Almost Finished, Just One More Thing…

Summer chaos, aging parents, and a 1st place finish… just your average existential parenting update.

Well, it finally happened... a semi-unplanned missed post. I know you all set your watches to my posts (because you all wear non-smart watches right?) and are vibrating in your seat each week just waiting for the latest post to drop. I'm sorry I let you down.

That feels a little boastful; I guess I should make it clear that this is self-deprecating satire.

Let's see... how about some life updates? Really more like race updates... Last weekend was another caffeine-fueled 1st place finish (can I get a fuck-yeah?) after limited sleep in my car the night before, then darting home for a rare date night with my partner (something we haven't done in WAY too long), and then BBQ'ing on Sunday for fathers day. At this point in my life, it's really Grandfather's Day as it's more about celebrating the senior padres in the family, as it should be. Also, at the point in my life where I'm seeing my parents age and move away from being the invincible, all-knowing people they were and now they're slowing down and needing more help. It feels like a new chapter in my life.

Summer break is here. Really, summer try-and-figure-out-how-to-work-while-the-kids-are-at-home-and-not-have-them-plugged-into-screens-all-day-long-and-not-spend-tens-of-thousands-of-dollars-on-camps amiright?

OK - let's pound out some bits...

Going a Bit Analog

Going a bit analog (film) is actually pretty enjoyable. I sound like an ultra-hipster (and maybe I am?) but something about not having technology to set all the things for me, and having to slow down and think to take a decent shot is quite satisfying. Plus the images that come out of this thing are 🤌. They look like real (and better) versions of Instagram filters - BECAUSE THEY ARE.

Memoir Title Generator

Totally ripping off We're Here To Help podcast, but what would be the title of your memoir in however many years when you're on your last legs? What would mine be? I thought about mine for a bit and remembered how terrible I am at questions like this, so I did the next logical thing and asked ChatGPT: "Based on everything you know about me, and in all brutal honest truth, I'd like to think I have several years left, but what do you think the title of my memoir will be?" “Almost Finished, Just One More Thing...” I feel seen and am creeped out.

Decision-Making in Groups

Don't do decision by committee. I always want to make sure everyone in the room has a voice. People have great ideas and are able to point out your blind spots (which is important!), but at some point a decision has to be made. Present options, guide the conversation and then make a decision. Nothing gets done when no one steps up.

Just Make a Damn Decision

Speaking of... So often there are times when a situation just needs someone to make a decision. It doesn't even have to be the RIGHT decision; just get people moving in a direction, and then you can adapt.

Clean Your Room (and Your Tasks)

Clean your room... regularly. This goes for work too; the more you put off a task the bigger a beast it becomes (either mentally or actually because more has piled on it) and it gets harder to even start it. If you just do small, incremental fixes, cleans, etc. the task becomes MUCH more bearable. Already have some beastly tasks you don't want to start? Do something incredibly small on it; sometimes that will get the ball rolling and encourage you to do a bit more.

Life on Easy Street

You know those people who just skate through life? They have a job that they can't get fired from due to some weird specialty skill or knowledge, but also don't need to really do much to maintain that job? Don't seem to really plan or get stressed about anything, and just live on easy street. Aren't they living the dream, and doesn't that say something about the way the rest of us work, grinding away to get... what?

When the World Changes, Will You?

How will places like BevMo survive or change as the next generation of people continue to drink less? This is when businesses need to innovate, try, fail, and figure out what the next age of their business is to survive. When the writing is on the wall, what are you going to try?

Book Rec: Emotional Lives of Teenagers

OK - let's wrap this baby up with a book recommendation for parents: The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: Raising Connected, Capable, and Compassionate Adolescents. This book digs into what’s happening in adolescent brains without making you feel like you need a PhD or adderall to get through it. It reframes teen “drama” as emotional development, gives insight into how to stay connected even when your kid seems like they’re pushing you away, and offers actual strategies that don’t feel like a guilt trip.

Though I don't have teenagers yet, I still read it (because my wife told me to), and I’m recommending it because it does something rare: it makes you feel less like you’re screwing up, and more like you’re just navigating something complicated and human. It's validating, grounded, and I feel a tiny bit more prepared as we are navigating preteentown right now.

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That’s all I’ve got for this week. I'm not going to try and make up for the one I missed last week. Who's got time for that?

Are you also navigating summer chaos, aging parents, half-finished projects, kids climbing the walls, and existential questions about what productivity is anymore?

I’ll be over here staring at the several rolls of film I need to get developed, trying to parent with compassion, dodging committee decisions, and wondering how BevMo will survive Gen Z’s era.

Catch you next week. Maybe it'll be on time. No promises.