Car companies spend a lot of money developing and designing new cars and trucks. Each year they unveil new models sleeker and more stylish than the year before. A lot of thought goes into each new vehicle. A virtual army of designers and marketers spend countless hours on each model. Some are huge successes, some are huge flops. Regardless of their success, or lack of it, each model has a name - names that help convey the spirit and purpose of each automobile. Some have strong, descriptive names like Pathfinder, Explorer and Wrangler. Others convey a sense of purpose like Liberty, Impulse and Odyssey. Still other models have names that invoke strong imagery like Outback, Durango and Santa Fe. (The absolute best name in my opinion to put on the front of a car is Dodge. It’s a name and instructions.) Names are researched and tried out on focus groups. Names are important and resonate deeply with their owners. I drive a Jeep Wrangler so I decided to look up the meaning of the word wrangler. In short it’s another word for cowboy. No wonder I like to wear my boots when I drive it. Car names are powerful. They tell a story, give a history. While most names are good or even great, I think some missed the mark. Want an example? How about the Avalanche? I don’t think I want a vehicle that’s named after a bunch of sliding rocks. Or how about the Sequoia, a giant tree? My favorite is the Tundra – a truck named after frozen ground that turns into mud when thawed. Love the truck – hate the name. So I decided to come up with a few names of my own. After long minutes of brainstorming, the first name hit me like a thunderbolt. The Chevrolet Landfill – a huge SUV that’s actually too large to drive. The second name was less dramatic but just as impressive – the Toyota Sludge, part truck and part viscous liquid. And my best name I saved for last – The Ford Fiasco, no explanation necessary.
Car companies spend a lot of money developing and designing new cars and trucks. Each year they unveil new models sleeker and more stylish than the year before. A lot of thought goes into each new vehicle. A virtual army of designers and marketers spend countless hours on each model. Some are huge successes, some are huge flops. Regardless of their success, or lack of it, each model has a name - names that help convey the spirit and purpose of each automobile. Some have strong, descriptive names like Pathfinder, Explorer and Wrangler. Others convey a sense of purpose like Liberty, Impulse and Odyssey. Still other models have names that invoke strong imagery like Outback, Durango and Santa Fe. (The absolute best name in my opinion to put on the front of a car is Dodge. It’s a name and instructions.) Names are researched and tried out on focus groups. Names are important and resonate deeply with their owners. I drive a Jeep Wrangler so I decided to look up the meaning of the word wrangler. In short it’s another word for cowboy. No wonder I like to wear my boots when I drive it. Car names are powerful. They tell a story, give a history. While most names are good or even great, I think some missed the mark. Want an example? How about the Avalanche? I don’t think I want a vehicle that’s named after a bunch of sliding rocks. Or how about the Sequoia, a giant tree? My favorite is the Tundra – a truck named after frozen ground that turns into mud when thawed. Love the truck – hate the name. So I decided to come up with a few names of my own. After long minutes of brainstorming, the first name hit me like a thunderbolt. The Chevrolet Landfill – a huge SUV that’s actually too large to drive. The second name was less dramatic but just as impressive – the Toyota Sludge, part truck and part viscous liquid. And my best name I saved for last – The Ford Fiasco, no explanation necessary.
