Your New Year’s Resolution: Less Shaggy Dog Calls

The Shaggy Dog (2006) - IMDb
Who’s a good boy? Follow my ask of you in this blog, and I’ll give you a belly rub.

As we approach almost two years of working remotely, I want to remind readers that we need to respect each other’s time on calls.

Less is more when it comes to meetings. Go in, get what you need, and get out. Simple.

Too often our customers are subjected to what I call “shaggy dog” calls. If you’re not familiar with the term, it’s essentially something that goes on too long and is anti-climatic. You know you’ve delivered a shaggy dog story when you tell an anecdote, and then your audience says something like “and then you found ten bucks.”

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Thoughts on a Quarantined Thanksgiving: Lessons on Smoking a Turkey on a Weber Smokey Mountain

Another year, another Thanksgiving. This year I am thankful for many things; health and family are top of the list, but rounding out the top five I’d add smoked turkey. Like my post last year, I’m going to recap my Thanksgiving so I know what worked well and what didn’t work.

And yes, I’m well aware that by writing this post, I’ve become this guy.

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Saluting My COVID Shorts

I don’t know why the Salesforce Chicago office doesn’t allow shorts. I didn’t know why Rightpoint didn’t allow shorts when I was there. But what I do know is that any sense of a dress code has disappeared over the last six months. For a predominant amount of that time, I wore shorts every day; that is, every day until today because my furnace stopped working. Cold and discouraged, I lamented out loud “No more shorts” and sadly put on pants for the first time since early April.

I want to thank my small army of shorts for clothing me these last couple months. You’ve spent a lot of hours sitting in the exact same chair. To my khaki, non-cargo shorts: you’re my go to. I’m sorry there’s a slight tear on the rear seat, but we’ll work on getting that patched soon. To my cargo shorts, thanks for having more pockets than I have needs. To my blue cargo shorts, I’m sorry that pair of scissors ripped through the outer pocket.

To my athleisure shorts, thanks for being pajamas, painting, and project shorts. It’s a weird combo, I know, but you do it so well. I apologize for not calling you up to the major leagues, aka daily wear shorts, but I have standards.

It’s been a fun six months, and while I love my menagerie of jeans, they’re nowhere near as comfy and endearing as you. Good night sweet princes. Rest well in the dresser. I’ll see you in the Spring.