Amaryllis series

The amaryllis has been wonderful this season. The daily photo has provided a good opportunity. New blossoms, news views...



Let's close out this year and get started on 2012 the same way.


The full set can be viewed here
http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve_sherlock/sets/72157628371102825/with/6600064581/

Sherlock Christmas 2011

Christmas has been a very busy family event this year, more so than ever as we hosted both the Proulx side and the Sherlock's for dinner. Not at the same time. The Proulx's were at the house for Christmas Day for steak on the grill and the Sherlock's gathered on Wednesday for an Italian buffet.

Photos of the Sherlock clan can be found here
http://jerrysherlockstory.blogspot.com/2011/12/jerrys-clan-christmas-2011.html

More photos will be posted as time permits.

Thrice blessed

The amaryllis has three blossoms now. A new one opened today! Looks like there will be at least one more from this stem.

Plenty of color and life to enjoy!

Merry Christmas

There is so much to be thankful for as we celebrate this holiday and slip towards the end of 2011. A lot of good has been accomplished with your help either directly or indirectly. Your words or actions have in turn inspired words and actions. The circle of life: living, learning, sharing and having a laugh or two.

Thank you!

Deja Brew: Band of Brewers - update

The "Band of Brewers" gathered to bottle six more kettles on Monday evening at Deja Brew. The process was a little more hectic as we tried to keep everyone's bottles with them. There was more standing around and not having the 6th bottling station alive didn't help. All worked out in the end and the beer shares went out the door in reasonable time.

The cap code for the 6 kettles is show below. We have now done 178 kettles for 102 unique beers in the 5 years since we started this.

Trivia question: Which one of the first three beers we made have we NOT re-made?


A = Abbott's Weizenbock - A pale bock, this recipe is very popular
S = Evil Santa's Ale - High in alcohol and hoppiness! A new type of hop for us
C = Hearty Christmas Ale - A hearty Ale, spicy, flavorful and inviting!
O = Old Peculiar - Dark and rich, with a unique creamy, buttery finish
W = Old Tyme Winter Warmer - A beer to keep you warm on those cold nights
blank cap = Chocolate Cream Stout - A nice beer to relax with after a hard days work







Trivia Answer = Crazed and Confused

Happy birthday Robert Bly!

One of my heroes, Robert Bly, celebrates his birthday today.

I have shared a few of my favorite poems of his here over the years. His translations of Kabir hold a special place. One poem closes with the lines:

Kabir says this: When the guest is being searched for, it is the intensity of the longing for the guest that does all the work. Look at me, and you will see a slave of that intensity.

Bly also either influences or appears in some of my own writing. For example, The Scorecard, written in 2007:

The Scorecard

It's my father's fault.

answers to math questions in an instant

Cost accountant, meticulous rows of figures

kept score for the family card games

columns of names and numbers

tallied for the winners and players

diabetic diary, daily food intake

peanut butter toast, mashed potatoes

dog eared book, calories for each

so I'm at the festival

scribbling who spoke in order

what poem was read

can go back to 2004, 2002 even

words, images, scenes called forth

and the festivals come alive

Bly on the mound, Barks at bat,

Paul Winter on deck, early morning Rumi

the pitch, and it's a home run!

Originally posted to quiet poet here


Additional works of Robert Bly can be found in good bookstores or online at the Poetry Foundation

What I want for Christmas

What I want for Christmas is this helicopter!



No, I don't really 'want' this. There are so many other things that would be more practical and realistic. This is so far out on the scale of the wish list!

The commercial for REI that they used this device to make can be viewed on Chas's post here

Enjoy!

About to bloom

It is about to bloom!



What do you have underway that is about to bloom?

finding a place of balance (video)

Posting this hear for me to review in detail later



There is so much goodness in this, I didn't want to wait to share it.

Enjoy! Change is about finding a place of balance!



Thanks to Nancy White for sharing this

Explore the Archives

From the archives comes some goodness. There is much to explore in the archives here and much to explore among what I contributed to the Joyful Jubilant Learning blog. The site posted the learning and sharing of our community as we expanded and evolved over the course of a couple of years.

I put some of my best writing there and it is still available for your reading pleasure.

