Category: Uncategorized

Rules & Regs When Working From Home.

The Covid-19 protocols to combat the virus have more than ever resulted in people working from home (WFH). Many of my friends and associates, due to their position or location of their home office, have worked from home for many years. The issue is the millions of workers who are programmed to endure their commute, feel comfortable in their office, and have long adapted to their office culture, are now working from home. Now that most employers have directed their employees to work from home, all of us have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly resulting from the WFH mandate. The dynamics of working for home for many have dictated an “at-home” work space – one that appropriately deals with everything you do day in and day out. The reality, especially with children home due to school closings, does not always lead to productive parts of your day:

Many executives, sociologists, psychiatrists, and pundits have offered up too much information surrounding ‘how to work from home’. The following ten suggestions, some of them obvious, were offered up by some forward-thinking person at one of the country’s largest insurance providers. I have also offered up my take on each of these:

1. Have a separate work space. Don’t create an office in your bedroom, because that will look bad on video calls. What is ‘bad’ these days? With everything that is going on do we really care if we see an unmade bed, clothes spilling out of empty drawers, or a view into the bathroom because the door was left open? 🙂

2. Put in a door. And shut it. If you’re living with other people, you need to be able to shut them out of your professional life. Another ludicrous suggestion – put in a door where? In your kitchen? Or in the living room? Since suggestion #1 was to avoid your bedroom – just put in a door somewhere. Moronic.

3. Shower. Just take a shower. Every day. Same time. It really does have a psychological impact. A ‘psychological’ impact? How about just saying the impact of maintaining law and order with your hygiene in general!!

4. Eat lunch out.  No, not happening unless you live in Belarus, one country that still allows thousands of fans to gather to watch their national soccer league.

5. Do not keep files. If you want to pave a quick road toward divorce, then be sure to have lots of papers, files, and folders lying around. That’ll do it. With the virus killing thousands of people this suggestion correlates work files to divorce. You can’t fix stupid.

6. Do other stuff while talking on the phone.  Sure, while you are on the phone with a client, load your dishwasher, hit start on the microwave, and vacuum. When multi-tasking while on the phone – you might want to close the video portion of your Zoom video call at certain times:

7. Get rid of the baby and the dog.  Because DFCS and the Humane Society don’t have enough to do?

8. Never, ever turn on the TV.  Never is a bit harsh. I agree that having the TV on while working can be irritating but never is going a bit too far. A replay of Two and a Half Men and Modern Family is a productive hour.

9. Invest in lighting. I set the mood with lighting depending on the time of day, the weather…even the season. If you have time to adjust the lighting in your home office based on the time of day or weather you need to find another job.

10. Nap. Go ahead. You earned it. No one’s going to know. It is obvious that the person from this insurance company who wrote these work at home suggestions has pictures of the CEO in tenuous situations – otherwise they would be fired. Take a nap – at home, while you are working from home. No, and No!

Adios, pay it forward, stay safe, and have a nice Sunday!

This week’s post addresses some of the issues with the Covid-19 virus. In no way am I making light of the situation and the continued tragic events around the world. With that said there is plenty of serious content available on television networks, the internet, and social media channels. Heartfelt condolences to anyone and everyone who have lost loved ones to the complications caused by this virus. A ton of thanks and admiration to the first responders and all healthcare workers across the world….especially a Nashville-based neonatal nurse.

With respect, let’s keep this post on the lighter side:

To the people who bought 20 bottles of hand sanitizer leaving none on the shelves for others, you do realize that to stop contracting Covid-19, you need other people washing their hands as well?

Having trouble staying at home? Shave your eyebrows off.

Back in the day the only time we started panic buying was when the bartender yelled “last call”.

I sneezed in the bank today, it was the most attention I have received from the staff in the last 10 years.

To those who are complaining about the quarantine period and curfews, just remember that your grandparents were called to war. You are being called to sit on the couch and watch Netflix. You can do this.

Day 12 without sports: I found a lady sitting on my couch on Friday. Apparently she is my wife. She seemed nice.

My take: maybe it has been too slow of a process to strategically attack the spread of Covid-19, but some scenes of hope are starting to bubble up. People across the world are finally starting to shelter, social distancing is no longer strange, a $2 trillion injection, and a test where results can be extracted in fifteen minutes. We have a very long way to go and with a hint of vaccines coming into the pipeline, the economic machine will once again go forward. No one knows if it is a matter of weeks or months – not even Dr. Anthony Fauci or Dr. Deborah Birx. Stay strong everyone!

Adios, pay it forward, stay safe, and have a nice Sunday.

