Today is Weather Complaint Day, So Go at It

out_of_the_rain_by_glitterdarkstar

out_of_the_rain_by_glitterdarkstar

As I was stepping out of Costco in the 95 degree sun, another customer rolled up headed to his car and said, “They say it’s going to be 70 on Sunday?”

“I beg your pardon,” I responded.

He repeated it, only this time it was a statement, “They say it’s going to be 70 on Sunday.”

“That’ll be good,” I said.

I marvelled at the way perfect strangers will strike up a conversation over the weather, usually a complaint, without even so much as a “Hello” first.

We love to complain and spread misery, and the weather is a perfect target.

Complaining about the weather always amazes me since folks act as if they have no choice in where they live, and they seem to complain no matter what the weather.

People complain about cold and hot weather alike, as well as different degrees of cold and hot.

On a discussion board, for example, one commenter said

People who think that Denver [h]as harsh and difficult winters have absolutly[sic]   no idea of what they speak off. [sic] You should be grateful that you leave[live?] in a[sic]  area that [h]as 4 seasons witch[sic] include mild and temperate winters,that are fallowed [sic] by hot but pleasantly dry and comfortable summers!! What more do you want for crying out loud!!!

Here in the hell hole of Montreal where i live we get 200inch. of snow per year,the average temp. in Dec.,Jan.,Feb,Mar. are 28F,23F,21F and 32F respectively.  However in these averages you will find built-in a minimum of 21 days in dec-jan-feb that are of the sub-zero kind meaning anywhere between 0F to-10F…REMEMBER YOUR FREEZER IS AT -04F!!!

Evidently this Montreal resident is chained to Montreal and perhaps his frozen fingers explain the many spelling and usage errors in his comment as well.

Each year when it floods in Missouri, my relatives complain about the damage, but never move.

Likewise, beautiful beachfront homes in Malibu, CA, sometimes celebrity homes, suffer severe damage, even destruction, but victims of these disasters often build again in the same spots.

Then, there are folks who like to play one-up with the weather in their city.

When I was headed to the Inauguration in Jan. 2009, for example, various passengers on the plane were discussing how Californians were going to be in for a shock in Washington, D.C.’s cold weather.

I commented to my seat buddy, “I think I’ll be okay. I grew up in cold weather in St. Louis, MO.”

When he stopped laughing, the guy said, “St. Louis? That’s not cold. Cold is Minnesota. Until you’ve been in Minnesota in the winter you haven’t seen cold.”

Meterologist, Jeff Haby, compiled this list of the top ten weather-related complaints.

1. Global warming–any weather condition folks don’t like gets blamed on global warming.

2. El Nino–any blame not directed at global warming goes to El Nino.

3. Too hot or too cold–complaints typically have to do with how both of these send utilities bills sky high or how miserable it is to be outside or indoors

4. Drought–complaints are usually about having to ration water and of course the damage to vegetation

5. Ice–comments usually have to do with the dangers from driving, inability to get to the store, possible power outtages

6. Hurricanes–pick any famous hurricane of the past and folks are still complaining about it

7. Humidity–difficulty breathing is the most common complaint here

8. Dirty air–when the airplane is descending over L.A. and other urban cities, the pollution is easily recognized and reminds of us what we’ll soon be breathing

9. Wind–people seldom have anything good to say about wind since it picks up dust, makes driving difficult and can even cause damage

10.  Rain–those folks who were complaining about the drought earlier are often glad to see rain at first. But if it continues then the complaints begin. The most common complaint about rain occurs when it slows down the commute to work or ruins outdoor events such as weddings and sporting events.

So, there you have it. The full array of weather conditions to complain about, or is it? Was your favorite weather on the list?

Let us hear your weather complaint.

Go ahead. Get it out of your system.

After all, it’s Weather Complaint Day!

3 Things that Got Me in Trouble in College and Still Do

Photo by belgapixel from flickr

Photo by belgapixel from flickr

College is an exciting experience that can uplift or undo you. There were three things that got me in trouble in college and still do.

