The Earth Moved
4 days ago
Monday, December 21, 2009
Continuing...
Hey there, friends, most of my blogging energy is going into my newish gaming blog, Continuing Clockwise. You should go there and read!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Reflections from 9/12/09 DnD Session
There’s a trend of rules interface glitches with the module and standard D&D rules. They aren’t 100% compatible. For some things, it’s minor, such as use of the term ‘bruised’ instead of ‘bloodied.’ For others, it’s potentially more troublesome, such as the rules surrounding pushing there was also a subtle monster design difference for a creature who swallows characters. In the module, swallowed characters could use only melee basic attacks; in similar monsters in the Monster Manual 2, they may also use close burst attacks.
Because that monster got lucky and quickly swallowed 1/3 of the party, the situation seemed potentially dire, especially since the swallowed PC endures ongoing damage, and the only way to escape is by killing the creature. With a larger party, this wouldn’t be so terrible, since the large majority of the fire power is outside of the restriction. In this case, it was a full third of the group’s firepower. When the players panicked a little (mostly the one who’d been swallowed), I panicked a little and quickly lowered the creature’s level by two. I also fudged a die roll when the same creature stunned the other two members of the group in the next round and let the striker off the hook. The players were none the wiser (yay DM screen!). Both were probably the right decisions, but I also think merely reducing the level by one would have been appropriate as well.
I actually like the creature, after the adjustment to allow bursts and will probably add in another next session. Anything with stun affects are risky with small parties, so I’m not certain yet how that encounter will look.
This session included lots of pounding at defenseless things by the party. There was one secret door that they couldn’t unlock (they didn’t find the key, and have no thieving skills), and there was a trapped gelatinous cube at the bottom of a ziggurat. While I wouldn’t want too much of that, it worked out okay. There’s no real reason why they couldn’t pound away at the door and cube, and it allowed the plot to move forward in a relatively realistic way.
Another odd twist about this session resulted from a combination of factors. We had a new player to the group – but probably the most experienced at the table playing a wizard. He appropriately tended to stay in the rear of the small party. There also happened to be several intelligent, sneaky times of monsters this session, so he got picked on more than a little. Now the wizard is out of surges (he was also the one who got swallowed). I really thought his character might die there for awhile, and I didn’t want that to happen; not to a new player.
I’m not entirely happy with the representation of the swamp; there’s something about natural settings that challenge me on the battle map.
Because that monster got lucky and quickly swallowed 1/3 of the party, the situation seemed potentially dire, especially since the swallowed PC endures ongoing damage, and the only way to escape is by killing the creature. With a larger party, this wouldn’t be so terrible, since the large majority of the fire power is outside of the restriction. In this case, it was a full third of the group’s firepower. When the players panicked a little (mostly the one who’d been swallowed), I panicked a little and quickly lowered the creature’s level by two. I also fudged a die roll when the same creature stunned the other two members of the group in the next round and let the striker off the hook. The players were none the wiser (yay DM screen!). Both were probably the right decisions, but I also think merely reducing the level by one would have been appropriate as well.
I actually like the creature, after the adjustment to allow bursts and will probably add in another next session. Anything with stun affects are risky with small parties, so I’m not certain yet how that encounter will look.
This session included lots of pounding at defenseless things by the party. There was one secret door that they couldn’t unlock (they didn’t find the key, and have no thieving skills), and there was a trapped gelatinous cube at the bottom of a ziggurat. While I wouldn’t want too much of that, it worked out okay. There’s no real reason why they couldn’t pound away at the door and cube, and it allowed the plot to move forward in a relatively realistic way.
Another odd twist about this session resulted from a combination of factors. We had a new player to the group – but probably the most experienced at the table playing a wizard. He appropriately tended to stay in the rear of the small party. There also happened to be several intelligent, sneaky times of monsters this session, so he got picked on more than a little. Now the wizard is out of surges (he was also the one who got swallowed). I really thought his character might die there for awhile, and I didn’t want that to happen; not to a new player.
I’m not entirely happy with the representation of the swamp; there’s something about natural settings that challenge me on the battle map.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Isoniazid, Day Three
I've decided not to worry too much about the food... I will be cautious, especially at the beginning, but this is a fundamental quality of life issue, and I'm a Superman. Right?
I am taking the liver / alcohol aspect seriously. So far, so good. Right now my plan is no more than 5 alcoholic drinks per week and no more than one per day. I'm good with structure like that, even when it's self imposed structure. I'm thinking, as a rule, a drink on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, then Tuesday and Wednesday (traditional date nights). I really enjoy my wind down after D&D drink, so I may swap around, or I may scale down further.
I drank the last good beers from the fridge on Wednesday, and started the medication on Thursday.
