Cowabunga! (Work Post)

(Work Post - CPS)

As far as villains go, Shredder is a pretty cool one.  He sounds ridiculous and his head gear looks like a can opener, but he is fairly intelligent for a criminal mastermind even if his deportment leaves us scratching our heads. Hopefully you can respect him even while you find him vile.  Did you know that Shredder has an IQ of 300?  Seriously, look it up in Geekworld Magazine.  So Shredder really has his positives.  But why the friendly sentiments for the antagonist of the turtles?

Studies show that if you like something or someone that you are more likely to use that thing or be with that someone.  Conversely, if you don't like something or someone, use and proximity will be much less likely.  Their is always concern that because our shredders share the same name as this reprobate and scoundrel, that perhaps you have a Freudian like tendency to avoid using them as you should.  True, they do share the same name.  True, they are both Silver.  True, they both make guttural sounds when in use. However, regardless of the similarities we ask that you respect the shredders enough to use them to shred all sensitive information that our customers provide us.

This has not been a huge problem, it just seemed like a good time to brush up on my Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Trivia and to provide a reminder of policy since we have enjoyed the arrival of a lot of new team members in recent months.  All Credit Card information should be shredded if their exists a physical copy anywhere.  We can keep CC info in SAM through Authorize.net, but we should no longer have a need to ever have a physical copy written down.  If we do have to write it down for a short period of time, please remember to shred it at your earliest convenience. 

Let me just end with this comforting thought.  Yes -  we live in a dark world full of evil doers and organized crime, just like the Foot Clan.  Yes - people with ill motives want to steal and cause financial damage to our customers by seeking out CC #'s left by careless individuals at work.  But always remember that for every Shredder there is a Splinter.  Good will triumph over evil.  Proper business practices will win the day against the likes of the Foot Clan.  But we must stick to the techniques and procedures that Master Splinter has taught us.  Jeff McCauley is our Master Splinter (The resemblance is uncanny!) and he has taught us that pitting the shredders against themselves is ultimately the best way to stop crime and fraudulent transactions.  So please listen to the raspy, creepy, and weirdly wise voice of Jeff . . . I mean Splinter . . . as he entreats each of us to shred all of our sensitive documents.  Thank you for your adherence to this policy. 

By the way - $5.00 gift card to the person who can post all 4 original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle's full names with their corresponding color, closest to 10:00 AM PST.  That means the first one that actually shows 10:00 on the post.  Good luck fellow mutant nerds.

I See New People (Work Post)

(Work Post for memos at CPS)

Me: I see new people.
Bruce Willis: In your dreams? [I shake my head]
Bruce: While you're awake? [I nod]
Bruce: New people like, in cubicles? In warehouses?
Me: Walking around like regular people. They don't see each other. They only see what they want to see. They don't know they're new.
Bruce: How often do you see them?
Me: All the time.  They're everywhere.

Does it feel like we all have developed that sixth sense that lets us see new people where ever we go?  Sheesh.  It seems like every week or so I'm posting about new people, and looking back just a bit, I suppose I am.  We have a couple of newbies for your welcoming pleasure today.  Please meet and greet where you can.  Neither newbie is located in Idaho - so most of us will have to do our welcoming from afar.  Without further ado:

Justen has joined the KY warehouse team.  He will be working on receiving and palletizing LTL shipments.  He comes to us with some warehouse experience in working at the major shipping/receiving area for Papa Johns.  He really does spell his first name with an "e" instead of an "i" which makes him way cooler than the other Justin.  Then again, everyone is way cooler than the other Justin. At any rate - we are excited to have him on the team and look forward to his start date on Monday, April 23rd.

Kyle has teamed up with us in the UT warehouse.  He will be doing very similar stuff to Justen with the added hardship of associating with Kenyon everyday.  Kyle has spent 27 years serving our country through the military and he recently retired just so he could join our team.  During his military service he had experience with warehouse operations, customer support services, and logistics.  He will be a valuable asset to the team we look forward to having him on board.  He, too, will start on April 23rd, which is also a Monday. (Sometimes you have to spell these things out for Wade.)

