Author: D. L. Keur

No Vid, Just Facts in Bullets, Please

Posted on by D. L. Keur

No_Video_play_buttonI click to go check the latest news. What do I get? Videos that either auto-start, else a video window with a start button. My eyes seek somewhere for an alternative text version–just the facts, please, no talking heads, no editorial commentary, no anchor, no jabbering reporter in the field talking to a lens. There isn’t one. I click gone, seeking my choice of alternative. I always knew I was different. The world wants to watch; I prefer reading. Here’s why: It’s faster to read.

I can read and digest the pertinent portions faster than some talking head, an anchor, or a field reporter with his/her camera person can deliver me their impression of “what’s happening.” For me, saving time is crucial, and, honestly, I’m not interested in somebody else’s ‘take’ on the facts. I just want to know what happened in the most concise manner possible. An article allows me to do that. It lets my eyes scan through the lines to find out the pertinent details without all the inessential trappings (like some prettied up reporter or anchor) and without all the extra hyperbole and drama.

Just the facts, please, preferably in a concise, efficient bulleted list.

Awesomely Interesting

Posted on by D. L. Keur

http://a.tiles.mapbox.com/v3/slate.truenames.html#2/4.2149/-6.3281

UPDATE (6-25-2024) TO LINK of Literal Meaning of Places of the World: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/a7407362fe9749699703b5efc1a2d922

Comes from here: http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/map_of_the_week/2013/06/literal_meanings_of_places_in_the_u_s_map.html , The literal meanings of places in the U.S., mapped.

This Year, New Year’s was Different

Posted on by D. L. Keur

Every New Years, there’s this sense I feel among people around me of renewal, of hope, of cheerful expectation. This year was different. Maybe it was the fiscal cliff issue in Congress that changed the tenor. Maybe it was the Newtown massacre. Whatever it was, for most I met around town, this New Year’s lacked verve, that is, vigor, spirit, and enthusiasm.

I asked myself ‘why’, because, for me, I felt my rather usual sense of “time to plan and start anew.” My verve was not lacking, but this was not so among my compatriots–not among my neighbors, not among my associates and friends, not among my clients nor acquaintances. Instead, there seemed either a stoic sense of “trudging on” or a simple tiredness. And not all of my friends are antiques. In fact, most of them range from youthful to moderately middle age, and all of them are like me, self-starters and fiendishly energized. (Yes, I seem to know people who, like me, have that similar built-in drive to do things.)

I’m not the only one who’s noticed it. Many around me, even those who admit to lacking that New Year’s freshness in themselves, agree that it is observable among those in their circles, too.  Whatever the cause, this lack of verve disturbs me. And them, even in themselves. It disturbs because a new start, a fresh beginning, a clean slate, has in its actualization an important, energizing effect upon life, projects, and, especially, spirit.

 

 

Life Changes & Resulting Consequences

Posted on by D. L. Keur

Mid 2012 brought new medical crises for an elderly family member, which necessitated me taking a great deal of my time and devoting it to her care and needs. This situation persists into 2013 and will remain throughout the rest of her life…and, therefore, mine. So life changes have to occur in my life in order to accommodate this new reality. Since designing optimum systemic organization and streamlining operations is one of my most pragmatically useful areas of education and expertise, I sat down on January 1st and worked through the logistics of operational productivity, including realistic timelines for projects for which I am responsible. What came of it was a very practical and workable solution to the intruding chaos that has encumbered the last few months. It was with much relief that, by removing certain low return enterprises from my schedule, and by focusing on those areas that prove most beneficial to both bottom line and self fulfillment, I was able to create a functional plan based on prioritized projects that enables me to fulfill all new obligations and responsibilities while also continuing to pursue my life work.

When professional life, personal life, and the dire needs of an aging family member seem in conflict, a good operational chart adjusted to priorities can mean the difference between sanity and discouraging life disruption.