Peter Bregman

My brother has a mancrush on Peter Bregman. Yeah bro, I just called you out. 

To the untrained eye PB may look like just a regular guy, but dig deeper and you'll discover that he is so much more. Take a closer look at Mr. Bregman and you'll see that he is the epitome of cool. He exudes charisma. He bleeds authenticity.
 
Dan's been pushing this guys writing and business blog on anyone who'll listen, and for a while, I ignored it as a fleeting soapbox. When the enthusiasm refused to wane, I finally took the plunge and checked out some of his stuff. It's fantastic. I'm drinking the PB Kool-Aid. Cheers, Dan.
 
The guy is a brilliant professional. His weekly blog discusses common workplace obstacles in an effort to simplify and resolve them. His writing style is so humble and authentic that it's hard not to relate to him. The irony is that all of his business advice can also be applied to ordinary person to person situations.
 
Check out his work when you have a chance, it'll wow you. I have to believe that this is not the only time I'll be giving a shout out to PB in this blog. Just tonight I found my self fist bumping the air after he summarized an idea I've always believed in:

Anyone can do anything as long as three conditions exist:

1. You want to achieve it
2. You believe you can achieve it
3. You enjoy trying to achieve it

Ollie

The following is an excerpt from an e-mail conversation I had with Dan today, centered around a childhood toy.

Dan: WTF was this thing named? Ollie?


Me: no, I think Ollie was an amorphous horse-like thing we sat on.

Dan: Best Sentence of 2009: "I think Ollie was an amorphous horse-like thing we sat on"

Me: OMG



Dan: OMFG

Me: To find a photo I googled "80's ride toy yellow" and it came up immediately. Ollie impacted a lot of lives. You can get one@ http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/bab/1288384838.html

Dan: I will get this for you if you will keep it in your backyard and ride it when you are hammered.

Me: Dude I absolutely would. No doubt. I'd also bring it to work and leave it tied up to a post outside my cube, no explanation.

Dan: It would be awesome bringing it on the plane as carry-on

Dan to Craigslist seller:

Greetings,

Do you still have this toy? If so, I would like to purchase it. I lack a vehicle to pick it up though, so would you consider delivering it to my residence in La Jolla?

Also, you mention the nose is completely broken off. Do you have the nose? Or is it lost forever?

Cheers

hide-n-seek

Jim has this game he plays with the dogs that he used to always play with Auron too. It’s a version of hide-n-seek that goes like this:

He'll start playing with the dogs until they are completely hyped up. He throws one of their toys across the house, and while they run for it, he hides.

His usual spots are in the shower, in a closet, etc.
The dogs then return to continue playing, but Jim is missing. Bruno usually panics.

It’s so funny but kind of sad because they can so clearly smell him, and know he was just there, but they don’t really put it together to really look around for him.

They’ll often come into the room he’s in but only look straight ahead when he’s right behind them. Then, as soon as they run out, he makes a noise and they’re back again.
On average it only takes about two minutes for Jim to be discovered, at which point the dogs insist on licking him obsessively for several minutes (they worry he is dirty from hiding).

Happy Hour

"Whoever invented happy hour should have a religion named after them or something. It's the hour after work when you realize life doesn't suck anymore."
-Daniel White 7.22.09

morning musings

1. Bruno's training class is actually making a huge difference. I was more than a little skeptical about it having any impact but it's really helping. Minus the fact that he dragged his bed outside yesterday (through the doggy door - small wonder) and chewed it into a million pieces. Baby steps.

2. I spent several hours reading friends' blogs this week, and have become even more inspired to keep up with mine. If for nothing else, what a glorified way to remember the little things.

3. Home ownership continues to grow on me, but there are so many small incidents that keep the learning curve alive. For instance:
-What does one do when you find a lizard in your hall closet?
-Who says you can't vacuum your dog?

4. Jim will get embarrassed that I'm writing this but I find myself falling more in love with you all the time :)

5. I have the best girlfriends ever.

6. I am going to try my best to not complain about the heat this summer. What's the point.

7. Keeping up with two bookclubs is harder than I thought (see # 1)