Weekend Get-Away

To celebrate our upcoming 3 year wedding anniversary, Mr. Oz and I took a little weekend get-away to the Wisconsin Dells.  For those of you familiar with the Dells, you may have images of indoor water parks, theme rides and various touristy establishments burned into your memory.  Places like this may come to mind:

While we saw plenty of this kind of stuff, we didn't stay at a theme park filled with screaming kiddos.  Not this time.  Instead, we went here:  Sundara Inn & Spa.  It.  Was.  Awesome.  I suppose its not for everyone.  If you don't like relaxing spa treatments, spacious villas equipped with tranquil lighting, music, comfy robes, big ole jacuzzi and related amenities, well, than this place would not be for you.  If you are into all that stuff, then you might like it.  

Now, I'm not a child-hater.  Really, I'm not.  I love kids, especially cute little babies when they are all "goo goo" and "ga ga."  But, I have to say, it was really nice to stay at a kid free resort.  Quiet.  Peaceful.  My guess is this would be a welcome retreat for parents who just needed to get away from the little tykes for a few days.  To ensure the peace is preserved, Sundara posts signs notifying people to leave their electronic devices in their room and to silence cell phones.  Again, bravo.  I'd highly recommend booking a spa treatment.  I had an 80 minute organic facial and it was pure heaven.  

Was good to leave our everyday behind and escape even for a few days.  Renewal of spirit amidst the cheese shops and water slides?  Yes, it can be done.  Try it if you are looking for a some quality quiet time. 

The Dream Society

I've been reading a good book called The Dream Society by Rolf Jensen.  It's one of those books that disguises itself as a business book, but is really much, much more.  I'd call it a philosophical exploration of life and the purpose of work within one's life.  Lots of stuff to ponder particulary if you are, in anyway, struggling with questions of meaning and career.  For Jensen, the dream society is a utopian view of what work will (or should) look like in the not too distant future.  He describes the dream society as "a new society in which businesses, communities, and people as individuals will thrive on the basis of their stories, not just data and information."  As this quote may indicate, Jensen places a great deal of emphasis on the power of stories.  Dreaming and stories are of utmost importance in the future state he conjures up.  It is linked to innovation and forward progress; necessary to create and breakthrough with new technology and products. 

Much of what Jensen has to say reminds me of Marxist theory from my grad school days.  He sees Marx's vision of revolution and dynamic change of the means of production as something occuring in the here and now.  Workers hold intellectual capital and their knowledge.  It is this, and not the productivity of machines, which fuels the dream society corporation. 

Here is the best part of Jensen's book for me, so far (I'm about half way through it).  He writes about success and the concept of "hard fun."  It's not just about a paycheck.  We've all heard that before, right?  Well, Jensen goes on to assert that success is really about finding challenging and meaningful work.  In Mazlow's hierarchy of needs, the need of idealization or "the search for a purpose beyond oneself" is critical.  Again, the idea of finding a higher purpose in your professional life is not anything terribly unique or new.  Where Jensen diverges a bit from the usual sentiment is how he links this concept of idealization to the notion that companies, in order to survive and prosper, absolutely need this.  It is not optional.  It can't be just a passing fancy for a handful of troubled workers.  Everyone has to subscribe to this and foster it within the corporation in order for the corporation to make it.  The dream society requires focus on self-actualization through the acquisition of meaning and the transfer of that meaning onto that which we create and put forward into the world.  Without this, we will never achieve the dream society Jensen imagines for us.  Okay Jensen.  I'm listening. 

Heavy stuff.  Important stuff.  Stuff worth thinking about.  What dreams do you have for yourself?  For your family?  For your work?  Are you in control of your own means of production?  If not, who or what is?  Have you found, for yourself, "a purpose beyond" yourself?  Is it possible to connnect this purpose to real dollars and a livable wage or is Jensen just a big, fat dreamer? 

I'm not sure, but I'd like to give the dream society a little visit and see for myself.

The Stress is Messing with my Sleeps

Stress.  We've all had it.  We've all been there.  Sometimes, try as you might, you just can't shake the worry and anxiety.  It creeps into your brain, plants its little roots and takes hold.  Such has been the situation with me lately.  I am experiencing restless sleep.  Last night I could not fall asleep.  Tossing and turning all night, no position was comfortable.  Finally, I just gave up and got out of bed at 4am.  Why not?  My mind was ceaselessly racing with the litany of tasks I needed to accomplish at work, household chores and other such ridiculousness.  Seriously.  Annoying.  

So, I know what you are asking.  "Why so stressed panda bear?"  Well, first I have a lot of #h*$ going on.  Transferred to a new role at work so have new projects, team members, boss, deadlines, etc.  Still doing some of my previous job as my successor is not set to take over until May.  Two jobs?  Sure.  Not that I'm doing either one terribly well or anything.  I guess it really is true.  There is only one of you and, darn it, you just can't split me or clone me.  Maybe someday modern science will figure out how to genetically replicate someone so corporations can just make their own work force and only have to pay one person's salary and benefits.  I wonder if the government would step in and regulate this practice or if they would just assume positive intent and let the free market system work it all out on its own. Not that this blog is a critique of capitalism run a muck or anything.  I'm just sayin.  Bygones.  

