Three Tips for Dealing with Burnout

Three tips for dealing with on the job burnout:

1.) Take (make) some extra time just to do something or go somewhere that is “non-job related”. Just because you are married to your job is no sign you should be with that job every minute of your day.

2.) Vegetate. Do nothing but rest. Do this especially before and after a trip, or doing a project.

3.) Instead of setting aside one hour, or one day, for a project make it a 2 hour or 2 day project.

Bonus Question: Ask yourself this question about your next project: Will the world end if I do not complete this job by the time someone else wants me too?

Answer: Usually it won’t. But, if your burnt out you won’t do the job to the best of your ability anyway.

Bonus Tip: Life is a gift. Enjoy it.

Collectivism in America

My father was a sailor in WWII, and I served active duty in the navy for just shy of four years during the Vietnam debacle. I will not offer an opinion on whether we should or should not have been there. However, only someone who is brain dead would think that it was a military loss. The real blame lies with two groups of people - the gutless wonders in the U.S. government, and the whiney little maggots that protested the fact that people were dieing for their freedom to protest. Now, we have replaced the gutless wonders with more gutless wonders, and today most of them are from that bunch of whiney little maggots of the 1970’s. As a sailor I was stationed on an aircraft carrier, and home ported in the San Francisco bay area. So, I occasionally spent my off duty time in San Francisco, and in the Haight/Ashbury district (the area where the hippies congregated) of the city. Throughout the years that I have traveled in and out of this city one thing has remained constant. The city was a sewer when I first arrived in 1969, and it is a sewer today. And, there are two groups of people that deserve the blame for what is San Francisco - the little maggots who whine about what they believe their world should be, and more of those whiney little maggots from the 1970’s that are now running city government. And, they still cannot see that it is their system of government, the system that is based on their utopian ideas, and that the utopian society that they cherish so much, is what keeps them in their squalor. San Francisco is one of the world’s largest hippie communes. Communes are governed by collectivist. From the ranks of collectivism have come failed leaders such as Hitler, Stalin and Marx. Each of these leaders championed a different style of socialism. Each of them turned into dictators. Each of the societies their rule brought about started out with the idea that man should share his wealth with his fellow man without the need for his fellow man to have earned that wealth. Collectivism starts out looking to be successful because there are 3 classes of people in the society, the poor, working and ruling classes. The ruling class is productive only because they are passing tax laws and regulations that take money from the working class to pay their salaries and buy the votes of the poor. The productive working class find themselves supporting a “Robin Hood” class of government employees (notice I did not say “government worker”) that depend on money from the working class to pay their salaries and buy the votes of the poor. As always, these societies fail when the working class is taxed and regulated to the point when those who were being most productive become the slaves to the unproductive poor and the ruling class. In the end the productive people always quit being productive because of a lack of reward.

Taking Care of Business

Taking Care of Business by Keith Birmingham

It was recess. Two nine year old boys, Norman and Timmy, were on the school playground playing with their toy trucks. When Billy the Bully walked up to them they both stood up with trucks in hand. Billy the Bully started calling them names, and demanding that the boys give him their trucks. Norman refused, but Timmy became very frightened. Timmy threw his truck to the ground, turned around and ran back to the schoolhouse screaming for help. Billy the Bully leaned backward and roared in laughter so that all the other kids on the playground would see that he had scared Timid Timmy. Now, watching Timid Timmy run away disgusted Norman. But, hearing Billy the Bully’s laughter infuriated him. While Billy the Bully roared with laughter Norman reached down and grabbed a handful of sand. When Billy the Bully stopped laughing and turned his attention to Norman he received a face full of sand. Billy the Bully raised his hands to shield his face. Norman used this opportunity to kick Billy the Bully between the legs. Of course, Billy the Bully now bent over in pain. And, when he did, Norman used his truck on Billy the Bully’s noggin, laying him out cold on the ground. Now, Stormin’ Norman picked up both of his trucks, and calmly moved to another part of the playground to continue his games. But, the story doesn’t end there. That was over thirty years ago. These boys grew up. Billy the Bully continued to play with trucks. He grew up and became a trucker for awhile. But, he grew tired of all the hard work, and being gone from home all of the time. So, Billy the Bully got an office job in a major trucking firm. Now, people had to do what he said or he could fire them. Timid Timmy also continued to play with trucks. He also grew up and became a trucker. Things looked good for awhile, but Timid Timmy continued to whine instead of taking care of his business. And, because he spent more time whining than he did taking care of business Timid Timmy’s business failed. But, the “softhearted” Billy the Bully was there to smile wickedly and give Timid Timmy a job working under him. But then, one day at a company meeting Billy the Bully was promoted to Corporate Operations Manager. His first order of business was to promote Timid Timmy to Terminal Manager in the worst terminal he could find. And, as usual, Timid Timmy accepted the promotion, and immediately began to whine and complain about his working conditions. Now, Stormin’ Norman also continued to play with trucks. And, he also grew up to become a truck driver, an owner/operator, and eventually started his own trucking company providing more and more people with good paying jobs. He treated his employees well, and he and his employees prospered. And then, one sunny afternoon Stormin’ Norman closed a deal to purchase the very corporation where Billy the Bully and Timid Timmy now worked. And, the first order of business for Stormin’ Norman was to terminate Billy the Bully and Timid Timmy for incompetence. Stormin’ Norman never tolerated bully’s, laziness or incompetence. Stormin’ Norman was successful because, unlike Timid Timmy, he stood up for what he believed in. He didn’t waste his time whining and complaining. Stormin’ Norman could be counted on to take care of business, He and his employees could be counted on to get the job done. They didn’t quit because the job was too hard. Stormin’ Norman proudly ran with the big dogs. *Footnote: If you have comments on this little story (good or bad) and would like to contact me please e-mail me at maddadkeith@yahoo.com

