Setting SMART Goals...

We are fast approaching the holiday season - a time when many companies wind down for the holidays, knowing that most of their staff will be taking time off to enjoy the season with friends & family.
It is during this time of year that I consider my achievements of the past year, and start to think about what I would like to accomplish in the coming year. Like many people, I like to challenge myself with goals. That's a lot easier said than done... 
Consider setting SMART goals. These are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-based. A great example would be "I want to lose 50 lbs by June 1st." By applying the SMART guidelines to goals, you stand a higher chance of being successful.
One last way to help be successful in your goals - write them down ! Post a sheet of paper with your goals on the bathroom mirror, or the door of the fridge. This will serve to remind you of your goals on a regular basis.

The opinions expressed are purely those of the author. Opinions are like noses - everyone has one, and they are entitled to it !

Alberta Internet Exchange

I'm proud to discuss my latest project : the Alberta Internet Exchange. It mixes the concepts of Open Source and public interest really well. I have been asked to contribute to the architecture committee, and am happy to participate !

So what is an Internet Exchange, you ask... The idea is to peer member networks together, so that they don't have to traverse the Internet itself in order to exchange data. Think of it like a chat-room: interested parties can join the chat-room and exchange information, without having their data traverse the Internet & return via Des Moines or Beijing ! This video helps explain it really well. The Eurpoean IX

What makes the Internet Exchange so exciting to me is that it will be made available for the smaller Internet Serice Providers and clients alike, so that they can compete on a level playing-field with the big Telcos. This offers the users of the service abundant choice to determine which provider can best suit their needs. Most importantly, it serves the needs of Western Canada, who wold otherwise be forced to peer at Toronto or Seattle.

 

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The Importance of Process

 

I haven't blogged in some time. Seems life can get overwhelmingly busy at times, and well - it has been some of those times ! I've been spending a lot of time lately working on things that are process-oriented. Seems that when organizations want to define the products and services they sell, they ignore the industry-accepted definition.

According to ITIL, a Service is made up of people, process and technology. All too often, the organization believes that they can simply purchase and implement a tool, and all of their problems will miraculously disappear. I am working with two clients, who are approaching their delivery of a Service differently.

The first client is a large player in the Energy sector. To date, they have eschewed the use of ITIL terms to define their IT Service, as it doesn't readily fit their model for doing business. How could they let IT tell them how to run their business ?

When this client wanted to clean up their IT monitoring systems, they chose to segment the work into business-identifiable Services. They presumed they could buy a tool, and their visibility into their IT Operations would magically improve. They have been profitably in business for decades, so surely their processes and people were fine ?

In examining the first Service, it became apparent that the technology they were employing was actually satisfying 90% of their needs. It seemed the issues came up after the monitoring system alerted to a problem. Multiple service tickets were generated, usually causing a firestorm of activity - usually within the wrong groups ! To exacerbate the issue, the groups weren't communicating. This meant there was almost always a large duplication of troubleshooting effort.

In the case of the first client, the processes which were initiated were the root-cause of their issues. The technology did what it was supposed to do: send an alert when a problem arose. The people simply followed the process and reacted to the alert in a timely fashion. Unfortunately the process didn't allow for communication and co-ordination of their efforts, leading to delays and confusion in the IT personnel.

The second client is a small services company. They are re-building the company from the ground up; I call it going back into startup mode. In so doing, they are examining the services they provide to their clients. From the very basest levels, they want to be able to create repeatable, sustainable & desirable solutions for their clients.

This is being achieved by turning everything they do into a "project", with somebody responsible for managing that project at the helm. Project Management 101 would tell us that the Project Manager is responsible for Resources, Timeline and Budget - does this sound like what a Management Team should be concerned about ? So whether it is a team which is conducting Research and Development on a new physical product, or the Marketing guy working on building a new web-site, everything is a project. This provides visibility into "who ?", "when ?" and "how much ?" questions.