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I’m sure this drink will appeal instantly to my southern friends. It’s called Cheerwine and tastes surprisingly just like the soft drink. Some bars have it – most don’t. But never fear, I’m about to give you the recipe (thanks to my friend Jamie Townsend) so you can share with your favorite bartender. If you love Cheerwine, then you’ll go crazy for this drink. To make the drink, you’ll need: 2 ounces of Captain Morgan Spiced Rum 1 ounce of Amaretto A splash of Grenadine (for color) 2-3 ounces of Coke (adjust for taste) Start with an old fashioned glass. The old fashioned glass, also called a rocks glass, is shorter than a highball glass and usually holds 4-6 ounces. Add ingredients and a couple cubes of ice. Stir and serve. And the rest, as they say, is history! As always, drink responsibly and never drink & drive! Christopher Walken is truly a national treasure. I’ve often thought about starting a petition to get his face on a coin. I can see it now – the Christopher Walken Dime. Multi-facted and incredibly talented, Chris (as he prefers to be called) has been setting the standard in show business for almost seven decades. A gifted actor and dancer, Chris has also hosted Saturday Night Live seven times and has forever changed the show with his brilliant rendition of Bruce Dickinson during the now famous “I need more cowbell” sketch. (A little known fact – The Cowbell sketch is shown to all SNL hosts during their orientation to impress upon them the high standards they have to live up to hosting SNL.) In honor of his upcoming birthday, I did a little research to see how Chris has influenced over great minds throughout the ages. I’m sure you have heard most of these quotes but they’re so good I decided to include them. Enjoy! I regret that I have but one cowbell to give for my country. Nathan Hale Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Cowbells. Patrick Henry Glory is fleeting, but a cowbell is forever. Napoleon Bonaparte I may be drunk with a cowbell, Miss, but in the morning I will be sober with a cowbell and you will still be ugly. Sir Winston Churchill I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is not having a cowbell. Bill Cosby Happiness lies only in that which excites, and the only thing that excites is a cowbell. The Marquis de Sade I'm an old-fashioned guy... I want to be an old man with a beer belly sitting on a porch, playing with my cowbell. Johnny Depp The only things of certainty are Death and Cowbells. Benjamin Franklin Be the cowbell that you want to see in the world. Mohandas Gandhi I feel sorry for people who don't play the cowbell. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day. Frank Sinatra A cowbell is the soul of wit. William Shakespeare We need more cowbell. Christopher Walken The only thing we have to fear is losing our cowbells. Franklin Delano Roosevelt Life is tough, but it's tougher when you don’t have a cowbell. John Wayne Paco is my dog. He’s an eight month old Catahoula. If you don’t know what a Catahoula is, you’ll just have to google it. Paco has been a part of my life since last July and I’ve taught him a few tricks. He can sit, speak, shake and lay down. He loves camping and will sit by the campfire until its time to go to bed. During the past six or so months that we have been together, I’ve picked up a few things from him as well. Here they are in no particular order. 1. Nap frequently. 2. Play hard. 3. Love unconditionally. 4. Get outside as often as you can. 5. Stay in touch with the ones you love. 6. Make friends with everyone. 7. Make reunions special. 8. Drink lots of water. 9. Do everything you can to please the ones you love. 10. Apologize when you've messed up. 11. Try new things. 12. Enjoy the simple things in life. I’m hooked on Amish Mafia, for at least a couple more episodes anyway. Last week I was all into Moonshiners. Before that I was hooked on Gold Rush. And before Gold Rush, I watched Bar Rescue and Restaurant Impossible and Hotel Impossible. I’ve watched American Pickers and Pawn Stars. Reality shows. Shows that let us see into a world that’s not ours, someone else’s daily life. They’re unscripted and unpredictable and there’s a ton of them on television. I remember the first reality show that really sank its claws into me – The Deadliest Catch. What an exciting show! The first episode kept me transfixed on the screen. I watched as these daring men in tiny ships set out on the Bering Sea to hunt for King Crab. Each vessel faced hardships and struggled to fill their holds. By the end of the show they were heading home, some ships more successful than others but all returning home nonetheless. The good news for me was another episode was coming on. Back-to-back episodes! Once again I watched as these daring men in tiny ships set onto the Bering Sea to hunt for King Crab. Once again each vessel faced hardships and struggled to fill their holds. Once again by the end of the show they were heading home, some ships more successful than others but all returning home nonetheless. The obvious didn’t dawn on me then, not yet. I was probably on my sixth or seventh show when I realized I was having a mild case of Deja Vu. Bored of The Deadliest Catch, I moved on to Restaurant Impossible. The first show featured Robert Irvine as a somewhat abrasive master chef (but with a heart