Feel free to dive in and explore the archives of my writing
http://joyfuljubilantlearning.com/category/advisory-board/steve-sherlock/

While you are there, do go explore some of the other writing. What some of the others did was far better!


One of our regular features was Rapid Fire Learning

Another was "A Love Affair with Books"

The technology of storytelling

Yes, we do need to remember that there is a story and the medium, the story and the technology with which it is told.



Well done Joe!

We also need to remember that it is the story that is important, more so than the device or technology!

What is your story?


Related post:
http://steves2cents.blogspot.com/2006/10/fire-circle-story.html

Venus de Milo soup

From deep in the archives, the recipe for Venus De Milo soup that my mother had and kept in the family cookbook is still being found here. It is a good recipe and one to share. If you haven't tried it, I can say that the recipe has been tested over time and continued to be called for.

http://steves2cents.blogspot.com/2006/12/venus-de-milo-soup.html

Enjoy!

Amaryllis series 2011

This amaryllis is taking off and growing nicely. Not like the last one I had which turned out to be a dud.



Enjoy!

Retrofit

Hmm, very interesting concept. Doing something like improving overall health does require dedication and positive reinforcement. Using current technology to assist with the data capture and incorporating that data into the program seems like a good combo.



The pricing may be reasonable given the results and the need to get fit.

There are additional videos with client stories. Much to explore on their website.

I feel comfortable with my health and approach as a life long runner, but maybe this would be a good fit for you or someone you know?



Thanks to my brother Bob for the tip to this service!

Amaryllis - 12/07/11

The amaryllis series is starting again. Last year was a dud but this year looks to be promising.



I will attempt to take a daily photo. I will spare you the daily view but post them as there are significant developments or the urge requires. The series will be available on Flickr. I'll create a set of photos for this year and those who really want to see the daily view will be able to do so.

Enjoy!

Sunrise

The rain was heavy overnight. The breeze is strong this morning, chasing the clouds away.

Not too quickly.  The sun plays with the clouds and its rainbow of color. Changes occur in an instant.

Take a moment to stop and observe the show!

Behavioral

Why so much from Tom Asacker recently?

He is on a roll. What he is covering I am finding compelling and I hope you do to.

So give people an experience that reveals the vision and intention behind your idea. An experience that conveys look, feel, and, especially, meaning in a no spin, passionate way. An experience that allows people to alter their own attitudes of mind, without a hint of external persuasion. An experience that creates a motivation to act.

Will you be compelled to make a change in what you are doing?

K12Online Conference

The one thing you can should do today is to visit the K12Online conference website.

http://k12onlineconference.org/

There is so much goodness there, don't be overwhelmed. Pick one presentation!

Allow yourself to dive into it and explore how technology is helping the learning environment.

Then step back and think about how you too can use that for what you need/want to do?

Sweetness at the intersection

I like many of the ideas Joe uses to make his point. We do need to be careful with the words we use. Those words create our world. The world where intersections can happen, or not.



I love intersections. PodCamp and other unconferences are great intersections. SOBCon is more structured than an unconference but a great intersection!

Do you like intersections?

Who are you going to please today?

Tom Asacker has another in his series of videos centered on his book: Opportunity Screams



Bill Cosby once said, “I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.”

What do you do with impossible?

"What three things do you know to be true?"

"everyone has stories we can learn from"

Step 1 - "I can"
Step 2 - "I will"
Step 3 - "infuse the stories with the specific things that make you you"

"great stories start at intersections"

"What can you do with impossible?"

Spend 18 minutes with spoken word poet Sarah Kay:




Enjoy!


This was posted to Franklin Matters earlier this year. Seth Godin has just published a book for this poem of Sarah's (the one she opened with).

Mall Santa Musical (video)

Friday, end of the work week.

Maybe you'll do some shopping tonight?

Maybe to the Mall?

Maybe there'll be a Santa!




Way to go ImprovEverywhere!

Taking a LEAP! (video)

I met Steve Farber earlier this year at SOBCon and received an advance copy of this book. I don't have it anymore as it went to someone who really wanted to read it. Now with the official version available, I can get a new copy for myself. And help him with this new out reach effort!




"Do what you love in the service of people who love what you do" - Steve Farber