A Day of Questionable Productivity

Little Mermaid Ariel 02
One of the Google Image results for the term "Insomnia"
Photographer:  ~insomnia-stock (Marianna) on deviantART
http://insomnia-stock.deviantart.com/....
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I had a networking meeting scheduled for Tuesday morning at 9:00 AM.  Based upon the distance, as well as the unknowns of weather and traffic, I wanted to get up at 6:30 AM, so that I would be able to arrive early without having to rush through my prep time.  My goal was to go to bed at 10:30 PM.

As the saying goes,

The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft agley.

My good friends, Agents Rossi and Hotchner of Criminal Minds fame, convinced me to stay up until midnight, and then I was WIDE awake at 3:00 AM.  After tossing and turning for more than thirty minutes, I decided to get up and watch the overnight news on one of the original networks for a laugh, if for nothing else.  Having caught a broadcast recently, I was thoroughly unimpressed with the anchors' demeanor, questioning whether they were delivering news or stand-up comedy.

It's 5:00 Somewhere Neon Sign
http://www.menards.com/....
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To my delight, I was able to watch the inaugural mass of Pope Francis I.  Just as one does not simply walk into Mordor, nor does one - at least not this one - simply turn off such an important event.  Before I knew it, 5:00 AM had arrived.

Round two:  let's try this again.  After ninety minutes, and then two hours, I woke up at 7:00 AM and had plenty of time to get ready and arrive at the networking meeting at 8:30; however, being there and "being there" were two entirely different things.  Although I was not as engaged as usual, I was able to meet some nice people and take some good notes from the guest speakers.

The afternoon and evening have been a complete waste though, and I hope to get some rejuvenative sleep tonight and have something more substantive to share on Wednesday.

This has happened to all of us.  If you would like to tell me about one of your experiences, please feel free to share it in the comments below.

PS:  Yesterday's blog entry had a Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level of 12.6  Even with the Robert Burns quote, this one comes in at 8.5.  Sorry about that.  I am clearly very tired tonight!

Viva il Papa!

Pope Francis I appears on the central balcony of Saint Peter's
Photo Credit:  Peter Macdiarmid/ Getty Images
Photo Obtained From http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/gallery/2013/mar/13/pope-francis-life-in-pictures#/?picture=405548058&index=0
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I know very little about Pope Francis I, but my first impressions are very positive.  I like the fact that he is a Jesuit and that, while Ignatius might correspondingly have been an obvious choice (Saint Ignatius of Loyola founded the Jesuit order on September 27, 1540), he selected the name Francis.  The fact that he has a degree in chemistry shows that he is a man of science in addition to being a man - the man - of faith.  Initial analysis reveals that his lifestyle as a Cardinal in Buenos Aires, Argentina, was not one of opulence, but of humility, and his first appearance on the world stage seemed to be consistent with that.

The Catholic Church has a great many matters to consider going forward,  and while each of those has overwhelming importance, I want to focus upon today as a day for celebration - and hope.  Please join me in wishing Pope Francis I every success in leading the world's 1.1 billion Catholics.  

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