of gold) that specialized in saving failing restaurants. I watched as this huge man walked into the restaurant and tore into the owners and employees. The restaurant was filthy, the service was horrible and the food was inedible. As incredible as it sounds, he almost had to put the owner in a headlock to convince him that things had to change and change drastically. But magically, with a budget of $10,000, a small work crew and a couple of days, he revived the failing business. By the end of the show, everyone was shedding tears of joy and Robert rode off into the sunset. Fast forward to the next show, Robert Irvine walked into the restaurant and tore into the owners and employees. Once again the restaurant was filthy, the service was horrible and the food was inedible. Once again, as incredible as it sounds, he almost had to put the owner in a headlock to convince him that things had to change and change drastically. Once again as if by magic, with a budget of $10,000, a small work crew and a couple of days, he revived the failing business. By the end of the show, everyone was shedding tears of joy and Robert rode off into the sunset - again. This time I started getting bored by the fourth or fifth show. I was starting to see a trend. As I jumped from one reality show to the next, the truth slowly sank in. Each show was a slightly different copy of the one before it. On other words, if you had seen one Deadliest Catch you had seen them all. If you had seen one Pawn Stars or Bar Rescue – well you see where I’m going. The plot stayed the same from show to show within the genre. Although each show was instantly mesmerizing, they lacked an ongoing storyline – they lacked depth. I love the richness of the characters and relish their truly unique situations, but I need more from a show for a long term commitment. I need to be challenged, surprised and conflicted. Most importantly, I need . . . sorry, I’ll have to finish the rest later. Duck Dynasty is coming on. Excellence – Every company promises excellence. You can find the word “excellent” or “excellence” in mission statements, slogans and logos everywhere you look. Excellence abounds, or at least the promise of excellence abounds. According to a recent article by the Chartered Quality Institute, “The word excellence (from the Latin verb excellere) means to exceed all others in the concerned area. It represents the absolute superlative.” Are companies living up to their promise of excellence? Most companies fall way short. Is their promise of excellence empty? Or worse, a deceptive marketing campaign aimed at separating you from your money? I think companies, whether small one-person store fronts or large multi-national conglomerates, are truly sincere in their desire to provide the very best for their customers. They spend millions, maybe billions, of dollars each year improving their processes and developing their employees. Their focus is razor-sharp. Their employees are trained to the nth degree to provide excellence, to commit to excellence. So what’s the problem? Why aren’t we surrounded by world-class businesses that not only meet our expectations, but continually amaze us by always exceeding our expectations? The answer simple enough is that excellence is more than skin-deep. In other words, a company can’t solely focus on their service or product in the pursuit of excellence. In order for a company to truly achieve excellence, to reach the pinnacle, every aspect of the business must strive for the same high level of performance. Want an example? For most companies, the way they treat their employees falls well short in comparison to the expected treatment of their customers. Several years ago I was involved in a rebranding campaign where I worked. Of course we used the word “excellent” in both internal and external materials. I still remember our vision statement. It stated a goal to become the best in our business category in the nation. Quite a lofty goal. We held employee meetings to role out our new brand. Human Resources presented during the same meeting, outlining our employee benefits package and how it compared to our competitors. The word used to describe our employee benefits package was “market” – or in plain English, we offered about the same as everyone else. I asked my VP at the time a simple question – “if we are committed to being the best in the nation, why don’t we have the best benefits in the nation?” He proceeded to tell me that the two were not dependent on each other, but I think he missed the true intent of my question. My real question was much deeper. If we really wanted to become the best in the nation, then we would need the best people. How could we attract and retain the best people if we offered average compensation and benefits? I know that when I go fishing, the type and size of the fish I catch is dependent on the type of bait I use. If I want to catch a 1,000 pound Marlin, then I need significantly different bait than I would use to catch a 3 pound catfish. If we were going to be the best, didn’t we need to attract the best people? Didn’t we need better than average pay and benefits (aka bait) to attract them? But attracting and retaining great employees involves more than great pay and benefits. Great employees expect the same level of commitment to excellence in regard to how they are treated. As Scott Regan, now