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I’m seriously looking for a sales guy/gal again.  My last one just decided to play bartender the moment the business cards were dry.  If only people knew and understood what I was really offering, they’d jump at the chance to be that person.  Yes, my kingdom for the right sales person.

I just want someone I can partner with.  I want to be on a team.  Sure, I’ll write the checks and steer the corporate culture, goals, and processes in general, but I want someone to share being the faceof Kentropolis long-term.  And if I find someone who consistently performs within the value set I’m looking to maintain, I’d gladly hand them the keys to the whole damn thing as an exit strategy someday.  How many sales people could realistically hope for something like that, helping build a brand that they can call truly their own someday?

My goal is that once they settle in and get some free training from me and Bill Knoche, we can generate enough business to incorporate, and both be on the same W-2 plan, benefits, and any other write-off perks as things go along.  And I mean the SAME benefits — anyone I work with will receive the same benefits I give myself, from E-Z Pass to insurance.  And that would be on top of residual bonuses!

But here’s the problem … I could be the best “boss” in the world, but it doesn’t make finding that person any easier.  My ethical and professional standards are high, and I wont babysit anyone.  And then there’s the catch-22: people worth a salary don’t need one, but probably already have one and may not give it up for a better opportunity.  Well, enough airing my business dilemma … it’s the end of my business day and I’ve got another screen door to install at home.

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I have never gotten more “Nigerian Scam” emails in nearly any year as these last few days.  Seriously, are there that many stupid people to make it worth their while?  We need to make it a crime to fall for scams if we can’t take out the criminals.  And then apply it to spam — if you buy something through an online ad you didn’t subscribe to, YOU pay a fine.

I used to think education was the answer.  But people need to accept the constant warnings around them.  They need to take responsibility to educate themselves once the information is out there.  Maybe I’m getting too jaded dealing with people who convince themselves they are “computer stupid” …

{Edit: I am now receiving more Nigerian scam emails than all previous years combined.  It used to be a couple a month, maybe a couple a week, or even some days, but I am now getting a batch every time I send and receive, twelve times per hour.}

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It never amazes me how deep the roots are of our personal values.  But unlike those who would rather be totally self-deterministic in some false sense of empowerment for its own sake, I would rather embrace them as consistent personality strengths and weaknesses I can make the best of.

Why bring this up?  I asked my Dad the other day what kind of advice Grandpa gave him over the years.  There were two things that came to mind: “If you can’t do it right, don’t do it at all” and “Do the hardest part of anything first.”

It was amusing (but no surprise) that I recall attempting to instill these tidbits (the former in particular) in Christina.  I don’t know if it took … time will tell.  But I can see why I insist on doing things right, not just adequately.  Sometimes I take it too far and need to be gentle with myself, but other times it means that when I can’t do something what I think is a truly good job, it’s still far better than the other guy would have done it.

And I can live with that.  Thanks Dad.  Thanks Grandpa.

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Last weekend, my .pst file (Outlook) reached and exceeded the 2Gb limit — a limit I neither knew existed nor knew it was coming.  I knew my saved email archive was huge, but didn’t realize I had to split it so badly.

Somehow, it preserved my schedule, and I recovered the address book through Thunderbird.  But the email for the last couple years is (temporarily?) lost, including emails in my inbox that I rely on to get various projects done.

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It’s been snowing more on than off for so many days, i don’t remember when it started.  We had a brief thaw, then back to adding a couple feet of white all around.

I haven’t done much house stuff in spite of buying the 60-gallon aquarium to replace our aspirations for a wood stove.  We finally ordered the last of the jacks we need to level the house, and that will make a list of other projects easier, including the base of said aquarium.

I’ve been busy with helping BuffNet refugees, and landed a few new accounts from the stack, including a customer I’ve waited on for years to need my help.  It’s forcing me to be more organized, and in spite of some recession I’ve heard rumors about, I’m getting lead after lead for new business.  If it all falls into place, I’ll really be caught up on things.

Tonight, I am holding a group interview for a salesman with my professional coach, Bill Knoche.  I’ve been praying about it, as even one new client a week would change my life.  It’s about time I get some growing pains.

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As part of recently having a business coach, I’ve been seeing a professional psychologist for an assessment of personal impediments and evaluation of learning style.  I’ve looked for an excuse to have some counselling for some time … not because anything is really wrong, but like chiropractic, an adjustment now and then just makes sense.  Besides, a lot of issues I have been aware of for years, though nothing major, I never got around to addressing, and it’s much easier having someone help you through it.

One of those issues is harsh self-criticism as an occasionally obsessive thought habit, even about little things.  Sean (my psychologist) asked me to sing my criticisms / admonishments when they happen.  I asked if it was a typo … and it wasn’t.  Just staying conscious of the pattern reduced it to where I didn’t really do it, but I caught myself and finally was able to sing (within my head, not out loud) the gist of a criticism over something mundane and unimportant.

