning until God decided otherwise (click here to see my post about this), I have been happy. I have felt that whatever mission God had for me here was likely being fulfilled as I watched a cranky, sometimes-failing-sometimes-succeeding division chipper up and turn into a happy and highly successful team. I have been able to develop an attitude of servant leadership among the junior and senior managers that has contributed not only to our success but also to stress-proofing us as we have taken on one new project after another, recently reaching the point of 50 major projects under my supervision. To service those projects, we have grown by 400% in the four years. In doing so, we have achieved international renown in our field, some in very glitzy ways. We have our fingers in more than 300 pies internationally, and more and more people want our recipes, figuratively speaking.

Some Company A employees work for me; about 10% of my employees are from Company A. Company A employees are the primary implementers of policy in our organization; they also hold the two top managerial slots in the organization. Company B, to which I belong, are the do-ers and the people with the skill sets that are needed for the nitty-gritty decision-making, the strategic planning, and the idea generation. It is the Company B employees who have made this organization what it is. We were a great team, it seemed, with each of us working according to our skill set and contributing in the ways in which we know how. No one pays attention to who works for Company A and who for Company B.

As a result of this harmonious and skilled work, my division in particular has garnered some positive and glitzy international press recently. (Were I to reveal where I work, many of you may have seen the press, but in addition to Lizzie's wanting our family to remain somewhat anonymous -- I don't do a completely good job at that -- there are things about my job that I am not allowed to reveal).

Could anything be better? A job where I know I am supposed to be. Employees who truly love each other and work as a team. The opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to the organization and to the international community on a regular basis. A boss who values my work. Actually, a stellar reputation in the organization and among clients -- not earned by myself, heavens, no, but rather a matter of my receiving the undeserved benefit of the extraordinary work done by my employees (all I do is make it possible for them to do their jobs). Bonuses and awards where available. Yes, ideal, it would seem. Four years of ideal.

Then, wham!, Tuesday my boss, who works for Company B as I do, called an urgent meeting. Company A wanted more of the action and plans an extensive reorganization. Well, not all that extensive. Just the fractioning of my organization into pieces. Two of the other three divisions get major chunks. One gets the most successful programs I have. Another gets the exciting new programs about to take wing. The glitz gets to stay with me, but now I will report to a Company A executive with no experience in the field. He will call make the decisions and set the policies. My job will be to follow through whether or not his policies will lead to better products or keep people happily employed.

Now fortune has become misfortune. Unfortunately, when envy stalks, it is drawn to the successful, and that becomes unfortunate for the successful.

I see many problems with this reorganization. Dividing my growing organization -- I oversee more than 300 locations -- makes some sense, and the senior managers within it had been ready to propose, after our last strategic planning session, to split it into two divisions based on our roughly two sets of products and programs, with the new division headed by our most competent senior managing. Fractioning the division, however, so that every division director in our organization gets a "piece of gold" to add to a money pot that he has not begun yet to fill or for which he has not skill set to manage, makes no sense. That is not equity; that is foolishness. My competent manager gets buried, and my hands get tied. The motivation behind it? Ego. Of Company A top managers.

I truly could care less about the international attention. For the most part, I deflect it upward to those above me who relish it. With recent news releases and highly visible activities, the top management in both Company A and Company B are tripping over themselves and bumping into each other while trying to garner honors and take credit for the success of my programs. I have stood back and watched, somewhat in amusement, grown men acting like little boys at a kindergarten graduation.

Now, however, with the planned power grab (again, I don't care about the power; I care about being able to continue doing a successful job and supporting my employees), I am not in a position where I am choosing to stand back and watch; I am being pushed back to watch. The worst aspect of this situation is that the synergy among my programs that have made the division successful will be eviscerated by the reorganization. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of studies that show the most dangerous period of time for a business is when it grows too quickly. Unless very wise leadership is applied, the up-to-then successful business collapses. I don't foresee a complete collapse, but I do foresee an implosion, one that I am helpless to stop because the greed and ego of the essentially one (well placed) Company A senior leader is driving him to reject any input that implies that he might be wandering around town unclothed, like the nude king of fairy-tale fame. I have been presented with essentially a fait accompli.

Today brought no relief. Just the opposite. My assistant for plans and execution was called to headquarters to draw up the new organizational chart. He will be working on it some more there tomorrow. Then he and I will finalize it together. He asked me today what I plan to do because he knows that I am a change-maker and, as the military would say, a line officer, not an implementer and staff officer. My line officer position is being taken, and I am being pushed in a staff officer job, and that is not where my skill set lies. I told him that I would probably look for another job.

Ah, there's the rub, though! God put me in this job. Am I supposed to stay in it through this change, which is planned to take as long as two years to fully implement? Initially and not later? Or, perhaps, have I fulfilled my tasking and can move on? I wish I knew!

One thing I know for sure. If this is where God wants me, then this is where I will be. Either because I acquiesce or because, like Jonah, I will be thrown back to where God has shown me that I am supposed to be. If, on the other hand, I have completed my tasking, I am certain that God will release me to go on to something less stressful, lead me to a better organization, or perhaps even give me a new tasking. The bottom line is that it has to be what God wants. If I know that he wants me to continue on, then I will do so and will find a way to be happy about it. The hard part is the not knowing; the hard part is the waiting. Fortunately, I am not alone. I can make it, with the Help at hand, through the hard part.

And there you have it. Chapter one in a new soap opera. Stay tuned, and I will present the next chapters as they are written.

What I Did on my Vicodin Fuelled Vacation

Did i use my recuperation time wisely, catching up on artist submissions, pontificating on the future of music distribution and determining if Gary Coleman would have fared better had he been an actual member of the Strokes, regardless of how diff'rent he might have been? Did i spend it reaching out to musicians to take their pulse on today's most riveting topics, such as who would win in a fist fight between the Black Keys and the White Stripes?

Hells no, i was flat on my back surfing a Vicodin wave and watching nothing but anime and Katt Williams specials. Life is good like that sometimes.

mp3: 60 Second Samurai Champloo Mix (Psyche Origami from Adult Swim Website)

mp3: Tank! Cowboy Bebop (Luke Vibert Remix) (The Seatbelts from Cowboy Bebop Remixes: Music for Freelance)

mp3: Chicken (Katt Williams from DJ Drama Presents: Gangsta Laughs)

Return of the Lumpy One

Hello, children, i'm back from back surgery and the beautiful, wonderful wave that is doctor prescribed Vicodin. Did you miss me while i was gone? My favoritest writing partner in crime obviously did a more than splendid job during my convalescence, and hopefully i can return the favor while Meg is sojourning among the cheese eaters.

i've got a bunch of stuff to catch up on now that i have the conn temporarily, but i just wanted to put all your little minds at ease and assure you not to sweat any disruption in your daily servings of utter banality and odd ramblings that make up the posts of your Terrible Uncle Chris.

mp3: Missed Me (The Dresden Dolls from The Dresden Dolls)

mp3: The Return of the Crazy One (Digital Underground from No Nose Job)

mp3: Missed Medicine (Her Space Holiday from The Past Presents the Future)

mp3: Back in Business (Madonna from Dick Tracy: I'm Breathless)

mp3: Back in our Minds (Funkadelic from Maggot Brain)

mp3: Back in the Saddle Again (Gene Autry from Greatest Hits)

mp3: Reunion (Jason Collett version) (Stars from Do You Trust Your Friends?)