There’s a phrase I see often on the little bit of remaining social media I use – “pictures or it didn’t happen.” It stems from claims that people make in these social channels, and people asking for photographic proof as they don’t believe those claims. However, I am here to say that it’s ok to not always have those pictures.

As I was driving home late last night in the rain from Milwaukee, Wisconsin (about a 1.5 hour ride) I realized I did not get a picture with my cousin whom I went there to meet. He was in the Cream City for a conference, and I wanted to get together with him as he was so close. We met up and went to dinner and had some great beer at a brewpub just next to the new arena downtown and had a nice time. After I dropped him off at his hotel, I got some coffee for the road and headed home.

It was in the process of keeping my mind off of the rain – and on the road – that I realized there was no picture of us; no selfie, and didn’t even ask our friendly waitress to take a picture. It wasn’t that we didn’t have a good time – we talked of the conference he was here for, tech, healthcare, beer, all good. We both had our phones with operating cameras on them, and it wasn’t even that I didn’t take any pictures last night – see above for the huge bowl of cole slaw that came with my brat burger, as I had never seen a serving of cole slaw that large, ever.

This is not the first time I have done something that could be considered a “Kodak moment” and didn’t capture it... yes, I am a Gen Xer and I remember that term well. Being in that age range probably means why I am not always “on” taking pictures, especially with my conscious effort to be on less social media channels and use the ones I am still on less often. Then there is the “management” of these pictures, for lack of a better term. What do you do with all of the photos you take? And what about the ones you may have taken in the dark ages with actual film? My guess is the boxes of photos and albums you have are similar to what I have.

Over the summer my family took a road trip West and went to Mount Rushmore. I was in awe of seeing the mountain carvings in person that I have seen in photos since I was a child. The pictures I took were great, especially with the family, but they didn’t quite match the magnitude and emotion I felt seeing it for myself. For me that’s ok, as I have my memories of that August night to go with those pictures to make for a complete experience.

As I was mulling all of this over in the ride home, I recalled an article by Derek Sivers where he talked about traveling without a smartphone altogether. Where he couldn’t take any pictures or use GPS for maps, he felt he remembered his time more without the device, and what it offered as well as what it could take away from the moment. Where I don’t think I would consciously do this, it at least made me feel better about the one picture I don’t have of the many thousands of pictures I do have.

By the way I highly recommend the cole slaw there; it’s made with red peppers.

Deconstructing Not Taking A Picture

In our constantly-connected world, moments when we are not stand out. If the fact that we weren’t connected didn’t distract from the life experience, then that’s ok. There are other ways to “capture the moment” such as recounting it to others, or even writing a blog post about it.

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This is from The Hot Iron, a journal on business and technology by Mike Maddaloni.

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Where I have always considered myself a history buff, I am by no means fully knowledgeable of all events in US and world history and their nuances. That being said, I am aware of most core events in US history, and of those abroad with a focus on the impacts here in America.

When I got a copy of How to Think Like Churchill as a gift from a relative, I was eager to read it. I was aware of Winston Churchill’s ascent to Prime Minister of the UK during at the time of World War II, his role immediately following the war and his love for cigars. But that was about it. My hope was this book would fill me in on the life and career of this pivotal world leader.

Fortunately this book lived up to my expectations, and then some. What went to and beyond my expectations were my takeaways from it.

I didn’t know about his earlier life – From being a soldier to a journalist to his early political offices, Winston Churchill lived a full life with a great breadth of activities. The majority of my knowledge of him begins with being UK’s Prime Minister following Neville Chamberlain and ends after World War II. This new knowledge of his upbringing, career and time in and out of office provides context to understanding who Churchill was and what he did.

Quotes and more quotes – I have known for years the quote, “If you’re going through hell, keep going” and that it was attributed to Churchill. After reading this book, which is sprinkled with his quotes throughout its pages, I learned many more of his famous sayings, as well as how he was able to sum up his thought process succinctly. Churchill would have done well today in the age of the sound bite and social media.

Soldiering On – To say Winston Churchill’s career bounced back from obscurity to be one the best known world leaders of the 20th century is an understatement. Personal loss, public defeat and challenges at home were just part of what plagued Churchill, but despite all of these he made a return unlike no other. The details of his challenges and his triumphs are nothing short of inspiring for anyone facing great odds.

