Presentation; Radiohead and Murakami; Outside Kitties, Other Wee Creatures

My mucho task for the day was to make a presentation about some new procedures at work. This is never one of my favorite jobs. It was an attempt to create a work flow process and to establish accountabilty for tasks. It this case it concerned web publication.

It involved a LOT of information, and I could tell some were overwhelmed by it. It also shifts certain responsibilities from me to other individuals. And most people fear such a shift. And these responsibilites require the individuals to acquire new skills. And that REALLY scares people.

I've learned that some individuals are not process-oriented. They do not think in terms of how steps relate to each other. And there's nothing wrong with that, but it's frustrating when you're trying to publish to the web. Or for that matter to print or any other medium, even stone tablets.

After the meeting was over, I was not sure I'd been totally sucessful. In fact, I know I'd not. But it was an initial effort, so as we stumble along, it may make more sense to the participants.

The new Radiohead CD came out yesterday. I've been hearing excerpts from it for several weeks. And I've read two interviews with Thom Yorke, one in "Spin," the other in "Rolling Stone."

Thom grudginly tolerates interviews. And then only reluctantly. And in a way I can understand that.

In "Rolling Stone," Thom was asked, "What were you reading as you wrote the songs on "Hail to the Thief"? Thom replied, "I deliberately read nothing. [Pause] There was one book I read, by [Haruki] Murakami, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles. The main character in the book is not a character at all. It's the darkness that envelops and follows people, that pull them down. The dark forces in that book stuck with me."

A fascinating answer. First for revealing some of Thom's thought processes. And second because I have a very regard for Murakami. His books are always a bizzare experience. And in a way I can sense the influence of Murakami. Just don't ask me to explain it.

I sas both kitties this evening at different times. One is smokey white, and the other is more grayish. They found the food on the back steps which is good to know.

Speaking of wee creatures, there are tiny little bugs in my office. They are literally only slightly larger in size that a period at the end of a sentence. I sorta like the way they crawl across the printed material on my desk. As though they're looking for a particular letter. It is not my place to play god, so I leave them alone. So maybe they think of me as some deist entity.

PAX!