Mental Architecture

A flood under the bridge

dbanta — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 12:56:53 -0400

Wow, so much has happened in the last 11 years. I started a company with three guys. I have since lost permanent touch with one of them. The other fellow continues to be a colleague and friend. I rode this company all the way to the end. There was a one year hiatus. But in the end there were many lessons learned. The primary lesson was not to be so generous with my trust of others abilities. There is an old adage that goes something like, when you know what you don't know hire someone who does know, or something like that. Basically I gave up my positions of authority to those I felt should have been able to do the job better than I could have. I think the end result was that I believe I could have done a better job. I also put a lot of faith in our board, who were very well educated individuals but unable to see the actual direction things were taking until it was too late. It is very disappointing to experience the end result of the company, which was a sale to a larger company at a bargain price, with all of the people who worked the hardest not being able to profit.

To be continued...

'Tis true....if you wanna win, play a game!

dbanta — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 10:55:52 -0400

The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
- -- Joseph Joubert

Something from Flipping Heck..only the British...Come on Sleepy Head!!

dbanta — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 11:59:11 -0400

Tuesdays are Psychology and Body Language Days at FlippingHeck.com

Last week I wrote Motivating your Manager and it seems a little unfair to lay all of the blame at the bosses feet! So, to balance things out this week I thought we'd take a little (light-hearted) look at motivating ourselves.

Do you need motivating? I sure as heck do sometimes. You know the feeling (particuarly Mondays in my case), you get out of bed and think "Urgh. Here we go again." Not good eh? So, how do we get out of this rut and start motivating ourselves?

Think positive - Start the day thinking "Hey, today's going to be a good day" and do you know what? It probably will be.
Set a goal - Have something to aim for (no matter how small) today.
Pat yourself on the back - Done a good job? Reward yourself for it.
Get the worst task out of the way first - Then reward yourself with a task you know you'll enjoy.
Be realistic - It's demotivating to set your sights too high. Keep yourself grounded.
Be honest - Honesty is the best policy. Don't lie about why you're not doing something embrace it and you can conquer that feeling.
Be your own drill seargant - Sometimes we need to be shouted at to start performing.
Re-Evaluate - If there's something you keep on putting off take another look at it. Perhaps you're going about it the wrong way.

What about you guys? How do you get yourself into gear when you just want to go back to bed and hide?

Wow do I need to talk to myself sometimes? Of course!! How about you??

...And now for something completely different

dbanta — Fri, 30 May 2008 12:42:44 -0400

20. Wandering

What is the difference between assent and denial?
What is the difference between beautiful and ugly?
What is the difference between fearsome and afraid?

The people are merry as if at a magnificent party
Or playing in the park at springtime,
But I am tranquil and wandering,
Like a newborn before it learns to smile,
Alone, with no true home.

The people have enough and to spare,
Where I have nothing,
And my heart is foolish,
Muddled and cloudy.

The people are bright and certain,
Where I am dim and confused;
The people are clever and wise,
Where I am dull and ignorant;
Aimless as a wave drifting over the sea,
Attached to nothing.

The people are busy with purpose,
Where I am impractical and rough;
I do not share the peoples' cares
But I am fed at nature's breast.

On Trust and Trusting

dbanta — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 10:31:49 -0500

Trust is a crucial component to living a life of satisfaction and having the ability to move along in the world without the need to be overly paranoid. Trusting is something you learn from socialization as you grow, usually through your family first and then from trusted friends. It is something that is ingrained by a variety of experiences such as sports, group participation, an activity that requires a reliance on others, school mates, strangers; some learn during either four years in college or 2 years in the military service. Trusting in a combat situation requires a complete commitment to the training you receive to be ready in certain situations, but mostly you are assigned a buddy to which you are responsible and he for you. A platoon of guys and girls are all dedicated to each other as a group trust. Then there is the trust between husband and wife. They feel that they can "tell" each other everything that has ever passed in their lives and more significantly in their thoughts. Some thing that will never come about and some things that they are thinking that they need help either materializing or quashing, as the idea may be a bad one or one that may have an untoward outcome.

Then there is the casual trust of building a company with one or two of your professional friends.

Happy New Year

dbanta — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 12:18:21 -0500

Well it's the year of the Rat...You know who you are!!

