The Lighter Side

See Starbucker on a Boat (Again) at SOBCon08!

April 11th, 2008 • Starbucker • 11 comments • Click to view Related Articles
Filed Under: SOBCon • The Lighter Side

I have to tell you, I’m not a nautical person. I can’t even swim (that’s a long story). It’s quite the rare occasion that I set foot on a boat.

It has to be a pretty special deal to entice me to hit the high seas - for example, last weekend, I mustered up the courage to go on the NYC boat tour with my fellow Blogger Social attendees.

Thankfully, I not only survived that experience, but really enjoyed it, thanks to the great conversations I had with many wonderful bloggers (you kind of forget you are on a boat when you are involved in fascinating discussions).

When my SOBCon partner Liz Strauss suggested we do a boat tour for Open Comment Night at SOBCon08 (May 2-4 in Chicago), my normal reluctance to do such a thing had been tamped down considerably by my NYC experience, since I knew that being on a boat with 100 bloggers was a really, really good thing.

Plus, having the fabulous Christine Kane on the boat with her guitar isn’t too shabby either.

So join us on May 2 on what I’m calling the “Blogger Love Boat” - heck, we may even break out that theme song…

“Blogging Love, exciting and new,
Come aboard.
We’re expecting you.
Love, life’s sweetest reward.
Let it flow,
it floats back to you.”

That is, if I can convince Christine to learn it - what do you think Christine?? :-)

Now you really can’t miss this now, can you? This is the best $450 value on the Blogging planet! Friday fun, Saturday learning, and a Sunday send off with your Blogging Business Plan!

If you haven’t already gone to the SOBCon site and registered, do it now.

And check out Starbucker on a boat (maybe singing the Love Boat theme)!

Hey, I’m a Blogger Too - Where’s My Book Deal?

March 31st, 2008 • Starbucker • 16 comments • Click to view Related Articles
Filed Under: Random Ramblings • The Lighter Side

Yesterday my day started innocently enough - with a hot cup of coffee and my Sunday NY Times. I pulled out my reading glasses (a relatively new necessity bowing to my age) and settled into my chair, hoping to learn just a little bit more about the world and times I live in.

My eyes immediately caught this little nugget on the Style page:

“Why Blog? Reason No. 92: Book Deal”

I was intrigued mainly by the fact that this was the first time I could ever remember the NY Times using the word “Blog” in a headline (hey, we’re mainstream!) . I also was interested in the little tease about the book deal.

I read on.

And here’s the punch line - a guy who’s never written a book before and has only been blogging since January just received an advance of $300,000 from a major publisher to write a book based on the blog.

Yep, $300K - that’s not a misprint.

What on earth could this guy be writing about that could attract that kind of money? What original philosophies and profundities are he posting that is stirring the masses?

He’s writing about “Stuff White People Like”.

It’s a clever satire on the “WASP” stereotype, although someone is quoted in the article as calling it prone to “snarkiness“, defined as “contempt before investigation“.

So its kinda edgy - edgy enough to attract plenty of attention (give the blog its due - it supposedly has gotten 1.5 Million hits), and a book deal.

But it’s still a BLOG - a periodic posting of individual musings. It looks like a blog, reads like a blog, it barks like a blog.

Just like my blog. I write a bunch of original things. Sometimes they are even kinda funny (at least I think so). I preach positivity and “half-fullism” and the benefits of great leadership. I’ve also been doing it much longer than this other guy - for over two years now.

I guess the missing ingredient is the “edginess”. I don’t write anything that could be interpreted as offensive. I don’t write about politics or religion.

Is that the “$300,000 difference”?

Well, maybe not. The article said the site “Gawker” got a book deal, but it only sold 1,000 copies. They are edgy, right?

Maybe it’s just plain weirdness that carries the day - I kid you not, there is a blog called “Skull-A-Day” that simply features skull images made from candy, sparklers and other “things”, and THEY GOT A BOOK DEAL.

Bottom line, I suppose it’s no wonder I haven’t been inundated with book deal offers- I have no edge and no weirdness.

But hey, I do have mystery - doesn’t that count? I blog under an assumed name. I’m living a double life. People I’ve known for 25 years don’t even know I blog.

I even have a name for the book - “The Secret Life of Terry Starbucker“.

