Sandra’s Miscellany

Maybe it’s just me, but I find some of the daily quotes in my Franklin-Covey planner to be the exact opposite of what I believe makes sense for me spiritually. Here’s a case in point:

See things as you would have them be instead of as they are.
–Robert Collier

Now, I realize that Robert Collier (whoever that is) probably means that one should have “vision” or that one should think about how to effect change in one’s life. But that’s not what the quote actually says. (Who says being a technical writer isn’t useful?) The quote actually says, “Live in a fantasy world.” Or, if that’s too extreme a thought for you, says, “Have expectations of the world that differ from what the world is likely to give you.”

My excruciating personal experience tells me that this is a really, really bad idea. If I act on what I wish the world is rather than on what the world actually is, I can end up in a bad place intellectually, emotionally, physically.

Here’s another one:

Cheerfulness in most cheerful people is the rich and satisfying result of strenuous discipline.
–Edwin Percy Whipple

If you have any idea what this means, please let me know. I’m stumped. The cheerful people I know either:

• Live in something of a fantasy world except for the occasional crash and burn.
• Are at deep peace with themselves.
• Are on meds.

Am I being cynical? I dunno. I can see where the deep peace folks, who put some effort into living wholly, probably do have structure and discipline in their lives. But “strenuous”?

On the other hand, I do appreciate quotes like:

The only people you should try to get even with are those who have helped you.
– R.J. Rehwinkels

I have no idea who R.J. is, but my hat’s off to him/her. In a very simple statement, R.J. has addressed issues of emotional health, self-destructive behavior, and gratitude. I like it.

Have you run across any quotes that people like to tout but strike you the wrong way or as being unproductive or misleading?

Whew. I’m not as young as I used to be…

I got back last Thursday from the Society for Technical Communication annual conference and finally feel relatively normal. I went early to attend the Master Writers 2-day course held over the weekend, and then spent 3 long days going to various workshops and sessions. The Master Writers course was a blast — all about cognitive theory, how people learn, child psychology, learning styles, etc. Taught by Sharon Burton, a PhD candidate in Cultural Anthropology, the course gave me a lot to think about in terms of how I present technical information. Way cool.

The conference itself was a bit bland. There’s nothing like a tech writer for stating the obvious….As a result, I didn’t feel like I got all that much out of most of the regular sessions. I kept waiting for the presentation to state the obvious and then for the speaker to say, “So what this means to us is…” and then present a list of practical tips and suggestions for dealing with said obvious stuff. Nine-tenths of the time, that didn’t happen.

In one case, that did happen, and it turns out that the speaker used to work for the company I’m working for (very cool) and is now working for IBM. He presented all kinds of practical stuff that I can use immediately (as did the Master Writers course).

Other than that, it took most presenters 1.5 hours and 43 slides to say what could have been said in ten minutes and 2 slides…. Maybe it’ll be better next year. The general consensus of folks I talked to was that this year’s conference was much better than last year’s.

And one final observation: While tech writers are a lovely bunch, they’re nowhere near as entertaining and fun to be with as romance writers. Romance writers seem to be my tribe.

I was having lunch today with a friend of mine who told me this story.

She had a copy of The Orchid Hunter with her at a doctor’s appointment, and the intern asked her what she was reading. She told him she hadn’t started reading the book yet so she didn’t know exactly what it was about, but that it was about a strong woman who went out into the world and “did stuff.” His reply was, and I quote:

So, she’s a lesbian?

I’m not sure there are words in the English language to describe how simultaneously appalling and hilarious this question really is.

Care to give it a shot?

This came up on my personalized Google page today. Talk about a two-by-four between the eyes!

You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.

— Jack London

Just do it, huh?

The terns are back!

Our coastal area is summer home to two types of terns: the Least Tern and the King Tern. These wonderful fishing birds are the most patient birds on the planet. They hover about twenty feet above the water looking for fry in the waters below, then dart, submerge completely, and explode up out of the water. Nine times out of ten, they come up without a fish.

They spend the winter in central America and the northern coast of South America. On some predetermined day in the fall, they all pick up and disappear. Just as suddenly this week, they reappeared. Their high-pitched bark of a call is music amid all the laughing gulls, which sound crass by comparison….

I enjoy watching the terns because they are so patient. They don’t seem to get annoyed or frustrated by the fact that so many of their dives are misses. They just shrug the water from their shoulders and try again. I know there’s a lesson in there for me, but I’m resisting it….