It’s Not My Fault

Posted on June 8, 2010 by Scott

HelpOne of the hats I wear as a church media guy is that of the helpdesk person. You must maintain a pleasant attitude while dealing with different situations each day, which isn’t easy when a co-worker is obviously perturbed about their unwelcomed technical issue and seems to be taking out their frustrations on you.

So here now are just a few situations where I trust my peers can agree with me when I say… it’s not my fault.

  • It’s not my fault the PowerPoint presentation you had a month to work on and asked me to “pretty up” last night is not ready today.
  • It’s not my fault I can’t find your extremely important document now that you’ve closed it after spending hours working on it… but forgot to hit the ‘Save’ button even once.
  • It’s not my fault there are offers for V1argara and other misspelled variations of male enhancement pharmaceuticals flooding your Inbox.
  • It’s not my fault the new server migration forced everyone to change their password that you have spent the last year changing your entire life around to match.
  • It’s not my fault the wireless keyboard and mouse you purchased at the dollar store suddenly stopped working, even though you replaced the batteries.
  • It’s not my fault your telephone suddenly stopped working when you decided to plug your phone into another wall jack.
  • It’s not my fault your mouse pad is incompatible with your PC.
  • It’s not my fault you didn’t read the message on your monitor informing you your computer is waiting for a response from you.
  • It’s not my fault the entire city experienced a power outage last night and now you can’t get on the interthingy.
  • It’s not my fault your keyboard isn’t working anymore, even though you flipped it over and removed all the Diet Coke.
  • It’s not my fault the printer jammed when you expected it to print a double-sided job on paper as thick as a sheet of plywood.

None of these things are my fault.

However, I realize when these things happen you become upset, and it may seem like your world has come to a screeching halt.

I also know it’s my job to provide you, my fellow co-workers, with the best possible assistance I can, and it’s my desire to do so in a timely and professional manner.

I just hope you can approach me with your problem and convince me that you too believe… it’s not my fault.

Posted in Communication, Life Lessons | 2 Comments

You've Got All the Time in the World

Posted on May 30, 2010 by Scott

Watch

How many hours do YOU have in a day?

Okay, so we all have the same 27 hours to burn through each day (just seeing if you’re paying attention). Yet you still hear people saying they “just don’t have enough time.”

The real question then is, “What are you willing to sacrifice?”

I have a four-and-a-half-month-old son and a wife who both require a lot of my attention. And I’m happy to provide it, by sharing my time with them. But I still need some occasional “me” time or I will eventually want to hurt myself.

My solution? I sometimes choose to sacrifice sleep.

Our boy is now sleeping well through the night. My wife requires a minimum of 8 hours sleep to be fully functional each day. And me? I can infrequently live on 3 or 4 hours of sleep. Awesome. It’s not every night, but some days I need a few hours of quiet time to pick away at things I enjoy doing, and, this might sound crazy, but it usually ends up being work related. (What can I say? I love my job.)

Lately (and usually when it’s late) I often end up chatting online with my friend Jonathan Dowie about our recent website upgrade (the majority of the work done by JD himself) and how we plan to tackle some of the accompanying bugs. For better or worse, late at night is typically the time that works for us. No phone calls. No house calls. Everyone in the house is asleep. No Twitter. No Facebook. Etcetera. Perfect. Makin’ it happen.

Is this good for me physically/mentally? I have my doubts. (Hey, I did use the word sacrifice.) But emotionally/mentally? Oh, yeah. No question.

So what are you willing to sacrifice to get some of your very own much deserved personal time? It won’t just happen on its own.

Now if you’ll excuse me, it’s 1:23am and I’ve already sacrificed enough this week.

How many hours do YOU have in a day?

Okay, so we all have the same 27 hours to burn through each day (just seeing if you’re paying attention). Yet you still hear people saying they “just don’t have enough time.”

The real question then is, “What are you willing to sacrifice?”

I have a four-and-a-half-month-old son and a wife who both require a lot of my attention. And I’m happy to provide it, by sharing my time with them. But I still need some occasional “me” time or I will eventually want to hurt myself.

My solution? I sometimes choose to sacrifice sleep.

Our boy is now sleeping well through the night. My wife requires a minimum of 8 hours sleep to be fully functional each day. And me? I can infrequently live on 3 or 4 hours of sleep. Awesome. It’s not every night, but some days I need a few hours of quiet time to pick away at things I enjoy doing, and, this might sound crazy, but it usually ends up being work related. (What can I say? I love my job.)

