ABSILVER's World

There are memories in your life that shape your life, but at the same time you keep quietly in your past.   You know, as you age, we say we have gotten past difficult times and learned our lessons and hope have moved on.   This is one of those days where you realize not all that is in the past has moved on. There have been two incidents at the University of Georgia about Swastikas painted on walls in the dorms.   https://www.redandblack.com/uganews/uga-student-groups-condemn-swastikas-drawn-on-students-dorms/article_44e68002-0c7d-11ea-8e1a-3f65d9769be9.html?fbclid=IwAR0ZMDV58hRz08VpvPi2g4auhF5D-re-CKNy3mKvcaV-CjV0LYqXPeUf4lE This is horrible, and certain anyone could see the hatred and wonder how in our modern day these kinds of incidents would happen.   Let’s be clear, someone or group has painted these swastikas in busy dorms where one would think there was at least one witness, but so far there have not been any witnesses to come out and share what they saw or part

There are moments where if is not the right question ... the right question. Is when.    I sat yesterday on a flight to Atlanta.    It is a cold day in Austin. I decided to go home, to Savannah, yesterday.  See, there are times when family and love of family trumps all.    Work takes a back seat.    House and home are in transition with much to do, but the question of if to go home to Savannah was never the right question.    It was how, when, and for how long I can stay.  Yesterday my Aunt Fay passed away.    We are lucky in my family.    The women in many ways showed the light and direction for their children, nieces and nephews, and grandchildren.   Aunt Fay was one of those strong women who not only showed the way with her own strength but her love as well.  When I started to think of Aunt Fay’s legacy.    I start with the recent.    I remember a few years ago her meeting Frank, and with her beauty and love they hit it off right away.    She showed pictur

Honestly, when it comes to digital assistants, my top three tell me the time, weather, and play some music. I woke up this morning, got in my car and said "OK Google" forgetting the only device in my car is my iPhone and Siri, and Google is in the house… but habits are habits and I had not had a cup of coffee yet. I like having my music on Google because - guess what – the devices I have at home are part of the Google Assistant family.   And, as someone who likes to learn new things, I would love to invest in an Alexa device or two, but heck do I really need three digital assistants competing for my time? The beginning of my IT career was way back in the 80’s.   At the time, all computer vendors used a common standard.   You buy a server, the terminals (displays with keyboards that connected directly to the server for you younger folks), printers and as much of the supplies as you can from us, and it will work perfectly.   When I started at IBM, they had branded s

How does m y cooking Chicken Soup , drive business discussions?  How do they relate, and not talking about ingredients and instructions, but how can they help progress business and personal relationships? These business discussions on golf courses, ball games, and entertainment venues help progress business relationships as well as personal ones.    But what if you don't play golf?   or sitting through a professional baseball game makes you root for the winning team just to get out sooner?   or what if you want a more quiet and friendly environment to get to know your colleague that isn't the usual bar or loud restaurant?   Well, one avenue less discussed, is inviting these colleagues and friends to your home for a dinner.  It may not have the same "excitement" of a Steelers' Box seat, or a seat in the stadium of the US Open watching Serena Williams play.  But, in our hustle and bustle world, a simple meal at your home can be a unique approach to

It is Chicken Soup Season.  Yes, my fearless readers fall is upon us and that means cold and flu season is not too far off. This leads to the need of the ultimate elixir that cures colds and nourishes the soul when not feeling up to snuff. Now, I know there are a few options to find chicken soup in a pinch.  Ordering in, from the local Chinese restaurant or deli, may work in a pinch.  But, it doesn't replace the warmth from homemade soup.   And, with a little thought you can have some in the freezer waiting for friends and family when they catch what you had! You may think making chicken soup requires a Julia Child degree, or detailed culinary skills.  I say not.  It is actually one of the easiest things to do, and since it also includes great tasting chicken you can't go wrong. That is if you follow a few simple pointers to start with: 1) Make it the best chicken you can find.  A nice organic or kosher bird will make the best soup.  It may seam obvious, b

