Hypothetically speaking (of course)

As I was driving into work this morning I was considering various effects of writing a blog. The one that caused me most interest was this one:

Imagine I was applying for a job and my prospective employer (being the clever person he/she is - I wouldn't work for a someone who wasn't) joined the dots and connected my email address to my blog. They then had a good read of my blog and made an employment decision based on what they had read.

Presumably a blog reflects my true character more than an interview - I get nervous in interviews - so would I be better sending a prospective employer to my blog? No. I'd be better off trying to get rid of my nervousness and planning how I want the interview to go - just as I sometimes do a blog entry. Obviously things change as interviews/blogs unfold but to begin with a plan usually means I would be better-equipped to handle changes in either situation.

There aren't many opportunities to edit during an interview so it's even more important to know what you want to achieve during the short time you have. Sales anyone?

How much trust

I just went for a wander through town to do a couple of things and as I went past the local cinema I noticed two bikes (decent ones too) parked outside - unlocked! Fantastic.

The local school has many bikes unlocked as well and it makes me thankful that there are still people around who have enough trust in the general goodness of others.

When I was going to school (nearly 30 years ago) there was no way I would have left my bike unlocked. My bike pump was stolen on the one day I left it on my bike rather than taking it with me. Bah humbug!

Road Rage

I got caught behind a slow driver this morning in the way to work and whenever there was a straight piece of road where I would normally be able to pass there was traffic coming the other way. I got very frustrated - not to the point of ramming the car in front but I played out the scenario in my mind. It was quite fun really.

Anyway, while I was considering the real consequences of road rage I also pondered what would happen if I used my headlights as drivers do in Europe to indicate that they want to pass. Drivers here in New Zealand take their driving far too personally. "I own this piece of road while I am on it and you can't have it until I've finished with it" seems to be the attitude a lot of drivers take. I wonder if it stems from having quite a lot of space around us or whether we just have no idea how to share very well.

More than half of the drivers in New Zealand consider themselves better than average drivers - I hope they're better at driving than they are at maths.

I got to work on time and my day was unaffected by the 'slow' driver. If I had rammed him my day would have been quite different.

Can I have it?

My wife and I are trying to encourage our children to get away from the idea of ownership of things that are only going to be temporary anyway. If they see something they like the first thing that comes out of their darling little mouths is 'Can I have it?'.

Our logic is that if they don't feel they need to own something then they will be happier to share it, leading to more people getting the use of something that may otherwise be left sitting unused in the back of a wardrobe or out and being fought over.

It's fascinating watching them deal with the emotions of this as they are still feeling their way in the world (aren't we all?) and it is often easier to slip back into selfish ways. There's a word (selfish) that has taken on more emotion than I think it was meant to have.

Selfish - I have tried to remove the bad feelings associated with that word and it takes on a much less offensive meaning. I then try and apply that logic to other words and it makes language much more interesting - it's also a good exercise in developing your (or should that be one's)vocabulary.

Building momentum

I started this blog some time ago and as you can see I have been slack at keeping it up to date. It's all about creating habits and building momentum. I have a huge amount of inertia - it takes me a while to get moving but once I get going I just keep on going.

The plan for this site is to build momentum and produce a place where you will be able to find some unique homemade gift ideas. It will take some time but should be worth it.

In the meantime, if there is anything you are looking for let us know and we will try and locate it for you. Our contact details can be found at homemade

Easter bunnies

Easter is upon us and it seems like our sleepy little town is again being over-run by those looking for a break.

It begins for most with a dash from the nearest city (usually Auckland), a mad dash around the local supermarket (thankfully able to cope) then installation of the family in the house rented for the weekend.

The following few days are spent dodging the rain, other mad road users, boaties and shoppers in order to have memories of what a good time is about.

Somewhere in the middle of all this there is the compulsory excessive consumption of chocolate, alcohol and spirituality (more and more optional these days).

Then it's bundle everyone back in the car for the mad journey home.

There seems to be more energy spent on the 'break' than on the work done around it. Businesses must cry to see the efficiency of a kiwi on holiday.

May all of your eggs be found and your stomach aches be short-lasting.

Happy Easter!