1. Becoming intoxicated with freedom.

I was so eager to start college that I went to summer school immediately after high school graduation and took a speed reading class just to get onto a university campus as soon as possible.

After the restrictions of high school, I was ready to breathe free and run my own life. No one looking over my shoulder, no hall passes, or bells to signal the end of class.

Yippee!

The first full year of college I took a full load and  pledged a sorority. I didn’t know this was a bad idea until I was drowning in homework while trying to carry out  the dictates of my “big sisters.”

I flunked Zoology.

My mother was surprisingly understanding, especially after she found out that I could retake it in summer school and the new grade would replace the F.

My inability to handle freedom well resurfaced when I retired from teaching. I had long wanted to be able to travel without trying to coordinate with the academic calendar, so I took off the week after I retired.

First, to China with a tour and later in September went to a retreat in Italy. When I returned from Italy I took two more trips here in the US.

Yippee!

It wasn’t until the end of that year after I had drunk deeply of freedom that I began to think about the projects I had planned for retirement. (Of course I can argue that my play time was deserved and necessary.)

2. Underestimating the time it takes to complete projects.

Occasionally one of my college professors would cancel a class so we could work on a major paper. When the due date was weeks away, like my fellow classmates I would sometimes procrastinate and use this time to socialize instead, thinking I had plenty time to work on the paper later.

I was always sorry when “later” came.

Although I’ve improved in this area over the years, there are occasions when I still  wait until the night before to tweak and update a project thinking it will only take an hour or so.  This happens especially when the project is already done and I just plan to update and make minor revisions.

I get  lulled into too much confidence.  It seems that the less time I give myself to finish, the more things pop up to threaten me reaching my deadline on time.

3. Making unreasonable demands on modern technology.

Personal computers were not available when I was in college (I know I just dated myself), but electric typewriters were. I typed my papers, often finishing just an hour or two before  class.  Because carbon copies were so ugly I would stop by a copy shop on my way to class , especially when I was in classes where I had to do a presentation.

Terror would strike in my heart when I arrived at the copy shop only to discover that a line of students had the same idea. I would sweat bullets hoping I’d get my copies in time to dash into class on time.

If you’ve ever seen a procrastinator kick and scream at a copy machine or printer that’s moving slower than they wish, you know what I mean.

I find that the day I’ve waited until the hour before a meeting to run copies is the day the copier is down for repairs.

Recently I was printing the program and other materials for our family reunion. My wireless printer decided it didn’t want to talk to my computer any more.

At times like this I can practically see the anxiety trying to rise in my body. (Fortunately I’ve gotten better at dealing with this too.)

Check the troubleshooter. Shut everything down. Start over.

Time-saving devices can save time, but they won’t manufacture time, nor make up for waiting until the last minute.

How about you? Do you have some old habits that die hard?

Can't Keep Up? 4 More Ways to Simplify Your Life

The Harry Rower Photostream

The Harry Rower Photostream

Yesterday I gave you three ways to simplify your life.

1. Stop trying to keep up and keep sane instead.

2. Drop out of , cancel or postpone any activities that don’t further your goals or happiness

3. Lower your standards

Here are four more ways to simplify your life.

4. Put white space around your activities

You can tell the difficulty level of a book by how much or little white space there is around the paragraphs and in the margins. Law textbooks, for example, tend to have more words on a page with smaller fonts and less white space than a 5th grade history book. For that reason the 5th grade book is less intimidating and easier to read.

Plan your time so there’s lots of space between activities. It will contribute to your peace of mind.

I was teaching an 8 AM study skills class one day when I spotted a 20 year old fidgeting on the edge of her seat the first day. She was nervously watching the clock as the hour neared 8:50.

Noticing her discomfort, I asked what was the problem.

“Will you be dismissing class on time? ” she blurted. “I have to be at work at 9 AM.”

This student was clearly asking for trouble. Even though her job was just a few blocks from campus, there was no way she could count on being at work by 9AM immediately following an 8AM class. I urged her to drop the class.

