On average, I receive a couple hundred emails per day.   Of those, only a small percent actually require ACTION on my part.   Others are "informational" and "FYI" kinds of things.   Some are nice to know, others are swiftly deleted and forgotten.   And of course, a fair percent of the email received daily is simply pure trash.   SPAM, with sources both internal and external.

Filters are my friends.   I can sift through the junk fairly quickly.   On a daily basis, I decide whether to help provide technical support to my Sun colleagues (I'm pretty good with StarOffice), whether I want a dose of humour, or whether I want the gory details about this, that, or the other project.

Occasionally, like many others who live on email, I find myself sifting through my email "Trash" folder, looking for something that didn't grab my interest before, but did later.   And then bringing it back into the "In Box".

However, SOMETIMES when I do this, I get distracted, talk with someone on the telephone, climb deep inside a spreadsheet, work on presentations, greet the UPS Delivery man (remember, I work from home), catch up on goal work, or who knows what....   And I forget....

... And start rereading and sifting through the emails already in the trash bin, thinking they're new!!!   It takes a little time before I find myself quoting Homer Simpson. "D'oh"

Yes, I call it   eTrash Recycling   and like to think of it as own personal way of Being Green.

Well, Green or maybe just Blonde.  

We have a barn.   One aisle of that barn is 180 feet long.   Yes, it is a rather large barn.   And along that main aisle are many horse stalls which are filled at night with fuzzy 1000+ pound equines who eat & drink, sleep, and recycle whatever goes in, creating natural fertiliser.  

The aisle is the first thing people notice when they enter our barn.   It is the pathway that allows them to walk from one end to the other.   And accordingly, it is something that we sweep...   several times per day.

Sweeping.   Grab a broom.   Use it to push things from one place to another.   Pretty simply concept.   People have been doing it for centuries.   And yet, sweeping is a skill which eludes many people.   Those who practice the skill and take pride in their sweeping ultimately do a great job of it.

Developing code.   Managing.   Sculpting.   Riding a bike.   Folding laundry.   Teaching.   It dawns on me that there are so many things in life that "anyone can do".   Doing it well, however, with style, and excellent results....   That's when it becomes an art.

I love a well swept barn aisle.   It is a simple thing of beauty and pride in an environment where many expect less.

Work Life Balance.   A popular buzz phrase in corporate life.   Casually mentioned in conversations by managers and engineers alike.   Used lots in presentations and websites.   And HR friendly.

But how does it happen?   And how does it feel?

Over the past couple weeks, I've seen several examples of where WLB had not just happened.   Instead, it had to be managed, consciously.   It involved individuals looking to their team for support.   It included sharing and managing ownership of job responsibilities across teams.   It meant open communication, partnering, and trusting in others.

I think most people will agree work often gets in the way of life.  

But there are also times when "life" simply gets in the way of work.   Things happen.   Family takes priority.   Health gets priority.   Life changes get priority.   That's life!

What I have seen is that it is easy for people to deal with work taking priority.   But when life needs to be given priority, maybe the fact that a paycheck is attached to work, or project deadlines are looming in the distance, or teams are understaffed, or any number of other concerns can result in feelings of guilt when one turns their focus away from work for the moment.

This is just one example of when MANAGING work life balance becomes critical.   Helping employees recognise that it's OK to focus on life and defocus on work.   That it's OK to take care of non-work priorities.   That sitting at work worrying about "real life" is not accomplishing anything.

Work Life Balance.   Cool catchy phrase.   However, it's not always as easy as it sounds.   Sometimes, just sometimes, the balancing act has to be worked to give it true life.

After an afternoon of corporate disappointment, good news / bad news Q3 results, reading lots of internal news, hearing & viewing executive words of encouragement & motivation, and learning about upcoming layoffs, Georg, had to shake off work and once again be The ActTOOR.

Yes, it was   Opening Night!   for "The Curious Savage" at the Warner NH Town Hall.   And what a performance it was!