I actually burst out into laughter that lasted for some time, to the point of tears.  Ironically, it happened in the tissue isle at Wegman’s, and though no one was in my immediate vicinity, I must have been quite a sight, leaning against the shelves in an unexpected catharsis.  Maybe that was the point — to realize the ridiculousness of such petty self-criticism on a more limbic level.  I think this is what Dianetic auditors refer to as “blowing the charge” (I can’t recall the Freudian terminology).

Even after the three coaching-related sessions, I plan to stay on and maybe even do some various therapies, just to experience them and improve my life in various ways.  It’s funny that there’s a stigma attached to seeing a traditional professional to improve mental health, while people brag about spending a  fortune on physical fitness trainers, yoga classes, etc..  And there’s a cult or two out there who would have a field day implying I’m being treated for mental illness just because I’m taking advantage of such things.  But I’m proud of my ability to work with someone to tune up myslef on such levels, and will probably share some of it here … so stay tuned!

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I met with a professional coach / consultant and they told me lots of stuff I already knew I should be doing, but couldn’t listen to myself.  One change I am implementing right now is to have a set (yet flexible) schedule for work (Kentropolis) versus all the other stuff I do.  It’s more of a challenge than I thought, but already I feel rewarded with being able to leave work behind me, yet get work done when I need to.  Who ever would have thought?  Then again, the holiday and having a house guest has made it more of a challenge, so I shouldn’t speak too soon!

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I’ve been busy with lots of projects, personal and professional, and I’m taking a few moments to clean up my computer’s desktop, nearly full to the brim with shortcuts and files as always.

I came across things I meant to post, including a poem I wrote while traveling without Merry earlier this year … http://www.kentropolis.com/bbs/showthread.php?p=1559#post1559.

I was supposed to help out again on the Richard A. Smith (www.ExcaliburLS.org) but the nasty wind we had last night after a party at the house wreaked havoc at the small boat harbor and all the boat owners are being asked to move out.

Other than that, I spent over 12 hours over the course of the week painting a friend’s apartment.  I grossly underestimated the time it would take, forgetting the higher ceilings and lack of a squeeze roller.  But a promise was a promise so to speak, and I was happily exhausted for days, still working on the farm on Thursday, going to BNI leadership training, and doing things around the house before the party.

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We had our 22nd Little Christmas party last weekend and took out Reginald, our very-much-loved Christmas Tree, yesterday.  I really wanted to preserve him as a Bonsai or something, but I’ve been told it is pretty much impossible, so we will go with “Plan A” only, making some candle holders.  Or perhaps an artificial tree holder out of the trunk, and the branches as kindle starter.

I’ve also decided not to consider pre-Epiphany January as part of the new year.  It’s part of the previous year’s holiday season, so from now on, Little Christmas stuff (photos, etc.) will be archived with the previous year’s keepsakes.

It’s also the 10-year mark for Kentropolis Internet Community.  I’ve decided it’s time for a major rethinking, re-branding, and a concerted expansion — Kentropolis West.  If anyone has contacts in the SW Utah area, let me know.

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I finally vacated my work area last weekend.  I found a place for most of the tools, and fortunately was allowed to keep the huge steel desk in there to house a lot of other stuff I wouldn’t have had room for otherwise.

I didn’t realize how much I made that space my own.  It seems pretty bare now, as i even removed some of the shelving and “furniture” I was using to organize stuff.  Lab equipment, bonsai supplies, lots of scrap and shelving wood, touch-up paint … you name it.

I basically finished up any upcoming projects while I could, and will hope for the best when I need a workspace in the future.  But a lot of stuff went to AMVETS and the dumpster.  I finally shredded the old Fisher Park files from the previous landlord, and got rid of a lot of old paint.  But I still keep old screws, nuts, bolts, nails, etc..  I just can’t help myself.

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The last couple weeks I’ve been playing musical chairs with the computers.  The guest machine went to a dear friend who needed it; mine is sitting at the guest machine’s desk, ready for reformatting and reinstalling of everything; my new one is here, almost completely ready after moving over every conceivable file , setting, and program I could.

Last night I placed  the virtual Pakua I created about a year ago onto the root directory of the hard drive.  Everything else is pretty much in place except for some programs I decided I no longer need (such as WinZip, replaced by XP’s compressed files handling, and JetAudio, deciding to used Windows Media Player) and a few new versions that are really cool, such as Google Earth, now with an amazing astronomical view of the heavens.

It set me back some productivity time for sure, but the new Dell is working out nicely.  I set them up myself without too much trouble, and I even set up my friend’s “new” machine in record time — perhaps three or four minutes.  However, it wouldn’t recognize their USB mouse.  Sometimes the taste of victory is brief.  But the whole thing was a nice virutla enema, i think, as I backed up nine (9!) DVD-ROMs of stuff, got rid of a lot, and am actually organizing the file system chaos better than it’s been since forever ago.

