It's Monday

And we all know what that means. Time for another MOTW, Manager of the Week. This next manager pays for his/her family doctor children's education with his/her constant visits. From The Night Canopy to you, Happy New Year's Eve. Enjoy and stay safe.

MOTW: Fragile Health Manager

This manager has myriad ailments, practically all of which are impossible to discern by merely looking at him/her. These illnesses have incredible timing, suddenly manifesting themselves when things begin to look grim in the office. This allows Fragile Health Manager to repeatedly disappear when things are at their worst, leaving the staff leaderless and without recourse when dealing with looming crises. During periods when things are going smoothly however, he/she is the picture of health and could model for the cover of Good Living or any other magazine that depicts stress-free, healthy lifestyle choices.

Weekend Haiku

The old cormorant keeper-
I haven't seen him
this year.

Buson (1716 - 1783)

Shine

Here is Collective Soul performing Shine acoustically. Great song. Enjoy and happy Friday.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to you and yours. Enjoy the day.

It's Monday

And we all know what that means. Time for another MOTW, Manager of the Week. Yes, each company has one of these next managers, but not for long. Do not link your career star to him/her. And by the way, happy Christmas Eve.

MOTW: Plod Along Middle Manager

Plod Along Middle Manager operates under the misapprehension that working hard, following the rules and never calling in sick will get him/her ahead in the company. He/she is an endangered species and Senior Management regularly schedules safaris where Plod Along Middle Manager is mercilessly hunted, the outcomes of which are never in doubt. Recent studies released by Forbes predict that the Plod Along Middle Manager species will be extinct within the next calendar year.

Weekend Haiku

Straw sandal half sunk
in an old pond
in the sleety snow.

Buson (1716 - 1783)

Planet P Project - Triple dose (All from Pink World)

As the post title says, here is a triple dose of Planet P Project from the otherworldly mind of Tony Carey and his awesome concept album Pink World. First up is March of the Artemites.

And now, for a more mellow frame of mind here is One Star Falling. There are so many good cuts to pick from on this album. I just picked these three. 

Finally, the ultra mellow The Stranger. Enjoy and happy Friday.

Irony

In a country where Facebook is banned, Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has a Facebook page. Nice!

Does he or doesn't he?

Does batman really smell? I guess you would have to ask Robin. Anyway, 'tis the season and my boys are singing the Jingle Bells parody constantly. So here is Jimmy Fallon channeling his inner Bob Dylan doing the same. So short but so good. Enjoy.

It's Monday

And we all know what that means. Time for another MOTW, Manager of the Week. It is that time of the year and so, since 'tis the season, we bring you this next manager.

MOTW: Pontius Pilate Manager

Pontius Pilate Manager has the uncanny ability to completely absolve himself/herself of any blame attached to any unfortunate results produced by his/her staff and get away with it. This elusive quality, combined with feigning ignorance about bad outcomes in his/her unit is referred to by Pontius Pilate Manager as empowerment, a word Senior Management tends to go glassy-eyed and drool over. Using this combination of tactics Pontius Pilate Manager has survived numerous fiascos in his/her checkered career without so much as a scratch. Pontius Pilate Manager also rarely catches colds as he/she washes his/her hands frequently. (Sorry, couldn’t resist.)

Weekend Haiku

Spring going-
birds weeping, tears
in the eyes of fish.

Basho (1644 - 1694)

Weekend Haiku

A village without bells-
how do they live?
spring dusk.

Basho (1644 - 1694)

Weekend Haiku

The beginning of art-
a rice-planting song
in the backcountry.

Basho (1644 - 1694)

Night Drive

From the 1980 film American Gigolo's soundtrack, here is Giorgio Moroder's Night Drive. Enjoy and happy Friday.

Happy 12/12/12

We won't see this date again for a while...not in this century at least. That is all.

It's Monday

And we all know what that means. Time for another MOTW, Manager of the Week. This next manager read a lot of Dear Abby columns in his/her youth.

MOTW: Counselor Manager

Took a few psychology classes in college and did fairly well in them. Prefaces most remarks with the phrase, “You know X, my door is always open…”

Weekend Haiku

The winter storm
hid in the bamboo grove
and quieted away.

Basho (1644 - 1694)

Energize Me

After Forever performs Energize Me. Floor Jansen is currently touring with Nightwish as their lead singer after their falling out with Anette Olzon. Personally I think she is a better fit for them  and I look forward to the sound of Nightwish with Floor if they decide to continue together after the tour is over. Enjoy and happy Friday.