Sounds intriguing, doesn’t it?

So Random House, give me a look-see!

Lark, Gotham, Crown, Harper, and St. Martin Books, check out the temple of Half-Fullism and lay down a few bucks on me!

Hey, I’m a Blogger Too!!!!!!

Is that a little too strong? Edgy perhaps?

What do you know! I just might be ready for my close up. :-)

Working For the Weekend (and other Ramblings)

March 7th, 2008 • Starbucker • 3 comments • Click to view Related Articles
Filed Under: Half-Fullism • Random Ramblings • The Lighter Side

OK, here it is Friday afternoon, and my only post for the week is a love note to Brett Favre (did you see his press conference yesterday by the way - yep, I cried too). Not a good blogging week for me, I’m afraid.

For many little reasons, this work week has been one of those where I was spending most of my time simply trying to keep my head above water. Anyone else been there? :-)

I know I’m in the midst of a “keep from drowning” experience when around Wednesday, something insidious starts creeping into my brain, something so 80’s, and so guilty pleasure.

It’s a little ditty from a group called Loverboy - know it?

“Everybody’s working for the weekend
Everybody wants a little romance
Everybody’s goin’ off the deep end
Everybody needs a second chance, oh”

This tune and its driving beat becomes a relentless presence in my activities on Thursday and Friday, continually teasing me with the opportunity for that “second chance” that will keep me from “goin’ off the deep end“.

I have to constantly keep from putting on a matching orange headband and shirt and grabbing a microphone, and just belting the thing out myself on top of my desk.

(Little did those guys from Canada know that they created such a musical antidote!)

So here it is, late Friday afternoon, and I finally have a few minutes to blog - and (of course) I just can’t write about anything else. I’ve gotta get it out of my system, right now!

(cue the drums………..)

“Everyone’s watchin’ to see what you will do
Everyone’s lookin’ at you, Oh
Everyone’s wonderin’ will you come out tonight
Everyone’s tryin’ to get it right, get it right”

Heyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!

(sound of Starbucker jumping back off his desk)

(sound of Starbucker wincing in pain)

Gosh, I hope next week is back to normal………….. :-)

(Psst……go to the SOBCon08 blog tomorrow - we have a place to announce!)

Things You Don’t Know About Me (The Reprise)

February 17th, 2008 • Starbucker • 1 comment • Click to view Related Articles
Filed Under: Link Love • Listmania • The Essence of Me • The Lighter Side

Donna Cutting, aka “Gal Morale”, recently tagged me for the “16 Things You Don’t Know About Me” meme.

This particular meme is one of the favorites of the blogosphere - ever since I can remember there has been one of these floating around, with an ever increasing number of “things” to list. (the first one I was ever tagged for only asked for 5).

Consequently, I’ve pretty much put out there all my quirks and idiosyncrasies for the world to see. What I haven’t done is put them all in one post. So, here they are, the

“18 Things You Didn’t Know About Me Before I Started Blogging, Unless You Haven’t Read My Blog Yet and Then These Are 18 Things You Really Don’t Know About Me”

(I think that qualifies for the longest title for a blog list in recorded history!)

