RJA Blog

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I keep trying to beat my fastest time for online Sudoku. But the faster I play, the more my thoughts go from getting the next move right to making this my fastest time ever. Then I hit a wall. Progress stalls. I panic. No matter how frantically I search I can’t see a viable move.
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Not a new idea. Ask anyone who’s been through sales training. But what if you’re not selling? Like the other day when I had a conversation with someone who only talks to me if it’s absolutely necessary or if he wants to vent about something annoying. Since his abruptness precedes him, he doesn’t bond with many people, which seems to be just fine with him. But I pushed ahead anyway.  read more >

Many 1919-ers called 1919 the ‘worst year of the century so far.’ So I did some digging to see why, and what impact it had on the world today.  read more >

December is a special time jam-packed with family, friends and holiday festivities. December is also the month of the annual loathing-fest known as inventory. Nobody seems to like doing inventory, including me. But it’s a necessary evil that has obvious financial importance to the Controller and Operations, and it’s a good way to start the new year based on reality. That’s why successful businesses live by it.  read more >

What if the fear that keeps us awake at night, and makes us procrastinate or even give up our dreams is good for us.  read more >

It’s no secret that the world is experiencing a crisis of trust. Unpredictable world events and the widening inequality gap has most of us questioning everything and trusting nothing. Even as automation advances, our paranoia increases. Without trust, relationships falter. The people and entities we don’t trust, don’t trust each other either. No one feels safe.  read more >

If you’ve lived in Illinois you’ve probably been called ‘flatlander’ at least once. But just like there’s more to Wisconsin than cheese, there’s a lot more to Illinois than miles and miles of flat land. If everyone knew that we were held underwater, bulldozed, swamped on and stomped on to get fabulous farmland unobstructed by hills and valleys, they’d appreciate flatlanders.  read more >

I have hoarding guilt about books…especially used books, because I can fill my shelves without going broke. There are little stashes of books all over my house from musty classics and crime novels to giant pictorials of places I’ve been or want to visit.  read more >

Can regret save your life? Woodland creatures seem to love road games. Like the large doe that ran next to my driver’s door for a few hundred yards before speeding up and turning right in front of me. Or the birds and squirrels that wait until you’re almost on top of them before they get out of your way. Remember when you learned that playing chicken can have a bad ending?  read more >