What this also means is that the second client can begin to normalize their Operations. By treating everything like a project, they have a repeatable framework to follow. The standard body of documentation required for every project (Charter, Cost/Benefit Analysis, Project Plan, Work Breakdown Structure and Closeout Report) allows for repeatability. Need a tower built ? Here's the required artifacts. Need a portable antenna installed ? Heres the project plan.

This will allow the client to have very tight control over their operations. This leads to increased productivity of the resources, as well as predictability in their Finance department, in terms of budget and revenue. The Sales and Business Development people can look at an exisiting Project Plan and estimate for themselves roughly how long it should take to complete a project. Further, if they are simply repeating a pre-exisiting project, they can likely provide a pricing quotation on their own.

So in both cases, we are seeing how these two very different clients are approaching their issues by examining the Services they provide. And in so doing, they are recognizing the importance of having well-documented procedures for their people to follow. The technologies they employ are all but irrelevant.

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Open Source Frameworks

I will immediately start by saying that I have shamelessly stolen the idea for this blog. Massimo Banzi is one of the original creators of the Open-Source hardware platform, called the Arduino. It allows an inventor to program the microcontroller to control whatever mechanical system in whatever fashion they want. Imagine budding tinkerers building their own stop-lights, or fashioning their own motor-control systems ! 

In his Ted Talk (found here: How Arduino is Open Sourcing Imagination ), Massimo discusses how the Arduino gives inventors and tinkerers alike the ability to build with their imagination, pretty much free from the constraints of having to know very much about the hardware. Whether its the Arduino or one of the other new platforms, inventors and imaginers are free to explore the creative side, without getting too bogged down in the nuts & bolts of the hardware.

 

I'm going to make a leap here, so follow along... Another one of my Blogs describes my IT Service Management project, and briefly describes the use of the ITIL Framework. The purpose of the ITIL Framework, and more importantly the ITIL Dictionary, is to provide a common language for IT people to discuss the work that they do, and the services they provide.

 

Here's the leap: Arduino provides a common platform for tinkerers, inventors and imaginers to develop & share their ideas. Be they heliostats or stop lights. Just like the Global Village Construction Set describes plans for building the 50 commonly-used tools for building a society, Arduino provides a common platform for building the tools that society needs to control things.

 

Are you seeing the theme ? Open Source projects are providing the "Common Platform" required to get big, important things done. Like controlling mechanical devices, or building a society, or defining how we look at computer systems. This is why Open Source is so important.

 

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Rethinking Our Relationships

I was in North Carolina for three days of holiday over the weekend. Since the weather was sunny and warm, we decided to take a day-trip to the Outer Banks. This long strip of inter-connected islands is a summertime resort paradise. Endless miles of sand beaches and ocean surf provide plenty of opportunities for families to play beachside.

Unfortunately, a good many of the hurricanes that wash ashore in NC scrub the islands which make up the Outer Banks. Between high winds and rain, this area gets devastated on an regular basis. You see the effects in terms of the local architecture - all of the beachside properties are built on stilts ! The only thing on the ground floor is the storage for boogie-boards and beach chairs !

One of the casualties in Nag's Head, NC was a monument called Jennette's Pier. It extends a thousand feet out from the shore, and provides opportunities for sight-seeing and fishing. When a hurricane washed ashore in 2003, hurricane Isabel slammed the coast of North Carolina. The pier was washed out to sea - completely destroyed ! In 2009, a rebuilding effort was commenced.

The pier has been completely rebuilt. Some 300+ new concrete pilings were sunk into the seabed, built to withstand the forces of nature. On top of these pilings was built what can best be described as an ecological laboratory. You see, Jennette's Pier is under examination for Leeds Platinum certification.