If This Was Not Serious It Could Be A Soap Opera.….and this coronavirus is very serious indeed. This week’s “Take” are random thoughts about the new reality of what we may be dealing with for many weeks (or months).

• A massive shout out and recognition to any and all of the healthcare and support people working long hours under incredibly trying circumstances. Bravo to you and yours.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – the scientists, medical professionals and staff who must feel immense pressure to quickly develop a vaccine. A vaccine that can be moved into the healthcare supply chain at a rapid pace, be dispersed globally, and put a stop to Covid-19.
• Once a vaccine is available and the threat of the virus is mitigated, businesses will start the process of rehiring, people will get back to work, and the modes of transportation will once again move forward. Consumer confidence will once again be at a high level and the markets will go vertical. We need a vaccine.
• Size does not matter. Not meant to be political but a proven fact by Dr. Anthony Fauci. Dr. Fauci, who can’t be taller than 5’3″, is an immunologist who serves as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and leads the White House Coronavirus Task Force. This 79-year-old New York City native has the television presence of Goliath and commands the daily coronavirus press briefings. His command and control, along with his voice of reason, gives us hope that our country is in good hands. With all due respect to President Trump, who stands a foot taller than Dr. Fauci, please start off the daily briefings with a thirty second intro and toss the briefing over to Dr. Fauci and his staff.
• Does anyone want to challenge me to a debate on why the governors of Texas and Florida let their beaches remain open? Thousands of youngsters flocking to South Padre Island and various Florida beaches partying hard as if the coronavirus situation did not exist. A money grab for Texas and Florida? I guess a further thought are the parents of these kids….but I won’t go there right now.
• I am a bit tired of hearing professional athletes complain about not continuing their seasons. Of all people, you are the group that should be chipping in to help everyone understand the seriousness of the situation. Note: many professional athletes and team owners have contributed money to support the employees of their teams or various charities. A shout out of appreciation to Arthur Blank who contributed $5.4M to help fight the fight.
• Speaking of sports, a few weeks ago I expressed my disdain for everyone freaking out about Tom Brady, and the team he would select to continue his career. Being an Atlanta Falcons fan, and still wounded from that game on February 5, 2017, my only comment about him was this: Many people are infatuated with where Tom Brady moves to if he actually does leave the New England Patriots. I am one of those who could care less. I just hope that he ends up playing for a team that is not in the NFC South. Well, I will be damned. #tampabaybuccaneers
• To those of us who have very little experience with working day in and day out from home: WebEx, Zoom, GoToMeeting, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, learning to be creative with cooking, YouTube workout videos, Viber, Podcasts, Hangouts, FaceTime, board games, grilling out, a book, and patience while learning once again how to be around your loved ones every day :).

Adios, pay it forward, be safe, and enjoy your weekend!!

Don’t Make Perseverance A Cliche.

It is obvious that the Chinese government was late to the table with the true facts of the coronavirus named Covid 19. We all knew that the the virus was wreaking havoc in China, a country of 1.4 billion people, especially in the province of Wuhan, where many think Covid 19 first infected humans. The same for Italy, Spain, and France who have now taken drastic measures to mitigate the spread of the virus. There is no way, even three weeks ago, we would have thought we would endure last week’s news, announcements, and subsequent decisions that have now given us, for a least the next few months, a new norm of everyday life.

Everyone copes and deals with tough situations in different ways. Obviously, and based on the current analytics, the elderly’s anxiety must be at a heightened level. The support metric is Italy, where the vast majority of Covid 19-related deaths occur with people seventy-five and older. I assume that reality stems from the immune system weakening as we get older. A sad fact that the elderly are probably thinking about way too often. Even the young and healthy need to be cautious as no one wants to contract the virus and pass it on to others. How bad must NBA All-Star Rudy Gobert feel, when last week, after joking about the virus, finding out he was Covid 19 positive? The NBA, along with all sports leagues, subsequently have postponed their seasons.

Last week became real for all of us. From companies trying to figure out how to protect their employees to restaurant owners dealing with a significant drop in patronage, the broad cause and effect of the virus has altered our lives in different ways. The good news: we are strong, we have the resources, and most important, we have the perseverance to overcome this serious viral threat. It is time for all of us to be smart, follow the protocol, and most importantly protect one another. It is also time to communicate, to reach out, to make sure that your friends and family, your co-workers, and customers hear from you on a consistent basis. This is not the time for rivalries, for competition, and for disputes. Reach out, especially to the elderly, who must feel vulnerable and isolated, especially if they are watching the sometimes inconsistent information coming from different news sources.