Now it’s time to really settle into paying projects a bit more instead of rediscovering FreeCell.

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To expand my networking, I finally started using my LinkedIn account, looking up anyone and everyone I could think of.  It really made me take an inventory of how few people I really know (compared to what most people would think) but then again, a lot of them simply aren’t online as much or just don’t have an account.

I have accounts on and explored some other sites, but apart from LinkedIn and Facebook, along with a listing on Manta, I’m not using any of them unless someone contacts me through them (I use my real name for all of them).  I just set up one on www.Spoke.com, but their server is running so slow I couldn’t even finish my profile.  I also set up an account on www.Friendster.com, where I found my cousin, but didn’t do a lot of searching to see who else is on it.

But if you are on LinkedIn and want to be part of my network, you can find me at http://www.linkedin.com/in/kentropolis, and if you’re not, we can connect by either signing up and adding me or sending me your email address so I can send a request to you.  It will give you the chance to see who I know and who they know, as well as share your own social capital.

When I had 13 people in my LinkedIn network, that amounted to 151 second degree contacts and over 10,000 third degree contacts I could be introduced to through the system.  When I added the 14th, that one person’s contacts alone shot the numbers up.  My extended network even includes BNI founder Dr. Ivan Misner.  On an amusing note, Vice President Dick Cheney is on the system, but has no friends.  Al Gore is nowhere to be found, so he’s probably too busy inventing a new Internet with a smaller carbon footprint.

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Today I rescheduled my Tai Chi class to be able to go to a BNI meeting in Dunkirk / Fredonia.  Half-asleep at the wheel and in the dark, I used the EZ-Pass lane by mistake and now have to wait for a violation notice to resolve it.  However, it was a good meeting and I got to stop at St. Hedwig’s Cemetery as well as drive by a few nostalgic spots.  I even had pleasant conversations with the grounds-keeper and an engineer hired by the city to evaluate the sea wall near Wright Park.

Then I went to the “Red Mass” as an associate of the WNYPA.  I had never been to one before, and it was a simple mass with the Bishop and many other celebrants including Msgr. Slubecky.  It was a shorter mass than expected, but I’m glad I was nearly a half hour “early” as it started at Noon instead of the 12:30 notice I received.

The annoying thing is that I was going to save a couple bucks by parking far away (a $3 lot), then decided to put $2 in a meter (2 hours worth), somewhat equally far away.  On the way walking, I checked the time and realized that if the mass was long I would risk getting a ticket, again based on my thinking mass was half past.  Sensing it was one of those days, I wrote off the 8 quarters (which I could have used I’m sure) and went to the cheap lot anyway.  In retrospect, I could have parked at the Cathedral for about the same total cost.

At first I thought it was God’s way of telling me I needed exercise, but then realized it was more the Spirit’s way of reminding me that I’m not in control of life and shouldn’t pretend otherwise.  Why else would I be smacked around so much trying to assert my best judgment onto the universe around me?  I’m currently doing a Novena and that is always a lesson that comes up … it’s hard for me to let go and let God, so to speak.  I depend on planning and intellect and leave God’s influence out of my plan without realizing it, then get frustrated with things are clearly out of my control even when I should know better.

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My daughter will be playing a stripper-or-something-or-other as one of the lead players in Godspell this Fall.  I think I liked it better when she was a nun in Sound of Music, but it’s a step up from being a horse in Man of La Mancha, I suppose.

I didn’t know what to do for my usual 1/2 page ad in the program, which combines my business with a personal note.  Here is one of the ideas I DIDN’T go with:

Subtitles considered: “If Jesus had a website … we would build it” and “We sponsor anything!”  My wife loved it, but it just seemed a bit too irreverent, even for someone like me who knows God has a sense of humor.

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Over the course of this last month, stewardship of my apartment complex passed hands from me to Todd, the now full-time maintenance person.  The owner has health issues that wont allow him to take care of a lot of the miscellaneous stuff at his properties, and the only way to provide full-time work for someone to take over such things was to give them my duties as well.  No hard feelings … it was great while it lasted.

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At a networking social for BNI in Fredonia, an older gentleman, upon seeing my card, asked if I knew a Jerry Stuczynski.  This one connection was worth more than any business I could have gotten from the gathering.

When I was little, my Dad worked in the Aerospace industry — he was Vice President of Finance for Carlton Controls Corporation (CCC), later bought out by Moog.  Many a time he would come home and say he heard some new joke from the auditors who would visit the company.  Apparently, this man before me was the lead auditor my father had spoken of so often.  We chatted and “reminisced” — though that word doesn’t seem right as I had likely never met this man before except through a common bond.

While driving home, I called my Dad and he immediately knew who I meant.  And I was all too pleased to inform him that he was indeed considered a pleasure to know and remembered fondly all those years (and missed thereafter) by the people around him.  I wish I could have seen him firsthand at work back in those days in his favorite industry, dealing with so many people in so many ways.