Lately (and usually when it’s late) I often end up chatting online with my friend Jonathan Dowie about our recent website upgrade (the majority of the work done by JD himself) and how we plan to tackle some of the accompanying bugs. For better or worse, late at night is typically the time that works for us. No phone calls. No house calls. Everyone in the house is asleep. No Twitter. No Facebook. Etcetera. Perfect. Makin’ it happen.

So what are you willing to sacrifice to get some of your very own much deserved personal time? It won’t just happen on its own.

Now if you’ll excuse me, it’s 1:02am and I’ve already sacrificed enough this week.

Posted in Life Lessons | Leave a comment

All Sound and No Substance?

Posted on May 22, 2010 by Scott

Ever change a baby’s diaper after what sounded like a cannon blast, only to discover there’s not a whole lot of substance inside?

As church communications directors, we have to be careful that our promotional materials aren’t just a bunch of noise, and then when people arrive there’s nothing to back up what’s been advertised.

1 Corinthians 13:1 says, If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

This tells me that whatever I’m working on has to have some real substance to it. I want whatever I work on to reflect the fact that our church loves people, because that’s what Jesus did – love people.

I don’t want to be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal (or even an exploding diaper, for that matter). Personally speaking, sometimes it’s not easy, but I want to be someone who automatically loves others. I want to be part of a church that naturally does too.

Scott

Posted in Communication, Life Lessons | 1 Comment

The Truth Hurts – A Self Diagnosis

Posted on March 29, 2010 by Scott

Are You Prone to Clutter?

After reading an article on How Clutter Control Works, I noticed a box to the right of the main article with the following information:

Chronically disorganized people are often overwhelmed by clutter and exhibit the following behavior:

  • They collect or save large amounts of papers, documents and things that have no apparent use, or bring no pleasure.
  • They have difficulty getting rid of things.
  • They have a wide range of interests and many incomplete projects.
  • They’re easily distracted.
  • They have poor time-management skills.

[source: The National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization]

I read this article to my wife, and for every bullet point she let out a little “bing” sound and made an in air check mark.

I’m pretty sure she wasn’t referring to herself.

The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem. So, if you’re a chronically disorganized person (like me), here’s something you can try to help combat the issue:

  1. Create a new document in Word (or Notepad, or whatever you like). A word processor that can create numbered lists will work best.
  2. Put a title at the top, or in the header, that works for you. Mine reads, “Stuff To Do (just getting it out of my head)”.
  3. Create a numbered bullet list and begin typing. Type down anything that comes to mind as a task you have to get done, whether it’s today or two months down the road – just stop trying to store it in the filing cabinet in your head and put it on paper. (It’s not on paper yet, but it soon will be.)
  4. At the bottom of the list, as a non-bullet item, type “Last update: Monday, 29-Apr-2010, 12:44pm”. Obviously you will put your own day, date and time here. Don’t put it as a footer, which will change each time you open the document (depending on the program you’re using) – you will want to manually enter this item.
  5. Print the list, and keep it on your desk where you can refer to it throughout the day.
  6. Take a ruler and draw a line or two through each item you complete.
  7. Use a pen to add new items to the bottom of the list whenever things come to mind or when new tasks get tossed on your plate.
  8. After a few days, or whenever you feel your list is becoming severely outdated, open the soft copy. Delete old items, starting from the end of the list (so your numbering doesn’t get messed up as you go), and then add any new, handwritten items (obviously you don’t need to add crossed off handwritten items). Print a new copy, and file the old in a “To Do” folder – you may need to refer to an old list some time, plus, sometimes it’s nice to look back and see all that you have accomplished.

To shake things up, you may occasionally want to go through your list and re-number items, to prioritize. And consider reviewing your list each morning before you start working and decide which items are the top five things you want to accomplish that day. This way, even if you only tackle one or two tasks, you’re still getting work done (and taking things off the list).

There are many other methods of getting organized – and you may have to try a few until you find one that works for you. But the method above drastically cuts down on Post-It notes, stray pieces of paper, and overall stress (you know exactly where everything is, so no more panicky searches).

And it’s okay to admit it if you’re a self diagnosed chronically disorganized individual. You’re definitely not alone.

