Took a trip to the coast last Saturday, dogs had fun playing on the beach. Drove down to Elkton, scouted out some fishing spots on the Umpqua River, then kept going to Dean Creek Elk Viewing, over to Winchester Bay, north to Dunes (where photo was taken) and then back to Eugene from Florence. Very nice daytrip, beauty weather…

Three Big Spring Kings… Not a bad catch for the day, plus reeled in a nice-sized high-finner that we cut away and some little ones. Also about a dozen shad for crab bait. Many thanks to Steve, Tyler, and Chris for an outstanding fishing trip.

Just caught my first Oregon King Salmon, fishing on the Willamette River, near Portland…

Late afternoon 41° and 52° double rainbow over Lorane, as seen from front yard… This is six photos stitched together, and still I couldn’t get the whole thing, you can just see the second rainbow in the top corners… Funny thing about rainbows,if you change your position even slightly, you’re actually seeing a whole different rainbow. Two people standing even only a few feet apart will not see the same thing.

Fantastic way to start off Easter Weekend, with a mess o’ trout on the McKenzie River…

Here’s the video I made for one of my ASU courses a few years ago; this was sort of my syllogistic thesis statement about the state of recycling at ASU…

full-restored.wmv

funny blog comment I received recently — “This was interesting and I’ve forwarded it on to all my friends on planet zikzar45. IF they like what you have written they may spare your life but if they dont, well you should prepare your will Earthling.”

THE OPTIMIST CREED
To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet. To make all your friends feel there is something in them. To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true. To think only the best, to work only for the best and expect only the best. To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own. To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future. To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile. To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others. To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

My boss got this book for all the people in the office for a holiday gift… Although I do think the 177-question online assessment that goes along with the book could be a much stronger design to provide better validity, I still think it’s a very interesting idea, and effective personal and professional development tool.

As you may know, the Clifton StrengthsFinder measures the presence of talent in 34 categories called “themes.” These themes were determined by Gallup as those that most consistently predict outstanding performance. The greater the presence of a theme of talent within a person, the more likely that person is to spontaneously exhibit those talents in day-to-day behaviors.Focusing on naturally powerful talents helps people use them as the foundation of strengths and enjoy personal, academic, and career success through consistent, near-perfect performance.

Below are my top five themes of talent, ranked in the order revealed by my responses to the Clifton StrengthsFinder:

How well do you think these themes describe me?

Activator
People who are especially talented in the Activator theme can make things happen by turning thoughts into action. They are often impatient.

Command
People who are especially talented in the Command theme have presence. They can take control of a situation and make decisions.

Focus
People who are especially talented in the Focus theme can take a direction, follow through, and make the corrections necessary to stay on track. They prioritize, then act.

Self-Assurance
People who are especially talented in the Self-Assurance theme feel confident in their ability to manage their own lives. They possess an inner compass that gives them confidence that their decisions are right.

Strategic
People who are especially talented in the Strategic theme create alternative ways to proceed. Faced with any given scenario, they can quickly spot the relevant patterns and issues.

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For more information, check out www.strengthsfinder.com

1) After burning nearly a half-billion dollars of cash crop, Tijuana is now officially 100% stoned, and everybody is taking the week off work…

2) It’s true, you sure need a lot of Mexican weed to get high…

3) We’re going green, boys, Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em…

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Yes, that’s 134 tons of mi amiga maria, a whopping total of 268,000 pounds of grass, an unfathomable 4,288,000 oscars of Mexicanos arboles verdes…

If it was decent grade Mexican bales of pressed buds, the street price might run $80/oz. So that’s at least $350 million worth of a cash crop up blazed up. Somebody made money off that deal… and a lot more potential profits burned.