Law of Diminishing Returns (A work Post)

(I want to keep for my own journal-keeping purposes a few posts I have blogged for work memos.)

To become a natural law, that law must go through a very rigorous process.  Laws don't just pop up and surprise you.  I mean they start out as mere hypothesis' and have to develop into theories.  Only after intense scrutiny and testing can these hypotheses and theories ever hope to become a law. Take gravity for instance.  That isn't just some pellmell idea.  It is as solid as the thud someone makes while falling off the Empire State Building.  You know what I'm sayin'?

Well there is another law that has been written that demands our attention.  This law has no politics and has no religion.  This law is impartial and absolute.  This law shows mercy to no one.  Yet this law, when understood, can help us avoid catastrophes of epic proportion.  It is the Law of Diminishing Returns. 

I will give you a few examples of how this law works to help you see how powerful it really is.  The other day I was not my happiest.  Yes - I was at work and that was lovely - but it just wasn't my day.  So, naturally, I went to the grocery store to purchase some Oreos.   That sort of thing can get a fella moving again.  The delicious, creamy middle of an Oreo is enough to make even a Cubs fan feel better, even if it is just for a few moments.  Well . . . it worked!  The Oreos immediately began to sooth and uplift my battered emotions.  Bliss was discovered. Felicity and euphoria inadequately describe the pure joy and goodness that now pulsed through my veins.  

So naturally I continued eating this sweet morsel of goodness.  By Oreo number 10, I was still felling good, but perhaps the honeymoon was over.  After 15 - 20 of these delectable little nuggets of lard, I suddenly started to feel a different feeling all together.  The contrast to my initial response to the Oreos was sudden and violent.  No longer were the Oreos my friend - they had become my enemy in an instant.  My stomach and those Oreos spent the next several hours battling it out.  Eventually, my stomach won the battle by tossing the cookies out for good.  I won't go into any more detail because I think you understand the "gravity" of the situation.  The law of diminishing returns was swift and punishing. 

Then there was the time that I went to a cute, sweet little theme park with my children.  There was in this cute, sweet little theme park a cute, sweet little ride.  The cute, sweet little ride had some cute, sweet little music.  Well this cute, sweet little music didn't ever stop.  This cute, sweet little song just kept going and going.  It put the Energizer bunny to shame!  Little psychedelic puppets and dolls kept dancing to this cute, sweet little song.  They danced and danced while the song played and played.  Soon, the cute, sweet little song was blasting through the speakers at such a volume that my children began to cover their ears and cry.  But we were on a boat and their was no way out of our cute, sweet little prison.  We screamed in agony, but the stupid little dolls kept dancing and the music kept playing.  

This is not hyperbole, my 8 year old daughter got off that cute, sweet little ride and looked at me and said, "Dad, can we never go on that ride again?"  I assured her that we never would.  And we never have.  

The point is - that too much of something can be dangerous and uncomfortable.  Sometimes it is good to stop while you still have fond memories and positive feeling about something.  So, with that in mind, I would like to be make a sad but needful announcement.  We have decided to not move forward with the 2012 Film Festival.  This will come as a shock to some, and I admit that I will miss it greatly.   We have had quite a few years of successful films and no shortage of good laughs.  However, the time commitment to the CPS Film Festival is extensive.  Keith has spent a lot of work time over the past couple of years preparing and getting things ready for the film festival.  Those efforts were not in vain, as the film festival has been an absolute bulls-eye.  The films have brought so much fun to our company and they helped make the Christmas Party a great experience. 

However, we feel like right now is a good time to put the Film Festival on hold.  We have a lot of marketing ideas and projects that demand our attention for the year - and we just don't think we can justify the time commitment it would take to do another film festival this year.  We appreciate all of those who have expressed interest in directing and acting.  We truly have a ton of talent in our group and it has been very fun to see all of you in action.  We appreciate everyone's support of the film festival and we hope we will all have fond memories of the fun we had with it. 