A quick look at the pier shows off the three horizontal-access wind turbines, generating much of the piers requirements for energy. And one of the shade pavillions on the pier is covered with photo-voltaic cells for solar generation. But the use of renewable energy doesn't end there ! Next there are some eighty wells dug for use by the geothermal HVAC system. Finally, there are also a number wave-actuated generators, situated on the seafloor. As the surf comes in & out, these generators wave back & forth, generating up to 300 W of energy every minute !

Being a public facility, and funded solely by voluntary $2 donations, any opportunity to recycle is welcome. Most interesting to me is the sign in the public washroom, which depicts the toilet and reads "Please don't drink or bathe from this facility. This water is 100% reclaimed !". The same is true of the fish-cleaning stations along the side of the pier. Rainwater is collected in lage cisterns, and re-used for cleaning fish, deck-washing, vehicle washing, and yes - flushing the toilets !

While the pier was originally built to support local anglers, when it was rebuilt it was to become an educational facility. The effort to rebuild the prier provided an opportunity to "re-think" the pier, and it's relationship with the ocean and beach around it. Personally, I was delighted to see all of the green technology in use and described for the visitors.

 

ITSM - Defining the Service

This is the second part of my series about my client's ITSM project. Previously, we discussed the challenges associated with chasing shiny objects, and believing that the implementation of a product would solve the client's problems. All too often, ITSM projects fail, because the organization fails to differentiate between a Business-Critical Service and an application.

The first step of the project-plan is defining the Service. This means identifying all of the components which participate in the service. By the ITIL definition, a Service is comprised of People, Processes & Technology. Most IT Professionals will look at the Technology components first. Storage, SAN, inter-networking, and server hardware. Later, the applications which make up the Business-Critical application are considered. There can certainly be many applications involved - even indirectly. Consider how important DNS is to most IT applications.

An outstanding deliverable is the information ABOUT the service - it's owner, it's provider, it's consumers and such. These are key to a later Deliverable, when it's time to start identifying the Service Level Objective/Agreement (SLO/SLA). It is important to start defining these early, even if they may change later. Fortunately, a lot of this information is readily available, or can be discovered during the first phase, which is information gathering.

The key difference between an SLO and an SLA is the concept of the contract. An SLO is an objective the Service Provider will TRY to achieve, but there are no penalties for NOT doing so. In the case of an SLA, there are negative consequences for not achieving the agreed-upon objective.

Once all of the components of the Business-Critical Service are identified and catalogued, the next step should involve classifying the types of logging available. Typically, IT Infrastructure folks will monitor the servers and the applications under their care. They will select "best of breed" solutions which can collect LOTS of different metrics. These generally fall into two categories: Alerts and Data-Points.

Alerts are used to let the Operational Teams know if something is going wrong. These will get triggered if a specific server application ends abnormally, or if a threshold (such as CPU Cycles used) is exceeded. These situations can have disastrous effects on the Business-Critical Application, so the Operations Team needs to act swiftly to remediate them.

Data-Points are pieces of information, collected over time. During the collection, there is no requirement for intervention or action on the part of the Operations Staff. This information collects data ove time, allowing for trending analysis. These can be used or exercises such as capacity planning or show back/chargeback models.

Form a purely technology viewpoint, the tools available today can monitor pretty much anything you can imagine. It is tempting for Management and Executive types to suggest that they want to monitor and alert on everything. The more information, the better, right ? Wrong ! Remember that all of the information that is collected needs to be stored somewhere. The more points of monitoring, the larger the data-store, the more information that needs to be correlated. This effectively slows the system down, unnecessarily.

During the interview phase, it is critically important to capture the Stakeholder's objectives. These could be:

1. I want to shorten the time to resolve trouble tickets
2. I want to understand how much it costs for a Business Unit to use the Service
3. I want to increase the visibility of IT Operations to the Business
4. I want to be able to demonstrate the availability of the Service

Collecting information that doesn't satisfy one or more of these objectives is of little or no value. So in order to keep the data-store manageable, the points of monitoring & alerting should be kept to the confines of these objectives. If the objectives change later, you can always add to the points of monitoring.