As a country, we have survived through many tough times. Sure, the stock market has soured and the business world is temporarily shaken. There are no sports to attend or watch on television. It could be way worse and may be unless all of us stay smart. Of all times, don’t make perseverance a cliche.

Adios, pay if forward, stay safe, and have a Funday Sunday!!

The Ten – Top Of Mind Thoughts.

• I received few comments from last week’s take on the coronavirus and the flu. A few people suggested that I was “downplaying” the severity of the coronavirus. That was not my intention – all I was trying to do was compare the impact of the two. I am very aware that the coronavirus is a serious situation – one that I hope the CDC can solve quickly.
• Speaking of the coronavirus, it is probably a really good time to sanitize your smart phone. We live with the thing, put it up to our face and touch it….we might as well keep it safe.
• To those people who lost or incurred damage to their homes, all the best for a quick recovery from last week’s tornadoes that swept right through the city of Nashville. I always find it amazing how a tragic story gets “swept under the carpet” – this one due to last week’s ‘Super Tuesday’ and coronavirus coverage.
• I was hoping that the knee injury Josef Martinez incurred was a severe sprain but the actual ACL tear has ignited some pundits to tell us that Atlanta United’s Major League Soccer season “is over”. I disagree. Yes, Josef’s output will not be a like-for-like from one new player but the front office, led by Darren Eales, will eventually figure out a way, under the player/salary guidelines dictated by the League, to bring one or two new strikers into the player pool. Last night’s game at Mercedes Benz Stadium against Cincinnati showed all of us that United has a good bit of quality even without Josef, but it is obvious that reinforcements at the striker position are necessary. #atlutd
• I can think of only one better place for Harvey Weinstein to spend the rest of his life. For now he is residing at Rikers Island, one of the more notorious prisons in the United States.
• Daylight Savings Time. No additional comment required other than this change of time is a good thing – and it stays with us until the first Sunday in November.
• Many people are infatuated with where Tom Brady moves to if he actually does leave the New England Patriots. I am one of those who could care less. I just hope that he ends up playing for a team that is not in the NFC South. #atlantafalcons
• You have to feel for the thousands who have been quarantined on a cruise ship off the California. A random sample of the 3,500 passengers resulted in 21 passengers being tested for the coronavirus. The ship may dock tomorrow with many more passengers having to be tested. Not fun.
• Venezuela’s President, Nicolas Maduro, is at it again. His so-called leadership has resulted in four million Venezuelans emigrating since 2015. His answer to this reality: asking “all women to to have six children to build back his homeland”. Maduro’s comments drew criticism from human rights activists and others who noted Venezuelans already are struggling to provide food, clothes and health care for their families. Obviously, this guy is way out of touch with reality. How can you possibly encourage women to have six children “to make a homeland” when there is a homeland that does not guarantee children their lives? Just an autocratic tyrant who needs to be put out to pasture.
• And last but not least, I leave you with this week’s “you can’t fix stupid”:

Adios, pay it forward, wash your hands OFTEN, and have a Funday Sunday!!

Let’s Get It Going.

Hello to all. After 158 posts I took a long break from the weekly blog post – and it is now time to start it up again. Reminders:

• For reasons reinforced by what is going on with the world of politics, justmytake.net will refrain from any political takes or comments. Sometimes I may refer to a politician but not their politics. To be clear I am concerned about our military, education, the economy, and our healthcare system. I will not present a partisan take regarding the political arena.
• No content will use or reinforce religion. Religion is very personal and there is no need for me to comment on the subject.
• The blog is a challenge to me – and the content, posted for the most part on a weekly basis, is in essence Just My Take on various subject matter.
• With all that said, I would enjoy and appreciate your comments and feedback – and content that you would like me to cover…and content you would like me stay away from. There are plenty of sports pundits and bloggers out there so over the years I have tried to tone down the sports content. Sports and entertainment are passions of mine – so it is inevitable that I will comment on pro and college sports, especially Atlanta United, the Falcons, and the Hawks.

Yes, the coronavirus is very serious with 87,000 cases reported worldwide. The lack of information coming out of China early on did not help us understand the nature or cause of the virus and this has led to a “viral” media explosion. Yes, I am interested in making this craziness go away and I know the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization are working hard to find different solutions. I know that trade has been seriously impacted, as well as tourism, manufacturing, and worldwide stock markets. Reality: worldwide, 87,000 cases of coronavirus have been reported. As a comparison, here are the numbers for this season’s influenza: 32 million cases and 18,000 deaths. Perspective.

