Over the last couple of weeks, I noticed that many people try to complete jobs by doing everything at once instead of breaking the job into smaller manageable tasks. Many times they get stuck trying to figure out where to start. Some people get so overwhelmed with trying to start that they end up procrastinating.  This is especially true if the job isn’t time-critical in their eyes. If they don’t procrastinate and start working on whatever part of the job they see, they might eventually complete the job. It hinges on the dependencies of the job. Seeing the big picture is good....

I just got back from the 2010 Northern California Jamboree. The theme was 100 years of Boy Scouting. It was held at the Alameda County Fair grounds. There were an estimated 20,000 scouts and scouters in attendance from 11 Boy Scout councils. It was pretty amazing to see that many Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Venture Scouts, Sea Scouts, and the Order of the Arrow in the same place. I believe I saw some brownies and some Girl Scouts there as well. Our Venture Crew, Crew 515, had a great time watching and participating in the scouting exhibits. One of the exhibits I enjoyed most was the Scouting...

We are constantly reminded about pollution and its effect on global warming.  We hear warnings from scientists that society needs to change its habits or the damage to our climate will be irreversible. The scientists keep talking about this thing called a carbon footprint.  In a nutshell, carbon footprint refers to the greenhouse gas emissions associated with using a product or incurred during the production of a product. Examples of carbon footprints: Transportation – use of any mode of transportation that emits gases into the atmosphere. Production of consumer goods –...

On Saturday, March 13th, my family and I went to the Sonora Celtic Faire 2010 at the Mother Lode Fair Grounds in Sonora, California.  We have enjoyed going to the Faire over the past decade.  We watched some of the better known Celtic Bands like Wicked Tinkers, Need Fire, and Molly’s Revenge.  We also watched a vaudeville act by the Daredevil Chicken Club. While outside, we heard several bag-pipe bands play,  always one of my favorite parts of the fair.  We also visited the historical reenactment village.  The weather the night before was quite wet, so everyone was walking...

Even though the weather is still a little bit chilly. There are many signs that Spring is just around the corner. My calendar says the first day of spring is March 20, 2010.  Today was a beautiful, relatively clear and breezy day. It got me thinking about kite flying and all the upcoming faires and festivals coming up in 2010. I’ve made a quick list of events happening in around the 209 area code. This isn’t an exhaustive list, but I think it hits the main fairs, faires and festivals that are happening nearby. March 12-14, 2010 Sonora Celtic Faire, 24th Annual Mother Lode...