"For I Am a Servant of The Secret Fire"

Photo by David Tomaseti on Unsplash

"For I Am a Servant of The Secret Fire"

by Kelvin D. Meeks, May 21st, 2020 

Into the darkness deep, I sit and peer.

Between the gates of this world and the long dark night - I stand.

While heart beats, and breath flows - I will keep watch - so that you may sleep safe this night.

No evil will pass, while I stand fast.

Though blade may break - 
spear may shatter - 
bow string may snap -

and powder fail - 
still, I will hold.

Though I may be surrounded by darkness -

beset upon from all sides -

outnumbered - 

outflanked - 
still, I will not falter.

Against the mounting waves of darkness, you may ask: 
what hope may prevail, when driven by only a single beating heart?

We forget ourselves, my brothers and sisters.

For are we not more than just this mere crude matter?

Photo by Graham Holtshausen on Unsplash

Are we not cosmic beings - made from the stuff of stars?

Do not the quantum vibrations of the first moments of this universe - 
ripple still through our atoms?

And do not the atoms of our very being shine with celestial light - 
though invisible to the naked eye?

Photo by Evgeni Tcherkasski on Unsplash

Just as the light from a lighthouse may pierce the darkest night - 
so too, can the light of hope that you carry within your heart pierce the darkness that oppresses others.

Let your hope be manifested, each according to their gifts -
 and let that hope sing out through the darkness - 
where it may reach others who are struggling to make their way through their own dark night.

Do not be faint of heart.

Reveal the light within.

For hope, though it may only be a flicker - 
may yet strengthen, 

when combined with other flames

 - and yet prevail against the forces that may oppose.

For hope is not diminished by giving of yourself - 
it is in the service of others that our strength is sustained - 
and hope is renewed.

Be The Light For Others.

Inspiring Quotes:

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us". 
–  Marianne Williamson  

 

 

In Celebration of Graduating Seniors

Photo by Prateek Gautam on Unsplash

As the light from a candle may be passed to light other candles...so, too - the light of wisdom and grace passes from parent to child...


Some parents just have more wisdom and grace to pass on than others...

Photo by Georgiana Avram on Unsplash

 

Seven Reasons I Will Block You

Seven reasons I will block (or, disown) you:

1) Your profile reflects an SEO focus

2) Your profile focuses on your expertise with Wordpress

3) Your profile focuses on promoting Bitcoin - or any ICO

4) You are a recruiter that has contacted me for a warehouse, help desk, technical support, or Jr. Dev role - or some other low-level, entry level position.

5) Your profile focuses on generating B2B leads and setting-up calls - and you have approached me to sell your services.

6) Your profile focuses on your career coaching services - and you have contacted me to sell your services.

7) I discover that you hold and promote beliefs of racism, white nationalism, or Nazism - or, follow people who do.

Surprisingly, #7 happens more often than you might imagine.

Photo by Edwin Hooper on Unsplash

2020-05-22 update:

• Added two entries #5, and #6 - due to a vermin infestation on LinkedIn

Today's Meditation: With Every Act of Kindness

Photo by Simon Ray on Unsplash

Today's Meditation: With Every Act of Kindness
 
It is not the grand achievements that people will remember you for; nor the honors and business acclaim that may be bestowed upon you; nor for the size of the deals you negotiated; neither for your breakthroughs or triumphs in your field.

It is for the smallest and simplest of things that you do - for which gratitude will abound - and warm memories endure:

- a kind word
- expressing your appreciation for others
- for offering your help
- for making an introduction
- for celebrating the achievements of others
- for giving favors, not seeking them

"Be The Light For Others"

The Sun Will Rise Again

Photo by SHTTEFAN on Unsplash

A stout heart is required - when, in the deepest night, the metaphysical spiders of fear and thoughts of desperate scenarios emerge from their deep hiding places of our semi-subconscious mind - when the heart-warming rays of daylight and sunshine are no longer available to help ward the cold tendrils from encroaching at the edge of our most innermost self.

