The Shopping Cart

Greetings All:

If you live in the suburbia, or quite frankly anyplace where civilization exists, you have been to a grocery store.  There are any number of chains from the high end to the budget kinds.  I suppose the Sam's Clubs and Costcos should be classified as grocery stores, yet for this post, I am focusing on the typical grocery store.  Hy-Vee is where I shop due to its location and selection of just about anything you could want,absent a strict adherence to certain dietary rules.  

A couple of weeks' back, I found myself there and I stared into the abyss.  Here is my tale.

I had been sent there on a fairly simple mission:  Get groceries.  Of course, this mission had some overtones of getting stuff I have never heard of and there was a bit of a time crunch.  My wife was helping host a Pampered Chef party and I volunteered to make the grocery run.  After all, how hard could it be?  I was about to find out.

Despite my association with an organization that values time management (right place/right time), when left to my own devices, I can get a bit off-track.  Again, I had that time crunch to worry about and grocery stores are full of distractions.  Not nearly as bad as sporting good stores, but still, distractions abound. 

Now I was not flying completely blind, as the photo above indicates, I had a list.  Normally, that would have been enough except I ended up getting trapped in the produce aisle and was looking for things I had no idea existed.  (To those of you who eat a plant-based diet, my apologies.)  Thanks to the gentlemen working the produce aisle, he got me squared away.  I had no idea there were that many versions of tomatoes, just sayin'...

I bit of an observation on modern shopping:  Just my opinion of course, but I do not think anyone under the age of 18 should ever be allowed to operate a smartphone in a supermarket.  More than once I almost took out a family of three boys who were engrossed in their device and failed to realize my cart almost took clipped them right above the elbow.  Mom, bless her heart, was as persistent as ineffective in her admonitions.  Let's move on.

Then there are the aisles.  There really are no rules of the road on weekends at supermarkets and approaching corners rivals driving in downtown Cairo, except of course, Cairo is safer.  (Well, that may be a tinge of an exaggeration but you get my point and this is after all satire.)  I think this incredibly nice woman born circa the Hoover administration had a GPS lock on me to be turning at me every time I crossed the aisle.  I lost her in the beer and wine section.

I am looking at my watch, crossing things off my list when I see this request:  Plum Jelly.  What?!?  I never heard of such a thing and if it’s good, I’ll take your word for it.  Oh, and of course it is not in the jelly aisle.  Every other kind is there, but no plum.  Just as I was about to throw in the towel, I try the health food aisle. 

Jackpot:

 

I am on a roll.  The rest of the list starts to get pared down, I've lost my elderly lady friend and the three kids are gone so I think I am in the clear.  Of course, time is not on my side and like a quarterback down two scores, I have to move up the field, er store, quick.  I think I am done then I see this item- black olives.

The olives, no, No NO!! not fair.

There are simply too many choices.  In the back of my head, I hear Devo's "Freedom From Choice" blaring.  I have one chance to pull this off. I use my last lifelife and call my wife hoping that through a combination of affection and pity she would answer. 

She did.

Now, candor demands I acknowledge that this was not the first inquiry to her during this trip.  I take solace in the fact that I was far from the only person with a Y chromosome who was calling for "advice and counsel" on a variety of purchases.  In any event, I received this reply- "The can ones are fine."

Pushing the cart full of stuff I head towards the checkout...

And thus ends the tale.  I got all this stuff back to the house in time for the event and, I might add, for me to conduct a tactical retreat from the AO.  Not that the Pampered Chef party wasn't a good time, I have no doubt it was, I just was not there to witness it. 

As I mentioned above, this post has more than a bit of satire and more than a scoop of sarcasm.  Although I was less than amused to have dealt with this task, it really was no big deal.  I suspect that if you are reading this (and thank you if you are) you will see this is, with a nod to Jerry Stenfeld, a post about nothing.  I was a lot more motivated to write about this when this all happened a couple weeks ago but thought it was worth passing along as I want to balance out this blog between more serious stuff and...well my personal tale of angst.  If this is as bad as it gets for me, then I am truly a lucky guy.