Major League Soccer’s 25th season kicked off yesterday. Some good and not so good games but overall a great day for MLS. Not such a great day for Atlanta United. Though they took three points away to Nashville, they may have lost star striker Josef Martinez to a knee injury. Here is hoping the injury is a sprain and not an ACL tear. Obviously, United’s front office may have a good bit of work to do if Martinez is lost for period of time. Speaking of Atlanta United, their success and qualification for the CONCACAF Champions League again has them dealing with some tough scheduling. League games on March 7 and 14 along with a two-game series against Mexican powerhouse America on March 11 and 18 result in four games in 11 days. Similar to last year, a tough path ahead to start the season.

Is it a bad thing that I am way more excited about daylight savings time starting next weekend than the upcoming “Super Tuesday”? No, its not.

I read this week that the Atlanta Falcons salary structure has 22% of it’s salary cap space devoted to TWO players over the age of 30 (35 and 31). Yes, they may be future Hall of Fame inductees but is this the path to success for the underachieving Falcons? My guess is that other teams’ salary caps are structured in a similar way – which is all good if the team consistently makes the playoffs.

Adios, pay it forward, and have a Funday Sunday!!

After last week’s post regarding my visit to Dachau, I changed it up this week and found fifteen of my favorite quotes – with many of them going back quite a few years.

“Here’s all you have to know about men and women: Women are crazy, men are stupid. And the main reason women are crazy is that men are stupid.”
—George Carlin

 “I love airports because the rules of society don’t apply. Eat a pizza and have a glass of wine at 7 am while in a size too small yoga pants. Nobody cares.”
—Anonymous

“Halloween is the beginning of the holiday shopping season. That’s for women. The beginning of the holiday shopping season for men is Christmas Eve.”
— David Letterman

“I’m tired of adding ‘LOL’ to the end of my texts for sensitive people. I said what I said, deal with it.” – Anonymous 

“I haven’t spoken to my wife in years. I didn’t want to interrupt her.”
—Rodney Dangerfield

‘Potatoes make French fries, chips and vodka. It’s like the other vegetables aren’t even trying.” – Anonymous

 “Common sense is like deodorant. The people who need it most never use it.”
—Anonymous

 “I never forget a face—but in your case, I’ll be glad to make an exception.”
—Groucho Marx

“There is one word that describes people that don’t like me: Irrelevant.”
—Anonymous

“Eggs are fantastic for a keto diet. If you don’t like the taste, just add cocoa, flour, sugar, butter, baking powder and bake at 375 for 30 minutes.”
—Anonymous

“Thanksgiving dinners take 18 hours to prepare. They are consumed in 12 minutes. Half-times take 12 minutes. This is not a coincidence.”
—Erma Bombeck

“Insanity runs in my family. It practically gallops.”
—Mortimer Brewster (Cary Grant), Arsenic and Old Lace

 “The whole purpose of places like Starbucks is for people with no decision-making ability whatsoever to make six decisions just to buy one cup of coffee. Short, tall, light, dark, caf, decaf, low-fat, non-fat. So people who don’t know what they’re doing, or who on earth they are can, for only $2.95, get not just a cup of coffee but an absolutely defining sense of self.”
—Joe Fox (Tom Hanks, You’ve Got Mail)

There are a 100 billions nerves in the human body, and there are people who have the ability to irritate all of them. -Anonymous 

One day you’re 21 eating pizza for every lunch, then suddenly you’re 50 and eating salad with celery and kale juice. -Anonymous

I will check back with all of you on January 5th. Happy holidays, pay it forward and have a Funday Sunday.

Retrospect.

Yesterday I read that Chancellor Angela Merkel, in her fourteenth year as Germany’s leader, had made a visit to Auschwitz, to tour a concentration camp where Nazi Germany executed more than 1.1 million people during the Holocaust. After reading this story, I was vividly reminded of my experience visiting Dachau, a former concentration camp near Munich.

Linz, Germany is situated on the right bank of the river Rhine near Remagen, Germany, approximately sixteen miles southeast of Bonn. Marietta, Georgia is a city and suburb of Atlanta, Georgia, one of the fastest growing cities in the United States. Many years ago, and I don’t remember the occasion or circumstance, the mayors of these two cities visited each other and declared Linz and Marietta “sister-cities”. As part of the celebration, the mayor of Linz suggested to the Marietta mayor that part of the celebration should include a sporting event, and asked Marietta’s mayor to send a soccer team as part of the celebration.