 

 

Social Media for the Uninitiated...

I had an interesting moment at the airport in Charlotte, NC. I met a couple who were chatty & friendly. The woman gave me her card, suggesting that I "friend" her on FaceBook. Let's be clear here, it was a pleasant chat, at best. A couple of people, in a chance meeting in a public place.

But then she handed me her card. She does "home staging" in Charlotte, NC. I presume this means that she helps people prepare their house for sale. I explained that I live in Calgary, and that I didn't quite "see" how I would use her services...

She returned to the statement that I needed (her choice of terms) to friend her on FaceBook. She went on to state that it was her principal form of marketing ! While I am a FIRM believer in "word of mouth" advertising, I fail to see how friending this woman on FaceBook constitutes marketing !

If you read back to a previous post, you'll note that I am a huge proponent of using Social Media as a means of marketing your services or products. But she didn't seem to understand that FaceBook is for friends. Heck - I don't even live in the same COUNTRY as this person, and she is handing me business cards & suggesting Social Media as a means of conveying her message !

Talk about not understanding the medium ! Marshall McCluhan suggested that the Message IS the Medium. In this case, the woman didn't seem to understand her message, and worse, clearly didn't understand the medium that is Social Media !

 

Chasing Shiny Objects

Shiny Objects

As my ITSM project continues, I am once again forced to have a series of uncomfortable conversations with my client. It seems that a smooth-talking sales rep has convinced an Operational Manager that they can solve all of their "monitoring and alerting" problems by simply ripping out what they currently have, and implementing a shiny new solution !

Shiny Services

Another Operational Manager has been consorting with a local Services Provider, who promises that if my client simply outsources their monitoring & alerting to them, all the problems will go away. For a low monthly fee ! Just sign a PO Mr Customer, and we can get started right away !

What's a Service ?

Now remember that the ITIL definition of a Service indicates that it is comprised as People, Process and Technology. In the first instance above, it appears that Manager believes he can buy a shiny new object, and all of his problems will go away ! That might speak to the Technology, but delivers nothing for the people or processes. In the second instance, the Manager is hoping to be able to outsource to the Services company, thereby dealing with the people aspect. But the Technology, and possibly the Processes are not being addressed. As such, neither solution deals with the underlying desire to take a "service-oriented" view of the IT Operation.

So in order to address this project properly, we will need to address all three facets of a service: Technology, Processes and People. I have re-ordered them because that is the most logical to me. I see the steps as:

1. Interview the Executive Sponsors to determine what their objectives are. In essence, I like to ask "What business problem are we trying to solve ?"
2. Interview the Operations Managers to determine what they see as being success criteria for the project.
3. Interview the Operations Team Leads. They will provide deep knowledge of the environment, the tools, and the current processes.

Technology

These three sets on interviews will provide the information required for the first phase of the project : Information Gathering & Gap Analysis. The Gap Analysis artifact is the first real Deliverable of the project. Once complete the Gap Analysis will help define what Technology is suited for the overall monitoring needs.

Process

I am in the middle of developing a series of Process Diagrams. These are visual representations of the processes that Operations personnel must go through when a specific condition is detected and alerted upon. There are two diagrams per alert - current state, and desired state. Any gaps between the two are highlighted and root-cause analysis is applied. Typically, these types of exercises uncover communications errors, and/or inefficiencies in the processes.

People

Finally, the thorniest part of the project is examining the People on the various Operations teams. This gets sticky, because the objective is to examine whether or not the team members have the correct skills to perform the Future-State processes, with the tools highlighted in the Technology section. It is never intended as a criticism, but many teams feel threatened by this step.

Summary

So as you can see, an ITSM Project is a lot more than a discussion of how to monitor IT Infrastructure. It involves examining the People and Processes as well as the Technologies. Simply buying and implementing a shiny new technology won't adequately satisfy the objectives of delivering Service-oriented IT.

What's Next ?