Let me close this post by extending a hand of mercy to each of you to help you get through this sad news.  This has to be better than turning to Oreos . . . right?  Just click on the link below!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqTyBBit7NI

Supply Chain

What does it take to get at bottle of shampoo on a shelf?  It is much more complex then it may appear at first glance.  I've asked this question, to multiple people, and the most common answer is this: "A stocking clerk puts it there."  The answer is correct but surprisingly shallow.  Or maybe I'm abnormally conceited to hope for more.  Are most answers to most of our questions mostly just scratching the surface?  Do we ever stop to think beyond one layer of anything.  Thoughts should probe deeper then the surface . . . and when they do our understanding of life may be more full.

There is a negative perception of probing too deep.  In a church atmosphere, people avoid deep doctrine.  In business we sometimes call it over-analyzing.  Either way - probing deep is often frowned upon.  I agree with some of the reasons why that is.  For instance, in gospel related ideas, deep doctrine about topics that don't pertain to salvation can be dangerous and a waste of time.  However, who doesn't want to understand the atonement more deeply?  Who doesn't want to understand faith at its core?  Understanding the depth of an issue can be extremely beneficial.

So back to the original question, how does that stinking shampoo bottle get on that shelf?  Even my answer is not as deep as it could be - but here is a high level view working backwards.  The first supply chain represents the path of the bottle that the shampoo goes in.  I could add a great deal of complexity with decoration, custom designs, etc. but I won't in order to keep it simple.  Second I will do the same thing for the ingredients in the bottle.

1. Shelf <-- Stock Warehouse <-- Transportation <-- Manufacturing Facility <-- Transportation <-- Bottle Supplier <-- Transportation <-- Bottle Manufacturer <-- Transportation <-- Resin Manufacturer <-- Transportation <-- Mining
2. Shelf <-- Stock Warehouse <-- Transportation <-- Manufacturing Facility <-- Transportation <-- Raw Materials Manufacturers <-- Transportation <--  Mining or Agriculture

Maybe just geeks like me find it interesting that everything starts at mining or agriculture.  If proper steps are taken then a bottle of shampoo can make it to the shelves.  But, man, does it go through a process.  If someone doesn't know the process intimately or follow it carefully, chances of successfully getting a product on the shelf is slim.  As a matter of fact, I have personally seen many people fail in their efforts to get their dream product on the shelf because they don't do one of these steps correctly or spend too much time or money on one single step.  It makes or breaks their product.

What is interesting is that this is the most simplistic model I could make.  It doesn't include any marketing, sales, accounting, etc.  Imagine throwing in those complex components to give the chain that many more opportunities for things to go wrong.  It really is a difficult thing to get a product to market!

And yet dreamers make it happen.  So many people are able to navigate through this supply chain and achieve what was originally a mere concept that had no tangibility to it whatsoever.  What an incredible thing to be able to take something that does not exist - and turn it into a reality.  What a great example of faith!  To hope for something that you can't physically see yet - and then to turn it into a tangible good!  How exciting.

Well - I am a dreamer . . . sometimes.  I have a few ideas that I want to turn into reality.  You see - I am a child of God, a husband and a father.  I have 8 distinct images that I would like to "produce" - an image of myself, my marriage, and each one of my 6 children.  I have a vision of what I want to become or what I want them to become.  I have a vision of what I want my marriage to be.  Each of these visions require similar ingredients.  I want my children to have character and Christ-Like attributes.  I, personally, want to have character and Christ-Like attributes.  I want my marriage to be based on the bedrock of character and Christ-Like attributes.  To achieve these dreams - is there a supply chain that can make it happen?  Can we become a spiritual product?

It is merely an analogy - as I believe humans are not products to be made.  But if I have a dream or a vision of what I want to become, is there a series of steps that will ultimately allow those dreams to become a reality?  I thinks so.  What is the spiritual supply chain?  Here is my attempt to create an equally simplistic model as listed above.  This supply chain ends with a Christ-Like individual - which means that all of the attributes, or "ingredients", will have their own chain.  Integrity, Justice, Mercy, Love, the ability to be Consistent in righteousness, No Respecter of Persons, all have a chain that look very similar to one another.  When all the chains have been followed to their end - we have an individual with great character and godly attributes.  Here it is:

• Christ-Like Individual <-- Christ-Like Attribute Desired <-- Habits <-- Choices/Actions <--Priorities <-- Desires

Just as almost any product in the world today starts with Mining or Agriculture - so does any spiritual outcome begin with desire.  A case could be made that a bottle of shampoo starts with a desire too.  No one goes out and starts mining without a desire to do so.  No one grows crops without that same desire.  Desire shapes everything we do and everything we are.  If we desire the things of the world - surely we will get them - or, at the very least, we will spend our time trying to obtain them.  If we desire godly things - we will find ourselves spending our time and efforts in an attempt to obtain them. 