I send my best wishes of a happy, healthy and prosperous new year into the blogosphere and into the ether hoping that the good vibes will turn the tide of negativity coming from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and any other area's of darkness and disdain!!

Just a Thought

dbanta — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 15:37:22 -0400

Simplicity of character is the natural result of profound thought.

The Resurrection of Pigboy Crabshaw

dbanta — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 11:44:20 -0400

The Resurrection of Pigboy Crabshaw... Can you say it with me...The Resurrection of Pigboy Crabshaw. This was a defining album for me in younger days and I still enjoy listening to it today. Paul Butterfield Blues Band. This was my second "real" blues album. Great tunes like Drifftin' and Drifftin', Tollin' Bells, and Driving Wheel. The blues can cheer you up!!

The reason I bought the album though, was for the title. You see, I was raised Catholic and at the time I was experimenting with all kinds of ideas and thoughts, but the idea of resurrection of someone other than Jesus intrigued me. It was sac religious but at the same time salacious. The title of this album was broadening my horizons and I didn't even know who Paul Butterfield was. It is as if the title gave me permission to think about a resurrection in a different light. As a Catholic, the resurrection was sacred, it was solemn, it was a humbling bit of knowledge, it was part of the Catholic handshake. How in the world could Pigboy Crabshaw have the same fate? Was he the second coming?

Album cover art work was also important during this time-about 1967/68 so that also played into my interest. I should get a picture and add it to this vignette, but basically it was a life-like caricature of a guy with long hair and a handlebar mustache done in various shades of Orange, Brown, Black and Gray. The title of the album was interwoven into his Handlebar mustache. I remember standing over the bin full of albums and just admiring the artwork. The art work was cool the title of the album was irreverent and tickled my intelligence and I happened to have a couple of extra bucks just burning a hole in my pocket. I took Pigboy home and listened to it over and over again. My mother must have thought I was nuts. I used to do this with most of the music I bought because I was not just enjoying it, which I did, but I was studying it as well. The first couple of times through I thought I had made a bad mistake and I had, once again, bought something that was shinny and sparkley (sic) and intrigued me, but really didn't go below the surface beyond the cover. I put it away for a day or two but it seemed to stay with me. I found myself hearing little snippets that I could remember from my first listening sessions. The Resurrection of Pigboy Crabshaw. It had happened. A few days later I went through both sides again two or three times. It started to make me happy. It's actually a weird phenomenon but when I would feel a little depressed I would put on Pigboy if I could get to it. Pigboy would make me happy.

I still have the original album I bought some 40 years ago and I do play it every once in a while but my primary Pigboy is my CD. Yeah, you can still buy it on Amazon so I guess a lot of people feel the same as I do to some extent. I am sure that they can relate to the blues tunes on the album but I am guessing that the resurrection part probably hooked their interest as well. Sometimes the words you learn in your youth can narrow your life path and you mental wanderings if you are not careful.

Reflections - Something from Pops!!

dbanta — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 10:55:56 -0400

Posted By Dean for Wm D.

The Gift of Old Age

The other day I was asked by a young person how I felt about being old. I was taken aback, for I do not think of myself as old. Upon seeing my reaction, there was an immediate embarrassment, but I explained that it was an interesting question, and I would ponder it, and reply.

Old Age, I decided, is a gift. I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be. Oh, not my body! I sometime despair over my body, the wrinkles, the baggy eyes, and the sagging butt. Often I am taken aback by that old person that lives in my mirror (who looks like my mother!), but I don't agonize over those things for long.

I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, and my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become more kind to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant. I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging. Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 AM and sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 40&50's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love ... I will. I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set. They, too, will get old. I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things.

Oh Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect. I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver. As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong.

So, in answer to your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day. (If I feel like it)

MAY YOU ALWAYS HAVE A RAINBOW OF SMILES ON YOUR FACE AND IN YOUR HEART FOREVER AND EVER!

Waiting for the Sun to come up over the ridge

dbanta — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 10:55:16 -0400

Waiting for the sun to come up over the ridge. Waiting for that first kiss of warmth on a cool fall day. The air is crisp and energizing, the sun brilliant even in the shade of the ridge. Today is such a day, I want to remember it. It reminds me of when I was young and a Boy Scout in Germany, sitting in a valley on a cool fall day, just waking up and wandering out of our army issue sleeping bags and army issue pup tents. We sat there in a slight valley shivering a little from sleep and a little from the coolness of the autumn air. Waiting for the sun to come up over the ridge. It was a beautiful sight, one that you allowed yourself a few minutes to take in before returning to building the morning fire. We would wonder if this is what it must have been like in World War II a strange dichotomy of beauty and soldiers; scarred but yet able to detach from the moment of war to enjoy the sun coming over the ridge. But we were just young kids enjoying the lush green in the valley, the variation of the leaves on the various Maple, Oak, Elm and Spruce trees. Working to get a fire going and having fun finding sticks and branches to feed the fire, excited that we would be, like those soldiers, eating K rations, but mostly just waiting for that first kiss of the sun, waiting for the warmth that it would give. Just waiting for the sun to come up over the ridge.

Response From Tojum

dbanta — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 15:31:23 -0400

Perception and the “Mental Architecture” concept.

“Mental Architecture”… hmmm… what an interesting concept and what an interesting perspective provided by dbanta (I don’t know….). Before I offer a new perspective, please allow me to say one thing. “I know dbanta and no matter who you may be, you are no dbanta”. I know… you related easily to his free wheeling and his wind under your wing poetry but you have been provided only a glimpse of his soul and his soul is the bases of his “Mental Architecture”. dbanta reaches deeper within himself to resolve the most complex concerns while humming a tune and gives each the same priority. You will do well to emulate him but keep in mind, you will never be him.

Contrary to dbanta, I have been described as anal and safe. That is the perspective that most would see when considering my “Mental Architecture”. I am seen routinely working for a business as an employee, living a life style within my means and basically a drone in society. How does this relate to the “Mental Architecture” concept? Well, bear with me. The way we are perceived by others can be influential in our decision making and isn’t that how most develop their “Mental Architecture”? A teacher presents a subject in an interesting manor or not. You grasp the subject based on your perception of the presentation. You make a decision to pursue the subject based on your impression and the process referred to as a “Mental Architecture” begins. A crossroads is encountered and a path is chosen. For those who are most concerned by how they are perceived by others, the path is predictable. For those who could care less how they are perceived are genuine to themselves and the message is received. Most importantly, the choices are endless and like dbanta, we become free birds in the wind. I am not offering a formula for success, only a perspective of perception and how it relates to the “Mental Architecture” concept.

I don't know....

dbanta — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 14:35:39 -0400

Things are just evolving. Are they spiraling in towards a center or are they spiraling out to who knows where. It's a funny set of concepts that I have adopted over the years to use as guides and bread crumbs when I need to find my way back to some stable ground before venturing back out in search of new ideas. My mind does not seem to like to just float along on the current of the wind. What is directing it? I don't know. I look at others and they seem to have a solid plan as to where they are what their next steps in life might be and, seemingly, where they will end up. The actual color of the rocker they will be sitting in the orientation of the porch that they will be sitting on, the smells in the air and they know exactly what time they will be going to bed until that last time. I can't picture it! Oh sure I can see a littler bit of what I think could occur, I can setup a nice dream like the next guy but then something mysterious happens, a bird flies by, a color changes, I smell fresh baked bread, someone offers me a beer, the phone rings, I stop for gas, a tune catches my ear, I feel good, I feel lost, I look back, I fall, I look down and I am on to something else. A new plan, a change, A thread of a new idea, interrupted by someone telling me I fucked up. I dropped the ball or I wasn't attentive or I took too much time for myself. Maybe I am just wafting along with the breeze; things are just evolving.

Ah yes....It's time to get into the game....

dbanta — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 14:56:16 -0400

Well, I have gone and done it. I am officially changing The Banta Group to a loosely coupled bunch of opinion's, ideas, comments, general musing, dogma, and whatever other categories of Mental Architecture this blog can generate. As this is just a beginning I am hoping to expand it to something that will at least be challenging, interesting, lazy and at most completely open and respectful to all but never afraid.

I will be filling this with content in the coming days and maybe a photo or two. I am a novice to this technology so I am sure I will make a few mistakes here and there and have a few missteps as well.

Let the mental architecture begin...