matthewkappenman.net/blog

On this very day, 146 years ago, Kansas was granted statehood into this great union…hence Kansas Day. In honor of this historic day I give you a great quote from Ken Nelson, via Dave Slusher…both Kansas-Expatriates.

Enjoy the quote even if you have moved on from the great Kansa…it’ll make you glad that you spent your formative years in the good ol’ wheat state.

“I’d love to be back there again, to live out my remaining days amongst salt of the earth people, to be able to see the Chieves and Jayhawks without paying out the wazoo for some sports package. I’d love to be able to drive to my maternal side of the family for their annual October dinner. I’d love to live in a place that’s a real community, where people look out after each other without being overbearing buttinskis. I’d love to live in a place where Friday night high school football is the event of the week. I’d love to live in a place where wheat fields wave like the sea. Did you know there are more colors of green and gold in a wheat field than you ever imagined? I ‘d love to see a sunset that stretches for miles across the sky. I’d love to be there in pheasant season, and know some hunters who share their bounty (SWMBO and I have had some magnificent pheasant out of our smoke pit).

Man, I miss all that.”-Ken Nelson

There is definitely something to be said about living in this great-american-desert. Hope everyone had a great monday.

I don’t always agree with Hugh, but this is just brilliant.

“For a young person, probably the hardest psychological adjustment to make when entering the adult world is realizing that “Nobody cares about you”.

I remember it well. And I didn’t like it. Luckily it didn’t last too long.

After all, once you’re over the initial shock, you start to realize that actually, yes, universal indifference to your own “unique blip of insignificance” is actually quite liberating. It somehow frees you up internally to pursue what really matters, instead of worrying about the endlessly tiresome, complicated and time-consuming drama of the Group Hug Brigade. Life’s too short.

Every young adult has to make this adjustment, unless they want to spend the rest of their lives drowning in a foggy sea of neurosis. And you know what happens when you talk to someone who’s old enough to know better, yet still has serious issues with it. You roll your eyeballs and tell them to grow up.

So, during the Edelman gig earlier today, I started thinking to myself, if this is something any healthy 22-year-old can deal with pretty easily, then how come so many large companies, with all those smart, talented people making the big money and the big decisions, find it so difficult?

“Hi, I’m a large company, and I’m going to blow $100 million telling you how great I am. I’m so great. I rock. That’s right. And you like me, too. You do. You like hanging onto my every word. Group Hug!”

Maybe this is why so many companies find the whole Web 2.0, post-Cluetrain world so painful. Growing up always is, he said, rolling his eyeballs.” -Hugh Macleod

:)

While we were cooped up last night due to around 5″ of snow I snapped a quick pic out the window. I love snow…and before any of you north people (you know who you are) start rubbing your abundance of snow in, remember, 5″ is a lot of snow for good ol’ Kansas.