Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Wiped

Another group gone home happy, either because they got something out of the programme or maybe just because they are gone home, but it's the end of another 5 day management development programme for this particular group. We got through a lot of work and i find i often feel a bit drained when the course is over.

i'm a person who usually has a good deal of energy, and it's never a problem when the group is there and i'm getting my energy from interacting with them, but always when they leave i get this sudden wipeout and feel totally zonked.

i wonder what it would take for me to be able to energise myself? is it as simple as getting up and doing something else? Do i actually need the zonked period to recover? or should i just ball in with another group as soon as humanly possible.

this year is the first year i can remember when i will be flat to the boards right up until Christmas, it's always been a busy time, but nothing like this, i'm wondering how i will handle it all, the problem is i am on the road and when i'm finished dealing with the people, there is just an empty room for the evening.

Maybe i should buy three brilliant boooks, two business and one fiction and try to read them in tamdem, the alternative is to call everyone i know in dublin and cork and arrange nights out, dinners etc, but i doubt that will increase my effectiveness for the work.

anyway, it will be an interesting time for me.... am looking forward to Christmas when i think about it, but in contrast to other years, i have hardly thought about it... in fact i was amazed in the Kilmore hotel in Cavan yesterday to be confronted with a huge Christmas tree inside the front door, i thought they had gone mad or something until i realised that it's only four weeks, anyway this is a lot better than whiling and wishing my life away.

Friday, November 24, 2006

strange week,

it's been a strange random kinda week, the highlight being Celtic beating United, the lowlight being the news that my friend has cancer, and 600 things in between.

I am having the website redesigned and refitted to have a blog there and so that's where most of my ramblings shall be in future, but i might keep the odd bit here for old times sake...

i complained about the heating in this office complex for 3 days in a row, and they have finally done something about it, the sonthing is to turn it up to full blast and leave it on all day.... slight overcompensation, can't decide if it's intentional or not... i asked a guy to redesign the website this week and (i won't name him) this is the response i got... i have read it 50 times and i still can't believe anyone in business would have an attitude like this... but let him off.... enjoy it

It's was entitled "reservations"

"Paul

I am just sending a brief message in reference to our telephone
conversation earlier today -

The reason for this message is because I wanted to explain my current
position in case it influences your decision to wait until February
for me to redesign your website.

I have taken a look over your website, skimming and reading the
content, and I am a little confused as to what it is about.

I am assuming that the content will be rewritten for the new site to
be more simple and accessible, as web users are skimmers themselves,
but I have a few reservations about taking on this sort of job so I
think you will have to sell it to me.

The irony of this is not lost on me.

As a rule I do not work on a job by job basis, but instead have a
limited client list. For me, as a designer, it is important for me to
be behind a product or service in order for me to do my job properly,
and with my current schedule I don't have time to do any less than 100%.

I hope that I am not coming across as rude, as I am quite no-nonsense
and straightforward, but at first sight Newton Performance Coaching
doesn't seem to fall into step with XXXXXXX, and I am not sure how
well that would work out.

If I have got the wrong impression and you would like to clarify
this, please do not hesitate to contact me, and I hope that my
frankness is received in the manner it is intended.

Regards
XXXXXXXXXX
Mixed Media Designer"

jaysus lads it's a wonderful wonderful world......

Monday, November 20, 2006

If i had one minute!

was wondering, if i had one minute to blog before the computer expired, this is real i have about 30 secs of battery life left, what would i write about, i'd write about the randomness of the world, while one friend has cancer, while i and the rest of us are fine, why chance plays such a vital role in our lives, and trying to examine what co-incidence means?

mostly i'd write neither about the fairness nor unfairness of the world, but the pure bloody ramdomness of it.

Monday, November 06, 2006

is there a future for compromise rules?





The masters games were played in a wonderful spirit, the over 40's of Ireland and the Australian over 35's served up two very enjoyable games and a brilliant experience for all involved.

The seniors was something totally different, something ugly that i've seen before and that is greatly admired in Irish (and Australian) society but which CANNOT possibly contribute to society in a positive way.

Sportspeople are now being motivated and coached to believing in themselves and thier causes to the entext that they no longer believe that the normal laws and mores of society apply to them. I've had many opportunities to personally observe the behaviour of elite athletes, and there is no doubt in my mind, that the word "special" often goes to thier head and can be grotesquely mis-interpreted to allow athletes to believe they are above the law.

While the violence at yesterdays game was not as outrageous as the press would apear to hysterically indicate, and certainly not as bad as two club GAA incidents that i have been part of, it still would appear that the reason ireland did not win is not that they were not prepared to win at all costs, it's just that they were not as good at "winning at all costs" as the Australians were.

The major point of all this is that we were always conditioned to believe that participation in sport was an excellent preperation for life and that it passed along values of fairness, competitiveness, courage and discipline. The descent from those olympian ideals has been stark, so to be an elite athlete nowadays often involves cheating, drugs, violence, singlemindedness and an obsession to win.... i'm not so sure anymore if sport offers a healthy route.

In the 19th and 20th centuries the Military was the place to prove your might, your prowess, your patriotism, the fact that this involved sacrifice, discipline and official hyprocisy that occassionally led to brutality, rape, and murder was overlooked for the cause. I have a feeling that todays elite sportspeople are being brainwashed in the same way and motivated to believe that the occassional bit of violence, roasting, cheating or thuggery is ok, after all, haven't they shown the sacrifice and discipline needed.

Unless they can control this game, they should stop the series, but society must further realise that it's not the game that's at fault here, it's the mentality that is being driven into young men and women. We don't need the compromise rules to show us that, all we have to do is see the Galway hurling final.

There is something rotten in the state of Denmark.