... or something like that...  The title comes from an old song by Simon & Garfunkle, a "folk-pop" duo from the 60s and 70s...  They gave us a LOT of hit records in their years together - and Paul Simon certainly had a string of hits after they split.  Art Garfunkle didn't do as well, but he still stayed busy and active in the recording industry. I always think of the old adage about "stopping and smelling the roses" when I think of that old song (BTW, it's "FEELING GROOVY")...  Which then leads to thinking about "tunnel vision"...  And all of this came up today because of a comment made to a previous post that fairly SCREAMS "sales pitch!" and ... well, I've never been a fan of the heavy-hitting sales pitch. Years ago, I actually was in sales - I was selling new (and used) Chrysler and Plymouths for a dealer in the San Francisco Bay Area.  This was in the late 80s and I only did it for a few months.  I had to get out of there because, while I love cars - I'm a certifiable car nut - I couldn't deal with all of the high-pressure tactics that so many sales people used.  It actually kind of shocks me to think about how ...

Another EDI Blog from this guy…?  Geez!  Why are we all feeling so special?!? When I'd first written this blog - back in June - I was still working and "gainfully employed" and the change - just about a week ago - is something I could (obviously) plan for and anticipate - but you can only plan so much for this kind of eventuality in life...  But I'm doing OK and have been working on some possibilites to come...   OK, so I’m exaggerating a bit with that lead-in, right?  But truly, if you’ve read the blogs I write, you may very well have noticed that sometimes I’m kicking ‘em out daily.  Sometimes, well… not so much…  Months may pass between writings…  A lot of it happens when an idea – INSPIRATION! – rears its head and other times, well, it’s just when maybe I’m not so busy and I’ve got free time to think. Wait… Free time for an EDI Guy?  How can THAT be?  It’s not possible!! (now I've got even MORE free time!). But I tell you, it is!  And there’s a reason that any EDI Guy (or Gal) can have some … free time … here and there to work on other issues and projects.  It’s all about planning and executing your plans and taking ...

Jim Croce sang once about “… if I could save time in a bottle…” – and I just wonder where time goes…  Yes, it’s been a LONG time since you’ve seen the crazed writings I create on these pages.  Has the silence been golden? Of have you been secretly pining away for more wit and wisdom from the one and only; is it writings from this one that you have been yearning for…?  Or do you really just not care one way or the other and you’re just about to go read something else…?  I guess I’d better get to the topic, huh? I know its ground I’ve covered before, but it’s still a fertile field to … darn, what’s a good word for plow that starts with an “F”…?  How about farm…?  It’s still a fertile field to farm…  There.  I got some alliteration in. But I’m rambling on (again?) about changes and not doing things the “new” way because it’s too difficult.  Or it requires us to think of a different way of doing things that maybe – just maybe – we don’t want to think about.  It’s about adapting to change and dealing with the change that comes along as newer (and better?) ways of doing things come along. OK… since the last time we talked, ...

It was a dark and stormy night…  The wind howled through the skeletal branches of the trees…  ghosts, goblins and other monsters scampered along the street…  the full moon shone brightly, yet all the streets seemed dim and darkened and you were wary about what might bump into you in the night… Yeah, yeah, yeah.  OK, so it’s warm, a bit breezy and mostly sunny.  At least it is in most of Southern California.  But it seemed just wrong to start off a blog on Halloween with something so … so … cheerful. I was thinking, on this warm and sunny October day – that Halloween is the PERFECT version of the supply chain.  Honestly, think about it…  And think about how many different supply chains may be involved…! But the basic one – “TRICK OR TREAT” – the art of hitting up the neighborhood – is a perfect example of a simple – yet WILDLY effective – supply chain. The breakdown: *             you put on some clothes (a costume), *             you walk down the street, *             you ring a doorbell and yell “TRICK OR TREAT!” , *             and the person gives you some candy (or other great treat)…! How much simpler and easier is that supply chain?!?  Nothing to do but get dressed up on some costume – whether a simple sheet with ...

I just read this article – well – a pair of articles – over on MSN – about the 25 WORST cities for finding a job and the 25 BEST cities for finding a job.  Truly interesting stuff; however the methods used to create the article are – at best – flawed.  The flaw is that they only use the unemployment rates, as compiled and published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics – a federal agency that is responsible for researching and compiling labor economics and statistics… The list of the bad cities includes quite a few cities located in California.  But if you were to look at the list – and if you’re not from California – you’ve probably NEVER heard of many (if ANY) of those cities.  Here’s the list: 1.    El Centro, Calif.        2.    Yuma, Ariz.                3.    Flint, Mich.                4.    Merced, Calif. 5.    Yuba City, Calif.       6.    Modesto, Calif.       7.    Visalia, Calif.             8.    Monroe, Mich. 9.    Palm Coast, Fla.       10.  Stockton, Calif.          11.  Fresno, Calif.              12.  Bakersfield, Calif. 13.  Hanford, Calif.           14.  Redding, Calif.           15.  Muskegon, Mich.     16.  Jackson, Mich. 17.  Rocky Mount, N.C. 18.  Saginaw, Mich.          19.  Madera, Calif.            20.  Detroit 21.  Elkhart, Ind.                22.  Sebastian, Fla.           23.  Kokomo, Ind.             24.  Rockford, Ill. 25.  Niles, Mich. 11 of them are from California.  But, of those 11 – only one is NOT located in the Central Valley area of California.  And the ...