  • I still have my wisdom teeth - all four of them. That means I spend 20 more seconds per day flossing (add that up over 42 years and I’ve spent 85 hours on this task).
  • I was a pyromaniac in First Grade - we actually had the police called on us when we lit a few fires in a neighbors back alley (that was scary to have the police pull up on our playground - I got scared straight!).
  • I like to “combine” my food on the plate. I’m the opposite of those folks who can’t have their food touch each other. I love multiple flavors and textures on the same fork. Shepard’s pie is like a dream come true for me.
  • I have a weird ability to spot and buy women’s handbags that my wife just loves (and no ability to get any other kind of purchase right). One of these naturally born talents I guess :-)
  • My middle name is Joel - maybe I should go with “TJ Starbucker“?
  • When I was a kid I wanted to be a navy pilot and fly with the Blue Angels - I went as far as painting my bike the Blue Angels colors (along with the number #1) and doing maneuvers “in formation” on the local playground. The problem - it really wasn’t a formation since I was alone (I had a good imagination!)
  • In 8th Grade I wrote, directed and starred in our class play that we presented in front of all our parents and relatives, based on several Cheech and Chong comedy albums. I still remember the looks on people’s faces when we did takeoffs on “Basketball Jones” and “Up His Nose“.
  • I was the editor-in-chief of my high school newspaper - I leave it up to you to determine if any of that experience made a difference. :-)
  • In 1988 I was lucky enough to achieve a sports “trifecta” - I attended the Super Bowl, World Series, and the NBA finals between January and October of that year, when I was living in Los Angeles.
  • One of my biggest “brushes with fame” was in 1987 when I had dinner with Greg Kinnear, when he was working for the “Movietime” channel (now E!). He now stars in the Oscar nominated “Little Miss Sunshine” (excellent movie, by the way).
  • My favorite color is blue - you need to see my closet; I think blue out numbers all other colors combined by 2 to 1.
  • Starbucker is not my real last name. I bet you didn’t know that….. :-)
  • I’m currently on a gluten-free diet - not because I have Celiac’s disease or a true gluten intolerance, but because I wanted to keep my immune system strong with all my traveling. How does gluten figure into that? I don’t have enough room on this post to explain- ask me at the next SOBCon.
  • Here is a “sublist” of three jobs I have taken on in my career:
    1. Ear piercer - now THAT was an experience - I actually pierced the ears of a two month old child - at age 17!
    2. Garbage collector - I spent three summers behind one of those compacting trucks, tossing bags and cans into the back. We could cram 13,000 pounds in one of those trucks, and I lifted half of it each time. Great weightlifting program, but you smelled pretty bad afterwards. Maybe the gym was better…. :-)
    3. Disc Jockey at a disco - Ask me to do my “disk jockey” voice sometime. My wife just loves it…….not.
  • As an undergraduate in college I won an election for President of the Student body by standing in front of the Law School library on election day, exactly one foot beyond the “election violation zone”, and begging total strangers to go over and cast a ballot for me. People still think that I bribed those people to get their votes, but I didn’t. All I said was I would make sure we’d keep enough beer at the campus pub. Gotta know your constituency!
  • My favorite movie comedy of all time is “Animal House“. I’ll throw in a bonus and add that I was in a fraternity in college about the time the movie came out, so I can shout out “Toga, Toga, Toga” as well as anybody, and that I’ll sometimes throw this immortal line out at a staff meeting - “What? “Over”? Did you say “over”? Nothing’s over until we decide it is!”

    • Thanks Donna for the chance to reprise these lists. And I hope that all of you enjoyed getting to know me and my “quirks” a little better.

    Happy Presidents Day!

    Friday Mix Tape: SOBCon, Yoga, and Ending World Hunger

    February 15th, 2008 • Starbucker • 9 comments • Click to view Related Articles
    Filed Under: Link Love • Personal Development • Random Ramblings • SOBCon • The Essence of Me • The Lighter Side

    Lots to cover today, fellow half-fullers, so here goes:

    SOBCon (the contest)

    Recall last week we launched the 2008 SOBCon Marketing Contest, with a $750 first prize. So far we have 14 different URLs officially registered:

    http://www.gitrknowswow.com/
    http://businessbloggingtips.com
    http://www.officiallifebydesign.com/
    http://alexshalman.com/
    http://www.adversityuniversityblog.com/
    http://hdbizblog.com/blog
    http://troyworman.com/
    http://brainbasedbiz.blogspot.com
    http://moneymakingblogs.com/blog
    http://www.smallbizsurvival.com/
    http://www.brandandmarket.com/
    http://toddjordan.wordpress.com
    http://www.confidentwriting.com/
    http://blog.looseends.net/

    The top 3 URLs so far:

    1) http://toddjordan.wordpress.com
    2) http://www.gitrknowswow.com/
    3) http://hdbizblog.com/blog

    It’s not too late to register, since the contest goes through March 15th- just drop me a note at terrystarbucker(at)gmail(dotcom).

    And hey, go on and register for SOBCon!

    Update on the 30 Day Yoga Challenge

    Recall I’ve pledged to practice yoga every day for 30 days as part of a challenge at my local studio. Today is day number 21, and I’ve managed to keep my word so far. There’s nothing like getting up at 5:30AM on the road and plopping my Rodney Yee Yoga DVD into my laptop and hitting the mat.

