Humor

Spaghetti and Waffles, Anyone?

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Recently I spoke for the Silicon Valley NAWBO chapter in Palo Alto. As I was teaching sanity strategies (a.k.a. time and priority management) to the group, the “waffles vs. spaghetti” discussion came up. It was eye-opening for the audience, so I thought you’d enjoy it too!
Bill and Pam Farrel coined the waffle and spaghetti concept, but the guy on the video I included uses the terms “boxes and wires” for his presentation. Take the time to watch it – it’s hilarious and educational all at once!

Gersberms!

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WARNING: This is likely the silliest, most ridiculous article I’ve ever written. My eyes are already watering with tears of anticipation. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Something really weird is on the internet right now. It’s a series of pictures that people are posting with really odd captions that – at first glance – don’t make any sense at all.

The translation? “Goosebumps. My favorite books.”

When my sister shared this with me I was at a total loss. Okaayyy… They can’t spell? I don’t get it.

And yet, after looking at it a few times, I got the giggles. Then I started randomly saying “Gersberms” to people and laughing hysterically. Even now, alone in my office, I’m giggling. Too weird. No rhyme or reason.

I was hooked, so I did a little research, and as far as I could gather, this strange trend came from someone who was recalling what it was like to wear a retainer, or to have just recently had orthodontic braces tightened. How it gave you a bit of a lisp, and you felt like if you just kept your jaw clenched, maybe it wouldn’t hurt so bad. The captions reflect this lisp-y, jaw-clenched pronunciation that many of us went through as adolescents.

Much to my delight, my sister provided me with two more examples of this trend. I decided that I absolutely MUST find an excuse to include them in this article.

               

So I thought long and hard, trying to think of life lessons that would align with these pictures. Here’s the best I came up with…

I had braces when I was young, and it was a necessary, but unpleasant experience. We have these experiences in life from time to time – having to fire someone, having to take on a less than ideal client, etc. But in the end, these experiences give us better alignment with what we really want, and, if nothing else, give us amusing horror stories to tell at cocktail parties.

Not my best work on the serious side of things, but ehrmahgerd! I still can’t stop laughing!

Cotton Candy Inspiration

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Last night and this morning I had terrible writers block. So I decided to include a video today instead of an article. Something funny, you know. Something to help us all lighten up a little.

Then I came across this video and it knocked my socks off.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYsT5TiJsIU?rel=0&w=325&h=183

I don’t know about you, but I can’t think of anything duller than being a cotton candy vendor. Repetitive, boring, sticky. Yuck. And yet this guy makes it fun, joyous and creative. He found a way to turn the mundane job of making cotton candy into a vehicle for self-expression.

I am in awe of the fact that this guy is just doing his thing with joy and generosity, and now it’s had an impact on the life of a complete stranger. Technology and authenticity – a powerful combination!

Do You Know What Time it is?

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About 15 years ago, I got it in my head that I needed a new watch. I knew EXACTLY what I wanted. It needed to be silver and gold, so that it matched everything. It needed to have numbers around the dial, rather than just tic marks. It needed to have the date. So I started shopping.

I window-shopped. I went to malls. I went to jewelry stores. If I’d known how to shop online back then, I would have done that. Every chance I got, I was looking for this perfect watch. I kept looking and looking and looking. I searched for two years.

TWO YEARS?! Ok, just writing about it makes me shudder to think of the time I spent (wasted) on shopping for a watch. Want to know what brought an end to the madness? I’ll tell you.

I was in a department store, in the watch section, of course, and I saw a Mickey Mouse watch. The face was gold and silver, and I laughed. Something clicked in my head, and my inner voice said, “You know what time it is? Maybe it’s time you stopped taking this all so seriously.”

I bought the watch on the spot, and still have it today. It’s the only one I wear.

It reminds me to stop obsessing, to laugh, to look in different direction for solutions, and that time is precious.

Simple Cure for a Case of the “Hectics”

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Feeling a little hectic today, I looked for a good TED talk to inspire and educate, instead of producing a full article.

But then I got sidetracked by a video (not on the TED site), called “The Best Moment of the Emmys”, and I realized I’d found what I was looking for. All it took was watching one funny video to realize the hectic feelings were all in my mind.

I hope you enjoy some of my favorites funny, creative, and downright weird videos. And please share links to stuff that makes you laugh!

WARNING: Do not watch this strange video if you don’t want a very catchy Japanese Pop song stuck in your head!

Being RIGHT in the Express Lane

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I was at the grocery store the other day, and was feeling really rushed. I had just picked up the food for that evening’s event, and felt like I was cutting it close with timing.

After estimating the number of items in my cart, I dashed to the “15 Items or Less” checkout stand. With only one person ahead of me, and no one looking like they were going to file in behind, I figured this was the best way to get out of there in a hurry.

As I unloaded my cart, a man joined the line behind me. He had a hand basket with just two items in it. He surveyed my load of groceries, and assumed an expression of supreme exasperation.

So what did I do? I treated him like I treat everyone. I smiled and said hello.

He sighed loudly, pointedly looked at the sign that indicated the grocery items limit, and under his breath muttered, “Hmm… wish some people knew how to count…”

Oh boy. I hate conflict, but for some reason, this situation immediately struck me as comical! I still don’t know what was going on in my head.

I looked at him, and then looked at my items (which up until then I still hadn’t counted), and said, “I didn’t count, did I?” I counted up my items and came up with 17. Whoops! Call the grocery police!

Smiling, I then said to the man, “I’m 2 items over, would you like to go ahead of me?”

And here’s the punch line… he said NO!

At that point, it took every ounce of my restraint not to laugh out loud. Lest you feel sorry for this man, understand that I felt like laughing, not just because of the situation at hand, but also because I wanted to laugh at myself. It was like looking in a mirror.

The situation fully embodied this phrase that a mentor of mine asked me over and over: “Do you want to be right, or do you want to have peace?”

I can think of so many times in my life when I was literally handed a way out of a frustrating situation, but rather than allowing myself to experience relief, I chose a stance of self-righteousness. But I was RIGHT, damn it!!!

Can you relate?

This poor guy, I truly meant him no harm. He had no idea what was in my heart that day, and he has no idea how, in an odd way, he uplifted me. I left the store that day with my shopping cart, ran a few steps with it, and then rode it like a scooter to my car, thinking, “I CHOOSE PEACE!”