i went to see wilco last night in concert. actually, it was supposed to be alex going but he had to work late so i got his ticket instead. very cool show in an outdoor pavilion on the waterfront. they have a song called 'jesus, etc' and i'd never really listened to the lyrics. not that i could hear them very clearly last night, but i heard part of the chorus that says 'you were right about the stars, each one like a setting sun.' and i'm not really sure what that means in the context of the song (since i couldn't understand the rest of the lyrics) but it got me thinking - as i was swaying to the lovely melody - about stars.
and how my friends and family in the UK and california can look up at night and see the same stars that i see here in boston. well, maybe not exactly the same stars (i forget how this all works, astronomy 101 was a long time ago) but they can see the same sky, the same universe out there. and i also happen to know that quite a few of my friends in the UK just went to see wilco a month or so ago. and there i was last night looking at the same 'stars' ... wondering if they enjoyed it as much as i was right then.
i'd never really thought about why we call celebrities stars. but now it made sense. and then i got to wondering if we all weren't stars in a small way. if someone in california is thinking about me and knows me and loves me. and someone in the UK is also thinking about me, and remembering me, and even someone in boston ... then maybe i'm a small star as well? and we all have people all over thinking about us - even if our ears don't itch and burn at the time.
anyway, it was a lovely concert on a warm summer's night!
Friday, June 29, 2007
Monday, June 25, 2007
the sun is shining!
it's a beautiful day in boston! in fact, it was a beautiful weekend. perfect weather. not too hot, not too humid, but nicely warm and sunny! it's easy to forget how dreadful the winters are when the summers are so nice. i say that today, and it's supposed to get up into the 90's tomorrow with high humidity - we'll see if i'm still singing the summer's praises!
alex and i had a very chilled out afternoon yesterday. i'm still on california time, so my sleep patterns are not back to normal yet. he had a whiffleball game with a few guys and i sat in the park and read the paper while he played. we took our time getting back - stopping off at trader joe's for some two buck chuck - and then home for laundry, our weekly shop (i'd returned to a bachelor's fridge with rotten strawberries and decaying mushrooms!) and a yummy dinner of braised lentils with ginger and lemon. (from the SF cookbook - try it if you have it - delicious!)
i could use one more weekend day to get myself organized - but nevermind. i'm now back in the thick of it and work is very busy planning for our annual EUSA conference. to be hosted this year in madrid in mid-july. sam and i are planning (and effectively leading) the two day conference, and this is her last week in the office, so we have much to do!
and as such, i must get back to work!
love to all!
alex and i had a very chilled out afternoon yesterday. i'm still on california time, so my sleep patterns are not back to normal yet. he had a whiffleball game with a few guys and i sat in the park and read the paper while he played. we took our time getting back - stopping off at trader joe's for some two buck chuck - and then home for laundry, our weekly shop (i'd returned to a bachelor's fridge with rotten strawberries and decaying mushrooms!) and a yummy dinner of braised lentils with ginger and lemon. (from the SF cookbook - try it if you have it - delicious!)
i could use one more weekend day to get myself organized - but nevermind. i'm now back in the thick of it and work is very busy planning for our annual EUSA conference. to be hosted this year in madrid in mid-july. sam and i are planning (and effectively leading) the two day conference, and this is her last week in the office, so we have much to do!
and as such, i must get back to work!
love to all!
Thursday, June 21, 2007
apologies apologies!
it's been so long since i've updated this site, you're probably bored of checking back and have forgotten about it altogether! i've been in california since last tuesday (12th) and it's so hard to stick to my routine when i travel. that goes for my food and alcohol consumption, aerobic exercise AND blogging. needlesstosay, i've done a TON of eating and drinking and very little exercising or blogging. surprised?
i didn't think so!
i was in san diego last week for some leadership development training. what did i learn? so much! it was a great 2 1/2 days, where i had the opportunity to hear feedback from my colleagues at EUSA who had done a 360 review on my skills and ability to deal with conflict. i also got the results of my own tests (myers-briggs and FIRO-B). very interesting. of interest:
* i have a strong need for structure and control
* i have a strong need for affection and inclusion
* my myers briggs, if anyone knows or cares, was ESFJ - but only slightly on most things except for feeling where i was strong.
* putting all those things together was like reading a horoscope - suddenly, things i've been doing, my reasoning behind behaviors and decisions i've made (or not made) make sense! i had some great revelations that week.
* it was also interesting to see that on some things, my colleagues rate me higher than i rate myself. (on some they rate me lower - also a surprise!)
we also learned an excellent technique for dealing with conflict. not rocket-science, but a technique called SBI - situation, behavior, impact. so for example, instead of saying 'you were a real jerk in that meeting yesterday, you might say 'yesterday morning when we were meeting with the team (situation) and you interrupted me five times (behavior), i was really frustrated (impact). you get the point.
the biggest thing that did for me was reframe the concept of conflict. where conflict, then, doesn't become a negative thing in and of itself, or something to fear or avoid (as i do). the idea of telling someone they've really 'messed up' or done a bad job or ruined something is scary to me. but reframing it as an expression of impact on their *behavior* and not their *person* is much easier!
and probably pretty easy to try in my personal life as well as professional!
phew - that was only 2 1/2 days.
the rest of the days in CA have been full of food and drink and family and fun! notably:
* dad's BBQ (surf and turf tacos!)
* margaritas margaritas margaritas
* sunshine and (ouch) sunburns
* father's day!!
* lovely massage from auntie lynne
* walks by the beach with an old friend
* boccie ball and red wine
(who knew it was such a good combination?)
