This webpages serves as my journal for the Widener Leadership Certificate Program course project concerning leadership habits. Thank you Dr. Schwartz for investing such an interest; I am humbled and inspired. #LeadershipWorks

day 1) 9/24/15
I came right home and barely even took my bag off my shoulder to walk up to the project which lay before me at the door. My wife has ripped up all the carpet off from atop what was beautiful wood steps underneath. 6pm I worked until about 9pm on this, fortunately I could hear the TV and interact w/ the living room in voice as I toiled. Exhausted by 9, I stopped at a a natural benchmark and played soccer in the house with Aaralyn which she won of course. I was comforted that she wanted to play w/ her shopkins along the stairs railing to be with me near me in the moment as I worked. I put them to bed at 12:15 and I went to try to do some schoolwork but simply blacked out overwhelmed from being up since 7 at the gym. At least I am grateful Heather cooked tonight I snuck in eating right after putting them down and me trying to do schoolwork. I suppose I was over zealous not thinking about work whatsoever because I never gave my wife some paperwork I needed to share. I intend to give that to her this weekend.

day 2)
Work was great today; I had a little issue raised to me which I solved swiftly and the rest of the day I worked on goals and researching new programming platform frameworks. I got so busy I couldnt stop to break away to get lunch, I had too much to accomplish before 5p. I have a long drive home so I hope to focus on how to use this time to forget work in a complete thought; I hope to discover how to find a way to pick thoughts of work right back up. I must train my mind how to habitually turn off work and turn it right back where I left it 12 hours earlier. Im thinking perhaps a car posty note left to myself akin to Momento tattos http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0209144/?ref_=fn_al_tt_4 Lenard left for him self before he would black out.
So I get home and my wife tells me that there is flood outside our font porch ?!? I had to dig as deep feverishly as i could before I lost all light; it would appear that I have a very slow leak from the inbound waterline to my house. I will have to call water works in the morning to come cut of water at the street demarcation so I have the light of all the day to figure out how to fix this. I just came in 8p gave up for the night but atleast most of the hard labor is out of the way and I now must meditate; to use the numbness of being fatigued as a vehicle to find zen and just ‘be’ in the moment w/ Aaralyn when she gets home.

day 3 & 4 )
Most these days were filled with house chores, trim back woods of back fence, work on the water leak (which still leaks a little) but the highlight was a splendid excursion to TGIF where we paid the price for it but it was well worth it. We had a good waitress and that made a difference too. I enjoyed everyone and I hope and think they enjoyed my company. I tried to be cordial and even stoke brevity when I could muster some small sacrifice of intellectual sarcasm to the gods of comedy. It made all the food and company so much more savor-able. Though when water works management turned the water back on and I watched the water pressure just burst right through all the mend-work I worked on, I was comforted knowing at least the rest of the day was super. “Leading” on I went right into ok how do I fix it now, so I figure a complete compression coupler replacement now is required. We waited up for the moon’s eclipse and watched it and took in luna’s wonder and then I put the girls to rest. I slept thru the night every other hour knocking out laundry and folding while we had water, which the city guy was nice enough to leave on overnight because at least I had made it a slow manageable leak not like before. Guess well see what tomorrow holds.

day 5 MONDAY Sept28)
First thing monday morning, an issue. A bug from older code surfaced finally because we took an older server offline where in 2009 I had tied images too for email reminders. If I had remembered about that legacy relic of a code-line, I could had avoided much not embarrassment really but just hassle. At least I can show I did make an effort back in june when we took the server offline, I just forgot/missed one place. better now pressing forward onward; no time to dwell, just bask in comforts facing next problems that the last one was satisfied in remedy.
The investment I made in patching the existing compression coupler did not work. as soon as water pressure was applied it burst right through hours of the apoxy curing so I went and replaced the coupler and called for the police to call back out water works to turn on the water again monday night. At 7pm dispatch said they would get a hold of them. I gave attention to family during this time best I could attending to house chores and dinner. By 9 I called again and was told by police he will not contact the water company I need to wait until 8am. I explained my family was without water and they have come by before all I need them to do is come and turn the water on and see if it holds this time w/ the complete replacement. The Officer asserted he will not make any communication and instructed me to wait; since I had no inclination to argue w/ the law I called the water department and left voicemail with my disappointment of this new protocol. I went to be anxious for the next morning. Trying to be a leader thinking how to “lead” in this situation; in dream role playing it came to me.

day 6 Sept29)At 6am I drove to water works and waited for the guys to arrive. One was already there. it was the gentleman I worked with 14 months ago on the originating burst who gave me the first compression coupler I had to replace. I explained the situation and the officers refusal to help service my request the evening before; water works was angered by the misappropriation of power and told me they all thought he should had called them to come by. “Thats why we are 24/7” the water works guys asserted. I was comforted to hear this welcome news to debate if there ever need be another service paging debacle. Any ways all this before the family even woke, I escorted the water works to my home, we turned on the water and now the NEW coupler did not work either. The serviceman recommended me to speak to TeamACE.com who I directly drove to had a consult they gave me a third set of materials to remedy. I drove back jumped back in the 6 foot hole the sun rose now so I had sufficient light to work. I installed the materials and called the water dept to come out one more time. IT finally worked and held pressure with zero leak.

I drove to work already feeling accomplished and productive which transcended through the rest of my collaborative day. I believe that momentum propelled me to inspire those around me all day. I am fulfilled.

