We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.
Body-building is a somewhat common hobby for men and women. You can term it foolish, but most hobbies are sort of pointless but personally rewarding anyway.
I will join the Guardian in criticising steroid use by both men and women. It just sacrifices health for muscle bulk. The gyms I use have no real body-builders. Strength-builders, sure. General ftness-seekers, lots - but General Fitness includes strength.
On our website, we prefer to focus on "Fitness for Life", while bearing in mind that few women do not want to look "beach-ready" and few guys want to be, or to appear, physically weak or flabby. Some degree of narcissism is just a part of self-respect.
Photo:Jamie Eason is a lady body-builder, no steroids.
This post represents a major effort by a friend who wanted to share his career's worth of accumulated knowledge and wisdom from the opportunity-seeking end and from the hiring end. He warns that it is not a final draft. He doesn't know when he will get around to polishing it up (because he does have a day job).
Enjoy it, and send it around to those who might find it handy - young or older.
Over a long career, I have been a job-seeker and I have been a C-suite boss. The last time I went looking for a job it was more of an undertaking than I’d anticipated.
Up until then, I’d pretty much walked easily from opportunity to opportunity. After all, in the beginning there were not many skilled professionals in computing and the IT world, and demand far exceeded supply. At the last time I found myself looking for work, I’d nominally retired but had been requested to stay. During the financial meltdown however, all extensions were cancelled and I was summarily out of work with virtually no notice. I was already over 60 and the economy was unfavorable. I landed what I think is a wonderful, challenging, and interesting job but the process took over a year.
The reason I mention this is because at the conclusion of my search, an experienced recruiter said -more or less in passing - that “You ran a great search.” I’d never thought of myself as even doing “a search.” I thought I was looking for a job. These are much the same thing, but I learned that a search is a disciplined way of looking for a job and doing it right makes a big difference in the outcome.
These are my notes on how to do a great job search. For the more experienced reader to get something from this, I’ve had to write to the executive level. If you’re less senior (more junior?) or just starting out, some of this will be overkill, but it is maybe helpful to know this material in advance of needing it. The principles are the same. And while my vantage point is business/corporate, these basic principles should apply to any sort of work or career pursuit.
Other than obvious stuff on dress, I don’t think there is any overtly male/female, but I admit I may used ”he” more than “she” just from habit.
As you may be aware thanks to my merciless flogging of it, I have a new book out called The Smallest Minority: Independent Thinking in the Age of Mob Politics. It is about the way in which social media brings out the worst of the tribalism and idiocy in our contemporary politics by displacing almost all of the substantive discussion with a lobotomized — and, ultimately, useless — politics of white hats and black hats, good guys and bad guys, cowboys and Indians, Us and Them...
The Swan 48 from the 1970s is an iconic blue water sailboat, perfect for trans-Atlantic races (try not to bump into a whale and break your rudder) or for sailng to Bermuda. 2 people can sail her, but she requires extra hands for racing. It's a lot of boat for day-sailing, but people do it.
This president is often gratuitously uncouth in public, and almost unrecognizable to those who know him as a congenial, courteous, and charming man and a fine raconteur. These traits are less frequently in evidence than in earlier days.
Like all of us, the President gets better at his job the longer he holds it. But this would be an easy problem to correct, and that would leave the intense disparagement of Mr. Trump exclusively to the extremists and the decayed servitors he has served the country admirably by driving from office.
11:1 He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples."
11:2 He said to them, "When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come.
11:3 Give us each day our daily bread.
11:4 And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us to the time of trial."
11:5 And he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread;
11:6 for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.'
11:7 And he answers from within, 'Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.'
11:8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs.
11:9 "So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.
11:10 For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
11:11 Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish?
11:12 Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion?
11:13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
Sometimes it surprises me how many people are in bed at 5 or 6 am. What? That is plain un-American. At least, get up and milk the chickens and feed the cows.
My gym has been meddling with their early morning workout classes (calisthenics and HIIT mostly), partly because of staff turnover and partly just for variety. Maybe Russia was involved in the meddling, cuz we do have a Russian gal trainer there. Probably a spy...
Finally found a good one, a new one, for me this morning. Fast-paced, challenging, exhausting, heavy sweat and heavy breathing but without much shoulder stress. Yes, some burpees which I do not do. I do pushups instead. Modify whenever needed. I am often the oldest person but I don't care because I am in half-decent fitness for my age. At first, I could not keep up. Now I can. A body is a miracle of adaptation.
I recommend finding one or two of those that work for you, as a good complement to weight work and boring "cardio". The classes can look intimidating, but you go at your own pace and do what you can. Improvement ensues, fairly quickly.
Have any of y'all tried them? They can become addictive.
A fine rant but, as a commenter observes, You might not be interested in politics but politics is interested in you.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib Wants a $20 Minimum Wage for Tipped Workers. That Would Likely Destroy the Restaurant Industry. The Democratic congresswoman said that people cannot live off tips. People who live off tips beg to differ.
Christopher Guest has made some iconic, quirky moves. AVI reminded me about A Mighty Wind, a faux documentary about a 1960s folk group. It's only a satire if you want to think of it that way. As with Guest's hilarious This is Spinal Tap, all of the dialog is improvised, and all music is written by the actors.
Both movies - or all of Guest's movies - are good for a rainy day.
Hal Prince, Giant of Broadway and Reaper of Tonys,
Body-building is a somewhat common hobby for men and women. You can term it foolish, but most hobbies are sort of pointless but personally rewarding anyway.
