And then she sewed ... 

because she was coming loose at her seems. 

Anyway - look! I made this - a box pleated bedskirt :) And it's mostly good.

If you don't look near the headboard 

Psycho babble

I say and you think:

1. Tripple :: sec
2. Rationing :: water
3. Wrong :: answer
4. Mother :: Superior
5. Lotion :: snow skiing
6. Hesitate :: opportunity lost
7. Home :: alone
8. Stumble :: what I'm doing through life
9. Procedure :: Waterfall < inside joke in the ongoing Agile/Waterfall development debate
10. Faithless :: empty

Free association is described as a "psychoanalytic" procedure in which a person is encouraged to give free rein to his or her thoughts and feelings, verbalizing whatever comes into the mind without monitoring its content." Over time, this technique is supposed to help bring forth repressed thoughts and feelings that the person can then work through to gain a better sense of self.

That's an admirable goal, but for the purposes of this exercise, we're just hoping to have a little fun with the technique.

The mind's camera

Do you ever do this? 


I don't have kids (obvsly) ... but there are times and places where I stop myself - and enjoy the moment and take mental pictures ... because I never want to forget.

For me - they usually center on light and music.

Like I have all these internal pictures of my childhood bedroom ... and how the sun would pour through a window ... and splash off the tile window ledge ... and the tile would sparkle ... and the room would have a special glow ... and you could see the dust motes dance. And if it was a Saturday ... the jazz my dad was playing would come through the air vents ... and I could hear the pots and pans banging around in the kitchen as he made breakfast ...

And I always thought to myself, "this! this is the perfect hour. Never, ever, ever forget this. The light, the sounds, the feel of this time."

I have those stored up from camping in tents at Buck's Lake and Plumas Eureka ... and the places I lived in Arizona - and my house here .... to Meg and Lee's house  - their porch ... the kitchen - the family room ... and Heather and Tom's old house (my friends in Az) ... from London and McGehee Arkansas to San Francisco and Boone, NC ... the Grand Tetons ... Amsterdam ... Blue Wing Teal's home in Abington, PA ... the Sink's place at Atlantic Beach ... the Farm House on the Saint Lawrence, light on the limestone road cuts in Indiana on the way to Ferdinand, Ind; the living room in Monterey, Louisiana, Grandpa and Grandma's cabin at Huntington Lake  .... all the best places. (and there are about 100 more that are not listed here). 

What I learned

Today I read this cooking blog post, "The Confidence Question"

It aligns with the Agile Manifesto - specifically the section on Iterative and Incremental Development. 

So here's the bottom line. I feel comfortable and safe with incremental learning and the iterative process in cooking. 

In my professional life? Not so much. Why?

 This is so timely. Thank you. I am a former chef – who now lives/works in the software world as a Product Manager. (this means I design the things you use).

As a cook – I am fairly fearless … I know the basics – and if something doesn’t work out – I review for “lessons learned”. Almost always – I am the harshest critic of the meal/dish – while everyone else just eats.
Without much loss of confidence I just adjust for the next time (rapid iteration).

But in my professional life? *shudder*. Any failure/shortcoming is a LACK OF ME … not “Oh! What did I/we learn – let’s work with the team to come up with something better.”

What’s the difference in the two situations … and how do I come to grow and promote the lessons that I’m so willing to try and SHARE in my professional life?

Return

Each time I return I feel more complete.

Ways to count a successful trip:

1. Proper footwear ... proper food. 

1. Mexican food for breakfast first 3-days :)
2. Attending the Delta Pine & Land for Field Day (although it rained for the first time in the history of field days (look at this!)

Saguaros and Palo Verde trees 

And wide open spaces - so I don't feel hemmed in - and I feel expansive - and visionary 

'

Plus I attended the wedding of year. Sky rockets in flight!