Category: LIFE
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The Commute to Battle
Originally posted on 10.03.13 A LAV is a Light Armored Vehicle. It’s a cross between a tank and a turtle. It takes 2 highly skilled drivers to maneuver the beast, and the back compartment holds approximately 6 soldiers. As the back hatch closed on my group (we were split and…
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The Raid
Originally posted on 10.05.13 … the attack was on. As we moved down the embankment, through the long grass and thickets, one of our guys fired his weapon from the top of the gravel hill…to keep the enemy’s heads down. We moved far too slowly for my comfort (if someone…
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Final Reflections: Conclusion of Paratrooper for a Day
Originally posted on 10.07.13 I rode on top of the LAV on the way home, wind in my hair, day-dreaming and smiling. It was still loud as hell, but at least I wasn’t in a confined space. Our event was coming to an end, but I felt an incredible sense…
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The Music That Played During the Writing of the Paratrooper Series
Originally posted on 10.09.13 I love to write and listen to music… But the music has to be right in order to promote creativity. I can’t string two words together if the wrong song is playing. The 9 tunes below were the songs that inspired me to write the words…
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Professionalism: A Full-time Role
Knowing what you are responsible for and honouring your commitments is the mark of a professional. Being clear and decisive about your intent, and communicating successfully is what makes a pro, a pro. They expect to be held accountable to meet their commitments and they work to help their team…
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A Community Guy
There is happiness and safety in friendship. It comes in so many different forms, sincerely. I’ve always been a community guy. I grew up a member of Calgary’s Glencoe Club, lucky enough to be born into the place. I’ve played badminton since I was 3. I’ve lived all but 8…
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Delivering on Solid Ground
It’s important to me that I’m not a fuck up. It matters to me that I’m on solid ground, delivering. I seek to perform and be a guy you want on your team. Deep down, I know I’ve got some challenges – and they sometimes have succeeded at beating me.…
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Changing Chaos to Calm: 4 Steps to Organizing Anything… or Everything
When I think about organization, I get excited. I love placing pieces together and categorizing the cluttered. It brings a calm to me as I wade into chaos and leave behind order. 1. The first step to organizing something is to create buckets. Call them categories, boxes, groups or places…
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The New Stream
I’m going to tell you a story. We all like stories. It begins with an understanding – or a ‘position’ of sorts. I believe that organization and communication make everything better…everything. To live the life you want to live, you need to be purposeful…and being purposeful requires a lot of…
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Malala Yousufzai, Caroline and Technology
Caroline and I were just talking about Malala Yousufzai (the Pakistani girl who was shot by the Taliban for standing up for a girl’s right to education). We were wondering if this young girl was still alive. Caroline walked to the computer as she kept talking. She maintained eye contact…
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The People That Matter
There is a hollow feeling in loss. A silent emptiness that lingers, uninvited, in the center of the room. I feel this rot, this past couple of weeks, as I attempt to come to terms with losing Mark. Our whole company cried as I shared with them that Mark took…
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Stampede Music Festival
I heard somewhere that the Calgary Stampede is Canada’s largest music festival. I never looked at it that way, but I can see why. For the better part of two weeks, bands play virtual every music venue in the city from early morning until well past night fall. For me,…
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2012 and Writing
I’m really looking forward to writing in 2012. I finally have the time and opportunity to integrate writing into my professional and personal life. It’s been a long time goal of mine to pursue my interest in writing and I’m ready to ‘step up’! I’m currently working several ‘angles’ that…
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