I am taking the liver / alcohol aspect seriously. So far, so good. Right now my plan is no more than 5 alcoholic drinks per week and no more than one per day. I'm good with structure like that, even when it's self imposed structure. I'm thinking, as a rule, a drink on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, then Tuesday and Wednesday (traditional date nights). I really enjoy my wind down after D&D drink, so I may swap around, or I may scale down further.
I drank the last good beers from the fridge on Wednesday, and started the medication on Thursday.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Drugs!
A few months ago I had my annual TB skin test from work, and it came up positive. It's not a big deal, but it does mean I have a 1 - 2% chance of contracting 'real' tuberculosis in my life time. If I were to contract the disease, it would be most likely to happen when I was immuno-suppressed for some other reason. If I should (heaven forbid) get cancer, or HIV or be on lots of steroids for some reason, that's when the TB would strike. While I have no reason to worry specifically about those illnesses, life is long, and one never knows. In the back of my head, I always expected cancer to be what gets me, probably because my grandfather died of lung cancer. Of course, he smoked and I don't, so, again, no specific reason to worry.
I decided to start the 9 month antibiotic treatment of Isoniazid, in order to wipe away that chance of getting TB later in life. With this drug comes a few shifts in life style until mid-May, when I conclude the course. First, my doctor suggested I have less than one alcoholic drink per day. This is to protect my liver.
There are also other food and beverages that contain Tyramine that might react badly and cause "very dangerous reactions such as sudden high blood pressure." Soy products are on that list, as are all beers (including non-alcoholic) and wine. Hrmph. My doc didn't seem that worried about the foods and whatnot, but my pharmacist did.
I think I need to do some more research, so I know what's what. I'll report my findings.
I decided to start the 9 month antibiotic treatment of Isoniazid, in order to wipe away that chance of getting TB later in life. With this drug comes a few shifts in life style until mid-May, when I conclude the course. First, my doctor suggested I have less than one alcoholic drink per day. This is to protect my liver.
There are also other food and beverages that contain Tyramine that might react badly and cause "very dangerous reactions such as sudden high blood pressure." Soy products are on that list, as are all beers (including non-alcoholic) and wine. Hrmph. My doc didn't seem that worried about the foods and whatnot, but my pharmacist did.
I think I need to do some more research, so I know what's what. I'll report my findings.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Notes from the Session
During the prep, I developed two primary paths the PCs could take; one would lead to Goodman Games’ Dragora’s Dungeon, the other, to some other, swampy content. I had one NPC advocate one choice, a second NPC wanted the other. While I thought the arguments were fairly balanced, it only took a moment for the decision to be made. On one hand, that’s good because there wasn’t frustration… on the other, there wasn’t the sense of genuine dilemma. These guys are heroes, after all. If there’s an option to solve something themselves, that’s what they’re going to choose.
While I’m pleased with the real option, I’d like to improve my dilemma level.
During the prep, the PCs did some minor bullying of court employees in order to provide themselves with a financial tip. Two of the three succeeded, the last did not, and the transaction ended. This ‘encounter’ was completely unexpected and I think I did a good job of inventing an NPC on the spot and running the interaction which included some skill rolls. The group gained solid advantage, but didn’t succeed completely – it even made sense that the character with the low charisma is the one who failed.
To provide some context, the PCs recently arrived in a small pocked dimension and found themselves in the court of Elwind the Matriarch. In the night, powerful magic hit the castle, sending everyone asleep, except for the two PCs who made their saving throws. Everyone was able to wake except for the highest leaders – the Matriarch, her cabinet members (including Mr. Fromell, the Tiefling minister introduced to the earlier) and the captain of the Zain-kin guard pledged to protect the land.
The Zain-kin are a species of large, military monkey-men; the last known clan of them lives in one of the town’s neighborhoods. As a whole, they are allied with Elwind.
As they prepared to seek out the caster of the spell, I wanted to spare them from another tracking skill challenge, so I offered to send a guide along. Only then they researched the magic as provided for in the module, and the guide became superfluous. The PCs still insisted on having their guide, so I went along with it. I planned to send him home when they reached the mouth of the dungeon, no biggie, I thought.
I didn’t put together, however, that I had planned an encounter of raiding Gnolls from the nearby demon controlled region. I quickly downgraded “Scotch” the Zain-kin guide to minion, added an extra gnoll minion, and made sure that poor Scotch didn’t survive the battle. Problem solved, with only minor complaints that they were issued a defective ape-man.
I also didn’t really expect them to fight the Gnolls. One of the PCs has a fairly high passive perception, so they were able to hear the monsters coming. Since the gnolls had nothing to do with their mission (I included them in order to set up future conflict with that region), I thought they might hide from sight.
One nuts and bolts lesson from this encounter: when I drew the (impromptu) battlemap, I should have positioned the characters better, from a practical standpoint. They started at the bottom center, and the gnolls started in the left edge (all relative to me). This had the affect of making much of my terrain irrelevant and made the outside battlefield seem artificially small. All in all it didn’t matter much, but could have been better. My balance of bushy ‘obscuring’ terrain and 5 and 10 foot rocks worked really well. There was cover, and climbing, and hiding and all that good stuff.