Best,
Jeno

Caine's Arcade

Greetings All:

I hope this all finds you well.  I am putting out a purposefully shorter blog post tonight as I want to get this out before Friday night dissolves into Saturday (and that is by no means a bad thing) because I think this is worth a look.  Here is why:

Today, I had the good fortune to attend the Chick-Fil-A Leadercast.  It was a great event.  Even though the speakers were not live, it was time well-spent.  From John Maxwell to David Allen to Coach K and a bunch of other fantastic speakers, it was well worth the admission price.  I hope to write more about this event but for now, I want to put out the story of Caine. 

If you've been following my blog, two quick things:

1.  Thanks; and

2. Please check out the web links below.  It is a terrific story.  Go ahead, I'll wait: 

Sources:

Imagination Foundation

http://www.imagination.is/

 

http://cainesarcade.com/

  

So you saw the video (now, you did see the video, right?) Seriously, please check out the video  on the Imagination Foundation and Caine's story, it is simply terrific.  It is terrific because it transcends a "feel good " story.  It is terrific because it shows how average people can rally in a short period of time to renew a boy's hope.  These people validated a young man who chose to believe in his dream and rejected the naysayers.  It is a fitting and wonderful tribute to the film producer who on a lark played in Caine's arcade.  In short, dare I say it- it is a tale of faith.  

Be well my friends,

Jeno

Sending the Old Man Home

Greetings All:

As I have mentioned before, I am a Jimmy Buffett fan.  Not as much as I was say two kids ago, but still dig his music.  I like pretty much everything he has put out and my favorite album (OK, fine, CD, at least I did not say download) is Hot Water.  I have a number of favorite songs and one of them is Sending the Old Man Home.  I first heard the song in law school when the Buffett Beaches, Boats, Bars and Ballads CD box set was released.  I thought it was a clever tone and rhymed particularly well.  It also was a tale that kept my attention for a bit.  For those of you who are not familiar with it, here are the lyrics:

Sending the Old Man Home by Jimmy Buffett, 1979

They're sending the old man home
Back where the buffalo roam
Out in Pacific they say he was the best
Now he's in his "civies" headin' home like all the rest

He'll never forget Rosa Lee
Or sleepless nights he fought upon the sea
He'll only have the memories
Or great books by James Jones
`Cause they're sending the old man home

Far away
Far away
Another life so very far away

They'll tear down the officers clubs
And write off the overdue subs
So let's drink to their memories
Our heros and our pals
To those crazy navy flyers
To those swell Hawaiian gals

The sailors will dance in the street
Then they'll mothball the whole damn fleet
We'll only have the picture books
Of land and sea and foam

`Cause they're sending the old man home

He'll only have his memories
Or great books by James Jones
`Cause they're sending the old man home.

I learned on Sunday this was released on the Volcano album in 1979 (and yes, back then, there were only albums and 8-tracks and possibly cassettes.)  In any event, that is when it came out.  I suspect that although Buffett's Dad was not a sailor, he was inspired at least in part by his service in World War II.  Here is the link to Buffett's dad obituary:

http://www.gadsdentimes.com/article/20030504/NEWS/305040344

So here we have a song that tells a pretty straight-forward tale:  World War II is over, we won.  While the world celebrates the victory, the "old man" is dealt a melancholy hand- no more fame, only a trip home.  Oh, we'll remember you and do so fondly.  Yet, don't expect much more, but...thanks.

