Ice: In the Grip of Winter

Although there has been a bit more sunshine lately, the temperatures are still too cold to think and the ice on the collection pond, as seen through my daughter's window, confirms my suspicion that is is just too cold outside. 

Fortunately there is a fence around the collection pond or I am sure someone would have drowned trying to ice skate on the seeming inviting ring of ice. 

There is no snow in the area and so looking out the window, except for this circle of ice, might lead one to believe that spring is close. But it is not.

With daily high temperatures in the low 30's--often not breaking above freezing, the region continues firmly in the arctic grip of Winter longing for warmth and moderate temperatures. It is supposed to reach 36 degrees today! It may feel like a heatwave when it does, except for the snow that is supposed to accompany the more moderate temperatures.

I guess I'm a bit jealous that some of my family are lucky enough to be traveling to warmer climates. Some are leaving today on a cruise for the Bahamas and diving, while others are enjoying the relative warmth of Barcelona (yup Spain) on the Mediterranean coast where the temperatures are cool in the 50's-and 60's, but compared to 20's and 30's it must seem like a summer heat wave.

Pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training this week--so summer and warmer temperatures cannot be too far off. I can even buy tickets to the Orioles Opening Day this week! And my own journey to warmer temperatures happens in about five short seeks as I sojourn to Sarasota for some dune and baseball. We are doing four games in four days this year!

But the ice remains--unmoved. Growing stronger which each passing hour of temperatures below freezing.

It will be gone soon!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Olympics Opening Ceremony Reflections

And so they begin. For the next two weeks the world will be watching athletes compete in the still unifying spirit of the Olympics streaming from Sochi, Russia. 

I was impressed with the opening ceremonies--the pageantry seems to get bigger and more exotic with every succeeding Olympics. Being a Winter Olympics, however, I do not long to be there. It looks cold.

Sage Kotsenburg with the First Gold of Sochi

The U.S. surprisingly won the first Gold Medal of the Olympics which Sage Kotsenburg winning Gold in the Men's Snowboard Slopesytyle. I didn't even know what that was until the other night when I watched it on TV and it is a pretty awesome looking sport, racing down a hill on a snowboard doing flips and twists.

Watching the opening ceremonies with the parade of nations reminded me that it is possible for all of the countries to come together for sports and not be so mindful of the differences of ideology or religion. That made me feel good. I wish it could happen more.

I smiled as the Tonga team entered the stadium. Really? A polynesian island has a team in the winter Olympics? Their lone Olympian will compete in the Luge.

I did think the 230 members of the U.S. team were a bit unruly as they entered the stadium in comparison with other countries, but that, for what it is worth, is who we are I guess.

Well, it is underway and it will be fun to watch. 

It has to be better than anything else on TV.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Thursday, My Longest Day

Thursday's. Blah! They are my personal toughest day of the week.

I am usually up early, like yesterday at 4:40 AM and then on the racquetball court at 5:30 AM. I follow that by being at work by 7:00 AM and then I am strapped to meetings at 8, 9, 11, and 12 on a good Thursday. On many Thursday's, like yesterday, I had additional meetings at 9 (yup, two ( AM meetings) and a pick-up meeting at 10.

Jax, Chris, and Ethan

And, as an added bonus, I got to leave work early to make a run to the airport and then watch two Ethan and Jax for the evening which will continue into next week! So, as an added bonus, last evening I got to experience the joys of homework, the success of being installed on the Principal's Honor Roll and a celebratory trip to a slushy store, getting fitted for a lacrosse uniform, and dinner at Chik Fil A.

I'm not sure there is enough wine in the world to compensate for the Thursday that I had. And I get to do a lot of it all over again today! Yay!

It is an adventure.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Trips, Travel, and Dreaming

Florida Palms after a Summer Storm

I was chatting with a friend the other day, amidst the snow and cold, and we both agreed that the though of being in Florida, or some other warm place, keeps us going despite the cold and icy weather.

They are so many warm places to dream of visiting, yet, there is something satisfying about going someplace familiar. And warm.

There is a car in my garage that embodies the essence of warm summer days--and it hasn't been driven in a couple of months. I have an almost overpowering urge to get it out, put the top down and drive 80 miles an hour on the interstate with my hair on fire in 20 degree temperatures, just because I can.

And then pneumonia would probably set in.

But I would enjoy the moment with no regrets.

Perhaps it I am feeling it because two of my children are headed off on trips to potentially warmer climates.

Fortunately there are only a few more storms between me and Spring Training in Sarasota! Next year we are going to go earlier to escape the cold.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Making Man Happy

I heard the funniest thing last evening about keeping husbands happy in the face of a miserable attitude. The three steps to change a bad attitude into a good one were called the "Toddler Approach."

The steps:

1. Feed them. Are they hungry? When did they eat last?

2. Give them a nap. They are tired.

3. Wash them. They may be dirty somewhere, but this only happens in about 3 percent of the cases.

Patrick and I discussed "Toddler Approach" to being handled, as we are both husbands. He felt that the whole world always looks better on a full stomach. I have to concur, I remember being in Disney World last summer and the experience was beginning to degrade in the face of rain and exhaustion. A great lunch saved the day. I also know from personal experience that life is a lot better after an afternoon nap. 

As for item three-we had never really experienced the idea of being dirty and needing cleansing.

And then it hit me, these three steps to taming an ornery man weren't funny or cute--they were true.

Deep psychology.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Six PM Last Evening

What were you doing last evening at 6PM?

