Land of Lakes and Volcanoes

I started a new job about a month and a half ago, and it's been quite a ride so far.  My titles are the most impressive I've ever had, Program Coordinator and Managing Director (It's a joint appointment).  It's a great opportunity for me to grow and expand my skill set, and I'm enjoying it, but there have been moments when I've wondered if I can accomplish everything that needs to be done, both in terms of quantity of work, but also the level of quality that I want to achieve. One of the things I've struggled with in the past is delegating, which would seem to be at the center of both managing and directing, and would also go a long way toward helping me to accomplish everything I need to. So far, I'm doing better in this job and I've discovered a few things about why that might be.  First, there's just too much for me to do alone - asking for help is the only way to make it work.  I'm nothing if not pragmatic. Second, delegation is about...

★★★★ As I observe my neighbors across the street yelling at their kids as they are often wont to do, I think about Nell and her primer.  I'm also thinking about the Mouse Army and whether they ended up better or worse off than the boys born into their families. They didn't have families, but they had each other.   Patrick and I are having an ongoing discussion about what men and women (generalizations, heyo!) look for in media.  Someone posited that women look for a story, words they can sing along to, characters they like.  We're narrative.  Men look for a mood, an experience, a feeling, a setting.   I didn't immediately agree or disagree with him, but I've been gathering information and observations and I keep revisiting the conversation, both mentally and with him.  It's made me wonder how we would perceive this story differently. The technology is a huge part of it - it's at the center of the story - the fate of nations and the entire ...