ABSILVER's World

I have been sitting on the sidelines for a while. Not writing in my personal blog as I begin a new career adventure with TekMonks. I am doing a great deal of writing for TekMonks, which I enjoy, but it has also been a bit challenging to find something I feel interesting enough and passionate enough to write about. That said, I have found something that is on my mind. I appreciate all the people who post on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook who have written books and podcasts about their advice to us all on improving work, family, home, and other recommendations. I am sure they come from their best practices and good intentions, and I thought what I would share some of my words of wisdom as they may be.  I am 57, I know at this age in the professional world that is considered old and dated, but I feel neither. I have had a varied career starting at 13 as a camp counselor, and then to IBM, where I earned a number of 100% clubs and a Golden Circle before headed to NY, where my career va...

So, I have been thinking about Pat and Bill's upcoming trip to Savannah, as they have asked for recommendations for their time in Savannah.   I may be a bit biased, but I think Savannah is one of the prettiest cities in the country and has a lot to offer that I think you and Bill will enjoy. Here are some of my recommendations, and I can't wait to hear from others on Facebook. A bit of background will help set the stage for your enjoyment.  Savannah was founded in 1733.  Georgia was the thirteenth colony, founded by James Oglethorpe.  You may say why does this matters for your weekend to come, but Oglethorpe was ahead of his time, and Savannah benefits twice.  One, he settled Savannah up the Savannah River about 10 or 20 miles.  The coastal area that includes Tybee has stayed pretty natural with marshlands and such and so Savannah is fairly well protected in times of storms.  You can contrast that to Charleston which is built basically right on th...

I was asked by Sara, for some good chicken recipes. It turns out during the pandemic we may have been ready to build a coop as there are a number of recipes we have tried and I thought I would share with you all. We try for healthy recipes, but not all of these are.  We have been enjoying chicken thighs a great deal, but I know breasts are leaner and healthier.  For those that are curious, not all of them are from the Barefoot Contessa, and some of the healthier ones are actually Weight Watchers. My go-to chicken recipes: Let’s start with my go-to recipe for chicken breasts. This is from the Barefoot Contessa.  I found it as part of her chicken salad recipe.  The key here is these are bone-in and skin-on breasts.  I have never made the chicken salad, but consider it as a bonus.  https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/chicken-salad-contessa-recipe-1938131 Next is a roasted chicken and this one also comes from Ina Garten aka the Barefoot Contessa.  Really...

"All I Have To Do Is Dream," 63 years ago! Sixty-four years ago, my parents wed in Anderson, SC.  I wrote most of this last year for their 62nd anniversary, but I wanted to add to this 64th celebration. My parents have been troupers through the pandemic. Yes, there were some complaints along the way and one errant toilet paper shortage scare, but they held up better than most. My mother learned to order groceries online. They weathered storms, power outages, and even an occasional doctor's appointment with more patience than most. When the vaccine came out, they were first in line, knowing how important this would be for them. With my sister's help and perseverance, they made it through without catching COVID and without most of the stress and complaints that those much younger seemed too eager to share. We did Zoom calls with family, birthday Zoom call for Dad's 90th, and more Zoom calls with me to update their computers. That said, through it all, while other pe...

So, I sit here on a Sunday morning.  We have had a rainy weekend. Ok, we seem to have only had rain as of late.  Frank went to Austin for an appointment, and I was home alone with our four-legged kids.  DaisyBelle handled the single parent with ease.  She has experience knowing Frank will be back and confident of my ability to continue to feed her on a regular schedule, meet her scheduled walks, and wait patiently for his return. Lucky was fine also but a little less accepting, I must say.  During the day, she didn't see me as an adequate replacement for Frank for the scheduled cuddles in the morning.  They have a schedule, and I was not allowed to fit into hers. My role in her life was the same, but at night she found the back of my leg at sleeping time. Actually, she and DaisyBelle decided that the bed size and extra space were not significant, as they teamed up to confine me to one spot on our bed between them, and all was well. That said, it was raining...

  Here is my latest top ten list of what is on my mind these days. Advice on LinkedIn:  There are many good articles on LinkedIn that range from different approaches to marketing, improving sales, or at times management advice.  But, it always reminds me of when I started as a sales rep.  Everyone told me to read books on better sales approaches and how to sell more.  The first call I made, the CEO of a construction company had the same books recommended on his bookshelf.  How can I possibly be authentic with a client if we are both reading that same book?   Following the same advice as everyone else is following a crowd. To stand out takes following your unique road, in my opinion.  In technology sales, I spent more time understanding the technology and what I was selling.  Focused more on their business and earned multiple 100% clubs and Golden Circle awards.  If I had followed the pack, I don't think I would have done as well. O...