I probably should have accelerated the damage at the end of the fight: the toughest mob, with the most hp was saved until last (wisely on all sides); yet there was no doubt how the battle would end. Gnolls don’t run (as a rule) and the PCs had plenty of firepower; not to mention it was the last encounter of their day. I could have easily increased damage by .5 on all sides when the outcome became assured…
The last big takeaway came when they got to the first encounter area of the module. Even though the book is divided into sections, very often the different sections are encountered simultaneously. For example, in our session, as the PCs rappel down to a ledge, the ropes are cut and rocks are hurled at their heads. No problem, however, in the next section of text, you learn that the ground they have just reached is trapped. The lesson here is that good DMs, like good facilitators, good writers, good managers etc… really need to understand how the parts interact and affect one another. This requires some forward thinking and some time spent paying attention to the details.
While I’m pleased with the real option, I’d like to improve my dilemma level.
During the prep, the PCs did some minor bullying of court employees in order to provide themselves with a financial tip. Two of the three succeeded, the last did not, and the transaction ended. This ‘encounter’ was completely unexpected and I think I did a good job of inventing an NPC on the spot and running the interaction which included some skill rolls. The group gained solid advantage, but didn’t succeed completely – it even made sense that the character with the low charisma is the one who failed.
To provide some context, the PCs recently arrived in a small pocked dimension and found themselves in the court of Elwind the Matriarch. In the night, powerful magic hit the castle, sending everyone asleep, except for the two PCs who made their saving throws. Everyone was able to wake except for the highest leaders – the Matriarch, her cabinet members (including Mr. Fromell, the Tiefling minister introduced to the earlier) and the captain of the Zain-kin guard pledged to protect the land.
The Zain-kin are a species of large, military monkey-men; the last known clan of them lives in one of the town’s neighborhoods. As a whole, they are allied with Elwind.
As they prepared to seek out the caster of the spell, I wanted to spare them from another tracking skill challenge, so I offered to send a guide along. Only then they researched the magic as provided for in the module, and the guide became superfluous. The PCs still insisted on having their guide, so I went along with it. I planned to send him home when they reached the mouth of the dungeon, no biggie, I thought.
I didn’t put together, however, that I had planned an encounter of raiding Gnolls from the nearby demon controlled region. I quickly downgraded “Scotch” the Zain-kin guide to minion, added an extra gnoll minion, and made sure that poor Scotch didn’t survive the battle. Problem solved, with only minor complaints that they were issued a defective ape-man.
I also didn’t really expect them to fight the Gnolls. One of the PCs has a fairly high passive perception, so they were able to hear the monsters coming. Since the gnolls had nothing to do with their mission (I included them in order to set up future conflict with that region), I thought they might hide from sight.
One nuts and bolts lesson from this encounter: when I drew the (impromptu) battlemap, I should have positioned the characters better, from a practical standpoint. They started at the bottom center, and the gnolls started in the left edge (all relative to me). This had the affect of making much of my terrain irrelevant and made the outside battlefield seem artificially small. All in all it didn’t matter much, but could have been better. My balance of bushy ‘obscuring’ terrain and 5 and 10 foot rocks worked really well. There was cover, and climbing, and hiding and all that good stuff.
I probably should have accelerated the damage at the end of the fight: the toughest mob, with the most hp was saved until last (wisely on all sides); yet there was no doubt how the battle would end. Gnolls don’t run (as a rule) and the PCs had plenty of firepower; not to mention it was the last encounter of their day. I could have easily increased damage by .5 on all sides when the outcome became assured…
The last big takeaway came when they got to the first encounter area of the module. Even though the book is divided into sections, very often the different sections are encountered simultaneously. For example, in our session, as the PCs rappel down to a ledge, the ropes are cut and rocks are hurled at their heads. No problem, however, in the next section of text, you learn that the ground they have just reached is trapped. The lesson here is that good DMs, like good facilitators, good writers, good managers etc… really need to understand how the parts interact and affect one another. This requires some forward thinking and some time spent paying attention to the details.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Steve McNair's BAC
Steve McNair, the retired NFL quarterback who was shot in his sleep last week, had a blood alcohol content of .16 at the time of his death. Almost every story I've read describes it as 'twice the legal limit.' While it's twice the legal limit to drive, HE WASN'T DRIVING. He was sleeping. While .16 is in the feel-good range of consumption, it isn't remarkable, and doesn't imply any inappropriate behavior.
By phrasing his BAC as 'twice the legal limit' the AP is manufacturing a false connection between Mr. McNair's murder and his ability to drive.
By phrasing his BAC as 'twice the legal limit' the AP is manufacturing a false connection between Mr. McNair's murder and his ability to drive.