Why do some products fail and some succeed?  I think there are 2 reasons.  The first is easy to see and perhaps the easiest to fix.  I have seen people get so caught up in the supply chain that they lose track of their original dream or perhaps they find that their dream changes because of what others tell them is possible.  Sometimes they get caught up in one portion of the supply chain that they completely forget other parts of it.  In short - they get distracted with immediate problems and desires and therefor they sometimes lose focus on what they are really trying to accomplish.  Their ultimate desire gives way to the immediate ones.

The second thing is much more common.  Their dream, or their finished product just isn't good enough.  There are dreams that are doomed to fail from the beginning because they just aren't the right dream.  There are ideas that have little chance to succeed because the dream comes from an imperfect person who sometimes can't see clearly enough to know if it is a good idea or not.

The beauty of the gospel is that Christ's ideas and dreams never faileth.  We can hitch our dreams to an idea that can not fail.  We can have absolute assurance that becoming like Christ is not going turn out badly for us.  It is the only surefire bet amongst all the dreams and ideas of the world.  Our desires ultimately need to align with Heavenly Father's.  He won't send us on a wild goose chase.  If we can manage our way through the spiritual supply chain we will be a "winner" product.  We can't lose when we let him help us shape our dreams and desires.  That is pretty cool.

This may be a somewhat controversial train of thoughts - that we should not just chase any dream - but the right dreams. Our culture teaches that every dream is a good dream.  Let me first state that I don't think it is wrong to chase dreams that are not spiritual in nature. But I do think we need to be careful.  We may achieve our dream but at what cost?  I have watched a few movies here recently that would fall under the category of "feel good" movies.  They always start with some mammoth sized dream that seems impossible.  There is always some family member in the story who is made to be the bad guy because they don't think that this individual should risk their family, their fortune, and their good name in order to do chase a particular dream.

For a reference - I will mention the last 2 movies I saw like this.  Both involved horse racing.  One was a young girl who refused to give into her parents so she could chase a dream of racing her horse.  (Of course, she had no money to do this, so mooched it all from her parents by throwing tantrums and guilt trips at her parents - and some how she was the heroin of the story?).  The other was a mother who also put her family into financial jeopardy.  But she took it even one step further.  She left her family for months in order to achieve her dream of racing her horse.  What a great role model!!!

Dreams should be prayerfully considered and our priorities should be closely checked.  Our true desires manifest themselves in our priorities.  If our path to God and the sanctity of our families are negatively affected by a dream, perhaps we are chasing the wrong dream.  Even if we win fame, fortune, and personal fulfillment, have we paid too big a price?  If I could play in the NBA right now - should I?  I am not sure I am able to judge the proper dreams for others to chase,  as I know that God has different purposes for each individual.  But it does bother me that our popular culture teaches us that any dream we have, we should go after it.  American Idol is all about teaching people to chase their dreams of being a famous musician.  Sports shares the message that "you could be the next Michael Jordon".  These are ideas that are flawed from the outset.  They are wrong dreams to to hang our hat on.  They are not "winners" even if by some major bit of luck you achieve that dream.  They will not mold us into the final product that never faileth.  Meanwhile, most youth who chase those dreams will fail even in achieving that worldly honor that they seek. 

I shared my visions of my children earlier in this post, and I can tell you that none of my dreams involve celebrity or riches.  Those things scare the dickens out of me.  I want children of character.  I want children with courage.  I want children with testimony and conviction.

Chasing dreams is important.  But having the right dream is even more so.