As even the most fortifying walls of confidence are slowly attacked by soul-stressing isolation - and we are separated from the most sustaining force on the planet - that of human fellowship - we are left to face ourselves, and endure the test of self-discovery - of what metal we have forged in the fires of our soul - as we face the relentless mirror, through the long dark night, of who we really are, as individuals - and of what kind of stuff with which we ourselves have been forged.

But, dawn will return, the sun will rise - and while still yet distant and far removed - bonds of fellowship may still be called upon - though walls and distance may intervene.

Poetry appropriate in the time of COVID-19...

A quatrain from "The Rubaiyat" by Persian-born poet and astronomer Omar Khayyam:

"Yesterday This Day's Madness did prepare; To-morrow's Silence, Triumph, or Despair: Drink! for you know not whence you came, nor why: Drink! for you know not why you go, nor where."

Seattle to permanently close 20 miles of streets

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/seattle-streets-closed-stay-healthy-trnd/index.html

"Only vehicular traffic from delivery drivers, first responders, sanitation crews and residents are allowed access."

Veteran Pride

For I am a Veteran, too

Photo by Eduard Delputte on Unsplash

"A veteran whether active duty, discharged, retired, or reserve is someone who, at one point in his or her life wrote a blank check to their government for an amount of “up to and including his or her life."

 ~ Unknown

"It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the organizer, who gave us the freedom to demonstrate. It is the soldier who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag." 

~ Father Dennis Edward O’Brien, USMC

Three Words of Encouragement: Fortitude. Faith. Focus

Photo by JOHN TOWNER on Unsplash

Three words of encouragement I send out to those who have recently suffered the loss of their job: Fortitude. Faith. Focus.

The turning of the spheres WILL bring new opportunities your way.

I know it will be hard to reach the other side - but, don't give up. There are forces that will rise to your aid - sometimes, all you need to do is ask for help.

Within your network of connections are 2nd and 3rd order connections - that once they are aware - may step forward from the shadows to aid you.

Even in the best of times - going through a job loss can be a monumentally isolating experience - and we are certainly in more difficult times now.

For those that see someone in need - even if you can't offer them an opportunity - or an introduction - just by your action in responding - you create ripples of chance: Some 2nd or 3rd order connection may see your interaction with that person - and be in a position to offer help or hope.

Be kind.

While the world may seem to be crashing around you - decide that even if you cannot help yourself - help another.

Be the light for others.

Don't let time slip away from you - invest this time in developing news skills, expanding your connections, offer to help a non-profit - whatever you can offer - get (and stay) engaged.

Movie: Mr. Right

One of my favorite "sleeper" movies - a cult hit, I'm sure - in the years to come. Some of the finest comedy acting by Anna Kendrick and Sam Rockwell.

Favorite quote: 

"Some people waste time with the fighting. I just skip to the winning. "

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2091935/

 

100+ Things That I Love About The Pacific Northwest

(a work-in-progress...adding links...still not done)

Not necessarily sorted in any order...

1. Rain 
1. Types of Seattle rain
2. Walking in the Rain, Downtown Seattle to Lake Union
3. Walking in the Rain, Queen Anne
2. Puget Sound
3. Friday Harbor
4. Seattle
5. West Seattle
6. Belltown
7. Freemont
8. Green Lake
9. Shoreline
10. Everett
11. Ballard
12. Queen Anne 
13. Lechi
14. Madrona
15. Mercer Island 
16. Bainbridge Island
17. Whidbey Island
18. San Juan Island
19. Orcas Island
20. Deer Harbor, Orcas Island, San Juans
21. Kirkland waterfront
22. Restaurants
    
1. Beach Café - Woodmark Hotel, Kirland, WA
2. Six Seven, Edgewater Hotel, Seattle, WA 
23. Bellevue
24. Issaquah
25. Factoria 
26. Edmonds
27. Port Orchard
28. Port Townsend [1]
    