If you have an important meeting in the afternoon, don’t schedule three important activities in the morning. Space these out on different days.

Allow yourself more time to commute than you think you’ll need. It’s so much better to arrive unhurried and unruffled than to flop into the room panting and exhausted.

5. Slow down

No matter how many lanes they add to the freeways here in Southern California, drivers keep rushing down the road, taking scary chances darting in front of one another, risking all of our lives.

There is a reason why Buddhism is the fastest growing religion, why organic food is growing in popularity and why dowhshifting is even a word. Although the turn in the economy may have sparked the turn to simple living, many are voluntarily slowing their lives or officially joining the Slow Movement.

You can slow your life by eating in smaller bites and chewing longer. Health experts say that this aids our digestion, lowers our stress and helps us lose weight. The best part is that we can finally actually enjoy the taste of our food, savor it. How cool is that?

You can also slow down your reaction to things that aren’t going your way. The old saying that you should count to ten is not just your Grandma’s advice, it’s also a sound anger management technique.

Waiting before you react  diffuses your anger, gives you time to think and empathize with the other party. Most of all improves how you will respond.

6. Beware of bright, shiny objects and good ideas.

This tip is especially for me.

I was clipping along making good progress down my to-do list this morning, for example, when I got an email reminder from Jon Hansen of PI Window on Business that his radio show was starting in a few minutes. (I love his shows.)  His guest this morning was British historian, Albert Jack, who has written several books about the origins of popular sayings like “turn a blind eye,” or “stealing your thunder.” 

I hadn’t scheduled his show into my day, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. There was, of course, the danger that I could have gotten so distracted that I couldn’t back to my to-do list, but I didn’t, this time.

Even things that are wonderful and that are good ideas don’t need to be acted upon as soon as you learn about them. If they don’t advance your goals for the day, or deprive you of much-needed rest, file, bookmark or make note of them for another day.

7. Make good use of that technology you own.

One day as we were on our way to a family reunion, a phone call came through on my cell phone. My son was holding the phone and noticed the telemarker’s company name in the caller ID.

Rather than get upset with the telemarketer for calling at a time when it was not convenient, we just didn’t answer it.

My son very thoughtfully said, “Whoever invented caller ID should be given a Congressional Medal of Honor, Nobel Peace Prize, the Pulitzer, the Grammy, the Emmy, the Tony and an Oscar. And if he’s dead, he should be dug up and awarded them posthumously!”

That made me curious so I looked it up.

Caller ID was first developed  by Theodore George “Ted” Paraskevakos, a Greek inventor, businessman and a naturalized citizen of the USA.  He worked on Caller ID while employed as a communications engineer for SITA. Ted holds over 40 patents, but for this one has advanced the cause of simplifying life like no other.

Thank you Ted Paraskevakos!

Now, thanks to Ted, you do not have to pick up the phone to speak to anyone you don’t want to speak to. Take advantage of that wonderful feature.

There are many other labor-saving, time-saving and stress-reducing devices, some which simplify our lives and some which cause frustration. The key to making good use of technology is use it, not let it use and control you.

Commit to following these ways to simplify your life and keeping up will no longer concern you.


Can't Keep Up? 3 Ways to Simplify Your Life

from Martineric on flickr

from Martineric on flickr

Feeling overwhelmed with all you have to do or want to do? Can’t keep up?

Here are seven ways to simplify your life, reduce the stress and increase your happiness in the process.

1. Stop trying to keep up and keep sane instead.

Take stock of your life right now.

What is overwhelming you? Does your to-do list stretch to two pages? Did you give up on a to-do list? Did you overcommit to meetings and tasks for others?

Chances are you’ve stacked up more activities than are humanly doable in a day or even a week or more. Add to that the fact that some things aren’t negotiable like feeding the kids, doing the work that pays the bills and you can build up enough stress to blow a dike.

Carefully go through your list and identify 3 things that must be done today or there will be dire consequences to your personal or business life.  These are things like ignoring that leak coming from the area of the washer or neglecting to return a call from an important client.