Fast forward to April 14, 2013.  I am reading the paper and come across an obituary for a gentlemen who will remain anonymous.  I do this for his obituary stated he was a private man.  There was no visitation and there was a private graveside service.  That's it, that is how he wanted it.  As much as I want to put the link into this post, I will not.  I will, however, say that as I read of his life, I thought of this Buffett song.  He was a Navy veteran and did great and heroic things in the Navy.  Like our hero in the song,"...Out in Pacific they say he was the best." He was in command of 500 men and lost not a one. No small feat in a war where death came fast and hard under a merciless Japanese foe.  It would be understandable if he, or any veteran would live in the past, to recall the "...sleepless nights he fought upon the sea."  And yet in reading his obituary, I got the feeling he did not.  Oh sure, he had a room with his military awards (as well he should) but the write-up went back and again to his family, how that is what he truly celebrated.  He lived life and lived life in the moment.  He memorialized his service and then did not let it linger as the centerpiece in his life.  Unlike the song, our real-life hero had more, much more, than "...only have his memories, or great books by James Jones,..."  


We all have a tendency to take a stroll or two down memory lane.  A few weeks' back, I asked my wife if she wanted to go out with me while I hung out with a couple of my fraternity brothers and she politely declined.  Her comment was,  "No thanks, you guys tell a bunch of stories, the same ones I've heard before, and I am sure you'll tell them again."  She was right, we did.  And just for full disclosure, I still laugh as hard (if not harder).  It is good (not to mention fun) to laugh at the humorous memories and recall with pride the significant one.  I think the trick is to spend less time dusting the trophies in our memories and more time creating new ones.  After all, as Marcus Aurelius wrote in Meditations:

“The memory of everything is very soon overwhelmed in time.”

As I close out this post, I found on YouTube a version of this song with compliments and appreciation to Floyd K.  Enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pyo0ltIt0fg

Have a great rest of the week and thanks for reading.

Best rgs,
Jeno

Cool Hand Luke Inspired Confession

"I got my mind right, Boss, I got my mind right!"

Paul Newman as Cool Hand Luke

I was inspired by this movie to come clean with all of you. For those of you who are old enough to remember the movie, "Cool Hand Luke," you will recall that Luke, the lovable rouge petty criminal, kept escaping from prison, only to get caught and be subjected to the sadistic punishments by the Captain or "Boss." Luke finally breaks (well, sort of) and pledges that he's got "...his mind right."

Well my friends, I confess, I've not had my mind right as far as following some ruled go. As the photos show, I've racked up some...fines with my local library. And not just for one book. No sir, just like Luke, I'm a multiple offender- two books. Actually, there was a third but thanks to a technicality, justice was tempered with mercy, no fine.

I knew I had to face up to my ill deeds. So last night as my older daughter was working on her rock and roll at AM Guitar Works, went and paid the piper, er Librarian. So there it is, my debt paid.

I hope you realize I'm being fairly (mostly) sarcastic with this post making reference to my $.60 an overdue library fines. However, I really do appreciate my local library. It is a great place to check request that they located book for you. I was able to find have them find a copy of "The Centurions" a book pretty much out of print from a library in Mount Pleasant Iowa. Therefore, I try to take care to get my books back on time and and/or renew them. However in this case, I guess I just wasn't living right. But I'm better now and my conscious is clear.

Wishing everyone a great upcoming weekend. Be well my friends.

Best rgs,
Jeno

Boston

Greetings All:

Like all of you, I am sick about what happened Monday in Boston.  It was a damn shame.  An act of cowardice with a side order of bullsh#$ justification.   I do not care about your list of grievances about our government.  You killed innocent people,  including a child.  You, sir/madam, have forsaken both human decency and political dialogue.  You are a coward.  And, oh my the way, if anyone helped you, I add them to this list.

I do not want to give time or energy to the villains.  I want to honor the heroes.  Those who gave aid, those who at personal peril grabbed backpacks that might easily been a bomb to save their fellow citizens.  The Soldier who after ruck marching 26.2 miles rushed to the aid of the injured even as their blisters broke through their boots. 

I am a New York Yankees fan.  I do not cheer for the Boston Red Socks.  If you are a friend of mine on Facebook you may recall how I called out Tom Brady for not putting his hand over his heart during the Star Spangled Banner in a playoff game.  With those disclaimers offers, I say this:

Boston:  We are your citizens.

