Mike Lee.org - Weekly Random Rambles, Musings & Writings of Mike Lee

Are you a love virgin?

Allow me to explain. If you go by the traditional definition of the word "virgin," it means a person who has not had sexual intercourse. If you've ever bumped uglies in the night, hid the hot dog, or taken the bullet train through Yonker's tunnel, then no, you are not a virgin.

What about a love virgin?

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Soon, a little bundle of teeth and fur will be scurrying around my feet. He's an emaciated Labrador Retriever & Terrier mix, about one year of age, with a calm, though timid disposition. We rescued him from a local animal shelter.

I've had three dogs consecutively as a kid, two from pet shops and one from relatives. Being a kid, I didn't care about where the dogs came from, only that we got cute puppies. It wasn't until a few months ago that I began learning about where someone could get such a faithful companion, and how those sources differed.

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You can blame your expensive running shoes on those foot aches, knee problems, and stress fractures. At least, that’s what a handful of articles have been reporting.

This topic naturally caught my attention. After running two half-marathons, I’ve been training for a full marathon. Unfortunately, I had to drop out because of a chronic knee injury that just won’t go away, even after some basic rehabilitation. My next step will be to see an orthopedic surgeon for further advice and perhaps an MRI. Major bummer.

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Background:

A series of vignettes of Mr. Cornne, a young American high school teacher working in a small town in Brazil. Based on a true story. All dialogue is in Portuguese.

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"How would you rate this year for you?" my friend asked. "From a scale of one to five: one being the worst, five being the best."

I scratched my chin and cleared my throat. Then I gave my answer.
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I, like many Asian Americans I know, turned lactose intolerant a few years ago. Right around the age of 30. And it totally sucked ass.

No more Cold Stones and Ben & Jerrys. Goodbye Pizookies. Hello estrogen-laden soy milk. (Reduced sex drive what??)

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You know the Wear Sunscreen Speech, right? If not, where have you been? Under a rock buried in the sand behind an outhouse on an island with dark sunglasses at night? Tsk tsk.

The Wear Sunscreen Speech—sometimes simply known as the "Sunscreen Speech", but originally called "Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young"—was written by Chicago Tribune columnist Mary Schmich way back on June 1, 1997 as a fictional commencement speech that she'd like to give if she were ever asked to.

For some reason, a mischievous student decided to send the speech around as a MIT commencement speech given by Kurt Vonnegut. Weird, huh? If you've seen that email, now you know who really wrote that speech—Mary Schmich and not Kurt Vonnegut (though Vonnegut could have certainly written something just as witty & profound).

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Hey, how 'you doing? Great weather we're having today, huh? How about them Yankees?

You may have heard something like that before. It's what is known as small talk, chit-chat, or general conversation. While some see it as fake bullshit, others realize that there's an art to making fun and effective conversation.

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Do you know what kind of people can make great people managers? Parents. Having children teaches you a lot about managing people.

And I believe this rule works in reverse too. Good managers can be good parents. That idea motivated the approach I took when I was a people manager; I thought like a parent as I managed my team.

Hopefully, it has helped. Here's why:

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Dear Adults,

Hi. I am a little boy living in a small town in America. One day, I will grow up and be an adult just like you.

I am writing to ask you something very important to me. Please don't kill our planet.

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