    Rodney’s a yoga “rockstar” for me, because for whatever reason I find his videos to be the best. And he does this stuff with such precision and ease. He’s such a rockstar that when one of the owners of my studio recently mentioned that he practiced yoga with Rodney Yee, it was like he had jammed with Led Zeppelin. “You practiced with Rodney Yee - awesome“!

    A rock idol in my lifetime, yes (see Elton John) - but a “yoga idol“? Life is too funny.

    Oh, one other thing - I mentioned I wanted to learn something from all of this. Well, my sore shoulder, hip and knee all agree that I’ve learned this so far - I shouldn’t practice every day. Oh to be 25 again…….. :-)

    End World Hunger…..One Grain of Rice at a Time

    Dr. Delaney Kirk tagged me (or challenged me, really) to go to a site called Freerice.com, where you get to play a vocabulary game that donates 20 grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Program for every time you can guess the correct definition of a word (you get a little help since it’s multiple choice).

    I’ve been doing it this afternoon and it’s a heck of a lot of fun for the brain - I got up to level 42 but didn’t get “stypic” (rats) and dropped back to 41.  Can you beat level 42? How about you Ben? Maria? Mary? Rosa? Steve? Liv?  Terry? Gal? Jodee? Karen?  Terri?  How about all my other blogging friends? I double-dog dare ya!  (and it’s for a great cause too).

    Thanks Dr. Kirk for this tag!

    “Me”, the Brand: Who Is Terry Starbucker?

    February 10th, 2008 • Starbucker • 6 comments • Click to view Related Articles
    Filed Under: Half-Fullism • The Essence of Me • The Lighter Side

    I read an article in the NY Times yesterday about “Creating Brand You” - coming up with a way to “stand out..in the current deteriorating economy“.

    A psychologist named Judith Sills believes a professional identity is a blend of reputation (what others think of you) and resume (what you say about yourself) - a distinctive imprint you leave with others.

    Yep, a “brand” if you will. Sills tells us it should be “distinctive, valued and stand for something“.

    Oddly enough, just recently my friend Dave Rothacker was ruminating on much the same kind of thing, and went as far as taking a shot at branding some of his Joyful Jubilant Learning brethren, including yours truly.

    So how did Dave tag Mr. Starbucker?

    “……women, uber-positive-life-outlook, leadership, caring, smart”

    That first one was a little perplexing, but thankfully Dave explained it for us - he observed that more women link to my site than most other business-life writers (he also said some very nice things about my writing - thanks Dave!).

    Now that never had even occurred to me over the course of my 2+ years of blogging - honestly, I wasn’t keeping track of this. But it was an interesting perspective of the “brand” I was putting out there.

    On top of all this, we can even throw my blogging name into my overall brand presentation; it reveals a certain appreciation for a certain hot beverage (although if they keep going on their present course I may have to change it to “Terry Dunkin“).

    So, let me take a shot at my “brand”:

    “Terry Starbucker - latte lovin’, caring optimistic leadership junkie (and women like to link to him)”

    Mmmm…………stands for something, but not quite distinctive. It’s too long. I wonder if something more simplistic would be better?

    One of my all time favorite (very) short summaries of someone’s essence was uttered by Muhammad Ali:

    “Me, Whee!”

    Was there any better way to describe the enthusiasm, exuberance, and hubris of “The Greatest”?

    With that inspiration, I’ll try for something more concise:

    “Terry Starbucker - Half-Fuller”

    This one presumes you all know what a half-fuller is- but at least it’s short.

    Then again, why shouldn’t I go all the way with something “Ali-like“, and just bypass the name entirely.

    OK, here goes:

    Me, Golly!

    I do go through my days in wonderment (and sometimes puzzlement) of this crazy and unpredictable life, so why not?

    I guess I better hope the economy stops deteriorating………… :-)

    The Return of My Imaginary Dog (woof woof)

    December 27th, 2007 • Starbucker • 3 comments • Click to view Related Articles
    Filed Under: Random Ramblings • The Lighter Side

    I’m on vacation this week, relaxing for a few days before another hectic year begins.  Aside from launching this new site, I’m just practicing a little yoga, hanging out with my beloved, and catching up on my reading.

    One of the things that caught my attention was an article in the NY Times from early December.  It was about a social networking site for dogs called “Dogster“.     In it the site’s founder Ted Rheingold was quoted as saying “It’s not weird at all“.