Posted in Growth, Life Lessons, Self Improvement | Leave a comment

The Poop of Life

Posted on January 28, 2010 by Scott

This morning was Maxwell Gregor Van Anderson’s first day in his new home. Up until last night, he had been residing in the swanky hotel IWK Health Centre in Halifax.

After this morning’s feeding, what can only be described as a small explosion erupted from within Max’s diaper, and it was a good one; must’ve lifted him three inches off my lap. So, off we went to the changing area, to discover something peculiar – somehow Max was wearing two diapers at once. (I thought it looked larger than his usual under wear, but it was early early in the morning when momma changed him last.)

I quickly cleaned Max and switched him into his clean undies (unfortunately both original diapers were lost in the blast), tucked him back into his little bed, kissed momma goodnight (morning?), and then exited the bedroom to get ready for work, only to discover some lovely clumps of wet, off-yellowish poop stuck to my T-shirt and pajama pants.

Crap!

What’s the point?

Maybe this: like it or not, despite your best efforts, and regardless of how many layers of protection you use to shield yourself against the nastier things in life, poop is going to happen, and sometimes when it happens… it’s going to get on you.

Are you ready to handle it?

Posted in Life Lessons | 2 Comments

The Day My Tan Went Away

Posted on October 20, 2009 by Scott

A little over two weeks ago I returned from a weeklong Western Caribbean cruise. It was a much-needed break (although it took me a couple days just to get into relaxation mode), and I somehow managed to maintain my weight throughout. (If you know me and good food, you should be impressed.)

I like the sun and the heat… but I certainly don’t go south to tan. Regardless, I still obtained a little bit of sun – enough to give me some noticeable color for a week or so.

Well, today the inevitable happened. I glanced down at my arm at one point and couldn’t believe how flaky my skin was. My ‘tan’ was quickly going the way of the cruise: south.

While Denise prepped supper tonight, I came up with this brief ode to my tan. Enjoy.

The Day My Tan Went Away

This is the day
My tan went away

It bought the farm
It fell off my arm

It fell on the floor
My tan is no more

It’s a very sad day –
My tan went away.

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Snickers really satisfies – but only when you actually get your hands on one.

Posted on October 14, 2009 by Scott

This morning on my way to the office I stopped for gas at my usual spot, an Esso station, approximately one mile from where I work. There’s another Esso on my way to work, and it’s an even shorter distance from my house, but I prefer the near-work Esso, mainly because it has a retro feel to it (you can’t pay at the pumps yet, so you’re forced to interact with other humans) and I find the staff’s attitude genuinely personable. (Plus: air, for my constantly leaking tires, is still free. Bonus!)

Sometimes when I fill up there… okay, EVERY time I fill up there, I get a craving for a Snickers bar, and I’ll conveniently add it to my bill. (Shh. Don’t tell my wife.)

Today as I went inside to pay for my fuel, I realized it was going to be a Snickers AND a Dr. Pepper kind of day. (You just know these things.)

I scanned the soda case, and… no Dr. Pepper. (Insert sad face here.)

On to the cash register, where directly in front of it resides the candy bar section, and… no Snickers. (Insert sad tummy sounds here.)

Rats.

I lamented, “No Dr. Pepper. No Snickers. How am I going to survive?” The lady behind the cash register (always super friendly) said, “You’re 0 for 2 today. There’s nothing worse than when you have a craving for something and you can’t get what you want.”

True dat.

She continued, “Some people try to substitute their craving with something else, but it never works.”

Wow. Ain’t that the truth.

This morning before leaving the house, among other things I prayed to God for wisdom. And there it was, arriving straight from the gas station, before I even got to work. I knew I’d need that way more than a Snickers bar. And obviously, someone else did too.

So… what are you craving? No… come on. I’m not talking about that trivial everyday stuff. I mean what are you really craving? I’m talking about the stuff that really satisfies. Do you know where to find it? Will you know when you do find it?

I hope so.

I am no superman
I have no answers for you
I am no hero, ah, that’s for sure
But I do know one thing
Where you are is where I belong
I do know, where you go… is where I want to be.

-Dave Matthews Band, Where Are You Going

Posted in Communication, Life Lessons | Leave a comment

It's a dirty job, but… (you know the rest)

Posted on September 5, 2009 by Scott

This weekend we gave my sister and her husband a break and had three of their four kids (we shy away from infants) stay overnight: Ethan (10), Mackenzie (8), Conner (4).