In a future BLOG, I will examine the second phase of this project, which involves classifying the collected information into alerts and data-sets, with an eye to event correlation & reporting.

 

What's common between the Chevy Volt & the USS Enterprise ?

OK, admit it. You were sucked in by the catchy title! Now the we have that behind us, allow me to explain how an aircraft carrier turns nuclear power into mechanical propulsion. The act of nuclear fission creates heat. A LOT of heat ! That heat is used to superheat water into steam, driving a turbine generator, creating electricity. This huge, nearly inexhaustible electrical plant in turn drives massive electric motors. These turn the propellers in the water, propelling the giant ship forward.

Got it ? Nuclear power; heat; steam; turbine; electricity; electric motors; propulsion. Still with me ?

So what does all of this have to do with the Chevy Volt ? No, it's not nuclear-powered. Although the would be pretty cool. Like the aircraft carrier, it is entirely electric. The motors driving the wheels use locally stored & generated power to derive its propulsion.

You still don't get it ? It has a gas motor, you say ? Yes, you're right. But instead of using the gas motor to derive mechanical propulsion, it is used to generate electricity. To re-charge the batteries. Which provide electricity to the motors, powering the wheels ! Yes, you still need to plug it in to top off the batteries, but you don't stop driving when the batteries are depleted.

Got it ? Gas motor; generator; batteries; electric motors; propulsion ! How freaking cool is that ?

Unlike other hybrids, which may start off with gas, and then switch to electrical motors, or the Nissan Leaf (props to my buddy Mike & his wife Tammy, who were some of the first proud owners in Alberta !), which is entirely electric, the Chevy Volt is the only one capable of generating it's own electricity. Many vehicles use regenerative technologies, which convert the heat energy from braking back into electricity to charge the batteries. Bu this is highly wasteful, and yields very low results.

I admit it, I am a fan-boy. When the time comes, my next vehicle WILL be a Chevy Volt !

 

Working the Room

The Build Up

I spent the past weekend traveling on personal business. As readers following along will recall, I was in Kingston, ON celebrating my Father's life at a memorial reception. As the only representative of the Spencer family, it was my responsibility to greet the guests and accept their condolences.

Professional politicians often note that the key to any form of public event is to "stick to the message". At this particular event, I had a few key themes, which I felt like I was re-visiting over and over again. Everybody wanted to know the same things:

Where is your Mom ?

Unfortunately, Mom had a stroke which left her paralyzed on her right side. She had previously lost vision in her right eye, due to a macular degenerative disease, and she suffered near-complete aphasia, meaning she is only able to enunciate a few words. Needless to say, despite waiting two months for the Memorial Reception, Mom still isn't up to public events.

Where is your sister ?

Unfortunately, Robin's often hectic schedule at work precluded her joining us in Kingston. She works in a special educational facility, which deals with children who have suffered some form of abuse - emotion, physical or sexual. It's a crucial time of the school year for her kids, and she couldn't get away.

Where is your brother ?

Dave has felt bereft at the loss of his father, and felt he was unable to handle the additional emotional strain of attending Dad's Memorial Reception. He sends his love and gratitude to those who asked after him, and asks their understanding at this time.

Working the Room...

Difficult situations like these are best dealt with by having a plan. I made a point of assessing the questions I expected to hear about - "where is...", "why the delayed reception...", and "where is your father interred...". The st is a little bit of thinking on your feet.

I make a point of always starting with somebody you know. The sense of familiarity allows me to "try out" the answers to the questions, and see if the audience's responses are favorable. This gives me the ability to adjust the response if necessary.

It quickly became apparent that I had two distinct audiences - friends and family, and colleagues & co-workers. Each had to have answers tailored to their specific needs. Friends & family tend to be privy to more intimate family details, such as my marital status. Colleagues & co-workers are not. So it became important to decide how much detail to give each group.

The Moral of the Story ?