Link Light Rail
Seattle's new Link light rail system opened over the weekend, and I made my first commute with it this morning.
I don't live quite close enough to a station to make it simple. Instead, I have to take a bus for about .75 of a mile to connect with a train. I discovered that I can take a normal, non-express bus to the station, get on the Link, transfer in the bus tunnel (no walking required) and arrive in about the same amount of time it would have taken on an express bus.
This isn't all that helpful for the daily, normal commute. I do think this will be very helpful on weekends and times when express buses either don't run or when I've missed the window for them. In a sense, but transferring the the Link, I can convert any normal bus into an express trip, with some relatively minor adjustments.
I'm particularly interested in seeing how the Link will help me get home after sporting events and during snowy weather.
An unexpected benefit is that I feel like I'm in the Warriors movie when I ride the train. I suppose that's a benefit, since it's a good movie. It's not a world I'd like to live in though...
I don't live quite close enough to a station to make it simple. Instead, I have to take a bus for about .75 of a mile to connect with a train. I discovered that I can take a normal, non-express bus to the station, get on the Link, transfer in the bus tunnel (no walking required) and arrive in about the same amount of time it would have taken on an express bus.
This isn't all that helpful for the daily, normal commute. I do think this will be very helpful on weekends and times when express buses either don't run or when I've missed the window for them. In a sense, but transferring the the Link, I can convert any normal bus into an express trip, with some relatively minor adjustments.
I'm particularly interested in seeing how the Link will help me get home after sporting events and during snowy weather.
An unexpected benefit is that I feel like I'm in the Warriors movie when I ride the train. I suppose that's a benefit, since it's a good movie. It's not a world I'd like to live in though...
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Listen to Jesus, Jimmy.
In the category of random internet, and also a part of my fascination with odd religion. I honestly can't tell how much of this is parody. Is Jesus trying to lure Jimmy from weed by offering sexual hedonism?
Friday, June 26, 2009
Extra!
I had a chance to help some friends out by performing as an extra for their web series, "Family." You should check it out.
Friday, June 05, 2009
Scale of Useful Numbers
I listened to Freakonomics on audiobook a few weeks ago, and it stimulated some thinking that led to the following analysis:
The usefullness of a number can be evaluated on the following scale, the higher, the better:
1) A number by itself. For example, '5 were spoiled.' What does '5' mean? Well, not much by itself, but it is fairly low, while also greater than '0'... ultimately there's infinite room for uncertainty when a number is presented by itself.
2) A number with a denomenator, eg, '5 out of 7 were spoiled' aka, 5/7ths. Now we're getting somewhere. At we have some sense of scale. More than half, less than 6/7ths...
3) Even better is a number, with a denomenator, plus a unit. '5 of 7 apples were spoiled.' This tells a fairly useful story. Now, it can also be deceptive because it's still a small slice of reality. How many were spoiled last time? How much of other kinds of things are also spoiled? Is it something special about the apples that are making them spoil quickly, or are we lucky to have two fresh ones...
4) The best combination for understanding something is a number, with denomenator, unit and additional comparisons. For example, '5 of 7 apples were spoiled, but 1 out of 10 oranges were smashed.' Or perhaps, '75 out of 100 patients with this diagnosis will die, but if given a specific drug, 60 out of 100 will die.' If you only had the second part of that example, '60 out of 100 will die' you might think it was a terrible thing, but really it's quite good when compared with the 75 of 100 who would otherwise be expected to pass away.
The mainstream press rarely has the patience to provide useful comparisons of data. We see metrics about accidents, failure rates, and deaths, but rarely are these compared with other baselines, so we can understand the real scale of the problems.
The usefullness of a number can be evaluated on the following scale, the higher, the better:
1) A number by itself. For example, '5 were spoiled.' What does '5' mean? Well, not much by itself, but it is fairly low, while also greater than '0'... ultimately there's infinite room for uncertainty when a number is presented by itself.
2) A number with a denomenator, eg, '5 out of 7 were spoiled' aka, 5/7ths. Now we're getting somewhere. At we have some sense of scale. More than half, less than 6/7ths...
3) Even better is a number, with a denomenator, plus a unit. '5 of 7 apples were spoiled.' This tells a fairly useful story. Now, it can also be deceptive because it's still a small slice of reality. How many were spoiled last time? How much of other kinds of things are also spoiled? Is it something special about the apples that are making them spoil quickly, or are we lucky to have two fresh ones...
4) The best combination for understanding something is a number, with denomenator, unit and additional comparisons. For example, '5 of 7 apples were spoiled, but 1 out of 10 oranges were smashed.' Or perhaps, '75 out of 100 patients with this diagnosis will die, but if given a specific drug, 60 out of 100 will die.' If you only had the second part of that example, '60 out of 100 will die' you might think it was a terrible thing, but really it's quite good when compared with the 75 of 100 who would otherwise be expected to pass away.
