Happy Pi Day!

Things to be thankful for:

• Pi Day - 3.14
• Sleeping children
• Hot, strong coffee
• Home appliances in good working order
• Herman Miller Aeron chair
• The internets
• A knowledgeable, compassionate doctor
• Lunch with a good friend

Grateful for Friends

Hello Friends.

Some of you know that my favorite artist is in ill health. This week he has traveled to the renowned Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He is undergoing numerous tests and his illness is being evaluated (characterized?) by the world expert in his particular illness.

It has been a rough few months for our family, and this week it feels like the stress has ratcheted up a notch - probably because we are out of our routines and comfort zones.

I am grateful to my family and friends who continue to call, write, think about, and pray for us. I know we are lucky to have the means to send him to the Clinic, and we are so very fortunate to have you all supporting us. Thank you for your love and kind thoughts.

If you'd like to keep up with him, the artist occasionally posts sketchbook-photos from his travels on his phonecam blog.

Monday, Monday

I managed to read the AOM paper again this weekend. It's starting to come easier - one more time through and I'll probably be confident enough to actually begin the review itself. I better get a move on, though - final reviews are due February 13.

Schools across the region are closed today due to the cold - it was -1 degree F when I left home this morning. Luckily, my 10-year-old Saturn coughed to life on the first turn of the key in the ignition. One more thing to be thankful for!

The work week promises to be extremely busy, with one new project being added to my personal book of work and two smaller ones being transitioned to other PMs.

East Meets West Columbus

For months I have been downloading and listening to the Alan Watts podcasts. While some of his language is dated, sometimes the thoughts he expresses are crystal clear and transcendant. It's like having your own personal Zen master whack you hard between the eyes.

If you're interested in Eastern thought, you really should check out these free recordings. It's important to note - they aren't a complete and comprehensive study. They're 15-minutes free samples that entice you to purchase the complete recordings. That can be frustrating when Watts makes some brilliant connection or seemingly outrageous pronouncement and the end-of-the-podcast drumbeats kick in!

I'm not complaining, though. I'm grateful to Mark Watts, Alan's son, for making these free recordings available. I likely never would have heard them otherwise.

TGIF

This week was soooooo busy. (That sentence reminds me of when the kids were babies, and we said they were "Sooooooo big!") But the Meg Wheatley lecture on Tuesday was a huge lift and so sustaining that the rest of this stressful week was also extremely productive and positive. So, I am grateful.

I am also grateful that my favorite artist was able to attend the Joel Meyerowitz lecture at Otterbein the next evening. He, too, was apparently renewed by his "brush with greatness."

The cherry on the top of the week: the artist brought home a 4-pack of organic Cru D'or. Heaven.