Thursday



For the very first time

I am not enjoying my birthday

Historically it has been

A month-long celebration

With giddy anticipation beforeward

And

Giggly memories afterhand



I do not mind the getting older aspect

I cherish that

I am blessed with good friends

And a wondrous family

I have no private complaints



But I am weary

So worn and weak

My mind sleeps in the day

Any my body fails in the eve



This birthday floats with resentment

It would be wholly selfish

To celebrate things only personally

relevant

Sharing only my joy

Taking without giving



A life spanned by anchors

Leeuwenhoek to Robinson

Naked between the ears

Deaf to the rumblings

on earth



Happy birthday to me

Will we ever learn



Tuesday

So It Must Be True


I read it on the BBC

So it must be true

Our universe is doomed to collapse

Dark energy surviving

In place of all that ever…was

In a mere ten to twenty

Billion years

So I must say my goodbyes and I-love-yous now

Because I have many to say


They say the Nazis built an anti-gravity device

During World War II

Its absence from present science

Implies vast black worlds of secret aircraft

That might explain the UFOs people see

Over Area 51

Or the hidden tunnels under the White House

Full of lizard-men disguised as Freemasons


And a sniper is hunting me

For sins long ago committed

Stuff I swear was prayed away

In past lives

But as long as I keep running

No one will catch me

No one can catch me
An Abt colleague asked me the following three questions:



1) Why would I want to be on the EAC?



2) What makes this [EAC] different from any other well meaning, but ineffective committee?



3) Is the management so out of touch with the company that it needs to form a committee to report to it or is it just another bone from uncaring bean counters?



I open this question to all candidates. I'll begin:



1) I am nominating myself because I would like to actually see this council work (literally and figuratively). People have to believe that it will work. The council needs to lead. I maintain a healthy skepticism about many things in our world and I believe EAC will work if the appropriate effort is expended. This committee needs to be diverse in many ways and possess a collective goal-oriented ethic.



2) It is important for representatives to remember who they have been elected to represent. They are the voice of many. We have seen far too often, representative bodies (congress, for example) misrepresent their constitutes or only represent especially vocal special interests. I see it as my duty to move beyond dead-end, wheel-spinning committee work.



We need to make an effort to re-engage the employees of this company. The EAC representative - and I will do this if elected - must make an effort to meet and discuss concerns with each and every employee in their district. Surveys are great but one-on-one interactions provide the most robust data. Surely, some people will not want to participate, and we cannot force this, but it is our duty to make an earnest attempt to thoughtfully invigorate our telecommuting employees and the staff of the DC and Bethesda offices.



3) I've seen people roll their eyes and voice that we really don't need more committees. People sometimes take the time to complain, but not the time to learn or change. We need to make Abt more than just a place to work. I envision Abt as an intellectually stimulating, cross-pollinating, hotbed of pragmatic and progressive thought - the kind of place that is attractive to employee candidates and to potential clients. I've felt that the company has always had pockets of community, but we need to truly become more inclusive.



People see "management" as a sort of all-knowing (or un-knowing), unapproachable enigma. We are all people and we need to engage management as people first - not as a group that is fundamentally different. We are all working toward the same goals. As employee-owners of Abt, we must synthesize our attitudes and our behaviors as such. Participation, and I cannot emphasize this enough, is essential. We need to remain pragmatic while striving for higher goals.

Friday

Today's best illegally posted sign:



"Can I use our Army for my personal grudge too."





"Other countries of course, bear the same risk. But there's no doubt his hatred is mainly directed at us," Bush said at a political fundraiser in Houston, Texas. "After all this is the guy who tried to kill my dad." - September 27, 2002