the chief executive officer of strategicplanningMD in Atlanta, said at a conference I attended many years ago, “Happy employees equals happy customers.” Excellence begins on the inside. Internal customer service is just as important as external customer service. The search for excellence encompasses all aspects of a business, from the product or service provided to the treatment of the newest hired employee. (Here's an old article of mine to tide you over until I finish the one I'm really working on. Enjoy!) I knew I was a Thrift Store Shopaholic when I realized I had 12 sports coats in my closet. Of the 12 coats, I had bought only one at full price. The rest I had bought usually for around $5 each. While 12 coats may not seem like a lot, it must be noted that I'm not required to wear a coat and tie to work. In fact, there's probably less than 3-4 times a month when I need to get dressed up for work or some other function. So why do I have so many jackets (not to mention the countless shirts and pants)? I blame it all on the allure of thrift stores and the rush you get when you find a great bargain. There's nothing like finding a 100% cashmere sports coat for $5 that fits perfectly. Or Carhartt pants for $4 that fit you so well they instantly become your favorite pair of pants. Store after store, bargain after bargain - I'm hooked! In fact, I usually can't go to just one thrift store. I always try to make the "loop" or in other words, I try to hit all the thrift stores in an area. I've figured out the locations of the "good" thrift stores (places that have stuff that interests me). I have an Asheville loop, a Hickory-Lenior-Boone loop and a Lincolnton-Gastonia-Lake Norman loop. I've planned shopping trips on Saturdays with the plan to just hit thrift stores in a certain loop. I have shopped all day and spent less than $50 but carried home bags and bags of shirts, pants and more. I never go into a thrift store without a plan of attack. I always start with household items first. I have found that I can browse kitchen items and furniture quicker than the other sections. I always leave the books for last - especially if I'm shopping with friends that don't shop as fast as I do. After household items, I check out shoes, belts and ties. I usually don't find anything I like in shoes, belts and ties. I guess most men will wear these things forever. I have, however, found some great deals in the shirts and pants section. In some cases the sales tags are still on the garment. I probably spend most of my time in the sports coat/suit section. Unfortunately, most coats do not have the size tucked inside so I'm required to put on every coat that I like to see if it's a proper fit. Next is sweaters and coats - of which I have too many also! I haven't always shopped at thrift stores. For most of my life I shopped mainstream retail. You know, shopping malls and outlet stores. It wasn't until a couple years ago that a friend helped me "discover" thrift stores. I discovered that thrift stores are a great way to save money and conserve resources. I also discovered that I can get a tax deduction for every thing I donate to a charitable thrift store. And indirectly, I'm also supporting the charity or organization when I shop or donate at the store. Now after a couple of years of shopping at thrift stores, I find it almost impossible to return to the "retail" world. I was exchanging a Christmas gift recently in a local retail chain store I used to shop when I noticed the sale signs all over the store. The sale was incredible - 50% off, 60% off, 75% off! So I started browsing around the store, checking out prices. Pants were marked down 50% but they still cost $25 - a whopping $21 more than most thrift stores. Shirts were even lower. Some shirts were as low as $14 - but that's $10 more than most thrift stores I frequented. I found myself comparing prices on everything. Needless to say I left the store without buying a single thing. Thrift stores have helped me save a lot of money over the last two years. This savings has really come in handy given the state of our economy, but I know that even when the economy improves (and it will) I will continue shopping at thrift stores. Yes, I love supporting the local charity or organization. Yes, I feel a great sense of accomplishment knowing that I'm reducing waste and recycling. And it doesn't hurt finding name brand clothing at a fraction of the actual cost of the original price. Yes, I'm hooked on thrift stores - for all the right reasons. (Note - I try to go through my clothes at least twice a year, pull out clothes I no longer wear and donate them to the thrift store/charity of my choice.) He had left the Pacific Northwest in search of peace and quiet. He had been hunted all of his life. Everywhere he turned someone was trying to take his photo . . . or worse. He couldn’t stand it anymore. So after six months of traveling, he found himself in the mountains of Western North Carolina, Asheville to be more specific. He had tried to stay to himself, away from people, but no matter how hard he tried he was still running into people. To his surprise, no one seemed to give him a second look. Amazing! Maybe he had finally found his home. Out West as a Bigfoot, he had been chased, hunted and shot at on a daily basis. But here, in Asheville, he blended into the eclectic culture, or more