The mainstream press rarely has the patience to provide useful comparisons of data. We see metrics about accidents, failure rates, and deaths, but rarely are these compared with other baselines, so we can understand the real scale of the problems.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Marvel to D&D 4th Edition
I'm hoping to get my old, once per year rpg friends to play some D&D 4th edition this summer, and we might try to convert the old Marvel characters into D&D, in order to keep the story going in some way.
As such, I've created a quick table of 4th edition classes by role to help their decision making:
Defender
fighter
warden
paladin
swordmage
Striker
rogue
warlock
barbarian
sorcerer
avenger
ranger
Leader
cleric
bard
shaman
artificer
warlord
Controller
wizard
invoker
druid
As such, I've created a quick table of 4th edition classes by role to help their decision making:
Defender
fighter
warden
paladin
swordmage
Striker
rogue
warlock
barbarian
sorcerer
avenger
ranger
Leader
cleric
bard
shaman
artificer
warlord
Controller
wizard
invoker
druid
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Bookends – More Productive Thoughts
First thing Monday morning, glance over the entire week. Identify key meetings and determine the best time to prepare for them.
At the end of Friday, while doing the weekly report, look forward to next week. See what’s coming up and where to start on Monday.
First thing every morning, glance at the day’s calendar. Make a specific plan for travel, lunch and second breakfast.
Make a list of tasks that need to be completed today.
Clean out the email inbox by deleting, archiving and responding to messages, as appropriate.
At the end of the day, glance over the next day’s schedule. Identify where the day will begin and get a general sense for its shape.
At the end of Friday, while doing the weekly report, look forward to next week. See what’s coming up and where to start on Monday.
First thing every morning, glance at the day’s calendar. Make a specific plan for travel, lunch and second breakfast.
Make a list of tasks that need to be completed today.
Clean out the email inbox by deleting, archiving and responding to messages, as appropriate.
At the end of the day, glance over the next day’s schedule. Identify where the day will begin and get a general sense for its shape.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Productivity
I’ve studied the Take Back Your Life system, and used parts of it, for over a year. The use of Tasks has had mixed results. I never quite got the hang of connecting strategic next actions to projects to meaningful objectives. There are many principles that I found tremendously useful and my own system is influenced by it.
Carve out time to be organized – I carve out some time (usually 30 minutes) every day to keep my email under control and to mentally prepare for the rest of the day. This is when I make sure I have travel time, a plan for eating (including 2nd breakfast), and idea for when I’ll be going home. It’s my way of beginning with the end in mind.
I also have a less rigorous, but still frequent habit of looking ahead at the same things. Will I have time to prepare for important meetings the day prior, or do I need to plan ahead? I have a calendar item for this review as well, which acts primarily as a reminder.
Keep the crap moving: when work can be completed (or at least moved on) in two minutes or less, I do it immediately. I trash what can be trashed, and shuffle the archival stuff into the appropriate reference folder.
Folder organization: I primarily organize my archival folders by project, secondarily by person. Inactive projects have their own folder. I do this to keep the clutter down.
The Physical Part
In lieu of notebooks and calendars, I carry a 1 ¼ inch three ring binder. The front pocket is labeled ‘soon.’ It’s for assorted packets and handouts that I wind up with. Things don’t stay there long, and it’s often empty. The rear pocket is for longer term work related reference sheets.
The first page is my ‘where I need to be and when’ page. Sometimes I’ll hand-write my appointments, sometimes I’ll print out a week’s worth and update it with any changes daily. I often jot down time sensitive ‘to do’s’ here.
The next section is my free form notes space. I use the backs of headed-for-recycling pages, turned over and hole punched. Not only is this environmentally friendly, it’s simple and flexible.
As the pages get filled and become less time sensitive, they go to a section near the back. Eventually those are purged as the notes on the pages become clearly outdated.
Outlook Tasks
I have found tasks useful for tracking big, umbrella issues over time. For example, I have an ongoing task for Greycat’s health, my own personal health (which includes training plan, what races are coming up, etc…), different D&D campaigns that need preparation and/or scheduling. Most of these have a title that is tied to my (somewhat) Meaningful Objectives. There is some value in clearly labeling how a group of tasks is associated with Something Important. In order to do that, those Important Somethings need to be explicit and documented.
I think I’ll focus on using my task list for medium to long term work. It’s a nice way of keeping my eye on the ball, but doesn’t work that well for daily minutiae. Since I already have a weekly rhythm, I’ll start by focusing on the task list on Friday afternoons (briefly) and Monday mornings (with more reflection).
Carve out time to be organized – I carve out some time (usually 30 minutes) every day to keep my email under control and to mentally prepare for the rest of the day. This is when I make sure I have travel time, a plan for eating (including 2nd breakfast), and idea for when I’ll be going home. It’s my way of beginning with the end in mind.