I woke up this morning, thinking about the future.   It is the day before Kol Nidre, the start of Yom Kippur, and even if I am not sure what I believe this has always been a good time for introspection. A very good friend of mine suggested that I was a wanderer, that I find it hard to settle down in one place and just be at home.   My first reaction, as many would have when the comment is not meant as a compliment, was to disagree.   I am not a nomad in the dessert, or a hitch hiker traveling across Europe and yet do I wander?   It may appear that way, but I don't think it is all as it may seem. As many of my colleagues would say, let’s start with the data, it all does come down to data any way doesn't it?   I have lived in 14 cities, about 16 places including apartments and I am sure professionally have had at least as many "job titles" and opportunities.   I can honestly say that I have liked or loved every city I have lived in, som

A few lessons learned from not being on Facebook: For 7 days, I had to search for new cat videos and cute dog pictures, as they were not served up on my news feed. Missed the ease of hearing and seeing what others are up to, and the ease of communicating with friends and family. It is not easy to block websites on Chrome, and so I only hit the URL twice last Friday by mistake. As Hurricane Dorian approaches, I have not been in as much contact with friends and family in Florida as I would if hovering over Facebook. Overall, though, I would say the experience being disconnected has been most enjoyable. What I am realizing is that Facebook can be, for me, a distraction from my day to day life.   That may be more than welcome at times, but it also can also cause me to not be as focused on life choices and decisions as maybe I should be.   It is also interesting because I am also less focused on what other people are doing and celebrating in their lives and having to be more

OK, so here I am, August in Austin.   It is our third summer in Austin and the 100-degree days don't seem so bad although they shorten Daisy Belle's adventures in the daytime.   Maybe it is the heat, but it is time to shake things up! As I walked around Lady Bird Lake before the sun rose, this morning, I thought about what I could do to be more in the present and change things in my life.   Already have a dog and a cat, not looking for fish or rabbits, so I think we have all the pets we can handled.   Maybe a new hairstyle?   But being bald what could I really do so radical, I have already shaved my head at times, and nobody even noticed.   I thought about learning a new language or how to paint.   How, when and where would I find the time for that! Then I read this op-ed piece in the NY Times on DataInternet Privacy Tracking .   All these sites, advertisers, and social sites that are eager to track my every move.   Sort of made me want to run and hide from the

I slept well last night... and woke up mad as hell. There is a mass shooting in El Paso, 20 people dead and 26 injured, and the next story in NY Times,  is another shooting in Dayton Ohio 9 are dead and 16 injured and I slept well last night. I continue to sleep well at night, while We the People have detention centers, or dare I say concentration camps at our borders that are treating human beings less than animals.   My sweet DaisyBelle has more rights than they have.   Think about it, you can go to jail for killing and torturing animals in this country.   But who will go to jail for allowing the treatment of people and their children whose main crime is looking to escape violence and poverty for a better life in the country that is known for the free and brave?   Somewhere we should remind ourselves that they are human beings and deserve to be treated with kindness and care and not as an evil invasion. Apparently as the killer in El Paso showed, we are c

There are opportunities that arise in ones life, that, when taken, can open our minds and show us how to accept differences.   It all began with a cat.   Some readers might be in the “must love dogs” camp. Other on the “must love cats” team. From my point of view, many people who love dogs, don't like cats. Take me for example. My entire life I was sure that I was allergic to cats as I always seemed to sneeze around them. My limited exposure to them plus the sneezing had me believing that I would never actually have a cat in my house. Dogs, such as Daisybelle that you may all have heard of or seen a few pictures of in my blog, Facebook or other places, are easy for me to love and understand. They are happy when you come home, want to make you happy, and with a good personality can be quite entertaining.     People can be the same way. If you look around your neighborhood, you’ll probably find that your neighbors share many of your hopes, dreams, and aspi