specifically the hippy scene. For the last two months he had been living with a group of guys with hair longer than his and even more matted. Always calling him Dude, his new friends had insisted that he put on some coverings on his arms and legs – they called them a baja and corduroy pants. Instead of hiding in the deep woods, now he could walk anywhere he wanted. He loved walking downtown, especially in the late afternoons. And his favorite place in downtown Asheville was undoubtedly the Mellow Mushroom! His new buddies had introduced him to pizza and beer when he first moved in and he loved it. Although he didn’t have any money, Dude had gotten pretty good at hanging out on the fringes of large groups. Grabbing a slice here and there was easy, especially after the group had downed two or three pitchers of beer. Dude was at the restaurant so much that most people thought he worked there. Pete, the new assistant manager and more than a little near-sighted, thought he was the busboy and kept telling him to clean tables. Since Bigfoots are pacifists by nature anyway, Dude did everything Pete told him. In fact, he did everything Pete asked him so well and so fast that Pete had named him the Employee of the Week three weeks in a row. And everyone knew what Employee of the Week meant – a free pizza of his choice! His pizza of choice – the Mellow Mushroom house special, the favored pizza of Bigfoots everywhere (or at least the one living in Asheville). Life was indeed good in Asheville, but unfortunately nothing lasts forever. Pete was doing so well that it was only a matter of time before he would be promoted, possibly to another restaurant. There was already talk about a possible new assistant manager coming in, a real straight arrow named Marge. Dude could sense trouble and knew that he had to act and act soon. Tomorrow - his plan would start tomorrow. More to come . . . Special thanks to Khue Lane for inspiring this storyline. Semper fi! We live in a busy world. We are bombarded with requests for our attention. Where ever we go, someone or something begs for some of our time. We are only given so much time each day and we jealously guard our time. But it’s so easy to get distracted, to rationalize that we really need to watch the latest infomercial on weight loss, heartburn or facial peels. We lose minutes that turn into lost hours. At the end of the day we look back and realize that, even though we were busy, we didn’t take care of what matters most, the really important. So what do we do? We buy organizers and take time management classes. We get up earlier and go to bed later. We try to squeeze as much into our schedules as possible. How many times have you heard someone say that they had to prioritize the schedule? We all know what that means. This person is feeling overwhelmed and thinks that better management of their schedule will result in higher productivity. In other words, they can get more done. The topic of prioritizing schedules came up recently in a discussion with a friend. He had forgotten about a standing lunch date we had with a group of friends. In truth, he had failed to realize it was Tuesday. He was so busy that his days were running together. In his apology he uttered these words, “I have to stop prioritizing my schedule and scheduling my priorities.” He said it partially in jest but it has stuck with me. As long as we take care of what’s truly important to us, then everything else is a bonus. When we prioritize our schedule, the schedule becomes what’s most important. We become slaves to our schedule, following its every dictate. Stop prioritizing and start identifying. Identify your priorities, what’s most important to you. Live your life for what’s most important, most meaningful to you. I guarantee you won’t be sorry. Noah perfecting his slump technique. I’ve pretty much been slumping all day. I really slumped yesterday. It was cold and nasty outside. A perfect day to slump! What is slumping you ask? Just imagine lounging on the sofa but with less direction. It’s almost doing nothing, except to a lesser degree. My boys introduced me to the term slumping this summer while on a camping trip. My youngest son Noah had just eaten himself into a food coma when he “slumped” over in his chair and dozed off. My oldest son Luke shook his head and said, “He’s slumping.” (That’s what they say every time my dog falls asleep.) I’ve learned from them that slumping is the pinnacle of doing nothing. It’s more than just taking it easy or being lazy. Slumping is when the mind and body in unison achieve a state of nothingness. I’ve discovered that it’s not that easy to slump. It’s kind of like when you are trying to go to sleep and you can’t cut off your brain. Random thoughts go through your head. To-do lists and grocery lists command your attention. As strange as it sounds, it takes a certain amount of discipline in order to slump. One of my favorite places to slump is in front of a roaring fire while camping. The shapeless, ever-changing fire frees the mind and engages it at the same time. Time slows to a crawl and passes in a blink of an eye, both at the same time. Everyone needs to slump from time to time, to revive and renew. And I think I need more practice. |
Sam Murray
Award-winning Graphic Designer and Writer Archives
February 2015
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