The details escape me but I do remember Rick Skirvin, the founder and leader of Rovers Football Club (RFC), calling me to tell me the news about the new sister cities and that we needed to put together a team to travel to Germany. Rick and I had started Rovers in 1995 with one team of adult players, and at that time we played in an over-30 league. (note: today the Rovers club consists of ten teams..and over the last 24 years over 900 players have played on one team or another). After a good bit of planning, and a commitment of fourteen Rovers to make the trip to Germany, we scheduled a game against a team from Linz and then made plans to visit the areas of Munich. The trip was a great experience with some of players accompanied by their better halves. After the game played at Bonn’s stadium, we ventured south to the Bavarian region and the city of Munich. As a group we made the decision to visit Dachau, to see for ourselves the facility and the horror of the past. The prisoners sent to Dachau were used as labor to expand the complex and served as a training ground for the Nazi military, mainly SS units. The camp was established soon after Hitler became Chancellor in 1933.

As you approach the still intact camp, the walls, barbed wire, and turrets immediately make an impact. As you enter the building, their are photos pre-war of the area, the people, and their history. The eerie part of this initial walk through is the farther you make your way through the walls of pictures, the more silent things become – as the photos of the prisoners, the conditions they lived in, and the infamous massive graves become overwhelming for most, including the men and women of our party. The building spills you into the camp’s center courtyard, barracks, and the oven room. The feeling is one that I have not fortunately felt ever again. I was speechless, distraught, and angry all at the same time. It was no different for my teammates and their significant others – our bus ride back to Munich was silent except for sniffles.

That evening was our last night in Munich so we had planned a visit to the famous Munich Hofbräuhaus, the 3-floor beer hall dating back to the 16th century. As you can imagine, no one in our party had the desire to celebrate our last night in Munich – we did not reconvene until the next morning for our bus trip back to Frankfurt. Not one of our party regretted going to Dachau but the everlasting darkness of that camp kept everyone subdued the entire next day.

As we witness the hate crimes unfortunately published on websites and television networks, the racist overtones spilling into European soccer games, and the never-ending display of terror attacks, the Rovers experience in Dachau has taught me to never forget. I hope all of us do the same.

Adios, pay it forward, and let’s never forget.

Words For The Sunday Before Thanksgiving.

Credible – not Prince Andrew.

Yawn – Alabama scheduling Western Carolina this late in the season.

Decisions – the tough ones Atlanta United made to their roster.

Enigma – the Falcons start off their season with one win in eight games and then beat New Orleans and Carolina on the road. Let’s see what happens later today against Tampa Bay and Thanksgiving night against the Saints.

Angst – the ongoing stand students have taken at Hong Kong Polytechnic Institute.

Precision – Florida A&M’s “Marching 100”.

Dawgs – not the animals, but a college football team trying to hang onto 4th place and get to the semi-finals. Was yesterday’s win convincing enough?

Family and Friends – hoping everyone takes the time on Thursday to enjoy Thanksgiving.

Adios, pay it forward, enjoy Sunday Funday, and Happy Thanksgiving to all.

My Top Ten.

1. I have no idea what to do about school shootings. Thursday’s incident near Los Angeles was this year’s 30th. In a previous post, I mentioned that all schools should have dedicated, full-time security guards and be gated. Thursday’s incident involved a student who attended that school so my idea does not hold water. Does anyone have a better idea of how to stop this carnage?

2. I am not looking forward to the next year of political diatribes and the run up to the Presidential election. Not at all.

3. The holidays start earlier every year. Yes, I said that last year as well but I have seen the streets of Orlando, FL. and Atlanta, Ga…they are already dressed.

4. I was coerced into seeing the movie The Joker. In a word: disturbing. Joaquin Phoenix in a word: tremendous. There is something amiss with the Academy of Motion Pictures if Joaquin Phoenix is not awarded an Oscar for his performance. I cannot recommend that you see The Joker, but if you do, fair warning. The Joker’s incessant ‘laugh’ is enough to make you squirm.

5. Yesterday’s Georgia – Auburn game was a tale of two halves. Auburn had their chances to send the game into overtime…but it will be the Dawgs playing in the SEC championship game.

6. Distraction is not an excuse:

7. Major League Soccer is in the expansion mode with Nashville and Miami starting up for the 2020 season. I am very much looking forward to those new clubs not duplicating Cincinnati’s inaugural season. #MajorLeagueSoccer

8. Trae Young plays for the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks. He is young and a tremendous talent. With his minutes managed correctly by the Hawks’ coaching staff, you may be looking at the next Steph Curry. He is averaging 32 points and 11.5 assists per game over his last four outings. #ATLHAWKS

9. Venice, Italy. Very sad.

10. There is something so crazy about this: Last Monday, Alibaba’s “Singles’ Day” sales hit a record $38 billion. $38 billion in ONE day.

Adios, pay it forward, and have a Funday Sunday!