Presenting P-squared

June 20, 2007 By Jesse Petersen

I have a close circle of friends who are apparently obsessed with nicknames. You know who you are. /wave We all went to a Devil Ray’s game last week where I was informed that I have a nickname now: P-squared for Perfectly Petersen.

As a designer, you can’t help but have lightbulbs, fireworks, and Mother of all Bombs going off in your head when you hear a catchy name like that. Here is something about how the process works:

  1. I’m not offended.
  2. Hey, that’s actually pretty cool.
  3. I’ve never had a cool nickname before.
  4. Sure beats the heck out of Dogboy.
  5. Whoa!! New title for my blog coming…
  6. It’ll be P-squared now…
  7. I can finally make a logo!
  8. Yes!!!
  9. Hey, why is my wife looking at me like that?
  10. I’d better sit still for a while.

That about wraps up what happens in my head in approximately 28ms.

Welcome to my world.

Filed Under: Blogging, Personal, Relationships

Wishin’ and Hopin’… Is There a Difference?

June 19, 2007 By Jesse Petersen

I wonder...We have all heard the song by Dusty Springfield:

Wishin’, and hopin’, and thinkin’, and prayin’,
Plannin’ and dreamin’ each night of his charms,
That won’t get you into his arms.

So if your’re looking for love, you can share,
All you gotta to is hold him, and kiss him, and love him,
And show him that you care.

Show him that you care, just for him.
Do the things that he likes to do.
Wear your hair just for him,
‘Cause you won’t get him
Thinkin’ and a prayin’,
Wishin’ and a hopin’,

‘Cause wishin’, and hopin’, and thinkin’, and prayin’,
Planning and dreamin’
His kisses will start.
That won’t get you into his heart.

To me, the difference between “wish” and “dream” is another wordsmithing thing in my head that distingushes them.

I see them as without and with faith, in that order. Faith, described as “hopeful expectation.” Those two words are a few volumes by themselves. How can you be hopeful AND expecting at the same time?

I’m not sure how *you* do it, but for me, it’s as easy as expecting that I will make it to work okay, or enjoy a nice meal with my wife when I get home. I have no present proof that either will happen in the future, so I hope for them, but I have nothing to suggest that I shouldn’t expect them.

Dreaming is faith-full to me. I dream of things that are not yet, but there is no reason to expect that I can’t get/achieve/arrive at something. I don’t dream too big, but I also try to not dream to the extent of turning it into a wish.

Don’t we all wish we could have no worries, pain, trouble? Then again, how realistic is that? Do you expect them? No. That is why it is wishful to me, not dreaming.

Filed Under: I Wonder, Personal

How to Get Things Done With No Deadline

June 18, 2007 By Jesse Petersen

I have an editing project that someone in my network has generously tagged me to work on for them. It’s in quite a raw form (not even an electronic copy) and will take more effort than simply marking it up. That isn’t the problem. My problem is a lack of a deadline. It is totally foreign to me to not have a deadline. Everything at work has a timetable attached, even if we are late already. The customer expects delivery and they expect it on time.

Without a goal, I historically, almost genetically, waffle my free time doing whatever I want to do most at the time. That generally consists of watching TV with my wife or playing computer games. Today I have come up with a plan for getting this done before my summer session college course begins.

  • I set a deadline for editing the text and getting it all in the correct order for the book to be the day before class starts. That is two weeks away, so it is not like I’m dropping everything, but can’t be considered to be a laid back goal.
  • I am substituting my alone free time’s activities to editing until I’m done. That should give me between  one and four hours per day to get started.
  • I will be giving myself motivating reminders such as not disappointing my clients and that there is a paycheck attached to delivery. Anything that motivates you is a good thing as long as you don’t lose any quality.
  • I am going to ask my wife to keep my accountable for my alone time to make sure I don’t revert back to my routine, as I am very much a creature of habit with a poor short-term memory. [now why did I come into this room?]

With these four decisions, I expect to meet and exceed expectations. How do you work without a deadline? Do you have a multi-year “Honey do” list that you just don’t get done? Try this and let me know how it works for you. [tags]motivation, project management[/tags]

Filed Under: Personal, Writing

Happy Father’s Day!

June 17, 2007 By Jesse Petersen

A little something from the heart. I’m not a big fan of country music, but they get the point across, don’t they?

Happy Father’s Day, Dad.

Filed Under: Personal, Relationships
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