The wife got sick to I had to help care extra for her and feed the baby which Im glad shes inspired to eat dinner. 🙂 we read and played a little and she had a great long phone call with my parents in Ohio. rewarding dialogue I am comforted. this helped reinforce the habit of forcing myself to stop and participate in family oriented engagements. Not just chores, not erands, not schoolwork (which crap I just realized Im terribly behind this week now with all this) and no determent just organic family enrichment.

day 7 Sept30) I finally had a more common day to leave for work and had a super more regular day from which, I had some tasks the wife laid out for me to do right after work and bring home. I completed them and arrived home sooner than I ever normally make it. HAlf a strnd of haloween bulbs were already out on our decorations I put up Sunday night?!? I replaced it and felt a sense of accomplishment ; this seed germinated into hard labor quickly. I came home so early as I said that and the baby was still at dance class so I went right to work at filling in the 6 foot ditch. I dug and dug all the fill dirt from the effort of the days before. As I toiled to a messy solution of sweat, mud and rain, I found solace in knowing I was filling the hole that I had made a solution and patched my own plumbing problem others would have spent hundreds if not thousands on and I did it for $30 (sans my own labor)! I had learned even more about plumbing and city politics of how to get the system to work for you in a dire time of need. I got the ditch filled in just as the girls pulled in the garage! This I cannot ignore must be a sort of karma that WHEN YOU DO NOT DELAY AND PUT YOUR ALL IN SOMETHING OTHER THINGS FLOW RIGHT WITH IT UNTIL YOU AGAIN HESITATE THE NEXT TIME… I think there may be some Janist or ZarZen transcendental element of enlightenment there in leadership energy of which morals and ethics cannot account for logic of reason. 🙂 Anyhow needless to say I was so glad to go use the restroom and grateful I could flush and do the dishes as it thundered outside, I knew the girls were safe, dry , eating dinner and comfortable w/ household amenities.

day 8 WED Oct 1) As an effort in enriching the family household elan of my relationships, at 6:30 I drove to dunkin donuts and delivered to the water department guys a douzen w/ thanks for all the comradery from the day before. This spirit of giving a token of gratitude really did melt me and made for a great start the rest of today. I look forward to peer leadership workshop at noon as well as every other challenge I face.

I had great collaboration in workshop w/ Emily Wright our presenter and peers Alex and Michelle both student leaders in their own rite. It is rewarding to see such inspiration all in one room so pregnant with aspirations, purpose and positivism. I am comforted to know from time to time I can loosely orbit this energy for a gravitational momentum swing for my own leadership confidence. Now that all I expect should settle tonight, at home I intend to make it a night of enriched family dialogue once I get home from law school in Delaware.

day 9 THU Oct 2) So today has been non stop, I leave before the girls or the sun get up for the day and I leave after the sun goes down just long enough to see the girls before putting them to bed. I must take an exam now its the only thing keeping me away between me from them. At least I tookk tomorrow off to spend with them a dedicated day, I hope it offsets.

day 10 FRI Oct3)

This was a wonderful day! I took off of work to be Daddy exclusively today!
We went to my baby’s field trip to the Philadelphia Academy of Performing Arts and I worked w/ her in study of still life and speak together on cultures and expressions of art throughout the museums. Although it was a rainy stormy day, we found a great way to cultivate and strengthen our bond.

day 11 SAT Oct4)
We started a planetarium together and it has been so fun for her to experience planting seeds and such. It makes for a great thing we can check on everyday.

day 12 SUN Oct5) I did alot of house chores all morning… in fact I was outside most of this day… Home schooling into the night…mom challenged Aaralyn and Daddy to sit together and think about a game they could make like a board game for Shopkins. We had to think of a theme, talk about the design or flow of the game, the rules and how to play the game.

day 13 MON Oct6) So i cleaned up the sketch so she could further realize the game we designed… so her creativity could be enriched by the experience of production… it is hard to find ways to nurture the understanding of what you concieve to “know” what it will or can become” so I made this for her.. now she is mesmerized by it she said “What!?! that is crazy!” BIG EYES AND SMILE and gameplay was smoother and she even realized elements we can continue to improve… all the while I was so excited for her I completely did not think about work… I call this “parental zen”!

day 14 TUE Oct7) unexpectedly (though highly hopeful) we learned today Aaralyn’s short film will be submitted to SXSW and Sundance and many other film festivals ! I cant wait to publish it after its release.

day 15 WED Oct8)

day 16 THU Oct9)

day 17 FRI Oct10)
Today we went to the zoo and discussed doing sleep over BOO at the zoo in a week!

day 18 SAT Oct11) I dropped the gurls off at the zoo for a big birthday bash and then ventured to Fairmount Park and practiced walking meditation along the edge of the Schuylkill river. Four hours of meditation and solace went by as I people watched and enjoyed the wonderful weather along the water. I then went to the zoo to meet up and just made my presence be known in exhumed confidence as if I belonged there and the window gave me a band and I just went into the zoo and spent the rest of the afternoon w/ just the gurls experiencing the animals. I relish these long lazy days I put so much off for but love the dichotomy of them in offset to being so overwhelmed otherwise w/ data intake/exhaust …

day 19 SUN Oct12)Another day filled w/ pink birthday party and neon glow-in-the-dark Pump-it-up pizza party memories; all was a blur but we were together and she had good exercise and social stimulation w/ peers.

day 20 MON Oct13)
Tonight I must be in bed by 10p because I must work on servers at 5am before anyone needs them. But though we had short time together we went around the house writing words of things on paper and then taping them to the objects, reinforcing the days writing and reading comprehension academics. Making anything the most fun we can helps enrich what little time we have together. “Leading” her to have fun no matter what she is doing I think is helping to cultivate her non-cognitive empowerment to last her lifetime and such sentiment of satisfaction is nourishment to my own.

day 21 TUE Oct14) The girls come home from mahattan late tonight , thru rush hour traffic on the turnpike. so in effort to spark energies after thier long trip perhaps Ill trick something out at home to spark their spirits; and have a “spooky” family movie night to end.