Overworked and Underpaid

This information was forwarded to me sometime back in an e-mail. I'd give them credit, but I have slept since then, and I can't remember who it was.

For a couple years I've been blaming it on lack of sleep, not enough sunshine, too much pressure from my job, earwax build-up, poor blood or anything else I could think of. But now I found out the real reason. I'm tired because I'm overworked. Here's why:. . .
    The population of this country is 273 million.
140 million are retired.
That leaves 133 million to do the work.
There are 85 million in school.
Which leaves 48 million to do the work.
Of this there are 29 million employed by
the federal government.
Leaving 19 million to do the work.
2.8 million are in the armed forces
preoccupied with killing Osama
Bin-Laden.
Which leaves 16.2 million to do the work.
Take from that total the 14.8 million people who work for state and city governments.
And that leaves 1.4 million to do the work.
At any given time there are 188,000 people
in hospitals.
Leaving 1,212,000 to do the work.
Now, there are 1,211,998 people in prisons.
That leaves just two people to do the work.
You and me.
And there you are sitting on your butt, at your computer, reading jokes.
Nice. Real nice.

In Memory of Roxanna Green

Roxanna Green, born September 11,2001, died January 8, 2011 as a result of a gunshot to the chest. Roxanna was one of 6 people who died at a political rally for Gabby Gifford (Democrat), a Representative of the state of Arizona. As of this writing Congresswoman Gabby Gifford is fighting for her life in a Tucson, Arizona hospital.

What should be made of the fact that the innocence of a nine year old girl was lost in this tragedy? What should be made of the fact that she was born on the day that our nation lost it's innocence? The nation will soon join the parents of Roxanna Green, and the friends and relatives of the other five victims, as we lay them to rest. But, what do we do when the funeral services are over?

I would like to think that yesterday was the beginning of our nation refocusing our attention on the problems that face us as a nation. Immediately after September 11, 2001 our nation stood together in our determination to destroy the evil that attacked our country. But, it was only a short term reaction. Now, the United States, over the past nine years has become a fractured nation. We have a fractured society, and a fractured government. The word racism is tossed about more frequently than ever, and by more segments of our society. America seems paranoid, and rightly so, that our borders are unprotected. Drugs and gangs have turned our cities into sewers, and they are now invading our rural communities. Pedophiles are killing our children. Bomb squads are being called to our schools on a daily basis. The people we send to Washington, D. C. to manage our affairs spend their time pointing fingers of blame at the opposing party, and seem incapable of managing their own affairs, let-a-lone a nations affairs.

I hope that each of us will, on a daily basis, look closely at the image we see in our mirrors. And, each day I hope we will recommit ourselves to becoming a part of the solutions to our societal problems. I hope that each of us will rededicate ourselves to becoming more pro-active in the political process of our government.

It is said that politics is the art of compromise, but our politicians have seemingly lost that skill. Nobody likes to loose an argument, but history will show that this nation is strongest when everyone works to earn their share of the pie receives their share of the pie. I believe that most important talent a politician should have these days is the act of compromise. It makes everyone a winner.

The David Hartley Story - a possible scenario

While I will not state an opinion as to the truth behind the David Hartley story, I will say that evidence now points to the truth of Mrs. Hartley's story. And, as an American, I prefer to believe Mrs. Hartley. You can call the shooters pirates if you want to. However, pirate is a word that is used to describe a thief whose turf is the open seas. Perhaps a better description of the men who attacked the Hartley's would simply be gang members from south of the border. Because the incident happened on water it may be called an act of piracy. In reality, perhaps it was gang members, or maybe even "wanna be" gang members out to prove their value to a Mexican gang. In all probability David Hartly has been murdered, and his jet sky was taken as booty. This could even have been done as an initiation into a gang. Now, those who committed the crime are hiding behind the protection of a gang that is affiliated with a drug cartel. And, the Mexican authorities do not have the balls to go in after the perpetrators of the crime.

Decision Made - Songs Deleted

Yep. I have just deleted all 5 of the songs that I have written in the past month. Well, four this month and one back in the last century. I am searching for a more appropriate way to post them while protecting my copyright. I have no idea whether I can ever sell any of them or not. But, my work in photography has taught me the value of copyright protection. The photo files that I post are not large enough to be on any monetary value to a would be publisher. The written word is a bit different.

Anyway, what's done is done. If I can't find a better way, and still want to share them, I will re-post them.