    It’s so “unweird” that Rheingold also has a site called “Catster“, and “Horseter”,  “Fishter”, and “Birdster” are soon on their way.

    This all got me to thinking - are these things really necessary?  Do dogs need a social networking site?

    What better place for me to turn than my imaginary dog.  Remember her?  “Lady” (that’s not her real name to protect her privacy) still exists in my head - I know it’s a little cramped in there but we still haven’t decided whether to let her loose in our house.

    I decided to ask Lady about “Dogster” (I’ve translated dog-speak to English):

    Starbucker:  Lady, long time no chat!  (by the way, you are such a good dog - I never have to take you for a walk!).  Have you been to Dogster yet? 

    Lady:  Yes, I have - what a cool place! I get to hang out with my peeps and trade dog food recipes

    Starbucker:  Wait a second - you can type?  And when do you get to a computer?

    Lady: Ah yes, the benefits of being imaginary - I can do everything a human can do!

    Starbucker: OK, fine. So tell me, do you think these things are necessary for dogs and other pets like yourself?

    Lady:  Hey, 345,000 dogs can’t be wrong Mr. Starbucker - in fact, after the NY Times article and quote ran, the site got 54,000 visitors in ONE DAY!   By the way,  I have a great correspondence going with this Jack Russell - mind if I meet up with him?

    Starbucker:  I’m not so sure of that Lady - last thing I need are 4 or 5 imaginary dogs moving around my head!   Anyhow,  pure numbers don’t answer my question - what’s really going on with this thing?

    Lady: You just don’t get it, do you?  I don’t exist.  That was YOU that went to the site, just like every other owner of the 340,000 dogs that have registered.  It’s really for the owners - and that’s the real beauty of the internet -  it provides a place for like-minded people  with common interests to congregate.   Hey, are there any milkbones here?

    Starbucker: Mmmmm……..does that mean I should be starting a site called…..”Half-Fullster“?

    Lady: Sounds like a plan to me, boss,  Now let me get back to that Jack Russell; he is SO cute………….

    I think I’ll keep Lady in my head for a while longer.  :-)

    I need to get back to work soon - oh, and stay tuned for Half-Fullster….. 

    The Blackberry as an Ego Soother? Mmmm……..

    November 23rd, 2007 • Starbucker • 2 comments • Click to view Related Articles
    Filed Under: The Business Pages • The Daily Grind • The Lighter Side

    My wife and I flew to Los Angeles yesterday to celebrate Thanksgiving with family, and along the way (and it certainly is a Loooooong flight - six hours) I perused the NY Times for a little holiday cheer. Then I read the editorial section.

    There was a piece by Roger Cohen entitled “Turkey Tune-Out Time“, and in it he proceeds to take a very hard shot at my beloved Blackberry.

    I’ve admitted on this very page to a Blackberry addiction, but have argued that the device is actually keeping me saner rather than crazier (because it gives me the comfort of being “ahead” of things instead of behind - being behind is my biggest stress producer).

    Cohen prefers to put this marvel of technology in a different category - as an “ego-meter“. He asked a management psychologist for support of this tag, and he got it. Says the psychologist:

    “A BlackBerry poses three problems. Can you manage your need for control? Can you manage your need to be important? Can you manage your need to feel in the know? These are real psychological challenges because at any moment you can jump in and fire off an e-mail and get closure immediately. But it’s superficial closure.”

    Whoa.

    That’s a lot of stuff to process, but I’ll give it a try. Do I have needs to control, be important, and feel “in the know”? In other words, do I have a big ego to feed?

    No, no, perhaps, and heck no.

    I simply care about the company I work for and the teammates who work their tails off 24/7- so I like to be available in case they need me. I find this caring to be true for most people I know who carry Blackberries around with them, so I think it’s a bit cavalier to make a generalization that anyone who uses such a device is only doing so to massage their egos.

    However, Cohen did make a few excellent points about e-mail that I agree with, namely, that it is a “lousy tool for conflict resolution, a multiplier of misunderstandings“.

    He is also an advocate of “no e-mail Fridays“, a practice started by several companies to slow the avalanche of inbox activity that oftentimes keeps a person chained to their desk. Actually, this isn’t a bad idea, because it does get a bit ridiculous when I’m having an e-mail conversation with the person in the next office.

