The Eastside vs. Seattle Mentality

How large is your school bus?

A year and a half ago, I was conversing with media commentator and web-celeb Julia Baugher (better known as Julia Allison / @juliaallison) about the challenge of paring-down the size of your network to something manageable. In the end, we decided that it was a topic ripe for a dissertation:

Enter 2011. The indefatigable Eric Koester, a published author (his most recent book can be purchased here), well-known technology attorney, and tireless supporter of innovative non-profits, graced me with a nugget of wisdom on this topic that is so inspirational I simply must share it. Mr. Koester, the humble man that he is, would be the first to tell you that the ideas I’m about to explain are not his own, but rather came to him from his mother, who is obviously quite wise herself, so all credit goes to her.

Years (perhaps decades) ago, Mrs. Koester approached her blossoming young son Eric, and kindly asked him to sit down for a moment, for she was going to teach him about his Yellow School Bus.

“Eric,” she began, “everyone on this planet has their own school bus. Each person’s bus is of a different size, seating a different number of people.” Eric listened intently, trying to ascertain what exactly it was she was getting at.

“The people seated on your school bus are the people you interact with, the people who you respect, the people you make time for. Going through life, you’ll meet thousands of people, and if you try to stuff them all onto your bus so that you can keep in touch with them, you’ll find that invariably, some of them will be forced to stand in the aisles. If your bus gets too full, you neglect the relationships you have with the people you value most.”

“I see,” Eric said, signaling his attentiveness and politely awaiting the conclusion of the story.

“The solution,” she continued, “is to maintain a bus with the appropriate number of people on it such that nobody is left standing in the aisle, and also to have a section at the front of your bus for your closest relationships, your inner-circle. These seats at the front of your bus are permanent seats. By making it clear to these cherished people that they’ve got a permanent seat at the front of your bus, they’ll be likely to reciprocate in kind. This mutual respect will pay dividends, and together you will thrive with the help and support of the riders seated at the front of your bus.”

Eric pondered the wise words he’d just heard from his mother. He thought about the many relationships he’d built over the last few years, and the fantastic people he’d met. He realized that she was right–it would be impossible to stay in touch with all of those amazing people. It was time to be more selective, it was time to decide how many people could be safely seated on his bus, and who he would select to sit in the front.

It’s time to take a look at your own bus. Do you see anyone who has been neglected, who has been relegated to standing in the aisle? How many people can safely fit on your bus? Who is on your bus, and do each and every one of them deserve to be there?

Visit Eric Koester’s Blog / View Eric’s TED Talk from TEDxTucson

Soup Delivery

Cameron: “Want to run around Greenlake some night this week? Lots of meetings this week–I have availability after 11:30pm.”
Becca: “No. Wanna run _DURING THE DAY_? A revolutionary idea–I know.”
Cameron: “Running during the day went out of style five years ago.

So I’ll consider it.

Because you know how stuff that was cool last decade invariably becomes cool again, and you *KNOW* I need to be ahead of the curve on that shit.”

[We set a date to meet up.]

Cameron: “Are we still on for 7?”
Becca: “I’m going to flake. I feel and look like shit. Although I am currently accepting soup delivery.”
Cameron: “Is that what they’re calling it these days?“

A Considerate Young Man

What a considerate young man my cousin is! He’s got the good nature to know that bleeding inside a Cayenne Turbo is strictly verboten!:

Bravo!

Yellow-on-Yellow Crime

Stupid Hippies.

Yay capitalism.

In A Van By The River

G-Chat Safety

Clarissa: why are you alone right now
and not with your duchess
Cameron: I’m GChatting her
right
now
Clarissa: G-Sex
use protection!
even on the interwebs

Proud to call yourself a Catholic?

If so, I feel sorry for you.

Try reading this and tell me you’re still proud:

Worlds Without Women – The New York Times

Cameron: “Man, it’s a really bad time to call yourself a Catholic. I’d be ashamed if I called myself a Catholic. It is sickening.”

Ryan: “That’s quite the blanket statement, bud. If that’s your logical [sic], there’s no group, nationality, etc. to proudly associate with.”

Cameron: “Catholicism isn’t a group to proudly associate with, unless you’re in support of child rape.”

Wining and Dining: A Cost-Benefit Analysis

Excel model not attached (I don’t want to be labeled sexist when I run for [and consequently win] a US Senate seat in 2022).

It says Jackie, not Marilyn.

Penelope: we’re gonna stroll through Nolita then grab dinner at his favorite place!
so romantic
so cute
i’m gonna die
cameron
i’m not good under dating pressure
Me: you def can’t go in there nervous
Penelope: well at least i’ll be superficially confident
bought a smoking dress
not slutty
it says jackie, not marilyn
& makes him wonder what’s underneath

Yelp Is For Hookers And Blow

We Need a Yelp Italy – Yelp

Touche’

Privacy vs. Transparency

A little exchange I had regarding privacy (which I do not really value as highly as I value transparency). I learned that not everyone shares my values, and that, for many, eschewing Google products is the most appropriate choice:

Thanks for allowing me to learn something new, Steve!

Opinion: Why I’m dropping Google: Google Buzz, blog deletions show the search giant doesn’t respect users’ privacy – Computer World

Mature, Adult Relationships