Year: 2020

Commentary is easy. Governing is hard.

And it gets harder when the people who do commentary act like ordinary citizens who need their representatives to govern, not just as a source of content.

Because people who do commentary have a louder voice and the ability to hold people feet to the fire.

But regardless of how much work the commentariat (a real word) works to establish itself as doing the will of the people my yelling and screaming at those elected to do the will of the people, it’s the elected officials that must make the hard choices and deal with the consequences of being wrong.

Commentary relies on the public having extremely short-term memories.

Governing relies on decisions made now that do not bring much of a determent to the future. At least not a long-lasting one.

Agree? Disagree? Email me at jclevelandpayne@gmail.com, and we can discuss. 

Here is the scenario: you are a plumber who wants to be an opera singer.

Correction: you are a very skilled plumber, but midlevel at best as an opera singer, and you understand this.

You happen to be a very skilled plumber because you have lots of practice in your plumping profession. Pipes are breaking, and business is booming in plumbing. And it pays exceptionally well.  

You do not get much of a chance to work on your opera skills often because pipes are breaking, business is booming, and plumbing pays well.

This does not discount your desire to do more opera. In fact, your lack of training and even your possible lack of marketable talent does not discount as well.

There is a venue that will have you as an opera singer if you are willing to make the sacrifices asked of you. And if you are, your community can find another plumber. Maybe not as good as you, but who will get the jobs done.

Agree? Disagree? Email me at jclevelandpayne@gmail.com and we can discuss.

Diversity is a hot topic these days.

Few people will not say openly that diversity is great for an organization.

Many will say that diversity is great but will do little to bring in diverse people to interview and even less when someone shows up to hire them.

Diversity is also challenging. To the defense of some, the trouble with finding diverse candidates is there are none in the traditional wells that talent is found. For others, there are real barriers to entry that various candidates can not easily overcome, and to their detriment, they are not given the tools to change their situations.

So what do you do if you are actively seeking diversity and not doing a great job of implementing?

Try harder.

Are you ready to try harder? Email me at jclevelandpayne@gmail.com, and we can discuss.

I am used to being known as the guy who seems to know everything.

The reality is I answer just about every question, even if the answer is, “I don’t know.”

Because of this, there is the façade of me knowing just about everything, which forces me to know a little bit about everything.

But as I have grown older, wiser, and more cranky, I have learned that I don’t need to know so much about everything.

Except when people who believe I know everything asks me about the things they care a lot about and I have chosen to care less about.

This becomes a problem for them. They think it becomes a problem for me, but not so much as I grow older, wiser, and more cranky.

What do you think? Email me at jclevelandpayne@gmail.com, and we can discuss.

I have been working on a new meal-management plan.

Yes, I know exactly how dangerous that is to attempt during the holidays, but it really is a matter of determination or excuses.

It is just as hard to stick to a consistent meal-management plan in March as it is in December. Food never goes away, and marketers are trying to keep their food provider clients in business by pushing more and more food for you to seek out.

I have been working on this system for three weeks, and after some initial adjustment weight gain, I am officially down 3 pounds from the start.

But I’m missing eating bread regularly.

I am not entirely grain-free. My meal-management plan doesn’t forbid anything. It just asks you to think really really hard about everything you put into your mouth.

But there is so much bread everywhere is an excuse. Through determination, I have cut down on bread intake.

But I want to eat more bread because bread is really delicious and is everywhere.

Until I feel safe going back into a gym (and have time to go), I will have a problem losing the total twenty pounds I want to shed, but I am on the right track with my eating, and I am far from starving.

But I want to eat more bread.

Are you a fan of bread? Can you live without bread on the side? Email me at jclevelandpayne@gmail.com, and we can discuss. Maybe even grumble about it.