Jack’s Winning Words 3/13/07
“You’ll never plow a field by turning it over in your mind.” (Irish Proverb) I have some farmer friends who can tell some good stories about plowing and other farm chores, but this quote is for all of us who tend to be procrastinators. Next to my computer are these signs: HEY YOU, GET BUSY!--- JUST DO IT!--- GET TOUGH, GET OFF YOUR DUFF. I should read them more often. Do you have signs I can add? ;-) Jack

FROM J.F. IN NOVA SCOTIA: (Jim is a short wave ham with contacts all over the world. He participates in contact contests with other hams.) You know my contest station's slogan from Brunnhilde--
"zu neuen Taten!" (on to new deeds).

FROM L.K. IN OHIO: "IF YOU CARE, YOU WIN!"

FROM B.G., A REAL MOLINER: "Those of you who keep a neat desk, will never know the thrill of finding something thought lost forever."

FROM GOOD DEBT JON IN OHIO: Especially if your mind is fallow.

FROM REV C.J.L. IN OHIO: Absolutely! During WW 11 we had a victory garden are 2406 Riverside Drive, my parental home. The best thing of that was the tomatoes we took off the vine, wiped the dirt off them, licked them and poured the salt to them and then ate them...warm. Great. Also I helped, a bit, on the farm in Oakland, Nebraska. I even got to cultivate some contour rows of corn. When I ran out of row, I looked for Granpa Engdahl. There he was, by the edge of the field, laughing at my predicament. I was embarassed, but learned from the experience. You remember the farm and the Church some 53 years ago.

FROM P.H. IN MINNESOTA: I like: the stronger the winds, the deeper the roots. Also, give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him to fish and he will sit in the boat all day and drink beer!

FROM L.P. IN MICHIGAN: I am a terrible procrastinator. See, I'm pondering an Irish proverb rather than working on my thesis ;) When I used to work at the hospital where we billed our clients over $80 an hour I put a little note by my desk with a reminder of how much each minute was worth. Then if I found myself daydreaming, web surfing, or chatting I could ask... "Was that 15 minutes worth the $20 the client paid?"
It helped. Sadly, as a grad student I can't bill my clients so I can't use the same motivation.