The cast & crew did a great job!   The audience connected with the characters, enjoyed a lot of giggles and laughter, and even sniffed back gentle tears at the heartfelt ending.   Even me!

And Georg...   Well, he was   F A B U L O U S !   His acting debut was a smashing success.   And, judging from how high he was floating above us mere mortals after the fact, I'd say he thoroughly enjoyed himself as much as the audience enjoyed his performance.

Now back to work.   But again later tonight, and three more times this weekend, Judge Samuel Savage and his siblings will return to "The Cloisters" in pursuit of their $10,000,000 inheritance.

Sigh.   Life is a drama.

This week, the Sunapee Kearsarge Intercommunity Theatre group present John Patrick's delightful comedy "The Curious Savage" in Warner, New Hampshire.

Performances are:

• Thursday, May 1st - 8pm
• Friday, May 2nd - 8pm
• Saturday, May 3rd - 8pm
• Sunday, May 4th - 2pm
• Sunday, May 4th - 6pm

Tickets are $10 each and can be purchased at the MainStreet BookEnds in Warner.

There!   That's my part done.   A wee bit of advertising.

My Dahlin' husband Georg, however, Has a Lot More to Do!   Nightly rehearsals followed by 5 performances.   His acting debut.   A planned announcement regarding his retirement from acting.   His farewell speech.   Then, no doubt, maybe months from now, maybe sooner, an announcement that he is coming out of retirement.   All with dramatic flair, of course.

Life with the AckTOOR (not to be confused with a common actor) has been interesting at best.   I have witnessed a transformation.   The highly regarded & respected Sun Microsystems Senior Staff Engineer & business man has shown a new side.   He is learning stage presence.   He is applying dramatic effects and nuances to his speech & movement.   He has picked up "AckTOOR Speak" and concerns himself with "blocking", "technical reviews", notes, set & lighting, and of course getting into character and having a back story for his character.   Georg IS Judge Samuel Savage.   And, maybe because it is a comedy, Georg has been a bit more goofy than usual.

Life is a drama.   And a huge giggle.   That's cool.

Break a leg, Georg!   And have fun!

Sitting at a desk all day can be a real pain.   Literally.   Sitting for hours without moving more than the mouse and the coffee mug only helps to create a stiff back.

For someone like myself who wants to be able to jump onto a dressage horse in the evening and float around an arena in sychronised motion with the horse, a stiff back can swiftly become a painful back.

In August 2004, I wrote about the exercise ball I was using as a chair in the Bagshot office in the UK.   It was a joy.   However, since moving to the USA, I have not found a ball big enough to use with my new desk...   and I'm not likely to buy another new desk.   So, I guess I allowed my back to get ouchy.   Until....

....Fed up, I started looking for a solution and lo and behold, I learned that the concept of using balls as chairs has become more widely accepted.   Others had found the joy of ball chairs.   And new designs had been dreamt up.   Browsing the web, I found one design that looked simply perfect.

In the end, I selected BIndependent, a company that specialises in "Solutions from the Net's only store created by and for brain injury survivors & families", as my supplier.   They sell this ball chair as well as tons of other cool things.

My new ball chair arrived last week, Georg assembled it quickly, and today, for the first time in 3 years, I am truly sitting comfortably again.   I am raised up to an ergonomically correct height while sitting on a flexible ball that allows me to wiggle, lightly bounce, and simply keep my back moving a bit.   And, I'm on wheels as well!

My back is already happier.   What a relief!

Regarding my recent blog entry about The Curious Savage auditions...

GEORG landed a speaking part in the play!   Yes, incredible as it may seem, Georg will be acting in the role of "Judge Samuel Savage", one of the three Savage children who commit their stepmother into "The Cloisters".

I don't want to ruin the story for you by telling too much.   But I will tell you that Georg's character gets a bit injured while searching for the missing $10,000,000 in bonds which his stepmother has hidden.