Where was I?  Oh yes, stress due to work.  Been traveling lately.  Spent all last week in Austin, TX (for work) and have a trip to Arkansas this week, followed by Florida next week and back to Texas the week after that.  Wrap it all up in Phoenix at the end of May.  All for work.  Too much travel also stresses me out.  I really hate the packing, coordinating, TSA security lines, bag checking, flight delaying (I'm referring to you Delta youknowwhoyouare), rental car renting, hotel staying, etc.  Sure, it's lots of fun when you are on vacation, but as a weekly activity it leaves a lot to be desired.  Hey, this isn't the 1970's when air travel was cool and passengers could smoke in the cabin whilst hoisting back highballs of scotch and soda that just kept flowing from happy, pretty ladies who tended to your every request.  Now you're lucky if you get a small plastic cup of Diet Coke and some complimentary pretzels while they cram you in like sardines and the overworked flight attendants barely flash a smile (Again, Delta, c'mon).  bygones.

What else?  So, my beloved doggy Oz had surgery a few weeks back.  He had some eye issues and his cornea wouldn't heal properly.  Developed 'melting cornea' syndrome which essentially means degenerative tissue loss.  He was in danger of losing his eye so we did what any adoring pet owner would do.  We forked over bank for a tissue graft.  Medicines and check-ups followed (and are still following), but he seems to be healing well and almost back to his naughty little self.  Sigh.  Still, worried about him.  Worry.

Tax day?!?  Need I say more?  

Then you have Japan tsunamis, earthquakes, the rising price of gasoline, Libya, the firing of Gilbert Godfrey as the voice of the Aflac duck.  I mean, how much can a person take?  

My solution.  Read stories like this one on the interwebs.  It suggests "Try to isolate what your thoughts are telling you and see if they are reasonable. If not, question your thoughts - why am I thinking this? Is this necessarily true? You will soon be able to monitor your responses and thereby reduce stress."  Hmm.  Isolating my thoughts?  Why didn't I think of that.  Isolate this Insomnia Connection.com. Then there is this whole fight or flight thing.  Cortisol build-up.  I'm a walking time bomb. 

I long for a simpler time when anxiety was a distant and infrequent visitor.  I want to move to Costa Rica and make tiki torches to sell to tourists by day and pour delicious libations for them to drink at night.  I want to see the stars lit up in the night sky and feel the cool tropical breezes.  Rat races are for the rats.  

I guess I'll just drink a glass of wine and take an Advil PM and see if that works.  Hamsters need to stay off the wheel for a night.  Must.  Get.  Sleep. 

Trippin

Sometimes, just sometimes, people be trippin.  

Yo.

Flash Mob Phenomenon

Been pondering the strange flash mob phenomenon as of late. Trying to wrap my head around the popularity of the seemingly spontaneous outburst of a large group of people into semi-choreographed dance or song numbers. Why are people drawn to this concept? What, at it's core, is so appealing about this type of activity? I suppose, on the surface, the novelty of it all can help to explain the initial interest. You started to see these mob dances pop up everywhere a few years ago in train stations and college campuses. It was fun and inventive. Then, others took on the flash mob concept and started to use it to make political statements and social commentary on topics such as anti-bullying, pro-choice and human rights. Nothing like getting corporations and govt. officials to take notice of a special issue like 100+ people jumping up in synchronized movement to the beat. Now, it seems, academia and cultural observers have taken to analyze the "movement." 

No surprise that a mass activity like flash mobs might spur on some critical assessment. But, what does it mean? I mean now Howie Mandel hosts a show on one of the major t.v. networks entitled "Mobbed." The premise is simple: find someone who wants to tell off a neighbor, quit a lame job or ask his girlfriend to marry him, organize a flash mob and then make a statement in a big way. Uhm, ok. What gives? Is this our age's version of plane writing in the sky? Have we realized the ineffectiveness of driving around neighborhoods with a blaring megaphone? Are we all going flash mob?

Considering this phenom a bit further, I boil down the lure of the flash mob to a couple of fundamental human needs or desires. First, we like to belong to something bigger than ourselves. We want to be a part of the action and in the know. Taking part in a cause or event provides us with a sense of purpose and meaning. I think this is one reason why people join churches, clubs and teams. Secondly, it's about making a statement. Getting noticed and having an impact. We are more than the sum of our parts and a flash mob illustrates this idea in a tangible (and rhythmic) way.

Another metaphor for a life well lived . . . Get in the action. Be a part of something bigger than you alone. Engage in the world around you even if it only lasts the length of a 3 minute song. Don't be afraid to wave your arms around a little bit. Who cares who is watching. Make a statement.

Good stuff.  Now here's a flash mob for your viewing pleasure: