Mildly sore throat today, fell asleep without the CPAP on, and as a snoring result, my uvula is a bit swollen. Lovely sleepy time this morn.

I hope that the Mother got to talk with the Brother. I'll know by this evening.

Happy 227th birthday, USA! Happy Saint Elizabeth of Portugal Day!

I heartily recommend reading the Declaration of Independence. It's brief, and has a good vibe to it.


If that's not your thing, have a fart joke. (Personally, I like both!)


Classic Obstacles. (I will refrain from highlighting ones that apply to any places of work, current or former.)

When an enterprise refuses to start or run vigorously, the reason may be on this reminder list of common demons:

• Overemphasis on defense of position, class, or reputation.


• Too much love for the familiar or routine. Fear of discomfort


• Evaluating new information and ideas for form rather than content.


• Failure to create a climate of acceptance for new ideas.


• Inordinate concern with turf and title boundaries. Be interested in everything.


• Overspecialized education; insufficiently comprehensive view.


• Lack of deep dedication and commitment. Beware enthusiastic lip service.


• Unrealistic and incomplete job descriptions / titles; unclear lines of responsibility.


• Failure to provide responsible persons the authority they need to carry out their work.


• Failure to delegate authority in order to prevent work overload.


• Overdelegation authority; there must be a boss.


• Fear and avoidance of responsibility.


• Failure to personally follow through and support your ideas at all stages; including the dirty-hands work.


• Unneeded chain of command. Compartmentalization of people reduces accuracy and interrupts the flow of information.


• Permitting information bottlenecks to occur as a result of red tape and authorization procedures intended mostly to establish or maintain power.


• Bucking decisions up to the next level merely to cover ass.


• Failure to provide a (safe) means of criticizing superiors who may be wrong.


• Unwillingness to doubt conventional wisdom and respected sources.


• Accepting without question expert opinion (including yours) that "it can't be done."


• Succumbing to jealousies that divert and distort focus and energy.


• Overemphasis on competition both in and out of house.


• Overemphasis on cooperation both in and out of house.


• Fear of being seen as too aggressive.


• Fear of being seen as weak.


• Failure to address issues of low self-confidence and low self-esteem.


• Feeling apathetic and powerless.


• Fear of making mistakes or being thought a fool.


• Fear that your ideas will be stolen. Hiding can deflect needed information.


• Believing that you "can't understand it." If "they" can comprehend it, so can you. Don't mistake jargon use and cliquishness for superior intelligence.


• Failure to define the problem and its territory clearly.


• Failure to do your homework.


• Narrowing and defining the problem too soon. Take time to mull it over.


• Not making time to think things out deeply.


• Believing that fantasizing and dreaming are a waste of time.


• Failure to fish or cut bait; also known as "time to shoot the engineer" effect. Endless modifying and talk can prevent action.


• Failure to distinguish between cause and effect.


• Failure to distinguish between opinion and fact.


• Failure to investigate the obvious.


• Failure to search for and identify patterns.


• Mistaking "should" for "can" or "will". Beware unrealistic promises to and from.


• Inappropriate timing, especially in presenting ideas or products.


• Failure to develop the influence, PR, and money needed to boost your ideas.


• Failure to accept or nurture ideas that your work has inspired in others.


• Bumming out everyone including yourself, with depressing talk of failures and weaknesses. It helps to phrase your goals and requirements in positive language. "The assembly should be as light as possible" gets better results than "Excess weight should be avoided."