29. Port Ludlow
30. Winthrop
31. Port Angeles
32. Olympia 
33. Bremerton
34. Poulsbo 
35. Anacortes
36. Leavenworth
37. Wenatchee
38. Bellingham
39. Washington State Ferries
40. I-5
41. I-405
42. I-90
43. SR 520 Seattle Floating Bridge
44. State Route 20
45. The Space Needle
46. Pioneer Square
47. Elliot Bay
48. SeaTac Airport
49. The Light Rail
50. Monorail
51. Seattle Public Library
52. Bellevue Public Library 
53. Bellevue Square
54. Olympic National Forest
55. Lake Cushman
56. Westport
57. Ocean Shores
58. Mt Rainier
59. Mt. Baker
60. Mt. Saint Helens
61. Okanagan Valley 
62. Lake Union
63. Orca Whales
64. Lake Chelan
65. Lake Washington
66. Lake Sammamish
67. Lake Crescent
68. Seattle Mariners
69. CenturyLink Field
70. Uwajimaya (Asian grocery store)
71. Pike Place Market
72. Bellevue Museum of Art
73. The Center for Wooden Boats
74. Fisherman's Terminal
75. Gas Works Park
76. Discovery Park
77. Olympic National Park
78. Hurricane Ridge
79. The Cascades
80. Snoqualmie National Forest
81. Washington Trails Association
82. Peoh Point Lookout in Cle Elum
83. The Gorge
84. Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery
85. Snowqualmie Falls 
86. Salish Lodge & Spa
    
87. Tiger Mountain State Forest
88. Snoqualmie Pass
89. Alki Beach 
90. Kubota Garden
91. Highline SeaTac Botanical Gardens
92. Seattle Japanese Garden
93. Washington Park Arboretum UW Botanic Gardens
94. Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture
95. Seattle Center
96. KeyArena
97. Museum of Pop Culture - formerly, The Experience Music Project (EMP)
98. Argosy Cruises
99. Seattle Art Museum
100. Washington State Convention Center
101. Seattle Aquarium
102. Seattle Athletic Club
103. The Edgewater (hotel)
104. Olympic Sculpture Park
105. University of Washington
106. Bellevue Community College
107. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
108. Woodland Park Zoo
109. Vancouver, B.C. 
110. Victoria, B.C. 
111. Portland, Oregon
112. Fort Worden Historical State Park
113. Port Townsend Marine Science Center
114. University of Washington Annual Book Sale
115. Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding 
116. The Mountainers
     

 

 

 

My Entry in the Top 10 for Latitude38 May 2020 Photo Caption Contest

My photo caption entry made it into the Top 10 for the May 2020 Latitude38 magazine:

https://www.latitude38.com/issues/may-2020/
(see page-46)

Suggested Book: Father, Son & Co. - My Life at IBM and Beyond, Thomas J. Watson Jr.

An influential book - that was foundational in expanding my understanding of civic duty, community service, volunteering, professional growth, and development as a manager, salesman, entrepreneur, consultant, and IT executive.

A great gift idea for a young adult starting out in their career.
(used copies on Amazon available for under $1.50 as of this writing)

https://www.amazon.com/Father-Son-Co-Life-Beyond/dp/0553380834/

Today's Meditation: What Legacy Shall You Leave Behind.

Photo by Simon Migaj on Unsplash

Today's Meditation might best be encapsulated in this question: "What legacy shall you leave behind?"

I hope I am not remembered for the technology I worked with - or the software systems I helped create - or the revenue I helped realize for companies. Those are banal affairs that should rightfully gather dust, long after I am gone.

But, I do hope that I am remembered for my efforts to try and help people. That is a fine legacy, and one that I would accept as the epitaph on the marker stone: "He tried to help".

It isn't the grand gesture that matters - it is in the 1:1 relationships - the quiet conversations - the acts unseen.