I cannot stress how much easier this difficult situation became had I not taken the opportunity to think about what message I wanted to share, as well as think about the kinds of questions people may have. There is an old proverb which makes up the tag-line of my email signature. It reads "A man who fails to plan, plans to fail !" .

The Passing of My Father

I am charged with delivering a short eulogy at Dad's Memorial Reception. I'm on board an early-morning flight to Ottawa, with just under four hours flight time to consider my Father's passing. How do I sum up my Father's lifetime in a few short words ?

The Eulogy

The Family Man

I have many fond memories of my Father - he was most importantly a family man. Despite being an accomplished educator and scientist, he never failed to make family time a priority. He was a devoted husband, and father of we three, Robin, David and myself, Mark.

Wherever Dad would go, we could guarantee at least one of the kids was with him. I remember going to the lab at McGill University, and Dad making a point of passing through the animal areas, so we could visit the albino bunnies and the mice. Little did I know...

He also loved sports and would often take us to the Forum in Montréal to watch Guy LaFleur and the Canadiens, or to Jarry Park to see an Expos double-header ! We all saw the late, great Gary Carter behind the plate !

Dad wanted to make sure that each one of us kids grew up to be capable and strong. He wanted us to learn how to be self-reliant, and independent: teaching us all how to use power tools, to fish, and to read and think for ourselves. We all have fond memories Dad reading to us almost every single night at bed-time !

The Arts

Dad instilled that love of reading in all of us, and he had a wide variety of tastes. If he wasn't reading Nature or Cell (his industry rags, as he called them !), he could often be caught reading the latest Ruth Rendell mystery novel, or the exploits of Rumpole of the Bailey. Dad could happily wile away an afternoon doing the NY Times Sunday Crossword - in pen !

Our father had a great love of music. He would often sit reading in his favorite chair in the living room, his feet up on a battered leather footstool that he loved so, reading & listening to music. His major love was jazz, and we grew up listening to Louis Armstrong, Dizzie Gillespie, and Sam Cooke. Dad loved the chanteuses, Lena Horne's "Stormy Weather" being amongst his favorites. And of course he had a quirky side - a jazz violinist named Stephan Grapelli would often be heard as well.

That love of music was passed down to us children. Robin and David became accomplished musicians in their own right, David on guitar, and Robin on... Well, just about anything. Dad was especially proud of her talents on the French horn. Me, I pounded out the notes to the theme song for the Muppet Show on a saxophone until Dad suggested it was high time I read some more ! But, like Dad, I love to listen to Jazz and the Blues greats.


As children, our parents wanted us to be as well-rounded as possible. We were fortunate to participate in an Art School, that was offered by McGill to its staff & their family members. Robin & David both recall being taught to paint by A. Y. Jackson ! Dad kept every one of our artistic expressions, and I was delighted when Dad started sending me snippets & treasures over the years.

We children each took different paths, and Dad did everything he could to encourage us: Robin followed in Dad's footsteps to become an educator; Dad helped David launch his own small business; and I into my career in Information Technology. He always encouraged us to be the best we could be, no matter what we chose to do !

Politics

Dad was a keen supporter of the democratic process. He and my mother instilled in us children that it is a right and a privilege to vote, and that we had a responsibility to exercise that right at every single opportunity. I can recall my parents attending political rallies, including the great Party Conventions. We had a stuffed elephant in our living room, decorated with campaign pins bearing the names Turner, Clark, Mulroney, Chrétien, and Trudeau.

Travel

Dad was often asked to be a guest lecturer at symposia around the world. He travelled throughout Canada and the US, and was thrilled when he was invited to speak in China in the 1980s. His work took him to Southeast Asia and Europe frequently, although Robin was most jealous of his trips to sunnier climes like Florida and California !

