In the studio with Nicole Kelly

In the late 1990's, I was in the radio studio with Nicole Kelly early one evening. She had one of the very few true call-in rock music radio shows.  Most DJ's then (and even more so now) worked from a rigid play list put together by the music director for the station.  She had her regular fans who would call in requests every night or two.  Lots of others called more randomly.

The night I was in the studio, she was nursing a really bad cold and looked terrible all the time and sounded terrible except when she was on the air.  Then she would rise to the occasion, click the mike on and you would never know she was not feeling well.

I commented on her on-air persona and she replied:  "It is just a facade Dad.  They expect me to be well and happy.  It's who I am."

My oldest daughter, Laura, spent part of her life while in college as Nicole Kelly, a popular disk jockey on two different local radio stations.  

Shirlee was our Office Manager for 16 years.  She used to tell people to "answer the phone with a smile on your face.  They can tell on the other end."

I once knew a salesman for a major agricultural chemical distributor who always wore a tie.  (this was in the 1980's, when ties were often worn by all office workers, but not by people in Dick's position).  He explained that the company owner required all salesmen  to wear ties, because it "showed respect for the customer". 

Others can and do judge us by how we sound, look, and act.  Part of their judgement of our organization is from their judgement of us. 

LIke a sailor, you have to make adjustments.

I have often said that managers need to be like sailors to succeed. Set a general course for a destination, but be ready to make constant small adjustments because the wind is seldom ever constant in speed or direction.  The concept is simple.  The real skill is in execution --- reading the "wind" and making just the right adjustments. And, depending on the wind direction and your desired travel direction, you may have to make major adjustments or risk not attaining your goal.  The same is true in management and life in general.






This is known as a "By the Wind Sailor" jellyfish.  It is NOT a true jellyfish and is not a "baby man-o-war" jellyfish, as some writers claim.  They are in fact a hydroid colony and generally considered harmless to humans, though some irritation may occur for some people.  They are often purple or blue in color, like the Man-O-War -- which is considered to be one of the most dangerous "jellyfish" though it is not a true jelly.  The sailor has the clear sail as shown below, which rides above the water to catch the wind and move the colony around.  I have seen both Sailors and Man-O-Wars, though not frequently, on Cocoa Beach. The sailor is seldom more than three inches long. The tiny "blue button" is a relative of both.


Learn more about by-the-wind-saliors and jellyfish here.

Learn more about the basics of sailing here

The Indiana Dunes

The Indiana Dunes are at the south end of Lake Michigan, east around the lake from Chicago.

learn about the Indiana Dunes here

SPECIAL    DOUBLE POST DAY   At the end of this, go on to next post about pollution at the Dunes.

Dunes are formed in a way similar to snowdrifts, when the wind picks up a grain of sand it is carried along until something causes the wind velocity to drop.  Starting at the end of the last glacier in the area, (approximately 11,000 years ago) wind has created the dunes at the south and southeast edge of Lake Michigan.

The Indiana Dunes National Park covers about 15,000 acres of lake shore and inland a ways.  Included are the lake shore, meadows, swampy/boggy land and woods.  You can take the South Shore Line electric train to the Dunes from Chicago. 

The only named dune that I am aware of is Mount Baldy, so named because it is an active dune with no vegetation covering it.  It is moving approximately four feet per year as the wind coming off the lake picks up the sand from the face of the dune, carries it up and over the top and then drops it on the back side.  Mt. Baldy is just west of Michigan City, Indiana and has height of about 126 feet above the lake.




Mount Baldy is above and Central Beach is below. 
 


Approximately one mile west of Mt Baldy is "Central Beach" which has some sizable dunes of it's own.  Part of our family spent a couple of hours there last Sunday.  Five of our grandchildren (and their mothers) climbed to the top of the largest dune at Central Beach, probably about 125 high.

Heading down to the lake

Looking east toward Michigan.   The water here was very clear, but see my next post about pollution nearby.   (Click on "older posts" below.)

West toward Chicago.  Some of the group are on the dune.

 Nearing the top.  The trio at the bottom is not part of our group.

 At the summit!