    What we really need to do is pick up our Blackberries and call each other - it’s much more personal that way, and my ego will be soothed to boot.

    A twofer! :-)

    Have a great weekend.

    Let’s Play Jeopardy! Today’s Category: Fun With Numbers

    October 8th, 2007 • Starbucker • 7 comments • Click to view Related Articles
    Filed Under: Half-Full Book Review • Random Ramblings • The Lighter Side

    One of my favorite old Saturday Night Live skits was when Will Ferrell did a dead-on Alex Trebek imitation and played “Jeopardy” with three wacky celebrities.

    Ferrill, as Trebek, was constantly frustrated by the panelists’ inability to provide a question for even the most basic answers. He even resorted to answers like “a number, any number” for Final Jeopardy and still didn’t get a correct response.

    Poor Alex………I mean Will.

    My most recent viewing of this skit (on the excellent “The Best of Will Ferrell “ DVD) happen to coincide with my reading of a book called “This is Your Brain on Music” by Daniel Levitin.

    As only this strange mind can do, I began to imagine some of the very intriguing numbers in the book as its own category in my own little version of Jeopardy. Of course, Ferrell is hosting and this time he’ll get the right questions (it’s only fair, right?)…………..


    “Today’s only category is “Fun with Numbers from ‘This is Your Brain On Music’”

    “Professor Starbucker (remember, this is made up), you have control of the board, please select”

    “Thanks, Alex - I’ll take Fun with Numbers for $100″

    “The answer is: It takes 10,000 hours to achieve it”

    Professor Starbucker buzzes in: “What is the practice time it takes, according to the book, to achieve true mastery in ANYTHING?”

    “That is correct - Levitin notes that ‘in study after study, of composers, basketball players, fiction writers, ice skaters, concert pianists, chess players, master criminals, and what have you, this number comes up again and again’“

    “Starbucker, you still have the board”


    “Thanks Will, I mean, Alex - I’ll take Fun With Numbers for $200″

    “The answer is: It takes 50,000 years”

    Starbucker buzzes in (again): “What is the minimum amount of years for an adaptation to show up in the human genome?”

    “Correct again, Starbucker! The book calls this ‘evolutionary lag’ - the time lag between when an adaptation first appears in a small proportion of individuals and when it becomes widely distributed in the population. Quotes Levitin, ‘many of the problems we face today have come to torment us because our bodies and brains were designed to handle life the way it was for us 50,000 years ago’”

    “Now, let’s play Final Jeopardy. Professor Starbucker is ahead with $300, and it’s quite likely he’ll win since there are no other players, but let’s carry on anyway…….”

    The final answer is: “this number exceeds the number of known particles in the entire known universe”

    Dum dum dum dum, dum dum dum, dum dum dum dum ,DUM, dum dum dum dum dum………….

    “OK, let’s see what the question is- Starbucker what did you wager? $300, of course. What an all-or-nothing guy!”

    “He wrote down, ‘What is the number of possible neuron combinations possible in the human brain?’”

    “Wow, you are correct again Starbucker!! You win! What a great example of the human brain’s incredible computational power, as illustrated in the book by Levitin.”

    “Any parting words, Professor?”

    “Well, I’m happy to win but I owe it all to Mr. Levitin, who has put together a fascinating book about how our brains process music, and also explains the mystery of why those love songs “get us” so much.”

    “Alex, maybe some of your other “contestants” should buy this book too”


    “Starbucker, I only wish they would……………. :-)”

    Indisputable Evidence That Goats Can Fly

    September 21st, 2007 • Starbucker • 3 comments • Click to view Related Articles
    Filed Under: Places I Love • The Lighter Side

    How else could you explain how this goat got on this roof ????

    (taken on the Historical Columbia River Highway in Oregon, September 22, 2007)

    Fly Goat

    Or at least in Oregon they can, while you are on vacation…….. :-)

    Meanwhile, back in realityland, we spent our last vacation day in the Portland area, enjoying the city and taking in some excellent views of the Columbia River Gorge, like this one:


    We head home tomorrow after a great 8 days of fun and relaxation - just what a vacation is supposed to be.

    I’ll resume my “normal” ramblings on Monday. Have a great weekend!

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