Weekend Haiku

The holes in the wall
play the flute
this autumn evening.

Issa (1763-1827)

Ocean Gypsy

I'm going back a few years here, but boy do I love this band. Here is Ocean Gypsy from Renaissance. Isn't Annie's voice angelic and the piano plus chorus in the bridge uplifting? It's just a haunting yet beautiful song, period. They just don't make bands like this anymore. Enjoy and happy Friday.

If you liked that song, check out Annie in action here singing Carpet of the Sun.

More new ways to treat chronic pain

This WSJ article describes some of the newer, more radical methods attempting to treat chronic pain. Me, I think I will stick with hot chili peppers.

More Americans postponing retirement

Ouch! This U.S. News and World Report article cites six reasons more Americans are postponing retirement until past the age of 65. It reports that the number of Americans planning to retire before age 65 has dropped from 50 percent in 1996 to 29 percent today. The reasons should not surprise you and few of them have to do with reasons other than economic ones. When are you planning to retire or are you there already?

Do you love a good steak?

This WSJ article talks about what goes into producing a good piece of mouthwatering steak and bemoans the fate of the beef we generally eat nowadays.

It's Monday

And we all know what that means. Time for another MOTW, Manager of the Week. This next manager may remind you of a family member or perhaps even yourself. There is even a show about this habit where it crosses the line and becomes an illness. The show is called Hoarders.

MOTW: Pack Rat Manager

Pack Rat Manager’s office resembles a stuffed to the gills consignment store and you need to come equipped with a shoehorn should you be summoned in for a meeting. Every crevice is filled with old files, papers, binders, books, magazines, electronic media and other assorted office paraphernalia including bits of old string all because, “It might be useful some day.” Typically, after an annual faux cleaning exercise by Pack Rat Manager, a file comes to light which would have been critical to a past project’s success, but is now merely a hazy memory of a missed business opportunity.