Today I was Mr. MAPSCO!

Mapsco is the map system that rules in some metropolitan cities. In Dallas, for instance,(corporate home to Mapsco) , this ever expanding metropolitan area is completely cataloged in a book of 81/2 X 11 pages, each designated by number and letter. Newspaper classifieds refer to and are grouped by their respective Mapsco page number. No Dallas car is without this old school tool.

I had always referred to my Dad as Mr. Mapsco. Whenever I was confused, or needed a quick alternate route, he was my first choice for driving info. (Diagonal streets are my personal Achilles heel.) Since his death, I have filled this void with google maps on my iphone and a wonderful free app from White Pages which performs phone number lookup but also includes a map.

Well today, I received an SOS from my Mom who had gotten turned around somehow. Within minutes, I had found her a phone number and guided her from her current position (in real time) to her meeting place. Not only was it great to be able to get her out of this jam, but after hanging up, I realized that I had done exactly what I'd promised my Dad that I'd do. In one small way, I'd been able to step in and fill his shoes for her when she needed me. Today I was Mr. Mapsco!

My "Memorial" Day

I am the family repository of history. I have grandma Becker's dishes which I pair with grandma Lamb's silver for family occasions. I kept my great aunt's gardening books as reminders of her.This, unfortunately, leads to an excess. Mentally I know the memories are separate and exist apart from these items. Yet I have always been a very visual person, and seeing these things is often a trigger for me.

At some point in adulthood, I developed my own ritual for remembering my generations of passed relatives. I travel to their graves, once a year with tiny mementos from me to them. It is my own form of the ancient placing of pebbles to signify a visit. In the course of each year I will come across something, often a poem, that resonates with me. I then computerize the text, printing it out in the tiniest size possible, creating a small piece of paper about 1/2" by 1". I head North to the small town I was born in, taking the "old roads" that we traveled about a million times in my childhood. I tuck my token next to the gravestone, secretly stashed, where it will begin a journey of disintegration much like the bodies of those I love. This year is especially difficult because my father has now become a part of the Lamb / Chvarack generations that reside in Sheboygan. Service to our country is represented, and it is only in the last decade that this has moved to become a defining decision in the way I understand my ancestors.

Each one of us is allowed to personalize they way we memorialize and whom we choose to remember. This is, in fact, part of the freedom that was fought for, this choice we are allowed to make for ourselves. Excercising this freedom is as significant a sign of respect for those who fought as the waving of a flag.

Memorial Day

Memorial Day

This is Chris Brogan's post. It inspired me to share my own "Memorial" ritual above.

My first "Pops" Concert: Cirque de la Symphonie

Last night I went to my first Milwaukee Symphony "Pops" concert. The Pops series is usually lighter and less formal - think of the famous "Boston Pops" often seen on public television. Movie soundtracks, Broadway shows, and popular favorites often make appearances on the evening's program. Don't get me wrong, this wasn't my first Symphony concert. I've been enjoying live classical performances since childhood.

Now I'm not sure we're "Pops People", but lats night's Cirque de la Symphonie was an engaging combination of familiar music and beautifully lit acrobatic routines. Each featured a single performer, some on vertical fabrics or ropes, others on equally simple bases, tied together by a lighthearted, funny juggler. One particular pose drew a collective "ahhhh" as the undulations that facilitate flight were skillfully portrayed by horizontally split legs on an upside down acrobat.

The best was saved for last, however. Two golden men, clothed only in loincloths, went through slow motion, gracefully choreographed poses that could only be the result of breathtaking balance and incredible strength.

Sometimes it's fun to choose the popular crowd pleaser, and in this case our New Year's began with a memorable evening of music and entertainment courtesy of our own Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and Cirque de la Symphonie.

New Year's Goals

I have never been one to set New Year's Resolutions, but for 2010 I am going to write some goals down. This new year, I feel the need for greater regimentation.

I will hold myself more accountable. I have an analytical mindset that is aware of the changes I seek and how my decisions move me closer to my goals, or not. I hold myself accountable in broad strokes but I am going to try for smaller accountabilities this year. I am a list maker by nature but now will be using more grids, more detail, and more frequent assessments. Since I often work solo, this should have as much a positive effect as negative, providing the validation that one normally finds through coworkers as well as highlighting a course of adjustments.

I will not procrastinate. I came to realize I work best under pressure and this was a necessary element for peek performance as far back as I can remember. I do not, however enjoy drama. I differentiate between pressure and drama by believing that pressure involves only me while drama involves others. I am becoming increasingly sensitive to how I introduce drama, however unwittingly, into other's lives and now work towards change so I am a calming influence.

I will remain present. I am shocked by how weeks, months, and years fly by. This more frequent evaluation will keep me in the now more, I hope. Also, what I imagine is a product of my age, I often find myself thinking back to past decisions and wondering about the effects of having chosen a different course. I have never really been one for regrets, so this is strange terrain for me and not particularly productive.

I will return to journaling. I have at times been an avid journal keeper, although coming from an art background my journals were initially visual records. I will move towards more consistent work, having noticed a tendency to only need this outlet during crisis. I want to have records of all states: good, bad and neutral. Narrowing my time frame will also work with the other areas I want to tend to more regularly: one of which is writing on a schedule. If I lower my need for perfection and begin to produce more regularly, I know my skill will increase. Twyla Tharp is my mentor here: The Creative Habit.

I will seek out more "homework" books, spending time to find readable, enjoyable writing and not hold myself to reading dry, scholarly tomes. Recent reads by Gretchen Rubin and Malcomb Gladwell were completed in a day or two because I enjoyed the writing style. I will keep a book list for 2010.

I will respect money and its power. Having grown up just after the 60's, I have never equated success with money. I now will acknowledge my need for financial success, and take the necessary steps to move forward. I will assess my financial business worth and bravely seek the corresponding compensation.

I will move from a mind set of scarcity and acknowledge the abundance in my life. I will pay and bill in a timely manner. Having lived in different places, I've accumulated the accessories of the different stages of my life. While all these represent a part of the person I am now, I no longer need or use the same things I once did. I can part with them knowing that should the need arise, I will be able to find exactly what I need again.

I will plant a new garden. Gardening has long been source of great joy and is an advantage of my new location. It will more than offset whatever disadvantages seem to currently challenge me.

I will adopt a dog. I have always described Basil, Sadie and Sunshine as bringing pure joy into my life. I need this again, having been too long without the companionable presence pets bring.

And perhaps, most important for the near future, I will seek infinite patience for family times, knowing I can instantly change the dynamic to one of patient acceptance.

Jan 1, 2010 -k

Happy New Year

"For last year's words belong to last year's language and next year's words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning." T.S. Elliot

May your new beginnings involve friendships, love, laughter and joy. -k

Holiday Add-Ons to Decorate your Computer

For the growing number of tele-commuters and those with home offices, getting into the holiday spirit can be more difficult than it is for those working with larger organizations. All the usual group activities like cookie exchanges, secret Santa gifts and holiday parties are usually not a part of the smaller, self employed work place. This seems to be even more true in service industries.

These two easy add-ons are the perfect solution to including some holiday cheer in your daily computer tasks.

Smashing Magazine has hosted, for years, a monthly contest for graphic designers to create desktop wallpaper calendars. Some are more closely tied to the seasons than others, but all include a monthly calendar as part of the design. Some graphic artists, additionally, also offer the background designs alone. Each choice lists various screen resolutions, some cataloging almost 20 different sizes.

Click here for the December 2009 link.

Once there, click on the screen resolution you need and the file will open up on your screen. Right click anywhere and chose "Save as" then decide if you want to set up a new folder or merely save in your "My Documents". I have one folder that's all different calendars, arranged in folders by month or source.


Another new holiday option is the Google desktop iGoogle. Based on a Gmail account name, you choose various RSS feeds that comprise your home page. Take advantage of the numerous customizations possible based on your interests, from food to news to horoscopes. Signing up for a free Gmail account is easy. With Gmail considered one the leading email formats, it doesn't hurt to be familiar with this system.

Within the last few days a whole new group of iGoogle mastheads has been introduced based on gourmet themes and food celebrities. Some are irresistible, like the "12 Days of Cookies". All the expected names are included: Emeril, Martha, Alton Brown, Sara Moulton, Paula Deen. You'll also see Cat Cora of Iron Chef fame and the smiling face of Jamie Oliver, also known for his Naked Chef cookbooks. Go here to take the tour and choose whatever strikes a chord with you.

This should set you on the right course for finding some holiday spirit that's both charming and upbeat.