Monthly Archives: January 2011

Pissed At Packets

Robert Irvine

It’s Friday!  We’ve made it to the end of yet another snowy week so let’s turn to food.  One of the sillier (in my opinion) shows on The Food Network is Dinner Impossible.  It’s a race against the clock to shop for, cook, and serve a dinner under “impossible” time or other constraints.  If it’s so impossible, how come they do it every episode?!?!?

In any event, this week I stumbled upon it (something else must have been in commercial) just as they were shopping.  Part of the silliness is the inclusion of inexperienced or amateur cooks to help.  One ingredient the chef desired was grits and they only had the instant kind at the market.  The chef had sent an amateur to do the shopping, who called him to approve their purchase (which he did) and they moved on to cooking.  That’s when we got the business reminder! Continue reading

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Warning Shots

A Coast Guard painting depicts a warning shot ...

According to Wikipedia, the term “warning shot (in nautical terms, often called a shot across the bow) is a harmless artillery shot or gunshot intended to call attention and demand some action.”  We get them in business too but you’d be surprised how often people aren’t paying attention.  What’s less surprising is how often the warning shot is followed by the real thing – something that sinks your business boat.  In fact, the echoes of some recent shots can still be heard – real fusillade to follow.  Let me give you a few examples: Continue reading

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Kodachrome

NEW YORK - JUNE 22:  A saleswoman holds a box ...

I’ve got the Paul Simon song “Kodachrome” floating around my head this morning. I’m not exactly sure why although I’ve had a fondness for it since it was released. It starts with the line “When I think back on all the crap I learned in high school, it’s a wonder I can think at all” and I was a senior in high school at that time so there was a natural affinity I guess.
The song got me thinking about Kodachrome itself, which was the film of choice for serious photographers for many years. Of course, it’s gone now – Kodak stopped making it in 2009 – but the lesson it teaches goes on. Continue reading

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