I also have a less rigorous, but still frequent habit of looking ahead at the same things. Will I have time to prepare for important meetings the day prior, or do I need to plan ahead? I have a calendar item for this review as well, which acts primarily as a reminder.
Keep the crap moving: when work can be completed (or at least moved on) in two minutes or less, I do it immediately. I trash what can be trashed, and shuffle the archival stuff into the appropriate reference folder.
Folder organization: I primarily organize my archival folders by project, secondarily by person. Inactive projects have their own folder. I do this to keep the clutter down.
The Physical Part
In lieu of notebooks and calendars, I carry a 1 ¼ inch three ring binder. The front pocket is labeled ‘soon.’ It’s for assorted packets and handouts that I wind up with. Things don’t stay there long, and it’s often empty. The rear pocket is for longer term work related reference sheets.
The first page is my ‘where I need to be and when’ page. Sometimes I’ll hand-write my appointments, sometimes I’ll print out a week’s worth and update it with any changes daily. I often jot down time sensitive ‘to do’s’ here.
The next section is my free form notes space. I use the backs of headed-for-recycling pages, turned over and hole punched. Not only is this environmentally friendly, it’s simple and flexible.
As the pages get filled and become less time sensitive, they go to a section near the back. Eventually those are purged as the notes on the pages become clearly outdated.
Outlook Tasks
I have found tasks useful for tracking big, umbrella issues over time. For example, I have an ongoing task for Greycat’s health, my own personal health (which includes training plan, what races are coming up, etc…), different D&D campaigns that need preparation and/or scheduling. Most of these have a title that is tied to my (somewhat) Meaningful Objectives. There is some value in clearly labeling how a group of tasks is associated with Something Important. In order to do that, those Important Somethings need to be explicit and documented.
I think I’ll focus on using my task list for medium to long term work. It’s a nice way of keeping my eye on the ball, but doesn’t work that well for daily minutiae. Since I already have a weekly rhythm, I’ll start by focusing on the task list on Friday afternoons (briefly) and Monday mornings (with more reflection).
Friday, May 01, 2009
Lifehacker: Credit Card Limits
Apparently, it's best to keep your balance for individual credit cards under 25% of the limit. In this part of the credit score calculation, it doesn't matter what your total ratio is, or whether you pay off each month.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Notes on Facilitation
Many sparkly things have distracted me from the blog lately; Facebook and Twitter are two examples. My work has ramped up, so I've been dedicating notable bandwidth to my professional growth. Below are some personal observations spawned from some recent facilitations:
*********
4/16/09 – 2 Day General Surgery Clinic Prep facilitated work:
The Ground Rules worked well; it felt good to have them for the stakeholder tie-in, it was nice to refer them to the ‘team’s rules of the room.’
I definitely should have focused more on the data. I needed a different plan: PO didn’t have time to enter what we had until late the night before; I decided to enter it the morning of the event, then print fresh charters. All night long, this bugged me. Especially because I wasn’t sure that she had done it at all. I probably should have called PO at the end of the day at made a better, more timely plan. Then, when I did open the data file, I wasn’t familiar with the format since it had been created by one of my cohorts. It should have been plug and play by that point.
We also didn’t have a good number to compare the target with; the information was available, but we hadn’t worked it out and shown it to our PO and Sponsor. Once we hit the event, it was too late; particularly because there was no data consultant in the room with us.
During the stakeholder tie in, I thought I was clear about the type of input we needed; in spite of this, some members focused on more fundamental issues with the event.
One major learning was to not assume alignment with people not in the room. It turned out that leadership had two different visions for what the event’s focus. This would have come out during an Assessment meeting; since we didn’t have one of those, we wound up hearing about it from team members during the morning of day 2. Not okay.
Levering my sense of humor and spontaneity helped me connect with the team. I genuinely believe that they work better when they like you, and when they’re having fun. Even though we had some unfun times, there was enough positive to keep them productive.
How could it have been more fun? We needed some kind of ice-breaker up front, maybe something quick and fun like the questions M2 often asks (M has done it too).
“Problems and Opportunities” doesn’t really fit with A3 problem solving. A3 is all about focusing deeply on the problems, and then thoughtfully shifting to the repair. My use didn’t work at all. We probably could have done fishbone to identify the burstlike ‘problems’ to dig into with the 5 Whys.
I think if we’d had better wording at the problem identification step, the ‘5 Whys’ would have been smoother and more useful.
Trying to get 7 people with no A3 experience to try and write a problem statement together was a disaster. What if the team were given the problem statement and asked to confirm it based on observations from earlier in the day?
I liked the drawing that they did; on a whole I think the 3 Actuals phase worked really well. Two folks confirmed the steps that we’d identified during a previous session, 2 identified wastes, 3 more drew (one pacer style, the other two just capturing process)
4/20/09 – Facilitation of General Surgery / Transplant patient handoff A3
I didn’t feel particularly good about this facilitation, but I received compliments and positive feedback. I think, maybe I sensed some struggling on behalf of the group that I assumed to be caused by my facilitation. Perhaps they struggled a bit because it was a challenging topic, not because of poor facilitation. I see that the two are different: just because they struggle doesn’t mean it’s because of the facilitation. Now I need to work on identifying one from the other.