BDGA 2012

Here is a montage of some disc golfing events and general play of the Broward Disc Golf Association during 2012. It is a great club and I am proud to be a member. The song is Disc Golf Life by Rootstand. Bang chains!!

An amazing optical illusion

Watch this video. It is only 2 minutes and it is quite interesting.

It's Monday

And we all know what that means. Time for another MOTW, Manager of the Week. We all have experienced this next manager and our respect for him/her dwindles even more with each F-bomb he/she lets fly.

MOTW: Foul Mouthed Manager

Despite company policy to the contrary, Foul Mouthed Manager engages in diatribes directed at his/her staff which are heavily laced with imprecations, the kind which would make a sailor on shore leave redden with embarrassment. Whenever a representative of the Human Resources department comes within earshot however, Foul Mouthed Manager’s vocabulary miraculously becomes as pristine as a virgin wildlife refuge.

Weekend Haiku

Lighting one candle
with another candle-
spring evening.

Buson (1716 - 1783)

Swimming Pool

Here is Camera Obscura performing Swimming Pool live. This is the only video of them performing this song live I could find uploaded on YouTube. It seems to be a show in some Spanish speaking country because Tracyanne Campbell translates the title of the song and then says thank you in Spanish at the end of the perfromnace. Enjoy and happy Friday.

No surprise here...

Singapore Airlines wins best airline for the 17th year in a row. Good to see one of my favorite airlines (although these days I rarely get to fly it) be at number 5, Cathay Pacific. I always enjoyed the wonderful way that they treat you on that airline, even in coach.

It's Monday

And we all know what that means. Time for another MOTW, Manager of the Week. Have you been fishing lately? If your catch is a big one, sometimes along with it you pull out one of these hitchhikers. No one likes them, and no one likes working for them either.

MOTW: Parasite Manager

Like a remora, this manager clings to any bigger, shark-like manager and survives by cleaning up said manager’s messes and nourishing himself/herself off of that manager’s scraps. Parasite Manager’s career follows the path of his/her host regardless of whether the end state is good or bad.

Weekend Haiku

Not very anxious
to bloom,
my plum tree.

Issa (1763 - 1827)

Happy Thanksgiving

To all U.S. based readers, happy turkey day to you and yours. Enjoy the day.

I have always suspected this...

And it is why I only have a basic black and white Laserjet at home. I also have very strict rules about how much it can be used and when. I know I will soon have to break down and buy a color printer for the kids and their homework projects, but I am holding out as long as I can. After all, I really like Veuve Clicquot, GH Mumm, Piper Heidsieck, et al. 

Bazinga!

Flash mob on the set of the Big Bang Theory including cast and crew.

It's Monday

And we all know what that means. Time for another MOTW, Manager of the Week. Every company needs one of these next managers. There needs to be a balance though between observation, facts, analyses and gut feel.

MOTW: Analytical Manager

As the name says, this manager analyzes and debates every last detail to death. Discusses everything from every angle, but never takes any action. Generally analyzes himself/herself into an early grave but not before getting fifty different opinions and analyses about the type of casket.

Weekend Haiku

On the cow shed
a hard winter rain;
cock crowing.

Basho (1644 - 1694)

Treat

There could not be a more apropos name for a tune. You are in for a treat listening to this Santana instrumental. This is my all time favorite Santana tune. It is from the first album in 1970 and it gets lost amidst all the hits the band eventually produced. It is not radio friendly and so gets short shrift. Think about it. 42 years ago they were producing music like this. It is so sweet. Greg Rolie is a virtuoso on the piano and Santana, well he's just Santana. Enough said. Enjoy and happy Friday.

Major record surpassed

The man nicknamed the "Flea" surpassed Pele's mark of 75 goals in a calendar year on Sunday night, and he is only 25 years old. There has always been a debate over who has been the best soccer player in the world with Argentina and Brazil doing their best to own the bragging rights due to their national treasures, Maradona and Pele. Lionel Messi may be better than both of them by the time his career is over. We will just have to wait and see.

It's Monday

And we all know what that means. Time for another MOTW, Manager of the Week. There is a reason successful comedians get paid what they do. It is because their jokes are funny and genuinely make us laugh. Unfortunately this next manager thinks he/she is funny, but really is not. That means working for him/her is not funny either.

