The Little Words Mean the Most

Anthony Weiner ... let's all cash in ....

Another thing that looks like his self-portrait, shape-wise. The curve? Ooooh, DISGUSTED: "I want to read these books soon." My TRULY significant other thought these titles would intrigue me:

I am eating strawberries, a "superfruit" ...

... in my rum cola. Photo: pure donorcentricity....

Beneath that angry exterior...

...was a very nice guy. [Novel in 30-ish words.] "You, sir, hate him, though." Because you do not believe he is real. And yet he is!!! Embrace your true future....

Zombies vs. the Taliban

Feel free to fill in the blanks.

Things that look like ex-Congressman Anthony Weiner's self-portrait

Noah's Ark: UFO edition

Jonathan now has bee hives AND alpacas. Evidence of extraterrestrial activity. Merlin is clearly Lord of the Other Universe. Forrest is Lord of the Comfort Zone. What we saw (that's Simone on the ride home, under the influence of Outerspace Noah's Ark Dust [ONAD]; look at how much road she's swallowing like taffy):

Picture this

Last night we shared Bill Maher. We shared a movie. Now I'm pruning. It's dusk, it's raining. I'm cutting a tunnel through a very luxuriant tree. And Simone is yelling from our bedroom window (is screaming a synonym for yelling?), That's my favorite tree! Don't cut that tree! If you want to trim something, do the popcorn tree! The rain is picking up.

My brother-in-law, Larry...

...is the best teacher ever created in Norfolk County Massachusetts this year. He won. A $1,500 cash award recognizing 30 years in the classroom, turning hormone-poisoned early adolescents into relatively well-informed young adults; while leading the union at his school (look up "thankless job" in the dictionary; synonym: "union president") for more than a decade. I attended and felt lightning bolts of pride shooting through me. L-r: Larry's wife, Nicole, raises her arms for inspection; the pretty amazing chandeliers (long event, but well produced); OMG! Larry won, against the long odds; final frame: Larry's handsome son, David, on the right, with brother-in-law, Other Tom, on the left. GREAT NIGHT!!!

I've been working with the Boy Scouts of America

A day in San Diego. A day in Annapolis. And they have a very useful convention in Boy Scouts: when you hold up three fingers, people stop talking and begin to listen. Mark Moshier, CFRE, Council fund Development Team Leader, will demonstrate. With the name of my presentation projected across him. Click on photo to enlarge.

Gardening: I'm as bad as my attendees

Fundraisers attend my workshops. Hordes of fundraisers: I made 35 presentations last year alone, from Amsterdam to New Zealand to Toronto to Baltimore to Tucson to Australia. And I'm trying to teach everybody the same one thing: You cannot guess at this! Education matters! Before you send out your donor communications, you must....

But, in the garden, I do NOT take my own medicine.

Maybe 1 out of my 20 gardening ideas succeeds (i.e., I accept an 95% failure rate). BECAUSE??? Because I do not read any books. I am an amateur. And I am happy in amateur land. It doesn't matter if I succeed or fail. This is no more than a hobby for me. I have ADHD. I'm old. Have pity.

Lesson learned? Does your organization want fast progress? Don't follow my VERY BAD gardening practices. Hire young. Train the young. Fire the old who don't agree.

Message cryptic? On purpose. Somebody in your organization has got to LOVE marketing before you can SUCCESSFULLY market.