Now, I'm not sure how well Georg can act, but if how he behaves when he thinks he has a slight fever is any indication, he will no doubt give a Star Performance!  

So, for those "local" to New Hampshire, Georg will be performing on stage in Warner, May 1 - 4th.   Ticket information will be shared as we get closer to the dates.

Through the Warner's Men's Club, Georg came to hear about auditions for an upcoming amateur theatrical production of "The Curious Savage" by John Patrick.

The play will be performed at the Warner Town Hall from May 1st to May 4th.   The production is being done by the very local Sunapee Kearsarge Intercommunity Theatre.

A SKIT photo collage from "Our Town" in 2006

That's nice.   Right?   So what?

Almost as a goof, a new form of adrenaline rush, a small but fun life experience & challenge...   We BOTH auditioned!!!   And OHMIGOD!   Georg was fabulous!   A natural.   And I survived.   In fact, after the fact, I realised that I truly enjoyed it!   Yes, only a mere taste.   But already, I know I want more!

To those of you who know me, let me apologise while you try to get back into your seats.   Yes, I know it's hard to believe I would EVER get on a stage, read a part with other actors, and try to secure a role in a theatrical production.   But, there comes a time in life when you just have to say, "Why the hell not?"

While I am confident I did not secure one of the female roles, I do suspect I'll be working on the technical side, updating the SKIT website and helping with documentation.   My sideways entry into The Theatre.

And so it is done.   My first big adrenaline rush for 2008.   Now back to my regularly scheduled life.  

Spring.

What's the first thing that comes to mind?

For some, it is the promise of a new season of flowers, gardening, grass, lawn mowing, mud, hay fever, and more.   For some, it may remind them of an integral part of an assembly they build at work.   For some, it may transport their spirit to a beautiful mountain location where crystal clear water bubbles out of the rocks.

As I look out my office winter at yet another new layer of snow and grey skies, the fact that today is the first day of Spring is rather lost on me.

But I recall a promise of Spring from many years ago...   A technical promise.   In the 1990's, people were talking about the next OS.   Something smaller, smarter, faster.   Modular.   Clever.   Something very exciting.   Rumours were flying.   Every tale told got better, as they sometimes do.

In the field, we didn't get to hear too much about it.   But we had heard the name.   It was a new OS called Spring.

While never an OS offering, many excellent technologies literally Sprang from Spring over time.   Technologies, concepts, and new methodologies now used in lots of Sun products.   And that in itself is very cool.

And typical of Sun.

Great engineers.   Great ideas.   Great products.   Disruptive technologies.

Meanwhile, winter continues to drag on in New Hampshire.   Happy Spring!

It's truly a pain in the tush, but on a regular basis, per corporate policy, Sun employees must change their UNIX login passwords.   And when one delves deeper to learn the reasoning behind this, sure, it makes sense.

However, with each change, there is the headache of trying to create a new password which had not been used before, meets the stringent requirements of being difficult to crack, and is still useable and rememberable....

... one which ultimately will NOT end up being taped to the underside of the keyboard, written into a note book, or tucked into a wallet.

For this user, the pleasure of changing passwords ranks right up there with paying taxes and going to the dentist.   Oh joy.

Now that I've changed my password yet again, I just hope I will remember it tomorrow!    

Another winter draws to a close.   But as Old Man Winter continues to hang on, bringing a few additional snowfalls and frozen nights, Spring is starting to barge her way in, bringing longer hours of sunlight, warmer days, melting snow, threats of floods, and the promise of colors to come....   Buds, leaves, spring flowers, grasses & meadows, and flowering shrubs & trees.

To some, this simply means Spring is Coming.   However, for many across Canada and the North East, this transition period means "Sugaring Season" is here!

(Click to enter the NH Maple Producers website)

On our farm, the taps / spouts are in place.   Buckets hang from the spouts.   And as the trees warm up in the sunlight, a very pleasing drip... drip... drip sound can be heard as the sugar maple sap drips into the buckets.

The tap and a drop of sap about to fall.