Though we may cheer for other teams, vote for other candidates, we are your citizens.  Boston, the source of liberty, the place where the shot heard round the world was fired, where Paul Revere road, where liberty in America can proudly trace her roots  lies, will rise again.  I heard our President say that Boston will run again.  I believe him.  I believe him because it is Boston.   It is the home of liberty.  And that being the case, as Americans, it is our home as well.

Be well my friends,
Jeno

The Decade-Old T-Shirt

Greetings All:

Ladies and gentlemen, may I present...the decade-old t-shirt.  Well, it's not exactly 10 years old.  I got it during the summer of 2003 from a friend of mine.  Somehow, it made it from New Jersey to Arizona and now back to Iowa.  It's got a few holes, the color is faded and some stains.  It is beyond the stage of wearing in public, even the gym.  It is strictly regulated for the gym, inside the house and yard work.  It is like a felon on work-release.

I was thinking about why I have this particular shirt.   Why it was a priority, sub-conscious or otherwise, to keep it?  It may be as simple as it made it into the right bow/bag/crate to get moved.  Who knows, I might have even worn it during one or more moves.

I think the simple answer is- I like it.  I am a big Jimmy Buffett fan and the fact that I am a lawyer and it says, "ParrotHead Bar Exam."  As I recall, the term "Parrothead" has been around for a while.  Rumor has it that Mr. Buffett himself coined the phrase looking out on a sea of fans (lubricated in some fashion, at least some of them) dressed in the regalia that one wears to a Buffett concert.  I recall, but alas cannot find, the quote from Esquire magazine where it was written (if memory serves me) that, "[p]arrotheads are Deadheads with MBAs,..." or words to that effect.  Here's some more about Parrotheads if you're curious:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parrothead

http://www.wnyphc.com/Newsletters/Phriends%20In%20Paradise%20V9%20i3.pdf

I love Buffett and that is a blog post in itself.  However, for this post, let's get back to t-shirts: 

I am a t-shirt guy.  I wear one just about every day and just like them.  Even when I had to wear a suit in the summer, I'd wear a t-shirt with my dress shirt.  If I have my choice, I'd just as soon wear a t-shirt if the weather is nice.  Although I am pretty sure there are no shirts that have survived college or law school, I have a tendency to hold onto them for a while.  I suppose that is a form or hoarding.  Then again, I respectfully and firmly offer in my defense that the shirt mentioned above (and marked as Defense Exhibit A for purposes of identification, :)) I do wear this shirt.

In fact, I was listening to Unstuff Your Life by Andrew J. Mellon.  In chapter six, he goes into detail about how to conduct a clothes purge.  His methods on organizing could be viewed from somewhere between tough love and downright brutal, depending on your perspective.  I have not listened to his whole book, but he has some good ideas.  I take comfort in the fact that notwithstanding this shirt is old and has some holes, I wear it.  It survives the purge, even avoids getting put into the sentimental box.  For more about Andrew's book, please check out the link below.  It is also available on Audible.com, where I obtained it. 

http://www.amazon.com/Unstuff-Your-Life-Completely-Organize/dp/1583333894

So why the affection for t-shirts in our world?  I suppose there is the purely functional aspect of them.  They are comfortable, easy to care for, cheep and versatile.  I believe all these reasons to be true.  However, I would also suggest there is another reason why t-shirts are so popular.  It is a way to express individual thoughts, opinions, loyalties and affections.  Give a grandparent a t-shirt with their grandkids on it and they will wear the thing out.  Just ask my Dad. :).

I have probably a dozen University of Iowa t-shirts.  One that I closely ration the wear of is my 2006 Big Ten Basketball Championship t-shirt.  After all, we're not Indiana and win it all the time.  Speaking of championship shirts, ever wonder what happens to the losing team's shirts?  After all, there has to be two "Champion" t-shirts to pass out on the field or court?  Where do these go?  They cannot just be given to Goodwill.  I found a link below that shows these shirts of the losers do find good homes in third world nations.   I wonder if any American tourists ever do a double-take seeing them in circulation.

http://mentalfloss.com/article/29884/what-happens-losing-teams-championship-shirts

I heard an urban legend that during the Battle of Mogadishu, as highlighted in the Black Hawk Down book and movie and the book is a compelling read by author Mark Bowden, that a Somali engaged U.S. forces wearing a Buffalo Bills Superbowl Champions t-shirt while wildly firing an AK-47.  If true, that takes surreal to a whole new level.

I do recognize the reality that my beloved Buffett t-shirt is soon to be beyond wear.  Likely it will perform one more service, on a hot day when there is grass to be cut.  It will be retired.  Perhaps it will become a rag but more than likely, simply throw away.  It had a good run but the time has come.  Mellon talks about there being no shame in throwing out clothes that have worn out. 

I found this quote from Marcus Aurelius' Meditations that sums this up, at least for me:

“All things fade and quickly turn to myth.”


http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/17212.Marcus_Aurelius?auto_login_attempted=true&format=html&page=4


If you have a favorite t-shirt you are still holding onto for whatever reason, feel free to comment on it.  I'd like to read about it.  Wishing everyone a great upcoming week, spring and summer. 

Best rgs,
Jeno

A Book Worth Reading

 

Greetings All:

It is April and with it come certain rites of Spring.  The NIT tournament ended with a disappointing loss for my Hawkeyes, yet it was a good run.  In that "other" tournament you may have heard of, Louisville awaits the winner of the Michigan Syracuse game.  Thursday starts The Masters golf tournament, the first of the Majors.  As my neighbor Mike said earlier today, "That sure smells like a spring rain."  He was right, it did.

Of course, April is tax time and for those of you still waiting to file, you've got a week from Monday.  For those who are self-employed in some capacity, there may be the dreaded brown envelopes stuffed with receipts of sizes, shapes and amounts.  I lived that world once and cannot say I am disappointed to not have that concern.  Then again, it is the self-employed and the commissioned-compensated that make up a huge part of our economy.  I wanted to pay tribute to them and in the process recommend a great book I recently listened to.  More on the book and its author in a moment.

Here are a few facts to keep in mind:  There are 9.9 million self-employed people in our economy, as of September, 2012, according to the Office of Advocacy in the U.S. Small Business Administration, as cited in the American Express Open Forum.  

http://www.openforum.com/articles/number-of-self-employed-on-the-rise/  

Now when we look at sales persons, the number is almost 14 million.  (13,835,090).  This comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2012.

http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes410000.htm

The reason I included small business owners is that for the most part, their income comes from their ability to sell either a good or a service.  They likely do not have a salary, they "eat what they kill."  In other words, there is no salary, just a percentage of what comes in the door, thru the till and after bills and taxes, the rest is the salesman or small business owner. 

There are many people who earn their living from sales.  I would also strongly suggest that even if your income is from a salary, there are aspects of "selling" involved with what you do.  Perhaps more than you may realize.

It is for these reasons that I would like to invite you to check out Mr. Bryan Flanagan's book, So, You're New to Sales.   It is available in both audio and print.  I received my copy via Audible.com and preferred to listen to it.  (As I have mentioned before, when you run as slow as me, you don't need music so I listened to most of it on the treadmill.)

So about the book, why should you listen to it?  If you are one of the almost 24 million people who "eat what you kill" the book will be both immediately valuable and practical.  Bryan began his career with IBM and jokes about still having wing-tip shoes.  He then moved onto the Ziglar Company.  For those of you who do not sell, the stories about Zig Ziglar are amusing and moving.  I believe that I came across the book looking for Ziglar material and Mr. Z does give an introduction.  However, this is Bryan's work and in the audio portion, you get to hear him read his own work.  This, in my opinion, adds to the audio presentation.