MOTW: Comedic Manager

Tries to see the humor in everything and say something funny about it. The jokes are usually bad and unless the remarks are kept light and fresh this style wears thin very quickly. Nevertheless the staff always laughs politely.

Weekend Haiku

Cricket
chirping
in a scarecrow's belly.

Issa (1763 - 1827)

Chains

A documentary about the sport I love so much. There is a funny part when a couple of the guys are in a food mart and they tell the guy they are disc golf pros. The guy responds with "Disco pros?" I laughed out loud because quite a few times when I have told people I disc golf they look at me and say "Disco??"

Also, quite a bit of the film focuses on Ken Climo. I love the part when he says, "I play the course. I attack the course."

So true. Too many guys out there focus on beating the other guys on their card instead of trying to beat the course. It's golf which means it is you against the course. Bang chains!

Vote today!

If you didn't send in an absentee ballot and you didn't participate in early voting, get out there today and enjoy your right as a citizen of this great country to have your voice heard. Make sure you vote!

It's Monday

And we all know what that means. Time for another MOTW, Manager of the Week. It is bad to be associated with this next manager. It is as if you are always subjected to inclement weather.

MOTW: Dark Cloud Manager

Although he/she may be a good person nothing ever seems to go right for Dark Cloud Manager either in his/her professional or personal life. Extreme caution should be applied when dealing with this manager. Care should be taken to limit contact as much as possible. Avoid meetings, work groups or any other situation where Dark Cloud Manager is present as contamination with this type of karma can occur due to overexposure, as well as the ever-present danger of guilt by association. As Cliché Manager would undoubtedly observe, “Birds of a feather flock together.”

Weekend Haiku

Green leaves,
white water,
the barley yellowing.

Buson (1716 - 1783)

Happy Birthday

To Chris Walla, guitarist of Death Cab for Cutie. He turns 37 today.

Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair

The incomparable Nina Simone performing Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair with Emil Latimer. This is seven minutes of pure musical genius. There will never be another Nina Simone. Enjoy and happy Friday.

Get your Volt now!

Crazy Barry wants your business.

It's Monday

And we all know what that means. Time for another MOTW, Manager of the Week. Everyone should have the experience of working for this next manager at least once in their career. It certainly makes things interesting and helps build the dealing with uncertainty competency, among other things.

MOTW: Psycho Manager

Jumps on tables and bursts into show tunes without warning. Sometimes wears inappropriate things on his/her head. Uses props, squints a lot and mutters under his/her breath to no one in particular. The staff is convinced he/she is an axe murderer in his/her spare time, but is too afraid to ask or find out.

Weekend Haiku

Ducks bobbing on the water-
are they also, tonight,
hoping to get lucky?

Issa (1763 - 1827)

The man who sailed around his soul

My favorite all-time XTC song. Here is The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul off of the album Skylarking. This song is pure genius.  I don't usually put these up but here are the lyrics. Not enough songs today have lyrics like these. Enjoy and happy Friday.

The man who sailed around his soul
From East to West, from pole to pole
With ego as his drunken captain
Greed, the mutineer, had trapped all reason in the hold

The man who walked across his heart
Who took no compass, guide or chart
To rope and tar his blood congealed
When he found his self revealed ugly and cold

And the sirens that sing
By your nose with its ring
They'll drag you in
For your sins

Now he sits all alone
And it's no place like home
It's empty skin
A bag to keep life's souvenirs in
The man who sailed around his soul
The man who sailed around his soul

The man who sailed around his soul
Came back again to find a hole
Where once he thought compassion and the truth
Had laid to warm his freezing carcass on return

The man who walked across his heart
Was doomed to journey from the start
Of every love affair he'd broken
All the lies he'd ever spoken
Tattooed on his arm
And the jellyfish stings
Even angels with wings
Who look too deep
And dare to peep

Now he sits all alone
Knowing flesh blood and bone
Is everything
He found the treasure he'd been seeking
The man who sailed around his soul

Wow!

Never thought I would live to see the day. When you lose uber-liberal David Letterman have you lost the election? Interesting that even old Dave feels let down by Mr. Obama.

Hmm...

Emails prove White House knew of terrorist claims in Benghazi attack two hours after the attack occurred. Perhaps we needed more horses and bayonets on site in Libya (and less mention of the infamous YouTube video), especially since additional security been requested and denied prior to the incident that took the lives of four Americans, including the ambassador.