I was arriving home after another less than successful racquetball outing, but . . . 

I noticed something. 

I noticed that it was not yet fully dark at 6 PM. The daylight grows long day by day. We are back up to 10 hours and 18 minutes of sunlight. Sunset was at 5:28 PM last evening. 

Maybe it was a bit of wishful thinking, but I believe that I can see the daylight growing longer. I can almost hear the ocean waves lapping the shore while enjoying an end of day drink in the 8:30 pm timeframe. It is coming, soon.

Springtime flowers in February

Before long, as I leave the club in the morning just before 7 AM,  I should be able to see see the first glimpses of the sun just before the horizon and believe that warmer weather, green leaves, and flowers are close behind the obvious seasonal change. 

The dark days are ending!

And to add insult to injury, Sunday as I was cruising around the yard I noticed, in places where the snow has melted, that springtime flowers are beginning to poke up into the still too weak sunlight. What hardy plants they must be ready to face the continuing onslaught of winter weather that is in store for us.

Like the flowers in my garden, keep the faith--Spring is out there, somewhere!


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - February 3, 2014

1. February? Really? Already? I thought we just celebrated New Years!

2. Was it Super? Or was it just a commercial blow-out? You make the call. Has the "Big" game become so hyped that any semblance to football is merely the shape of the ball and number of players on the field?

3. Did you know that despite the hype and the 60 minute clock, there is only about 14 minutes of actual game play packed into 3 and a half hours of Super Bowl game time. The halftime show lasts longer.

4. Given the significant accumulations of snow in today's forecast for the Baltimore area, I guess Punxsutawney Phil's forecast was solid. Unfortunately.

5. Ten days until pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training and we can get on with the prelude to Spring as baseball ramps up for its eight month run.

6. Makayla, my dog, is funny. In the morning she is ready to charge out into the yard to take care of business, right up until she notices it is raining and then she puts on the brakes and slinks under the eaves to keep from getting rained on. I suppose I need to get her a doggie umbrella.

7. What was your favorite Super Bowl commercial? I liked Budweiser's Puppy Love, was intrigued by the first Maserati commercial that I have ever seen, and enjoyed the Jaguar commercial--just because.

8. One last Super Bowl related comment. It was funny last evening as the game went to commercial and the grandsons started talking only to be advised that unlike any other football game, it was time to be quiet during the commercials rather than ask questions and make noise.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Six More Weeks of Winter confirmed--Phil Sees Shadow

2013 File Photo of Phil

This just in:

Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow as reported in the Syracuse Post-Standard, although I could not find it live on the national news. 

Here is the story from the Post-Standard:

PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. -- Punxsutawney Phil, most famous groundhog in history, emerged from his burrow early Sunday morning and with the help of his handlers declared that he saw his shadow.

The Groundhog Day prediction means six more weeks of winter.

I kinda felt it would happen this way.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Happy Groundhog Day

Believe it! Today is February 2nd and the 33rd day of, the still too young to be in the second month, of the year.

Go get 'em Phil. I'm looking forward to your forecast direct from 
Gobbler's Knob in the sleepy village of Punxsutawney,  PA, for an early Spring and a long swimming season this year. Let's get on it! If you see your shadow, you'll be in someone's stew by the end of the day. The country is depending upon you!

I love Groundhog Day. It is a classic American holiday! Sadly, the movie by the same name is also a classic, but not as authentic.

Phil is expected to depart his burrow at 7:20 AM EST to make the hopefully early end to Winter forecast.

I will be watching. And hoping that this Winter which started early decides to give me a break, and end early as well. The prognosticators are all predicting that Phil will not see his shadow--time will tell!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Tenured Leadership

It has been a while since I wrote about some leadership principles that I discover while plodding through the daily grind. I have recently revisited the concept of consistent and tenured leadership. Given the current upheaval in government with a bipartisan and ineffective Congress coupled with a diminished President, now is the time to find leaders that know how to plan for the long-haul and can keep the organization steady during turbulent times.

Good leaders have tenure. They are stay in place and they develop depth and understanding in the subject and more importantly the people they lead. Good leaders are prepared to accept the consequences of their decisions in five years--fully expecting to be the leader that made the decisions or sponsored the decisions. That is hard to comprehend in a society and work paradigm that promotes changing leaders every two to three years. Yet, when I look at some very senior leaders, I find that the best ones have been in place for many years and their organizations have continued to excel, despite the paradigm that suggests changing leaders is essential.

Leaders who stay in place are committed to building teams and team leaders who are in place for the long haul. The idea of making a mark is measured in terms of years of consistent success rather than a single big splash in the pool of work life.  We have become a society of the quick-win! Ugh! Quick wins are a facade and are not a barometer of long term success.

Successful long-term tenured leaders must be committed to continual evolution and improvement rather than looking for and snapping off the "low-hanging fruit" to get a quick win so they can declare success before moving on to another job. Leaders for the long-term develop a culture of innovation and change enabling the organization or team to stay ahead of the technologies that affect their business line.

Don't misunderstand, the infusion of new ideas and business approaches from outside the organization is critical. An organization will wither from deficient innovation and failing to maintain its mission lead. But, the infusion of new ideas and practices does not occur through revolving door leaders. It happens when an organization is committed to learning, leaning forward, and developing tradecraft. 

Leaders set the tone and the ethos for an organization, but it is truly the team that encourages innovation and not leadership change for he sake of change. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD