Day: December 5, 2007

hokey pokey, humor

The Hokey Pokey

Christa Avampato

This post is just for laughs…

It is helpful to explain that my family is a bit like Everybody Loves Raymond. I adore my mother who has the mysterious ability to vacillate between being Edith Bunker and Doris Roberts. I don’t know how she does this. Truly, she is a kind, loving, wonderful person and lord knows she has made umpteen sacrifices as she raised me, my sister, and my brother on her own. She truly is one of those people who does the best she can with what she’s got.

That said, my family has a sense of humor that is rather warped and there’s not much we can do about it. It’s in our genes. Below is an email my mom forwarded to me. I can guarantee that she laughed out loud when sending this, as did I when reading it. The original message is from a while back, though the laughter lives on. Larry LaPrise, may he be shaking it all about in peace.

And now, a word from my mother:
“Thought everyone should know……
Sad News With all the sadness and trauma going on in the world at the moment, it is worth reflecting on the death of a very important person, which almost went unnoticed last week. Larry LaPrise, the man that wrote “The Hokie Pokey” died peacefully at the age of 93. The most traumatic part for his family was getting him into the coffin. They put his left leg in. And then the trouble started. Shut up. You know it’s funny. Now send it on to someone else and make them smile.”

The picture above can be found at http://www.rach.com.au/wp-content/hokeypokey1.jpg
Africa, green

On Green: Can the sun save Africa?

Christa Avampato

I have long felt that Africa was an economic giant who has laid sleeping too long. It’s a continent that much of the world has written off as a charity case, a place that has too many tribes, too many dictators, and not enough resources save the few pockets of oil and diamonds.

And I could never understand this mentality. How is it that the continent where human life began has been rendered useless? The whole world that has doubted Africa’s ability to save itself from itself may finally be proved wrong. And the sun itself may be the protagonist.

There is a concentrated solar project now being conducted in the African desert that has the ability to create enough power to supply 1/6 of Europe with all of its electricity, drastically cutting emissions and providing many African nations with a consistent stream of income. It’s about time we let this giant rise and shine.

The above picture can be found at http://www.xemedia.com/africa/p_images/sun_lg.jpg
green, happiness

On Happiness: Together for the environment?

Christa Avampato

I am an environmentalist. I think about how my daily choices effect the planet, and I make sacrifices for the sake of future generations. I will pay more for eco-friendly products. I am the quintessential green customer.

And even I think that a story I read today goes too far. A scientist has actually conducted research and received money to arrive at the conclusion that marriages should stay together, even if unhappy, for the sake of the environment because people who live independently consume more.

I have never been married. I am not an advocate for the institution, and I am not an enemy of it either. I’d love to find a terrific guy to share my life with. And if I do, great. And if I don’t, I think I’ll be able to make it through. I believe that when most people get married they believe they have found the love of their lives, and before ever getting divorced, most people try very hard to work it out. At heart, I am an advocate of happiness and personal freedom. And if marriages lets you have those things, go for it! And if your marriage is ruining those two things for you, get out.

With all of the things to conduct research on, I have a hard time understanding how anyone can knowingly take funding to do a study that makes people feel obligated to stay in a bad situation. And with all the ways that all of us can contribute to a healthy planet, my should our happiness and daily fulfillment be compromised? That is one sacrifice I will never be willing to make.

Read the news release at http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/dec/04/divorce.resources

career, dreams, happiness, innovation, work

On Innovation: Bring the edge to the core

Christa Avampato

John Hagel and John Seely Brown wrote a terrific blog post this morning on one of Business Week’s innovation blogs. In the article, they argue that ideas and products on the edge are critical to reinventing the core of a business. They site the ipod, early social networks on-line, and China as an economic center. You can read the full article at: http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/nov2007/id20071128_162890.htm?chan=innovation_innovation+%2B+design_top+stories

I would also say that this idea can be extended to our own personal core. When I consider where I am now, many of the ideas of how I wanted to shape my life grew up out on the edge of my imagination, far out ideas that maybe I’d get around to eventually. And then something remarkable happened – those ideas on the edge grew to such a size that they demanded more attention. It was a snowball effect – the more attention they were given, the more refining I could do, and the more plausible they seemed despite the fact that originally they seemed impossible to achieve.

This is the wonderful thing about imagination and the belief that even the at-first impossible tasks or dreams take on the glow of possibility if tended to long enough. They somehow sprout a life of their own. It’s as if in time they grow legs and walk themselves to the middle of your existence so you can better see them and consider them. So pay attention to the edges; they are slowly marching to center stage to have their day.

The above picture can be found at: http://www.thebest3d.com/dogwaffle/tuts/o2/glow-onCircle.jpg