Also, for the record, we actually DO HAVE MORE BAYONETS in the armed forces now than in 1916. Today there are over 200,000 marines and every single one still learns to use bayonets in their basic martial arts training. In 1916, the entire U.S. Army numbered approximately 110,000 troops and the Marines were a miniscule force. Sarcasm and condesencion, while being ill-mannered traits, only work if you know what you are talking about.

Early Voting

Early voting in Florida begins this Saturday, October 27th and ends Saturday, November 3, 2012. Voting times are from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. each day. And of course, regular voting is all day Tuesday, November, 6th so get out and vote. Here is the link to locations in Palm Beach County for early voting.

It's Monday

And we all know what that means. Time for another MOTW, Manager of the Week. Diversity is a huge buzzword and necessity in corporate culture. It has many advantages. This next manager, however, is not one of them.

MOTW: Culturally Different Manager

Brought in from some remote part of the globe, this manager looks at everything differently, has strange ideas and makes comments that mystify everyone. The jury is still out on what the purpose is of bringing in a manager of this ilk, other than to keep everyone guessing and talking.

Weekend Haiku

Blown from the west,
fallen leaves gather
in the east.

Buson (1716 - 1783)

Beggin

Here is Madcon performing Beggin. The original was performed by Franky Valli and The Four Seasons.  Enjoy and happy Friday.

Some props for Disc Golf

 

The Town Hall Debate had three candidates debating instead of two

Taken directly from the Presidential Debate Contract Memo of Understanding Section 7, Additional Rules applicable to the October 16th debate.

"The moderator will not ask follow-up questions or comment on either the questions asked by the audience or the answers of the candidates during the debate or otherwise intervene in the debate except to acknowledge the questioners from the audience or enforce time limits, and invite candidate comments during the 2 minute response time."

Oh dear, I do believe Miss Crowley severely violated that rule. I think I preferred Jim Lehrer from the first debate to Candy Crowley because he was so clueless that at least he did not flagrantly violate the rules in his role as moderator.. Here is what the Washington Post had to say about Ms. Crowley's egregious conduct last night.

Happy Birthday

To Slim Shady, Marshall Bruce Mathers III or Eminem, whichever you prefer. The rapper, songwriter, actor and record producer turns forty today. Even if you dislike rap, you can't deny that the man is talented.

Atlas Shrugged, Part II - The Movie

My wife and I went to see this film last night. While still small by Hollywood standards, producers Harmon Kaslow, John Aglialoro & Jeff Freilich had a bigger budget to work with this time around and it shows in some of the scenes. The entire cast has changed as well. In my opinion most changes were for the better and one for the worse. While I liked the movie I was extremely disappointed that Taylor Schilling did not reprise her role as the central character of Dagny Taggart, I thought she really nailed the role to perfection in Part I (see my review here) and I think that Samantha Mathis, while good in the role, did not portray Dagny's  resiliency and leadership qualities as forcefully as she should have. The rest of the characters are as good or better than Part I.

The movie's backdrop and settings have an eerie quality to them, as they juxtapose an exaggerated version of our current reality with Rand's 1950's vision of the socio-economic environment. John Putch's direction is steady and while some of the dialogue is clunky, I have to say that the adapted screenplay is extremely faithful to Rand's opus and the salient points are chosen and depicted well in various scenes of the film. Overall, I was extremely satisfied with the movie, thus happy with the choice of time and money spent going to see this second part of the possible trilogy. Value for money. I am sure Ayn Rand would want it no other way. 

Uncle Vik done at Citi

Huge news from the financial sector. Citigroup's Vikram Pandit has stepped down as CEO. His sidekick, President and COO John Havens has also resigned. Havens came with Vikram from Old Lane and when you link your star so closely to one individual, when that individual goes, typically so do you. There had been rumblings for quite a while now that it was time for a change, and the change has now become a reality. Is this the reason for his exit? The article also states that some of Citi's staff heard about Mr. Pandit's departure from the media before they received the internal announcement.Citigroup's board of directors has appointed Michael Corbat, who headed the bank's operations in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, as the bank's new CEO. Let us hope that this leadership change moves the needle positively in terms of shareholder value.

I love football season

And not just because I get to watch my team play. From Peter King's Monday Morning Quarterback column, here is a tweet he picked up during yesterday's action. I love it. So true, so true...it just seems week in, week out, it's all Tebow, all the time.