Much too early on a Saturday morning, Conner, after spending a few minutes behind the closed bathroom door, announced: “I need help!”

I happened to be walking by, so I amateurishly asked: “What kind of help?”

Conner: “I need someone to wipe my bum.”

Sorry, kid. That’s not in our contract.

I asked the two older siblings: “Who usually gets assigned to bum wiping duty?”

Both (in unison): “Mom.”

D-uh…

Me: “Okay… when mom’s not around…?”

Ethan: “Mackenzie!”

Mackenzie: “It’s your turn!”

Ethan: “I don’t know how!”

Me: “I think it’s time to learn.”

Further arguments ensued. But then my level-headed practical wife stepped into the scene: “Just call their parents and ask them whose job it is.”

Mackenzie: “I’ll do it…”

What a great kid.

I say ‘great’ because, only after shutting the bathroom door behind her did she discover the magnitude of the situation.

Mackenzie: “Ohhhh! He had diarrhea!”

DEFINITELY not in the contract. (Yeah, I know… I will change my tune when it comes to having my own kids. But I’ll cross that bridge only when I absolutely have to, and today I didn’t have to — thanks to the world’s greatest niece.)

A couple other unpleasant tasks — albeit nowhere near that unpleasant — arose later that day, and each time we had to decide who got the job. And each time, Uncle Scott would chime in with, “Ethan, it’s your turn, because Mackenzie had to take care of the poo.” (I told Mackenzie, and later, her mother, “You can get a lot of mileage out of that one.”)

Romans 12:11 says, “Do not be lazy but work hard, serving the Lord with all your heart.” (New Century Version)

There are some duties I must perform that I don’t enjoy doing at all. But I have the best job I’ve ever had in my working life, and sometimes… I just have to do those dirty jobs too.

I also need to keep my eyes open in everyday life, for some of those other dirty jobs that nobody else wants to tackle, and to see them as opportunities to be more of a Christ-follower than a whiny Christian.

Thanks, Mackenzie.

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Whee! (Visual Communication)

Posted on September 3, 2009 by Scott

Are you a parent who’s ever wondered if certain video games are okay for your kid(s)? Check out this video entitled Immersion, by Robbie Cooper, then see how you feel about your cute little vegetable– um… I mean, child. (Caution: contains brief coarse language.)

Immersion, by Robbie Cooper

Posted in Communication, Kids, Video | Leave a comment

Should I or Shouldn’t I…?

Posted on August 20, 2009 by Scott

A friend of mine asked, Do you read your Bible at work on a regular basis? (I’m no pastor, but it’s a legitimate question, since I work at a church.)

I replied, No, not on a regular basis, but when I feel like I’m lagging behind in my reading or when I want to blog about something I’m finding interesting…

Oh, so do you blog when you’re at work?, was the next question.

Me: Some… times… yes. But not always.

The topic got changed, and that was all there was to it. But some time later I wondered, What was that all about?

So I gave my friend a call, inquiring about the inquiries, and she explained.

She occasionally feels the need to read books relevant to her job, and she’s wondering if maybe she should start blogging, but feels guilty about doing these things while at work. So she’s left wondering, Should I or shouldn’t I…?

We discussed it for awhile, and my thoughts were: if it’s related to your job, and if it will improve how you do your job, or if your job requires interaction with others and somehow what you learn or blog about will in turn help them, then yes, you should do that stuff at work (obviously not at the expense of your regular job). But I’m not my friend’s boss (or yours), so if you still have doubts, present the idea to your boss and tell him or her why you want to do that thing you want to do.

The next day I shared the conversation with my wife, and the simplest guideline – at least, for me – just hit me.

If you’re reading or blogging or doing something at work, and someone walks in on you, what is your initial gut reaction?

a) Hide the book I’m reading under a pile of papers.

b) Yank my computer’s power cord out of the wall to hide what’s on the monitor.

c) Slam my laptop shut.

d) Scream: Nothing! I don’t know what you’re talking about!!!

e) d) and a), b) or c).

f) Carry on as if I were normal.

If you chose any of the options above, you already know the answer to the question.

Posted in Growth, Self Improvement | Leave a comment