Skip to main content

Goodby Summer | 2022

In this episode (173) – Goodby Summer 2022 . . .

Wow! Can you believe summer is over? This year (2022) has flown by. It's early morning, and already I'm noticing the sunrise arriving later and later. Siri tells me, "The Sun will rise at 6:43 a.m." The shorter days bring cooler weather. Soon we will don our jackets for an early morning walk. Me, I enjoy the warmth and comfort of my blue flannel shirt.

For you sky watchers, the Hunters Moon is your gateway to fall; it will be visible on Sunday, October 9, 2022, at 16:55 EST, based on the data provided by NASA.

Legend has it that Native Americans inspired the Full Moon's name as they prepared for the winter. They would start gathering provisions to get them through the winter. The October full moon is the first full moon after the Harvest Moon. According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, the moon occurs when the season for hunting many game animals begins. That crisp, fresh, colorful time of year.

Autumn is a time to gather, to prepare for early darkness, a time to plan for the holidays, a time to re-examine your opportunities, and a time to give thanks. It is after Labor Day, and the California beaches are quiet once again, with the local surfers feeling the chill of the Pacific. This past Sunday, the crowds disappeared while we cruised the coast on our bicycles along the Oceanside boardwalk. You could smell the salt of the Ocean as the waves crashed among the large boulders that guard the roadway.

For Lori and I, it's a time to celebrate. This year we will celebrate our 34th wedding anniversary at one of our favorite spots on earth, Yosemite National Park.

We are fortunate in California; our temperate climate allows us to participate in many outdoor activities. So, get outside and take advantage of the cool, crisp fresh air, the morning glow, golden sunsets, and the glorious colors of the changing trees.

Goodbye to summer.

I'm Patrick Ball; thanks for listening. I'll see you in the next episode.

Comments

Most Popular of All Time

Epictetus, Ego, and Acronyms

In this episode, Destroy Communication, One Three-Letter Acronym at a Time This week, I want to explore a deeply relatable, universally feared workplace character: the "know-it-all." Now, I’m not pointing fingers here. If we are being completely honest, we have all played this role. We've all uttered some version of, "Yes, absolutely, that aligns with our strategic objectives," while our internal monologue is screaming, "I don't even know what the objective is, let alone the strategy." What got me thinking about this was a chapter in Ryan Holiday's book, Wisdom Takes Work . Holiday leans on a powerful piece of Stoic truth from the ancient philosopher Epictetus: "It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows." It's a brilliant quote that strikes right at the heart of the human ego. You can't learn what you already know, and you certainly can't learn what you pretend to know to save face. Though to be ...

The Yellow Legal Pad

In this episode, the Art of Refiring July 1st is staring me in the face, less than two weeks away. For years, retirement seemed like something that happened to other people. Suddenly, it's on my calendar. I've been thinking a lot about the dreaded "R-word" lately. Not because I'm worried about having enough to do. Quite the opposite. What fascinates me is this strange paradox: Why does retirement make so many of us nervous, while having a job—even one that regularly drives us crazy—somehow feels comforting? Let's be honest. Most of us spend years complaining about meetings that should have been emails, reply-all disasters, impossible deadlines, and that one coworker who insists on microwaving leftover fish in the breakroom. Yet when the idea of walking away finally arrives, we hesitate. I think I've figured out why. A career isn't just a job. It's a highly structured coping mechanism. For forty-plus years, somebody else has basically decided what I...

The Big Rip and the First Tee

The telescope (Celestron) sits quietly under its cover, temporarily blinded by Southern California's annual meteorological hostage situation – June Gloom. Somewhere above that thick gray ceiling, photons that began their journey before humans appeared are streaming across the cosmos, only to be intercepted by a marine layer that seems to have veto power over astronomy. Instead of observing the universe, I find myself imagining – The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking) by physicist Katie Mack. According to modern cosmology, the universe may eventually end in a Big Rip, a Big Crunch, Heat Death, Vacuum Decay, or some other catastrophe that sounds suspiciously like a rejected heavy-metal album title. Astrophysicists spend their careers calmly discussing the possibility that reality itself could suddenly cease to exist because a quantum field had a bad day. It's a remarkable way to start a Saturday morning. One moment you're contemplating the ultimate fate of spacetime...

The Places You'll Go . . .

Well, the time has arrived. Yes, July's drawing near, And somehow I've managed to last seven years! I've analyzed forecasts and studied the trends, While spreadsheets multiplied without seeming to end. We've planned for the sunshine, the storms, and the load, while Mother Nature kept changing the code. But through all the numbers, the forecasts, and charts, the best part of Cenergy's always been hearts. The people beside me, year after year, Made even the toughest challenges clear. To the bright, talented folks reading this today, The future is yours now—you're well on your way. And unlike my era, here's the key: You’ll work with AI just as smooth as can be. The reports that took hours may take only minutes. The models you build with intelligence in it. The data will flow faster than ever before, While AI handles tasks that are mostly a bore! But here's my advice as I head out the door: Technology changes, but people matter more. AI can predict, calcula...