Georg collecting sap.

Snowshoeing from tree to tree, we collect the sap, filter out any little bits of debris, boil it down for hours, filter it again, and bottle.   Throughout the season, local fellow sugarers visit each other, checking out how things are progressing, and sharing advice & sugaring wisdom.   Georg, a relative newcomer to maple sugaring, enjoys these impromtu meetings and gatherings.

Yes, Spring is coming.   But for now, it's Sugaring Season!   Next weekend, maple sugar houses all over New Hampshire will be hosting open houses to invite the public to learn more and sample the freshest maple syrup possible.

While Kearsarge Meadows is not listed on the NH Maple Producers' March 29 - 30 Events Website, we too will be welcoming friends and family to enjoy the fun of maple sugaring while we wait for Spring to finally arrive.

I'm an Instant Messaging user now.   I use Sun's Java System Instant Messaging.   I use Pidgin & GAIM.   I use Yahoo Messenger.   Yup, I am getting more and more connected...

...and it's making me nuts!

Today, my daytime in-the-office IM tool of choice started beeping at me.   That's expected.   I have it "finely tuned" to notify me of different events.

However, I was at a loss as to WHY it was beeping.   No one new had logged in.   No one left.   No one was trying to strike up a conversation.   No one was talking about me.   All was fairly quiet on the IM front.

ding Ding DING!

Distracted again.   I looked.   No one there.   Nothing happening.   Hmph.

ding Ding DING!

Over and over.   Every couple minutes.   So, I killed IM.

ding Ding DING!

Hmph.   Next, I killed all processes that even sounded vaguely like they might be involved.

ding Ding DING!

Okay, this is getting odd.   Shutdown.   Reboot.   Get a Diet Coke from the fridge.

ding Ding DING!

No way!   The system was still rebooting, I was a good 40 feet away, and yet it was loud and clear....     Hold on...

I dug into my pocket and pulled out my mobile phone.   Sure enough, there was a new text message from my boss, one that had been waiting for me for, oh, probably about an hour.

Time for a vacation or just change the notification sounds on IM?   Yah, I'm thinking vacation...!

This week, we've been hosting the visit of a fellow Sun employee, a German who is based out of the Geneva Switzerland office and resides in Lyon France.   The primary purpose of his trip involves meeting with an important ISV in this area.   And, as is customary at Sun, since he is "in the area", he's also meeting with colleagues at the Sun campus 70 miles south of here.

Over the past (nearly) 3 years since we moved from the United Kingdom to the USA, we've had well over 20 Sun employees visit our home.   Quite a few of them flew in from outside of the area from as far away as Bangalore India and were welcomed guests staying at our home instead of a hotel.

Working From Home sounds to many like working in isolation.   However, we've found that with both of us being long time Sun employees, we talk shop a lot at home.   (We do try to limit shop talk to "office hours", however, in order to preserve & respect the HOME part of WFH.)

But when we have Sun guests, then it starts to feel like maybe it's time to campaign for official Sun office status.

Sun's Warner Office.   I think it has a nice ring to it.    

Tons of snow,   literally!,   on New Hampshire rooftops is turning out to be one of the big challenges to manage this winter for residents & businesses.

For some, snow removal has to be done manually.   Really hard work.   For others, coping with the snow that SLIDES off the roofs is where the big challenge lies.

We have a big barn.   I mean Really BIG.   About 180x90 feet in size.   It has a medal roof designed to not hold on to snow well.   That's a good thing...

However, instead of having to clear the roof, we get treated to some big "avalanches"...   Snow which slides off the roof, sometimes at impressive speeds, and deposits itself at the base of the barn and into the driveway that goes by the barn.

Some of these avalanches go right up to the windows...   The bigger ones completely cover the windows, significantly reducing the natural light in the barn while pressing snow against the window screens.

Another snowstorm.   Another roof slide.   Another digging out exercise.

Ayup.   New Hampshire style Morning Calisthenics.