* eyebrow waxings and manicures with my sister and her friends
* kickboxing in malika's class at 8am, and drinking margaritas with her by 8pm!
even though it doesn't sound like i'd have time for it, i also worked the whole time! i swear! conference calls at 6am and lots of emails. i'm planning our big conference in madrid next month, so lots of work to be done!
anyhow, i'm now in berkeley with devon and have to get to a session he is giving to our first group of students in the bay area. he's done an excellent job (which means i did an excellent job in hiring him!) hooray for us both!
it's a beautiful sunny day here, perfect weather. hope it's nice where you are!
i didn't think so!
i was in san diego last week for some leadership development training. what did i learn? so much! it was a great 2 1/2 days, where i had the opportunity to hear feedback from my colleagues at EUSA who had done a 360 review on my skills and ability to deal with conflict. i also got the results of my own tests (myers-briggs and FIRO-B). very interesting. of interest:
* i have a strong need for structure and control
* i have a strong need for affection and inclusion
* my myers briggs, if anyone knows or cares, was ESFJ - but only slightly on most things except for feeling where i was strong.
* putting all those things together was like reading a horoscope - suddenly, things i've been doing, my reasoning behind behaviors and decisions i've made (or not made) make sense! i had some great revelations that week.
* it was also interesting to see that on some things, my colleagues rate me higher than i rate myself. (on some they rate me lower - also a surprise!)
we also learned an excellent technique for dealing with conflict. not rocket-science, but a technique called SBI - situation, behavior, impact. so for example, instead of saying 'you were a real jerk in that meeting yesterday, you might say 'yesterday morning when we were meeting with the team (situation) and you interrupted me five times (behavior), i was really frustrated (impact). you get the point.
the biggest thing that did for me was reframe the concept of conflict. where conflict, then, doesn't become a negative thing in and of itself, or something to fear or avoid (as i do). the idea of telling someone they've really 'messed up' or done a bad job or ruined something is scary to me. but reframing it as an expression of impact on their *behavior* and not their *person* is much easier!
and probably pretty easy to try in my personal life as well as professional!
phew - that was only 2 1/2 days.
the rest of the days in CA have been full of food and drink and family and fun! notably:
* dad's BBQ (surf and turf tacos!)
* margaritas margaritas margaritas
* sunshine and (ouch) sunburns
* father's day!!
* lovely massage from auntie lynne
* walks by the beach with an old friend
* boccie ball and red wine
(who knew it was such a good combination?)
* eyebrow waxings and manicures with my sister and her friends
* kickboxing in malika's class at 8am, and drinking margaritas with her by 8pm!
even though it doesn't sound like i'd have time for it, i also worked the whole time! i swear! conference calls at 6am and lots of emails. i'm planning our big conference in madrid next month, so lots of work to be done!
anyhow, i'm now in berkeley with devon and have to get to a session he is giving to our first group of students in the bay area. he's done an excellent job (which means i did an excellent job in hiring him!) hooray for us both!
it's a beautiful sunny day here, perfect weather. hope it's nice where you are!
Saturday, June 09, 2007
lazy saturday
it's a grey day in boston today so we're taking full advantage. alex and i are going to see 'knocked up' which i've heard is really funny - so looking forward to a good chuckle in the cinema. we've spent the morning watching phantom gourmet - a local area show that highlights local restaurants. this morning's edition was on the best place to get lobster. lobster rolls, lobster pie, fresh lobster, fried lobster, lobster bisque, etc etc etc. it had us drooling on the couch.
it's such a lazy day i can hardly think of anything else to write. off to enjoy the day!
it's such a lazy day i can hardly think of anything else to write. off to enjoy the day!
Monday, June 04, 2007
by the water ...
a glimpse into the peacefulness of my retreat this weekend, written on saturday:
sitting by the pond at this retreat listening to the symphony of frogs. a chorus of rubber bands, plinging and plonking. with birds in the background, twittling and twerping. occasionally i'm lucky enough to witness a spash of water and a leaping frog. and i look at the geese who sit still as a postcard. i am lucky to be here. exactly where i am. this is the peadcefulness i had hoped for.
amid the cacophony of nature, i find peace. the questions no longer seem important. if, as brother john said this morning, you ask a question, you already have the answer, then asking the question just doesn't seem the thing to do. i already know. it may not be apparent. but somewhere inside, i know. and if, also as he said, i am a servant of reality, then i will find out soon enough. no need for the anxiety, stress, worry, concern, it will happen, just as it will, just as it does, just as it is.
again, i am reminded i am exactly where i need to be, doing exactly what i need to do in order to become. become. come to be. show up to be, arrive to be. perhaps that is a nicer way of looking at the word. instead of the idea that something, somewhere, somehow will happen and i will magically 'become' - i just need to 'come to be', i need to 'show up' to be, i need to 'be present' to be.
that i can do.
sitting by the pond at this retreat listening to the symphony of frogs. a chorus of rubber bands, plinging and plonking. with birds in the background, twittling and twerping. occasionally i'm lucky enough to witness a spash of water and a leaping frog. and i look at the geese who sit still as a postcard. i am lucky to be here. exactly where i am. this is the peadcefulness i had hoped for.
amid the cacophony of nature, i find peace. the questions no longer seem important. if, as brother john said this morning, you ask a question, you already have the answer, then asking the question just doesn't seem the thing to do. i already know. it may not be apparent. but somewhere inside, i know. and if, also as he said, i am a servant of reality, then i will find out soon enough. no need for the anxiety, stress, worry, concern, it will happen, just as it will, just as it does, just as it is.
again, i am reminded i am exactly where i need to be, doing exactly what i need to do in order to become. become. come to be. show up to be, arrive to be. perhaps that is a nicer way of looking at the word. instead of the idea that something, somewhere, somehow will happen and i will magically 'become' - i just need to 'come to be', i need to 'show up' to be, i need to 'be present' to be.
that i can do.
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