Mumbling in a Winter Wonderland
It’s been a bit of a mental snowstorm for me lately. So, here are a few random piles of snow and slush from the Mumbler’s driveway as I get ready for 2009.
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First of all, in honor of Illinois Gov. Rod Bjagojevich, I would like to offer this blog up to the highest bidder. For a minimum bid of $50,000, I will write about nothing but you and will do so in glowing terms.
I’m so proud to be an Illinois resident right now. Someone suggested to me that maybe our next Governor should start in prison and then have to work their way out, instead of our current system. It’s really not a bad idea.
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I can’t remember any time in my 30-something years of existence that Christmas was not all about shopping. I’ve fought against it for the last couple of years and we’ve really dialed back the gift-giving and gift-getting frenzy on both sides of our family. However, when it seems that “Black Friday” and “Cyber Monday” are covered with more journalistic ferocity than the Iraq War, you know something’s wrong. A worker getting trampled to death at a Wal-Mart in Long Island didn’t exactly hurt my argument either.
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If you call me and don’t leave a voice mail, it doesn’t count. Really.
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I’ve survived another year without a Blackberry or similar device. Surprisingly, I was able to do my job effectively, maintain relationships with friends and family and still function. Watching many of my colleagues with the device, I’ve developed a new term:
The Blackberry Lean. This occurs when someone in a meeting leans back slightly to check their Blackberry in their lap, hoping that no one will notice. News flash: it’s much more obvious than they think and quite annoying.
**********
Really torn on the proposed bailout of the American auto industry. On the one hand, I realize the impact that a bankruptcy by one or more of the Big Three would have on the overall economy, including ours locally, and the downstream industries that would be hurt. On the other hand, the situation they find themselves in was entirely avoidable, had they had some foresight to develop higher-quality, more fuel-efficient cars and not count on cheap gas forever. Come to think of it, they could have paid me far less to run those companies into the ground than the multi-million salaries the current CEOs are earning.
**********
Newspapers and magazines continue to struggle under both the weight of the faltering economy and the Internet onslaught. However, as media companies shed jobs and reduce the size of their printed products, I keep coming back to one thought as it relates to print versions: if, let’s say, The New Yorker writes a great 9,000 word profile on someone that I really want to read, I just don’t see myself curling up to my computer to read it or printing it out on 20 sheets of laser printer paper. I certainly feed my media junkie habit online but I still like the feel of the newsprint in my hands. Old school meets new school.
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Speaking of school, I finished up another semester of grad school and it feels nice to be at the front end of a five-week break until next semester. Between that and some major work on a winning political campaign this fall, I was really burning the candle at three ends. Among the important projects I’ll be taking on during my hiatus will be a viewing of all 21 James Bond movies on DVD that I own. I’m calling it my Vacation Bond-A-Thon. You may join my wife in rolling your eyes. While you’re doing that, I’ll be polishing my Walther PPK and enjoying a vodka martini, shaken, not stirred.
**********
First of all, in honor of Illinois Gov. Rod Bjagojevich, I would like to offer this blog up to the highest bidder. For a minimum bid of $50,000, I will write about nothing but you and will do so in glowing terms.
I’m so proud to be an Illinois resident right now. Someone suggested to me that maybe our next Governor should start in prison and then have to work their way out, instead of our current system. It’s really not a bad idea.
**********
I can’t remember any time in my 30-something years of existence that Christmas was not all about shopping. I’ve fought against it for the last couple of years and we’ve really dialed back the gift-giving and gift-getting frenzy on both sides of our family. However, when it seems that “Black Friday” and “Cyber Monday” are covered with more journalistic ferocity than the Iraq War, you know something’s wrong. A worker getting trampled to death at a Wal-Mart in Long Island didn’t exactly hurt my argument either.
**********
If you call me and don’t leave a voice mail, it doesn’t count. Really.
**********
I’ve survived another year without a Blackberry or similar device. Surprisingly, I was able to do my job effectively, maintain relationships with friends and family and still function. Watching many of my colleagues with the device, I’ve developed a new term:
The Blackberry Lean. This occurs when someone in a meeting leans back slightly to check their Blackberry in their lap, hoping that no one will notice. News flash: it’s much more obvious than they think and quite annoying.
**********
Really torn on the proposed bailout of the American auto industry. On the one hand, I realize the impact that a bankruptcy by one or more of the Big Three would have on the overall economy, including ours locally, and the downstream industries that would be hurt. On the other hand, the situation they find themselves in was entirely avoidable, had they had some foresight to develop higher-quality, more fuel-efficient cars and not count on cheap gas forever. Come to think of it, they could have paid me far less to run those companies into the ground than the multi-million salaries the current CEOs are earning.
**********
Newspapers and magazines continue to struggle under both the weight of the faltering economy and the Internet onslaught. However, as media companies shed jobs and reduce the size of their printed products, I keep coming back to one thought as it relates to print versions: if, let’s say, The New Yorker writes a great 9,000 word profile on someone that I really want to read, I just don’t see myself curling up to my computer to read it or printing it out on 20 sheets of laser printer paper. I certainly feed my media junkie habit online but I still like the feel of the newsprint in my hands. Old school meets new school.
**********
Speaking of school, I finished up another semester of grad school and it feels nice to be at the front end of a five-week break until next semester. Between that and some major work on a winning political campaign this fall, I was really burning the candle at three ends. Among the important projects I’ll be taking on during my hiatus will be a viewing of all 21 James Bond movies on DVD that I own. I’m calling it my Vacation Bond-A-Thon. You may join my wife in rolling your eyes. While you’re doing that, I’ll be polishing my Walther PPK and enjoying a vodka martini, shaken, not stirred.
**********
Finally, I hope this blog finds you happy, healthy and ready to celebrate the end of one year and move forward to a new one. Team Wuori has had a productive year and we're extremely thankful to be blessed with family and friends that make our lives fun and interesting.
posted by W.S. Wuori at 10:39 AM
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