I also felt uncomfortable because I wasn’t personally clear on the process. I’ve never witnessed it, and I don’t really know the players directly involved. Since I’m not expected to be a content expert, I think that’s mostly okay; it is more difficult to keep up with the discussion if the content is completely (or even somewhat) new.
I’m also unfamiliar with facilitating a group through A3 completion. With that, I’m generally unclear on how groups and A3’s go together. I’m most comfortable coaching individuals through A3 Problem Solving, and having them go and talk to other interested parties. It makes sense to bring people in and to make it directly collaborative; mostly I’m still getting familiar with the pieces and how they can fit together.
4/23/09
I also need to focus on keeping the energy up when I’m facilitating. With my hubish nature, I often use the group’s energy to get me going; that can’t be counted on, especially when I’m with other mellow or hubish folks.
How can I do that? Experience will help, knowing the content helps, knowing what to do with the content also helps. If I don’t have to use bandwidth to think about that, I’m freer to crank up my volume.
*********
4/16/09 – 2 Day General Surgery Clinic Prep facilitated work:
The Ground Rules worked well; it felt good to have them for the stakeholder tie-in, it was nice to refer them to the ‘team’s rules of the room.’
I definitely should have focused more on the data. I needed a different plan: PO didn’t have time to enter what we had until late the night before; I decided to enter it the morning of the event, then print fresh charters. All night long, this bugged me. Especially because I wasn’t sure that she had done it at all. I probably should have called PO at the end of the day at made a better, more timely plan. Then, when I did open the data file, I wasn’t familiar with the format since it had been created by one of my cohorts. It should have been plug and play by that point.
We also didn’t have a good number to compare the target with; the information was available, but we hadn’t worked it out and shown it to our PO and Sponsor. Once we hit the event, it was too late; particularly because there was no data consultant in the room with us.
During the stakeholder tie in, I thought I was clear about the type of input we needed; in spite of this, some members focused on more fundamental issues with the event.
One major learning was to not assume alignment with people not in the room. It turned out that leadership had two different visions for what the event’s focus. This would have come out during an Assessment meeting; since we didn’t have one of those, we wound up hearing about it from team members during the morning of day 2. Not okay.
Levering my sense of humor and spontaneity helped me connect with the team. I genuinely believe that they work better when they like you, and when they’re having fun. Even though we had some unfun times, there was enough positive to keep them productive.
How could it have been more fun? We needed some kind of ice-breaker up front, maybe something quick and fun like the questions M2 often asks (M has done it too).
“Problems and Opportunities” doesn’t really fit with A3 problem solving. A3 is all about focusing deeply on the problems, and then thoughtfully shifting to the repair. My use didn’t work at all. We probably could have done fishbone to identify the burstlike ‘problems’ to dig into with the 5 Whys.
I think if we’d had better wording at the problem identification step, the ‘5 Whys’ would have been smoother and more useful.
Trying to get 7 people with no A3 experience to try and write a problem statement together was a disaster. What if the team were given the problem statement and asked to confirm it based on observations from earlier in the day?
I liked the drawing that they did; on a whole I think the 3 Actuals phase worked really well. Two folks confirmed the steps that we’d identified during a previous session, 2 identified wastes, 3 more drew (one pacer style, the other two just capturing process)
4/20/09 – Facilitation of General Surgery / Transplant patient handoff A3
I didn’t feel particularly good about this facilitation, but I received compliments and positive feedback. I think, maybe I sensed some struggling on behalf of the group that I assumed to be caused by my facilitation. Perhaps they struggled a bit because it was a challenging topic, not because of poor facilitation. I see that the two are different: just because they struggle doesn’t mean it’s because of the facilitation. Now I need to work on identifying one from the other.
I also felt uncomfortable because I wasn’t personally clear on the process. I’ve never witnessed it, and I don’t really know the players directly involved. Since I’m not expected to be a content expert, I think that’s mostly okay; it is more difficult to keep up with the discussion if the content is completely (or even somewhat) new.
I’m also unfamiliar with facilitating a group through A3 completion. With that, I’m generally unclear on how groups and A3’s go together. I’m most comfortable coaching individuals through A3 Problem Solving, and having them go and talk to other interested parties. It makes sense to bring people in and to make it directly collaborative; mostly I’m still getting familiar with the pieces and how they can fit together.
4/23/09
I also need to focus on keeping the energy up when I’m facilitating. With my hubish nature, I often use the group’s energy to get me going; that can’t be counted on, especially when I’m with other mellow or hubish folks.