The book's message, in my opinion, is this:  Selling is an honorable profession, treat it as one.  Yes, it is hard.  Then again, if it was easy, everyone would do it.  One of the lines I love from the book is, "Timid salespeople have skinny kids."  It is funny and yet sadly, there is truth to it.  After all, if you eat what you kill, if you live (and your family) off of what you sell, then a lack of sales equals a lack of money.  Bryan has a blog post that goes into more detail about this comment:

http://www.flanagantraining.com/content/timid-salespeople-have-skinny-kids

He discusses the importance of planning out a sales call and doing little things that add up to overall success.  Arrive early, dress appropriately, make appropriate eye contact, don't be a "professional visitor," remember to listen more than you talk and so forth.  As I listened to his book, I thought of former Secretary of State Colin Powell's list of suggestions including, "Check small things," and "Get mad, then get over it."  (For a list of all of these suggestions, please see below:)

http://quotes.dictionary.com/author/colin+powell?page=1

For the sales person, here is where the real money maker is (again, in my opinion)- The "POGO" approach.  POGO is a way to address a sales call in a systematic way.  POGO as you may have guessed is an acronym, standing for Person, Organization, Goals and Obstacles.  In the book, Bryan shows you how to take a standard approach and make it your own.  He offered these thoughts on POGO:  "Through POGO questions, you start to find out the potential client’s needs, and also start to get a profile.”  (To read more about POGO, please see the link below:)

http://www.dallasbar.org/content/column-business-law

If POGO is the method, then Bryan closes with the purpose of sales, to believe in what you are selling.  He tells of how belief and faith are critical to success in sales, and in life.  As I type this, thousands of fans are hoping either Michigan or Syracuse wins tonight's game.  Hope is fine, even important.  However, Bryan discusses the importance of believe in what one is selling.  This has a translation to everyone-you should believe in what you are doing.  If not, then seek another way.  As I listened to Bryan's book, I thought of a book I had listened to years ago, The Science of Getting Rich, by Wallace Wattles.  It is over a hundred years old (1910) and still has meaning today.  I believe it is chapter 13 that discusses the importance of getting out of the wrong business.  What was true then is true today.

Years ago, I worked for a large financial company, in sales.  Although I firmly believe that my calling was not in that field, I cannot help but wonder what would have happened had I utilized the skills offered in this book?  I know that I had some traits and skills but being honest in the brutally clear light of hindsight, I was not a good sales person.  I do not think it had anything to do with the shine on my shoes or the brand-name of my suit.  I think it was because I did not want to do the things I needed to do to be successful.  Notice I did not say, "could not" do.  I simply elected not to do all the steps needed for success.  This book pulls no punches.  It does not say, "Don't worry, it will be fine."  Nope.  Dr. Bryan's prescription is to keep making sales calls and call him in the morning.  However, I think it is the truth. 

I am glad I listened to So, You're New to Sales, and hope you will enjoy it as well.  If you do not want to buy it, then I am confident you can find a copy at your local library.  It is worth both the time and the money.  If you do check it out, please let me know what you think.

Here are a couple of links to Bryan's website, the book and the Ziglar sites.  This probably goes without saying, but I am not plugging this book for any payment or expectation of compensation.  I picked this book to write about because it positively impacted me. 

http://www.flanagantraining.com/

http://www.ziglar.com/ourspeakers_bryan_flanagan.html

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=So%2C+You%27re+New+To+Sales%3F

What are you reading or listening to?  Please let me know.  Worthwhile books are good to experience and better to share.

As I close, I think it is only appropriate to do so with a quote from Mr. Ziglar himself from his 1984 book, Closing the Sale:

"You can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough people get what they want."

I agree.  Wishing everyone a great coming week and month. 

Best regards,
Jeno

UPDATE

This post is being updated on April 7, 2013 at 1:52 p.m. to reflect the following:  I obtained permission from Mr. Flanagan to use the cover art of his book.  I neglected to mention this when I published this post last evening.  My apologies to this oversight.  Now, please, go read/listen to this great book!