How to Think Like Churchill is a small but mighty book at 203 pages. It’s larger than life subject made this an enjoyable read. The book is part of a series of “how to think” books on the likes of Steve Jobs and Nelson Mandela and is worth your pursuit whether you’re a fan of Churchill or other great personalities of history. As I give away all of the books I read, I left this one at the local coffee shop where I wrote these takeaways.

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This is from The Hot Iron, a journal on business and technology by Mike Maddaloni.

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Yesterday was a crappy day. Problems by someone else at work consumed my time to rectify it, which took away from the things I needed to do and am still catching up on. Then on top of it I offered to help a friend after work who had some trees get knocked down by storms a week ago.

Interestingly, it was helping with the trees, something I wouldn’t normally do or think I would enjoy otherwise, that brought back the spark that was snuffed out during the day.

Godzilla vs. The Mighty Oak

If any of you reading know me, you are probably already laughing at the fact of me helping someone with fallen trees. Even my own kid said that I am not known as a nature person. As I responded to my friend this thought came to mind, but I offered as it would certainly be a case of strength in numbers, plus my friend and others helping knew of my, well, affinity to nature as well.

Getting to his house meant passing downed trees for literally a mile. When I pulled into his place, a couple of other friends were helping him split the last of a few logs off the driveway. Though I was a little late, I was just in time, as the next task was to tackle a giant oak – 30 feet if it was not 100 – that was in his backyard. If you are unfamiliar with oak, it’s heavy, and as it was a recently fallen tree, it was still “alive” and full of moisture, which when it dries out will make it a little lighter.

After helping to wheel the log splitter down the slope of the backyard – no small feat in itself – it was time to start splitting the tree. It was cut into segments with chainsaws, and then the arm of the log splitter, named Godzilla, would scoop up the roughly 2-foot segments to be split. Splitting the logs, which were anywhere from 6 inches to almost 2 feet in diameter, required multiple passes through the splitter, which is a hydraulic press that forces the log into a sharp wedge. Splitting a large, heavy segment into 2 made for 2 slightly smaller and slightly less heavy pieces, which needed to be further split, hauled and stacked. All of this for one segment, only to repeat for each one. Lather, rinse, repeat.

I was assigned the task of operating the splitter, as the other guys used chainsaws to cut up the tree, and then were doing the stacking of the cut pieces. Where I never used a splitter before, I certainly didn’t use a chainsaw either. As the splitter was stationary and straightforward to operate, I guided Godzilla in the splitting of this fallen tree for winter firewood.

Where I certainly would have failed a log splitting efficiency test, after several pieces I was getting the hang of it, and frankly found it to be fun! I was nowhere near as agile \ as my friend whose backyard and tree this was, but as he said he was splitting wood since childhood, I wasn’t worried about speed. Plus I wanted to make sure I kept all of my fingers on each hand.

As the last flickers of light from the sun shone on us, we wrapped up the last piece of this mighty oak. What started out as a Herculean task without a solid plan turned into an achievement of firewood and, for me at least a great sense of accomplishment… not only in completing the task, but in completely forgetting about the crappy day I had earlier.

Changes in Latitude

Afterwards talking about task we wrapped up, over beers and brats, I commented on how much fun this was for me. Much of my time is spent within my comfort zone. I don’t necessarily plan or go out of my way to ensure I am in that comfort zone, but it’s where I end up spending my time. Getting out of it, in a heavily wooded area that looked nothing like where I live but a mere few miles slightly north of me, is what the doctor ordered for this day.

Where I may not be adding log splitting to my LinkedIn profile anytime soon, I am certainly up for the task in the future.

Deconstructing Getting Out

In the past I have written about how we all have our place and to play to your strengths and in many cases that approach to things still pertains. The scenario I was in was not in my mind a great risk. Granted if I was goofing around I could have easily chopped off a digit or 2. But going in with a base level expectation, doing something I had never done before and doing it well, adjusted me not just for that day, but a little on what lies in the days ahead. And perhaps it can for you as well.

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This is from The Hot Iron, a journal on business and technology by Mike Maddaloni.

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Happy New Year 2019 from Mike Maddaloni!

Pictured is New Years Eve fireworks over Blackjack Mountain in Bessemer, Michigan.

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This is from The Hot Iron, a journal on business and technology by Mike Maddaloni.

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To those who believe, Merry Christmas!

To those who do not, have a great Tuesday!

Pictured is the Christmas Eve mass at St. Bernadette Church in Appleton, Wisconsin.

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This is from The Hot Iron, a journal on business and technology by Mike Maddaloni.

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