How can I do that? Experience will help, knowing the content helps, knowing what to do with the content also helps. If I don’t have to use bandwidth to think about that, I’m freer to crank up my volume.
Thursday, April 02, 2009
Seattle Children's Faces Budget Cuts
The recession is getting close to home.
If the state budget continues as is, or even as close-to-is, Seattle Children's will face a $60 million budget deficit as result of state Medicaid cuts. That means programs will have to be cut. That means children with certain types of illnesses won't receive care from Children's.
To summarize a fraction of the problem,
Children’s CEO Dr. Tom Hansen says the proposed cuts don’t make financial sense.
"The budget cuts $60 million from Children’s Hospital to save the State only $25 million," he told a news conference in Olympia. "$35 million of this cut is federal Medicaid matching funds that will be lost; turned back to the federal government."
This is, I suppose, one of the prices of being an independent non-profit who serves patients and families who otherwise might not be able to pay.
On a personal level, there is some risk that I might be laid off; there is near certainty that people I've known for years will be laid off.
If the state budget continues as is, or even as close-to-is, Seattle Children's will face a $60 million budget deficit as result of state Medicaid cuts. That means programs will have to be cut. That means children with certain types of illnesses won't receive care from Children's.
To summarize a fraction of the problem,
Children’s CEO Dr. Tom Hansen says the proposed cuts don’t make financial sense.
"The budget cuts $60 million from Children’s Hospital to save the State only $25 million," he told a news conference in Olympia. "$35 million of this cut is federal Medicaid matching funds that will be lost; turned back to the federal government."
This is, I suppose, one of the prices of being an independent non-profit who serves patients and families who otherwise might not be able to pay.
On a personal level, there is some risk that I might be laid off; there is near certainty that people I've known for years will be laid off.
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Mercer Island Half Marathon
Last week I had a fabulous run on Mercer Island. Here are the results:
Mercer Island Rotary Half Marathon
Half Marathon Run
March 22, 2009 in Mercer Island, WA
Summary
Number of Finishers: 1,619
Number of Females: 799
Number of Males: 820
Average Time: 1:59:12
Chad Blanchard
bib number: 55
age: 35
gender: M
location: Seattle, WA
overall place: 160 out of 1620
division place: 31 out of 180
gender place: 132
time: 1:35:59
pace: 7:15
chip time: 1:35:01
I'm proud; that's my best run ever. I ran strong throughout and surpassed my own goals.
Official photography is by brightroom, and is, as usual for these things, vastly overpriced. There are a couple good ones of me in my endorphin haze, but I don't plan to splurge on the official versions.
Mercer Island Rotary Half Marathon
Half Marathon Run
March 22, 2009 in Mercer Island, WA
Summary
Number of Finishers: 1,619
Number of Females: 799
Number of Males: 820
Average Time: 1:59:12
Chad Blanchard
bib number: 55
age: 35
gender: M
location: Seattle, WA
overall place: 160 out of 1620
division place: 31 out of 180
gender place: 132
time: 1:35:59
pace: 7:15
chip time: 1:35:01
I'm proud; that's my best run ever. I ran strong throughout and surpassed my own goals.
Official photography is by brightroom, and is, as usual for these things, vastly overpriced. There are a couple good ones of me in my endorphin haze, but I don't plan to splurge on the official versions.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Fonts
I've developed an eye for fonts, and it's a blessing and a curse. I'm not a giant fan of Arial, but it's reasonable enough. Mostly it's a Helvetica rip-off, and there's nothing wrong with Helvetica.
I want to like Georgia, but the spacing isn't quite right, and the C and h of my name kinda run together.
My favorite font is Gotham, which is probably best known for its use on the Obama campaign materials; it's also the new official font for the Seattle Children's logo.
Now, whenever I walk (or ride) down the street, I see how many different fonts we're surrounded by. Many are bolded, italicized, some logos are a mixture of different fonts; many are pure ugly, many clash with each other. Some are exceptionally cold and inhuman. That's the cure. The blessing is that I've learned to see another layer in the world. Most of us never even think about fonts, let alone notice and admire them. Yet, they stare us in the face, almost constantly.
I'm going to go and stare at the Gotham font some more. It calms me, like a beer and a sunset.
I want to like Georgia, but the spacing isn't quite right, and the C and h of my name kinda run together.
My favorite font is Gotham, which is probably best known for its use on the Obama campaign materials; it's also the new official font for the Seattle Children's logo.
Now, whenever I walk (or ride) down the street, I see how many different fonts we're surrounded by. Many are bolded, italicized, some logos are a mixture of different fonts; many are pure ugly, many clash with each other. Some are exceptionally cold and inhuman. That's the cure. The blessing is that I've learned to see another layer in the world. Most of us never even think about fonts, let alone notice and admire them. Yet, they stare us in the face, almost constantly.
I'm going to go and stare at the Gotham font some more. It calms me, like a beer and a sunset.
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