Thursday - March 28th, 2024
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Posts Tagged With ‘ Mark O’Brien ’

 
Chicken or Egg
March 25th, 2024
Chicken Or Egg &Raquo; Notes To Self By Mark Obrien

I was recently in a conversation with a client. We’ll call her Petunia (not her real name; although, I wish it were). Petunia happens to work in a very large (as in global), very dysfunctional (as in no responsibility or accountability) company that has her beyond frustrated. Part of her frustration is that she’s very responsible and very willing to be accountable. But her responsibility and accountability aren’t acknowledged, rewarded, or reciprocated. During the conversation, I asked a question it had never occurred to me to ask before: Do companies like that breed irresponsibility and... Continue Reading

March 25th, 2024
We Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet
March 18th, 2024
We Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet &Raquo; Notes To Self By Mark Obrien

We live in a horse race. Two nags, Gluefoot and Gimpy, are neck-and-neck coming down the stretch, and we have no idea which horse will cross the finish line first. Gluefoot represents the uncertainty of whether we’ll persist in our belief that we can control (because we’ll be blamed for) everything. Gimpy represents the uncertainty of whether we’ll come to realize we’re insignificant and ineffectual beyond the ability of our imaginations and our egos to comprehend such a thing. Exhibit A is climate change. I came across an article in The New Yorker entitled, “What a Major Solar Storm... Continue Reading

March 18th, 2024
The State of the Onion
March 13th, 2024
The State Of The Onion &Raquo; Notes To Self By Mark Obrien

I was going to excerpt portions of President Biden’s 2024 State of the Union remarks and annotate them with snide comments. But four things happened: I realized snark is indistinguishable from truth at this point, and snark doesn’t sit well in some circles. Neither does truth. And here we are. I wouldn’t have enough time to peel the onion sufficiently enough to respond to all the delusional falsities in Uncle Joe’s remarks and still have time for everything else in my life. I found this post in The Federalist that highlights 30 of the lowlights. So, I decided to let it go at that. I... Continue Reading

March 13th, 2024
What’s In a Name?
March 11th, 2024
What’s In A Name? &Raquo; Notes To Self By Mark Obrien

I happened to see a notice that, Melanie, one of the singer/songwriters who achieved some popularity during my wayward youth, passed away earlier this year at the age of 76. It started me thinking about the plethora of famous people who’ve managed to become known by a single name only, often just their first names. This is just a partial list: Cher, Madonna, Sting, Rihanna, Charo, Sade, Usher, Prince, Adele, Beyoncé, Sinbad, Bono, Flea, Liberace, Zendaya, Lizzo, Pink, Twiggy, Slash, Yanni, Snoop, Drake, Kesha, Fabio, Shakira, Björk, Aaliyah, Eminem, Ashanti, Banksy, Seal, Oprah, Morrissey,... Continue Reading

March 11th, 2024
My Musical Calendar
March 4th, 2024
My Musical Calendar &Raquo; Notes To Self By Mark Obrien

I have a theory that, for some people, the calendar just stops. It stops at different times for different people. But it definitely stops. All of their cultural influences — sartorial, tonsorial, musical, et al. — freeze. I don’t know if those freezes could be considered time warps. It’s more likely they reflect periods of time in which the frozen people were most comfortable. I developed the theory in sixth grade. It was 1966. I was 12 years old. I had a classmate named Dennis Kennedy. I don’t know how old Dennis was. But he shaved, smoked, and drove his own car to school. His calendar... Continue Reading

March 4th, 2024
A Silly People
February 26th, 2024
A Silly People &Raquo; Notes To Self By Mark Obrien

On The Scale of Self-Deceit and Frivolity Unto Extinction, there are points well beyond first-world problems. They indicate the extent to which life in the United States is luxurious enough that we can afford to make shit up to worry about. They also confirm the point made by Bill Maher that Americans are a silly people. Consider this item, which was brought to my attention most recently: On February 9, 2024, The Virginian-Pilot newspaper ran an article with the headline, ”PETA wants carousel maker to stop creating rides with animal figures”. Not animals. Animal figures. At the very least,... Continue Reading

February 26th, 2024
Digital Marketing
February 19th, 2024
Digital Marketing &Raquo; Notes To Self By Mark Obrien

I had occasion to speak with a prospect on a Zoom call the other day. She was looking for help in establishing her brand and marketing her online workshops and published materials. She insisted those things could be accomplished only by a digital marketing agency. I suggested digital marketing (or online marketing) simply means promoting stuff through digital channels using electronic technology, as opposed to print. I told her we employ tactics like email, social media, web-based advertising, text and multimedia messages, webinars, search engines, online customer communities, and other digital... Continue Reading

February 19th, 2024
Six Strings
February 12th, 2024
Six Strings &Raquo; Notes To Self By Mark Obrien

Author’s Note: This story was prompted by my wife, Anne, with whom I shared the story I’m about to share with you. When I told her the story, she said, “Six strings. You should write about that.” And people wonder why I love her as I do. The woman is like the tide she comes and goes. She knows the things that I can just suppose. (Dan Fogelberg, “Comes and Goes”) On January 13th of this year, Craig James and Mac Bogert included me in some email correspondence having to do with the fact that Craig was changing the strings on his acoustic guitar for the first time in something like... Continue Reading

February 12th, 2024
Winter Wonders: Part Two
January 29th, 2024
Winter Wonders: Part Two &Raquo; Notes To Self By Mark Obrien

Last week I wrote about the lethal peril to which we find ourselves subject as the result of anthropogenic climate change and two of its perniciously wayward children, bomb cyclones and weather whiplash. Well, just when you thought it was safe … Last week, the Washington Post ran a story — “This weather phenomenon on Lake Michigan stunned meteorologists Friday” — that’s sure to keep us on Red Alert until the vernal equinox, at the very least. Get a load of this: An extremely localized but intense band of lake-effect snow … [dropped] nearly three feet of snow in a narrow swath only... Continue Reading

January 29th, 2024
Winter Wonders
January 22nd, 2024
Winter Wonders &Raquo; Notes To Self By Mark Obrien

In the northeastern United States, where I happen to live, there’s an annual climate-change event. It’s called winter. During this event, the temperatures fall, as do little white flakes the natives call snow. We’ve already had seven or eight inches of the stuff fall this month. And there’s more to come: After a mostly calm and mild December across much of the U.S., Mother Nature is making up for it with a stormy and cold January, and there’s more wild weather on the way. The deadly storm that’s raking the eastern U.S. this week is the opening act for what’s to come over the next... Continue Reading

January 22nd, 2024