Just do those things for now.

2. Drop out of, cancel or postpone activities that don’t further your goals or happiness.

It may not have seemed like much to do when you promised to bring cookies to the meeting, but if you piled that on top of offering to pick up the neighbor’s kid from swimming, swing by the cleaners to drop off your suit for next week’s meeting and a string of not-so-big-tasks you just set yourself up for exhaustion and what’s worse–resentment.

Instead of running to do individual errands, group them by location and ease of travel and do those on one day.

And by all means, learn to say no to things you can’t add to your life without overflowing.

3. Lower your standards.

In spite of what professional organizers tell you, your house will not fall apart if it’s not in perfect order . But you will fall apart or get sick if you insist on every dish, towel and throw pillow being in place before you go to bed every night.

If you are raising kids this is even more important. Spend time on what counts most.

I favor spending time with helping the kids with homework, practicing music or sports, or talking to them about their day over working at fastidiousness.

If there are tasks that must be done, maybe you don’t have to do them.  Somewhere along the way of my professional life, I promised myself there was no point working if I couldn’t budget money for at least an occasional housekeeper.

Tomorrow I’ll share four more ways to simplify your life.

5 Reasons Some People Don’t Like The Secret

Kitchen near completion 8-10-06Mention the movie, “The Secret,” and you get one of three responses:

  • “Oh, that was the most powerful movie I’ve ever seen. It changed my life.”
  • “That was a lot of malarkey. The law of attraction doesn’t work.”
  • What’s “The Secret?”

When the movie “The Secret” first appeared, everyone urged me to see it. I already believed in the Law of Attraction and the power of believing is the key to getting what you want. So I enjoyed the movie as a reminder of what I already knew to be true.

But while there were many who were inspired by it, a lot of people believe “The Secret”  is bogus, drivel, and downright useless.

Rhonda Byrne, the television producer who is the author of the book and creator of the DVD, must surely have cried all the way to the bank over all the negative responses.

After all, this 90-minute movie was a huge success not just because millions of people viewed it, but because it  took the nontraditional route. It was never shown in movie theaters, but it was so popularized by word of mouth (better known as viral marketing) that it caught Oprah’s attention.

Why are some folks unimpressed with “The Secret?”

1. Makes manifesting good sound magical and doesn’t admit that success takes hard work

I don’t recall that the movie indicated that there would be no work involved in going after your dreams, but that’s the message some received. This view is likely that of a very literal person who prefers step-by-step directions.

I certainly had much research to do and had to pay the contractor to do the kitchen remodel I had done a few years ago. But before any of that started, I visualized and deeply felt how my new kitchen would look and how wonderful it would feel cooking and entertaining there. I especially had to believe I would get the loan to pay for it or perhaps I wouldn’t have even applied for it.

2. Promotes idea that success means accumulating wealth and things

It certainly may seem that way since the examples focused a lot on material possessions. But in our world the only way some people can visualize success is through possessions.

The truth is that we want what possessions provide, not the possessions themselves.

Owning a car enables me to get where I’m going faster than walking, and at times that is important to keeping appointments. It’s the convenience that the car provides that’s important.

While I’m attracting that car, however, why not make it a model and color I like?

3. Doesn’t go far enough to explain feelings and emotions that are behind our thoughts

I agree that the movie didn’t tell us about the energy that we create when we dwell on something in our minds and how our feelings and emotions generate that energy.

But every movie or piece of literature can be found guilty of assuming certain knowledge.

4. Disregards the random events, disasters and other things outside of us that affect our lives

My take on this was that the movie stressed that it is our reactions to the outside events that determines our reality. I don’t think it was disregarding that these things occur.

5. What was so secret about that movie? It was just rehashed stuff we’ve heard before.

Every movie, song, or story is based on something that went before. It’s the particular mix or extension of what already exists that makes the difference. Besides, we need to hear things many times before we get it.

There are many paths to getting the life you want. For some this movie tapped into one of them. How about you? What’s your take on “The Secret.”