"A man just jumped from outer space and landed safely back on our planet. ... And now back to our coverage of Tim Tebow.''

-- @RVacchianoNYDN, Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News, after Felix Baumgartner jumped from 24 miles above earth and landed safely Sunday, and while Tebow was in the midst of throwing a 23-yard fake punt-pass to a benchwarming linebacker.

It's Monday

And we all know what that means. Time for another MOTW, Manager of the Week. Have you ever had someone take credit for your work? Have you ever been to a party where someone constantly strives to be the center of attention for the entire evening? Chances are that they are this next manager at work.

MOTW: Prima Donna Manager

Must be seen and heard constantly. Tends to communicate in a forceful, blustery manner and takes credit for everyone else’s work. Undertakes infinite projects at once and works 24/7 on marketing his/her carefully crafted image to Senior Management. Subordinates are tolerated only to the point where they make him/her look good.

Weekend Haiku

Face of the spring moon-
about twelve years old,
I'd say.

Issa (1763 - 1827)

The Veep Debate

Last night Vice President Joe Biden and Congressman Paul Ryan squared off in the one and only vice-presidential debate of this volatile election campaign. I am not going to go into who I thought won or lost the debate. My only comment is this. If my child had behaved himself in a school debate the way Mr. Biden did last night he would at minimum receive a stern warning from his coaches and the moderator and at worst be removed from the debate and the team. Mr. Biden's boorish behavior included snickering, eye-rolling, mugging for the camera, constantly interrupting what is supposed to be sacrosanct response time and condescendingly referring to Mr. Ryan as "my friend" when Mr. Ryan had asked to be addressed as Mr. Ryan.

This type of behavior has no place in a middle school debate, let alone one in which we are supposed to be judging the character and behavior of the person who is a heartbeat away from the presidency. I am glad my children did not watch this immature display by the nation's sitting Vice President. It was unseemly, ill-mannered and not at all representative of what I desire the comportment of the holder of the country's second highest office to be. After last night, no matter how many times Mr. Biden may repeat the phrase "my friend" to Mr. Ryan in the future I highly doubt Mr. Ryan will consider Mr. Biden his friend.

Kiss From A Rose

Here is Duke performing Seal's Kiss From A Rose like you have never heard it before.These guys are sick. Enjoy and happy Friday.

The Master

My wife and I went to see this movie last night. Here is Roger Ebert's review. My own review is not so charitable. Leaving this movie we had one question. Why did we waste two plus hours of our lives on this film? Paul Thomas Anderson is a very good director. I thoroughly enjoyed Boogie Nights and There Will Be Blood, but his latest offering is just no good. Several reviews have described the movie as opaque or oblique. One review breathlessly and gleefully describes the movie as "defying understanding" as if that's a good thing. Look, I like symbolism as much as the next guy and I get allegory when it is done well.  This movie however, is a cryptic journey to nowhere and with a crappy ending to boot. My own word for this film would be vacuous. 

Sure, Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman do a very good job acting their roles, the former as a hard drinking, debauched and tormented lout and the latter as a glib, paternalistic, rotund yet dapper Svengali-like character supposedly inspired by L. Ron Hubbard. Trust me, their acting is about the only good thing in this movie and it is nowhere near enough to carry the day. The film is long, boring and senseless. If you have someone you don't like or that has recently been bothering you, recommend The Master to them. You will be glad you did.

2012 USDGC

With two rounds in the books "The Disc Golf Guy" interviews Ken Climo and Ricky Wysocki. There is great footage of some of the pinpoint drives and putts these pros are making at the tournament.

I'm so sorry...

For all my Venezuelan friends. Don't lose heart.

It's Monday

And we all know what that means. Time for another MOTW, Manager of the Week. Ah yes, visions, or rather delusions of grandeur. That is what this next manager possesses. Whether or not you are included in these visions is debatable, which The Night Canopy thinks is a good thing.

MOTW: Visionary Manager

Visionary Manager and Big Picture Manager are Siamese twins that were separated at birth. Due to this Visionary Manager shares practically all traits with his/her twin, but also possesses the added ability to charismatically convince people that his/her ideas are actual business plans that should be adopted. Invariably these “visions” are delusional, sweeping statements with very little practical strategy, tactics or details about how to put them into practice. The higher up Visionary Manager is in the company the more trouble the company gets into trying to implement his/her ideas.