I had the extreme good fortune to join Dad on a trip to Australia, which quickly morphed into a trip around the globe that spanned some two months ! We dutifully sent photos and souvenirs home along the way, although Mom was somewhat miffed that we neglected to throw in a brief note explaining what treasures she was receiving ! Dad and I became quite close on that trip, and it was on a bus-tour of the Australian outback that he forever became "Phreddie". It was a pet name that stuck for the rest of his life.

Family vacations allowed Mom & Dad to explore North America, often taking long car trips to Nova Scotia, PEI, and to a rented cottage in Vermont. We children have many happy memories summering by the beach at the ocean, or by a lake in a cottage in New Hampshire or Peterborough. We would fish and swim and canoe, often taking Dad's big red station wagon on sight-seeing jaunts down back-country roads.

Family History

Dad also wanted to keep his family history alive. Being an only child who emigrated to Canada in 1950, I think Dad felt very distant from his parents. We are fortunate that Dad took an interest in genealogy, and passed down copies of birth, death and marriage certificates from England, many dating back to the early 1800's ! As you see in some of the pictures we chose for today's Reception, my father enjoyed his family life in England as well.

The Friend

Dad had a wit and a charm that made everybody want to be around him. My parents were fond of hosting dinner parties at the house. Whether it was the twice-annual dinner party for his lab, or inviting close family friends for a BBQ, my parents loved to entertain. There are plenty of family stories about Mom making salad in a big green garbage bag (it was the only vessel large enough !), or of our beloved cat Ralphie making off with the joint of lamb and Dad being forced to order pizza !

It seemed there was always a huge cast of friends around, everyone pitching in & helping eachother. They say it takes a Community to raise children - and my parents exemplified that statement ! Growing up in Montreal & Kingston, it always seemed that my parents were surrounded by friends and loved ones.

Career

My father earned many accolades over the course of his career. He retired after being the Head of the Department of Biochemistry at Queen's University for more than twenty years. Having been awarded Professor Emeritus status, Dad hung around Queen's for years, often lunching with his cronies - the Grumblers. He was most proud when he was designated as a member of the Royal Society of Canada, while Robin was thrilled at being mentioned in Canada's "Who's Who" !

I have often explained to people about some of Dad's research. I was proud of his contributions to the "Gene Machine", while Dad used to love to tell my children about how some of his research contributed to the creation of soft-serve ice cream. Personally, I thought his research into why frogs don't get infections, despite being injured and living an places teeming with bacteria, was fascinating ! The implications towards helping to find cures for infectious diseases, possibly including HIV or even cancer is awe-inspiring !

Retirement

In his retirement, Dad was a devoted husband, looking after Mom himself after she fell and broke her hip. Dad would walk up the hill from their beautiful home on Ken Woods Circle to Bennet's to do the shopping, and go to the post-office or drug store. Dad could always be counted on to bring home a small parcel of treats - he was remarkably fond of Ferrero-Rocher chocolates ! After his passing, we found many caches of chocolates and nuts spread throughout his room.

Illness

My father battled his illness over the years with quiet dignity. It started with his stroke, which occurred late at night one fateful Christmas Day. I still recall wondering why there was an ambulance at the house... The stoke triggered his Parkinson's disease, which relentlessly stole Dad's strength. Despite still having all of his mental faculties, he suffered from a loss of control over his body. Until finally, in February, Dad ended the fight.

Gratitude

On behalf of my Mother, Madge, my sister, Robin, and my brother, David, I'd like to offer our gratitude for coming today. Many of you have traveled far to mark Dad's passing, and we appreciate your continued love & support.

Today we bid a loving farewell to Dr John Hedley Spencer. A caring son, loving husband, devoted father and loyal friend. While we will all miss him, there is a sense of peace that we associate with the end of his suffering. If you please, and the moment moves you, raise a glass and join us in celebrating the life of my father.

 

And the Light Goes On !

Its been some time since I posted last. As many know I have gone through some upheaval in my personal life - something I WON'T be discussing here ! Needless to say, I became very introspective, and more than a little self-indulgent ! But then I had an epiphany (which I  promptly cleaned up !) ...

I decided it was time to get my head out of my rumpus-room, and get on with my life ! I had spent 6 months ignoring the world, and wallowing in self-denial. Those of you who know me personally know I don't DO self-pity very well, so it manifest itself in my ignoring the world around me. I didn't want to be "that guy" - the guy who went out partying and hitting on 24-year-old cocktail waitresses ! Somebody who my children couldn't be proud of !

And so I sat at my kitchen table, staring at a box of my father's things. It had remained unopened for weeks because I couldn't bring myself to deal with it. To face the fact that my father had passed away. It had almost become a game... "I'll open it AFTER I get the laundry done." was becoming a common excuse for me.

And then, like a lightbulb turning on, I came to realize that I couldn't hide from life altogether. That the world was going to pass me by as I stayed stuck in my own little world ! Instead of living day by day, I wanted to make plans. A budget and goals suddenly became very important to me. I started wanting to get my house in order.

And then I decided I should set more goals. A close friend of mine had always impressed upon me the value of setting professional goals. It was an annual exercise, one that we would discuss at length. I am a huge fan of setting S.M.A.R.T. goals - Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relative & Time-based. 

Specific means they are clear and concise. Like saying "I want to lose 20 pounds". Measurable means  that you can track how you are doing, like "Yay ! I have already lost 5 pounds." A goal has to be attainable - no sense saying I want to lose 150 pounds, when you only weigh 160 ! Relative just means it is something that is important to you. And perhaps it should support others of your goals - like saying "I want to take up roller-blading.", which would help support a weight-loss goal. And finally, You need to set a deadline for achieving your goal. Otherwise, you'll always have an out for not getting your goal done.

On my fridge are a pair of big Post-It notes. They are the written record of my goals. I put them there, so I see them every single day, as a reminder of what I want to achieve. Equally as important is the supporting Post-It notes which have specific actions on how I think I can achieve my goals - making healthier eating choices, and walking to & from work every day.

And so,  I have set myself a group of goals - some short term, like getting my tax receipts scanned & itemized before the end of the month. Others are longer-term, like attaining a certification before Christmas. They are both personal and professional in nature. It is the first major step towards my feeling happy & contented with my life. 

And shouldn't that be everybody's goal ?

My own goals are pretty straight-forward:

1. I want to get my weight back under 200 pounds by September first.
1. By walking to work & back every day
2. By making healthier eating choices
3. By eliminating one meal a day
2. I want to build my Financial Plan by May 31st
1. By setting a personal budget which saves at least 10% every month
2. By setting up an investment portfolio with the bank
3. I want to have my Separation Agreement in place by August 3rd, 2012
1. By negotiating the terms with Lynn
2. By getting a lawyer to draft it up for us & signing the document 
4. I want to get my Corporate tax info to the accountant by the May long weekend
1. By completing the scanning of all the receipts 
2. By packaging everything up & emailing it all to him
5. I want to attain two new Professional Designations by Christmas
1. ITIL 3.0 & TOGAF 9
2. By taking the courses and challenging the exams.
6. I want to start my BLOG back up & publish something new each week 
1. By diligently writing on Saturday morning

What are YOUR goals, and more importantly, what are you doing to achieve your goals ?

The opinions expressed are purely those of the author. Opinions are like noses - everyone has one, and they are entitled to it !

Baby, I'm Back !

Hello may faithful followers ! Thanks for hanging in there, while I took a hiatus. I got fairly introspective, as I went through some personal stuff. But I'm now back to it.

If I may beg your indulgence, I am going to shift gears on my blog. You are used to seeing me blog about Renewable Energy and Open Source. These are still things I am passionate about, but I have LOTS to say about other topics, as well. ;-)

Stay tuned, as I have begun drafting some ideas to share. Coming soon to a blog near you !

Cheers !

Mark

The opinions expressed are purely those of the author. Opinions are like noses - everyone has one, and they are entitled to it !