Category: Home Life
-
2015
Every year at this time, I dig up, replay and over-analyze the many things that have transpired over the past year. My foray into the caverns of memories brings forth a dizzying array of pleasant memories. Top of the list are: Time spent with my daughter and my wife. Many a successful event where friends…
-
Teamwork
You can do most things on your own. Humans are like that. We learn and adapt to our environment constantly, picking up skills as we go along. But what happens when something needs to be accomplished is simply too much for you to take on alone? Perhaps you don’t have a skill or the project…
-
Routines
New routines are difficult to make happen. If they were easy, I suspect fewer folks would be stressed out and searching for purpose. The fact is, people who sleep, get exercise and stay active are simply happier people. It’s no wonder then that finding a balance between these things is one of the most popular…
-
Uber Fail: Two days in the driver seat below minimum wage
We’ve all heard of Uber. Perhaps you’ve even used the ride sharing company, recently declared to be worth $50 billion (that’s billion with a ‘b’). But what is it really like to be a driver using the Uber system? In my experience, it’s a risky job in terms of financial risk and wage earning. I’ll…
-
Leaving the Dream
One of the most prolific remnants of American culture from post World War 2 is the idea of the American Dream. According to Wikipedia, it describes “a national ethos of the United States, a set of ideals in which freedom includes the opportunity for prosperity and success, and an upward social mobility achieved through hard…
-
Selective Appreciation
Occasionally, I find myself listening to Christian Music. It’s not because I’m a devout follower or agree with American Christianity. I have my issues with the religion. What I love about Christian music is that it universally has a positive message and upbeat candor. I find few other music sources have as much good energy…
-
Debt from Expectations
I used to buy a new car every year or two. When I couldn’t afford something new, it was something newer than what I had or to fit a short term need. About 7 years ago, I bought the luxury car of my dreams, mostly on a loan. Not realizing that my job was about…
-
Noise
Look up for a moment. Have you found yourself in the middle of the woods with only your thoughts and the sounds of nature and thought, ‘wow – this is wonderful’? No mobile devices, laptops, televisions, tablets or billboards – just you and nature. A calm sets in. A calm that perhaps you haven’t felt…
-
The Next Dot-Com Boom
After reading today’s NYT article on the divide between “young” and “old” in the tech sector, a singular future of the current incantation of Technology Start-ups proves more perplexing than the social friction NYT has spotlighted: The Next Bubble to Pop. Unfettered optimism and narcissistic selfishness drowns the industrial complex of start-up culture today, all…
-
Inside the Shed Office
I often get asked “what is it like to work in such a small space?” It’s a great question with more than one answer. As you can imagine, working from a small space that’s detached and secluded from any other structures has it’s own set of nuances, pros and cons. This is what is looks…
-
A New Look
In with the new, out with the old. Sometimes an old site needs a little face lift now and then. In this case, GregMoorePDX.com needed a simplification. Take a look at the older articles, the newer articles. I’ve even setup a Favorites page with a listing of my personal favorite posts on this site.
-
Disney World: Walt would be pissed
I had the opportunity to spend the day at Disney World today at the Magic Kingdom. My experience at Disney World today undoubtedly would have Walt himself rolling in his grave. Overall, we were disappointed in the details of our experience. That’s not to say it was a completely bad experience. It wasn’t, not really.…
-
The Cat Trap
I love animals of all varieties. I’ve played host to many animals over the years – mostly cats, but also guinea pigs, fish and even a dog. That’s why writing this is article has proven difficult at best. What follows is my attempt to convince you to never adopt or take in another pet –…
-
How many emails to you write per year?
There’s a few depressing numbers each of us will encounter in our lives. The amount of taxes we pay in our lives comes to mind. What about the number of emails you write in a year? Mine for the last 12 months: 7500 You read that right. 7500. That’s right – an average of 30…
-
Four Walls and a Roof Ago…
This past weekend was a big one for the shed office construction. Once again with the help of my little brother, Warren, we put up the remaining two walls and the roof trusses. Keep in mind that I’ve never framed anything in my life. This is the first time I’ve ever taken on something like…
-
The Ever Changing Security Quilt
Back in December, this country was struck hard by horrific, thoughtless and tragic massacres with no apparent reason. Unimaginable atrocities. The work of insane and unloved individuals. I speak of the two shootings that took place in two very different places in the US. First, in my home town on December 11th 2012, a young…
-
Meeting Records – Greg Moore Style
Meeting Records are the key to a successful meeting. Without them, you cannot take action or even hope to recall every relevant detail discussed in a meeting. Using the Greg Moore Meeting Record System, you can capture the most useful information in an actionable format that will help you make the most of the meetings…
-
Food Sources
In Oregon, families on Food Stamps have to make due on $4/day for food. But what if everyone and everyone were to live on $4/day for food? I have my doubts as to how sustainable that would be for today’s built up empire of commercial food industry. Stores have to sell a certain percentage of…
-
A Hairy Conundrum
My 3 year old niece said to me the other day: “What’s wrong with your hair?” “What do you mean?” I inquired. “It’s long.” I paused considering the source of the criticism. She means well, right? Perhaps someone put her up to this? That doesn’t seem likely. Three-year-olds can’t pull of this sort of stunt…
-
Connecting Cultures
After watching a highlights reel from last night’s Timbers/Whitecaps match here in Portland, it got me thinking about the role of sports in society. In ancient times, sports had a clear dual role in society. On a small scale, they brought people together in communities, villages and towns. Games could be played for fun, to…
-
Don’t Expect Anything Simple
Bankers are a funny bunch. Investors, too. The latter will coo about how necessary it is to take risks in order to achieve payoffs. The former will often tell the public “we don’t take risks” while they roll the dice in the back room with our cash (and the government’s these days). It’s quite entertaining…
-
SSD Geekin’
Over the past couple of years, I was determined to make 40 GB of (then expensive) SSD space work for my primary computer. Finally, today, the time came to upgrade to something larger. Not that the old drive has anything wrong – it’s just too small for Windows 7 and it’s bleeping “Side-by-Side” system to…
-
Mom and Dad want to take Junior to the Pub, too.
Just before my daughter was born, I and my wife were quite the pub patrons. Unfortunately, our neighborhood pubs are not kid friendly. We still believe in this country for some reason that by limiting kids exposure to places where alcohol is consumed we are somehow doing them a favor. That and the drunks like…
-
The Play’s The Thing
My good friends (and former High School teacher) Mr. Michael Jarmer and his awesome wife and bandmate Rene Ormae-Jarmer have started a Kickstarter Campaign for their new album. Check it out and send them some Moolah if you can. I’ve been following their band, Here Comes Everybody for about 15 years – never have I…
-
Thoughts on Occupy Portland
Today around Noon, what appears to be a fairly large showing of support for the Occupy Wall street will take place in the streets of downtown Portland. While I personally expect no troubles from organizers and participants, there has always been the threat and real damage caused by non-affiliated individuals looking to make trouble. While…