Poets Day US

I am not sure how y’all dealing with this but I am in denial big time, my longest ever bed time partner is leaving me and I am not sure how to handle it. I am in major denial at the moment, trying to pretend it isn’t really happening but tonight is the last night I go to bed with Dave and I am scared of what the future holds. Dave is the King of Late Night, I was too young for Carson and I am not a big chin fan. Dave is a huge part of our culture whether we know it or not. I have a hugely talented and successful comedian friend, who wanted to get on the show for 30 years, almost did recently but it never happened and now it never will. Another great friend did the show recently and my incredibly talented brother even had a ‘Letterman’ story in case he ever got the chance to be on the show. He had a ‘Letterman’ story, not a ‘Late night chat show story’ but a Letterman story, that is how amazing Dave is, and I will call him Dave as even though he has no idea who I am, I feel like I ...

I have far more important things to do on a Friday morning than write a blog. I work in Sales damn it, I need to look at the weather, check the rugby scores from the games played back in NZ on Friday (timezones = awesomeness), work out my plans for the weekend and pretend to respond to emails from customers. I definitely don't have time to write a silly Poets Day blog. Can you imagine what would happen if the people working in the NOC (somewhere in India I guess, hell I don't know, I work in Sales) found out I was sitting here pounding out some drivel when they are actively working trouble tickets and supporting my customers (at least that is what I presume they do, I have no idea, I work in sales). And the developers (not sure why we need developers as I don't have a film camera any more and don't know anyone who does)...oh, someone just told me they were software developers, I have no idea what that means. What if these "software developers" found out I ...

It has been an interesting week, transitioning from working from home to working in an office, and not actually in an office at the office but in a cubicle with walls so low that I get to see the mug of the person sitting across from me every time I look up (I try not to look up too much). 3 years of working in underpants and maybe a shirt to now having to drive 24 odd miles (that is 38km for those in the modern metric age) each way, uphill, in the snow, to look at someone’s head over a cubicle wall. Even worse I have to wear clean(ish) clothes. Now in all honesty it hasn’t been that bad, the office dwellers that I have joined are a friendly bunch (I have to say that as a couple of them might have someone read this to them) and I know a few from my previous office working days. It would be nice to discuss the latest rugby scores around the water cooler but even the token South African in the office knows nothing of the sport so instead I guess today we will talk about (spoiler a...

When it comes to writing a blog :) I love to read, testimony to this is the number of books stashed under the bed as I don't have shelf space for them all. I actually keep a book list on Google docs so that when I buy books I know what I have already read. Sometimes I reread books as with my memory I usually forget most of what I read anyway, but for that brief moment of time on the white reading chair or when I am on a plane I devour books. However sometimes blogs just don't do it for me, maybe it is because I like holding a book, thumbing through the pages, just that intrinsic feel of paper and print makes it special. No Kindle for me. Ok, back to the subject of size. I was going to read a blog today but at the top it said 'Reading Time  - 12 mins', now I know this is helpful to some but to me that just meant reading time = 0 mins as I x'ed out of the blog. Same goes for long winded emails and wordy presentations, I zone out, look for the interesting bi...

"You have a problem with that" Well as well all know Johnny did end up having a problem with that - a Crane kick to the face that has resulted in numerous torn hamstrings as kids (and kids at heart) tried to replicate it. I am sure you are right now thinking 'da'fuck James, what are you pontificating about this time?' Well let me elaborate. Sometimes what we perceive as a weakness can actually be a strength. When you see those brightly colored tree frogs in the Amazon (or on Discovery Channel) we all think that they must be stupid, camouflage is the name of the game in the jungle. But no, what these brightly colored frogs are saying (apart from the fact that they look fabulous) is that they are poisonous little buggers. Johnny went after what he perceived was the weakness however that leg sweep led directly to a case of foot-to-kisser and a bunch of crappy sequels. Recently someone implied that I needed to act more seriously (he may have said professiona...

    I was chatting to a friend the other day about different management techniques and I commented that some people will crash a boat 10 times then blame the iceberg. We both found that amusing (as we have experienced that in our many combined years of working in Corporate wherever) but also found it a little disconcerting that it was so true. Surely we have evolved enough as humans to realize that sometimes the best way is to ask for guidance or help, otherwise we will run out of orchestras and Leo DiCaprio's (not necessarily a bad thing). Someone has to steer the ship but there needs to be collaboration. The person on the helm (really getting into this ship analogy right now) needs input from the Navigator, Engineering and the Radar Operator. Back in the olden days they had lookouts posted on the bow and up the mast, now we have radar, sonar and GPS to help plot the route. Without those external inputs the person on the helm might miss the iceberg but chances of getting you ...

It is a little known fact that today is Australia History Month Day. I have decided to share some of the most important things about Australia that you may not be aware of on this historical Poets Day. Now some of you may know that I am a huge fan of all things Australian, like Phar Lap, Pavlova, Crowded House, Russell Crowe and of course the Lord of the Rings movies. What has this to do with Poets Day you may ask. Well many of the people that emigrated to Australia had to work hard all week (mainly because they were convicts) and unfortunately could not really Piss Off as they were in shackles. Actually, nothing to do with Poets Day at all really I just felt like sharing this historic occasion with y'all and also these little known Australian facts: A boomerang that won't come back is called a stick The Great Sandy desert is in fact a great big sandy desert People with Red hair are called Blue, People with Blue hair are called Ethel or Grandma The aboriginal word for...