The poet in me hears the cosmic melody, the symphony of sound and the ten-thousand colors of the universe. The musician within me, seeks ever to capture the beauty of sound, tone, lyric, and the merging of chords. The writer in me, seeks to capture the beauty of the human experience within the written word - capturing the duality of man's nature - and the struggle between the light and dark.

For, it is only as I approach my seventh decade - that Dostoevsky's comment, "Beauty shall save the world" - has been made known to me - and I have seen with my inner eye, of what he meant.




"Actors are agents of change. A film, a piece of theater, a piece of music, or a book can make a difference. It can change the world."
~ Alan Rickman (source: IMDB)

A Meditation on Risk Taking - and Decision-Making

Photo by Jaime Spaniol on Unsplash

Someone posted the following as professional advice on Linked:

"Essential questions to guide decision-making

#1 Does it align with my values?‬

#2 Does it help others?‬

#3 Does it help me achieve a goal?‬

#4 Does it solve a problem?‬

#5 Does it avoid an unnecessary risk?‬

‪#6 Does it make me better?‬"

Which seems like reasonable pablum fare that passes for scintillating insight on LinkedIn.

But, #5 kept bothering me.

Breakthroughs don't happen without taking risks.

Growth doesn't happen without taking risks.

How many people would have stopped before they achieved remarkable distinction in their chosen professions - if they had ever so cautiously applied the decision criteria of #5 - completely?

How many would have deemed it an unnecessary risk to have given up a lucrative job (or, even a steady paycheck) - to take a risk on an idea that was revolutionary (or, on themselves)?

Many of those kinds of leaps require accepting sink-or-swim, all-or-none, risks.

How do you define unnecessary?

The first people that abandoned COBOL, in favor of Java, were probably taking unnecessary risks.

In the latter part of the last century - "Buy IBM" was common wisdom - and folks who risked betting on Microsoft were deemed as taking unnecessary risks.

And so, I offer, as a possible counter-balance - and - to guard against the natural reticence to take risks..this question:

"What would Elon Musk do?"

I will leave you now - with a favorite Jack London quote: 

“I would rather be ashes than dust! 

I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot.

I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. 

 The function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them.

 I shall use my time.”

"When the replacement players for the Washington Sentinels left the stadium that day, there was no ticker tape parade, no endorsement deals for sneakers or soda pop, or breakfast cereal. Just a locker to be cleaned out, and a ride home to catch. But what they didn't know, was that their lives had been changed forever because they had been part of something great. And greatness, no matter how brief, stays with a man. Every athlete dreams of a second chance, these men lived it."

How to use your $1,200 stimulus check to invest in your career

Today I noted this article appeared on Business Insider:
"How to use your $1,200 stimulus check to invest in your career, so you can find a dream job or finally advance in your current role"
https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-spend-your-stimulus-check-money-career-development-tools-2020-4

My take on how to use that stimulus check follow...

[begin_humor]

Since our previous careers probably don't exist anymore...or, won't much longer...you might want to consider investing your stimulus check in some of these new growth areas:

#1 Invest in a shovel - lots of things are going to need burying in the future: your neighbors, money, food. Use some of that stimulus to order the complete set of "Mad Max" movies - that'll give you some great ideas for how you can maximize the return on your investment in that shiny new shovel.

#2 Print-up flyers and post them on your mailbox ("This Week's Special: Body Disposal - only $25!" has a nice ring to it - again, it's a growth industry - so you might get more jobs as word spreads of your superior customer service). And, you'll get to use that shovel sooner than you can say "Very Stable Genius".

#3 When your investment in #1 has paid off enough through #2 to warrant expanding your new business into offering additional services: Enroll in the "Undertaker" correspondence courses.

4) Since the U.S. Postal Service may soon cease to exist - you might want to use some of your stimulus check to "invest" in homing pigeons. Imagine the pride you'll have in your new business. To help you launch your new business - you'll need a good marketing slogan. Here's one that you might consider: "letters delivered faster than an African Swallow - no coconuts permitted"). Pro Tip: DO NOT eat your new assets.

5) Use some of that stimulus to buy some good audio/video equipment and create bold new online training courses. A few titles that will surely be very popular: "How to downsize to a cardboard box"; "How to stretch your stimulus dollars - nouvelle cuisine and dumpster dining"; and sure to be everyone's favorite, "How to Prepare Squirrel - the new meat"; as well as "101 Uses for Homing Pigeon Bones".

Please contribute your suggestions to how to wisely invest that stimulus check to further your career - clearly, much more important than buying food - or paying the rent.

[end_humor]

An Interesting Story: The Last True Hermit

 

The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit

• https://www.amazon.com/Stranger-Woods-Extraordinary-Story-Hermit/dp/1101911530/

 

 

The Last True Hermit

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEcbijLmEXs

 

 

The Last True Hermit Survived Alone for 27 Years

• https://www.youtube.com/v=uFcbAllQmxc

 

 

 

Roy Zimmerman - Impeach Trump (to the tune of The Lion Sleeps Tonight)

As I have long said - what magic remains in the world - from the last remnants of eldritch days long since past - is music. For what is magic - but the speaking of words coupled with the cosmic strains of melody - to affect changes in the physical and spiritual spheres within which we simultaneously inhabit? Was it not so when God created the heavens and the earth? For in Genesis, Chapter 1 - it is written "And God said, 'Let there be...' "

For no other force can so awaken the hearts and minds - and rouse the consciousness of a people - raising their long-dead passion and stirring them to rise up for the cause of justice, truth, liberty, and freedom.

The Main Squeeze - With A Little Help From My Friends

How Beauty Will Save the World

To understand the exquisite beauty of the movie, "Cloud Atlas" - these two YouTube videos will be of immense benefit:





"Cloud Atlas is the first movie of its kind to combine eastern philosophy with western theoretical physics. Giving us a movie that synergistically explores the concepts of quantum entanglement and reincarnation."

https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/19771050.Aleksandr_Solzhenitsyn

“One day Dostoevsky threw out the enigmatic remark: "Beauty will save the world". What sort of a statement is that? For a long time I considered it mere words. How could that be possible? When in bloodthirsty history did beauty ever save anyone from anything? Ennobled, uplifted, yes - but whom has it saved?

"There is, however, a certain peculiarity in the essence of beauty, a peculiarity in the status of art: namely, the convincingness of a true work of art is completely irrefutable and it forces even an opposing heart to surrender. It is possible to compose an outwardly smooth and elegant political speech, a headstrong article, a social program, or a philosophical system on the basis of both a mistake and a lie. What is hidden, what distorted, will not immediately become obvious."

"Then a contradictory speech, article, program, a differently constructed philosophy rallies in opposition - and all just as elegant and smooth, and once again it works. Which is why such things are both trusted and mistrusted."

"In vain to reiterate what does not reach the heart."

"But a work of art bears within itself its own verification: conceptions which are devised or stretched do not stand being portrayed in images, they all come crashing down, appear sickly and pale, convince no one. But those works of art which have scooped up the truth and presented it to us as a living force - they take hold of us, compel us, and nobody ever, not even in ages to come, will appear to refute them."

"So perhaps that ancient trinity of Truth, Goodness and Beauty is not simply an empty, faded formula as we thought in the days of our self-confident, materialistic youth? If the tops of these three trees converge, as the scholars maintained, but the too blatant, too direct stems of Truth and Goodness are crushed, cut down, not allowed through - then perhaps the fantastic, unpredictable, unexpected stems of Beauty will push through and soar to that very same place, and in so doing will fulfil the work of all three?

"In that case Dostoevsky's remark, "Beauty will save the world", was not a careless phrase but a prophecy? After all he was granted to see much, a man of fantastic illumination."

"And in that case art, literature might really be able to help the world today?”
― Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn, Nobel Lecture 

the Solzhenitsyn test: 

“The simple act of an ordinary brave man is not to participate in lies, not to support false actions! His rule: Let that come into the world, let it even reign supreme—only not through me.”

"Actors are agents of change. A film, a piece of theater, a piece of music, or a book can make a difference. It can change the world."
~ Alan Rickman (source: IMDB)

 

“I got saved by poetry and I got saved by the beauty of the world.”

~Mary Oliver

The Emptiness of a Room...

There's an eerie feeling I get - when I have been in a room that was previously full of people, bustling with activity - and then afterward - when it is silent and empty.

I'm not talking about an office, staying late one night, after hours.

I'm talking about moments that bridge the before - and the after.

Hotel conference halls - that are suddenly dismantled on the last day of the conference...standing in an empty conference room - as the last table was being folded, the last chair being removed - leaving an emptiness more profound - than just an empty room.

Company offices in which I previously worked - often for periods of years - frequently late into the night - and over the weekends - where I collaborated with colleagues - and shared many adventures - that were emptied of furniture - as the business failed - and closed.

Restaurants - that I enjoyed for years - to peer into their boarded-up interiors - and see dry dusty bones of memories - long gone...

An empty house, or apartment - after the last load has been moved onto the moving truck.

The finality of endings - that haunts me in ways that I do not think that I yet fully grok.

Book: Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

As a PFC in the U.S. Army, in 1981, while wandering through the aisles of the Ft. Stewart (home to the 24th Infantry Division) base library - looking for something to take with me to read on an upcoming field training exercise - I happened upon a book that I have often returned to when I am seeking peace of mind in troubling times.

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (Emperor of Rome)
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2680


Suggested additional reading:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Aurelius
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoicism  
• Letters from a Stoic: Epistulae Morales AD Lucilium
• https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005NC0MGW/
• Seneca's Morals of a Happy Life, Benefits, Anger and Clemency by Seneca
• http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/56075

 

Be A Helper

It is easy to let fear overcome us - but, we must not lose our humanity - and abandon those who are in need.

A good message (and, a reminder) to share with others. 

Have courage. Be Kind. Be a helper to those in need.

The First 20 Hours: How to Learn Anything - Josh Kaufman

Can you say "Dilettante"? 

The first 20 hours -- how to learn anything | Josh Kaufman | TEDxCSU

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY

“The First 20 Hours: How to Learn Anything . . . Fast!” by Josh Kaufman

• https://www.amazon.com/First-20-Hours-Learn-Anything/dp/1591845556/

• "it only takes around 20 hours of deliberate practice to become competent in something."

YouTube Channel: Productivity Game

Outliers: The Story of Success, by Malcolm Gladwell

• https://www.amazon.com/Outliers-Story-Success-Malcolm-Gladwell/dp/0316017922/

A Celebration of Star Trek Music

At the heart of everything related to Star Trek, is the spirit of voyaging, of discovery.

The message and vision of Star Trek embodies hope for humanity - and celebrates the spirit of innovation, exploration, and discovery. Although its depictions may not have always been pretty (or, perhaps consistent) - the underlying themes are life-affirming: Courage, Dedication, Duty, Effort, Compassion, Selflessness, Fairness, Equality, Sacrifice, Freedom, Liberty, Justice.

"Stayin' Inside" - Corona Virus Bee Gees Parody

During this Pandemic Crisis - Be Grateful for Man's Best Friend

[begin_humor]

During this pandemic crisis - be grateful for man's best friend.

1) Always carry dog treats.

2) Make friends with the dogs in your area

3) Even if the owners can't afford to feed their dogs during this crisis - be ready and willing to help keep their precious companions well fed.


These animals may be an essential component of your neighbors' ability to cope with the stress of this crisis.


And, while the owners may see them as pets - you and I both know that they are so much more:


An emergency food supply.


I'm talking livestock.

[end_humor]

Inspirational Speeches of Trek

Now, in this time of darkness, of doubt, of fear - the spirit of these words calls out - across time and space - and expresses that which is the best of our species. For we shall prevail, and hope shall not perish. Stand your ground. Do not abandon any member of your "crew". Against the unseen foe, against ignorance, against greed that would jeopardize the health of all peoples of the earth - we must be united in a vision of helping one another - and a better tomorrow.

COVID-19 Last Resort Support Network

LinkedIn Group: COVID-19 Last Resort Support Network

This is intended as a mechanism of last resort - when all other resources have been exhausted. 

Do you have loved ones that are far away - and have some urgent need for basic necessities? Are you willing/able to help out a stranger's loved ones in your local area? 

This could be as simple as helping deliver some groceries to a person's elderly family member - so that folks in high risk groups can maintain their isolation and not require them to go out.

 

Heroes, Assemble! Indeed.

A Writer - Alfred Henry Lewis

This writer was brought to my attention - by a quote that I happened upon this evening....which I found intriguing...

In a March 1906 issue of Cosmopolitan Magazine, Alfred Henry Lewis stated,

"There are only nine meals between mankind and anarchy."

 
Alfred Henry Lewis 

There is much of interest mentioned in the IMDB page:

• https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0506906/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm

And in his obituary, from The New York Times. December 24, 1914.

• https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1914/12/24/100127297.pdf  

As well as this Wikipedia page:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Henry_Lewis

(January 20, 1855 – December 23, 1914) was an American investigative journalist, lawyer, novelist, editor, and short story writer,[1] who sometimes published under the pseudonym Dan Quin

His books are available on the Project Gutenberg site:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/1257

• Wolfville: Episodes of Cowboy Life (1893)
• Sandburrs (1900)
• Wolfville Days (1902)
• The Black Lion Inn (1903)
• The Boss, and How He Came to Rule New York (1903)
• Peggy O'Neal (1903)
• The President (1904)
• The Sunset Trail (1905)
• Confessions of a Detective (1906)
• When Men Grew Tall; or, The Story of Andrew Jackson (1907)
• An American Patrician; or, The Story of Aaron Burr (1908)
• Wolfville Folks (1908)
• Wolfville Nights (1908)
• The Apaches of New York (1912)
• Faro Nell and Her Friends: Wolfville Stories (1913)

My Theme Song: Wand'rin Star

The way that I work with clients...

There is much in the way that I work with clients - that bears a striking resemblance to the strictures of Nanny McPhee

"When you want me, but no longer need me - then I have to go"

New item on my Bucket List - Predators of the Heart Sanctuary

"The Predators of the Heart Sanctuary lets you have an awoosome 2-hour Wolf Encounter Experience. The sanctuary’s located in Anacortes"

https://www.boredpanda.com/wolves-sanctuary-predators-of-the-heart/

https://predatorsoftheheart.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pg/pothwildlife/
https://www.instagram.com/predatorsoftheheart/

A Meeks-ism

"Good Luck"

means...

"I leave you now, to your own devices, and the consequences of your poor choices.

A Hindenburg looms large in your future."

My Counter to Your Offer

Some business management consultant connected with me recently on LinkedIn.

He asked if I would be interested in joining a new "mastermind group" he was forming.

I replied: "No, thank you".

Today, I received a call from someone following-up on his behalf - asking if I would be interesting in joining this mental masturbation group.

Caller: "What do you think about the idea?"

Me: "My first thought would be - what would be the fee charged for joining this group?"

Caller: "$495/month"

Me: "Well, as a consultant myself - I charge for giving my advice and expertise - and for short-term engagements - like a 1-hour call per week, to share my advice with the group - my rate would be $340/hour".

Caller: "So..., ..., ...you, ..., ...would be charging HIM?"

Me: "Correct".

Caller: "Yeaaaahhhh....I don't think that's what he had in mind..."

Me: "I didn't think so".


{click}