Quattro Boosters

Quattro’s 90-Day Challenge, Day 86, 11/25/09

Happy Thanksgiving

Well, tomorrow is Thanksgiving, so happy Turkey Day!  I’ll be spending it baking and cooking.  Then Friday it’s off to Loscon.  If your into science fiction and are in the Los Angeles area, check out the convention at www.loscon.org.  There will be authors, panels, a masquerade, ice cream social, art show and more.  In fact, that’s their theme, “But Wait, There’s More”.  And Kris and I will be running the “Now How Much Would You Bleed Blood Drive”.

Gobble, gobble,

Dennis Cherry

Quattro’s 90-day Challenge – Day 85 – Beadwork Day

Today was beadwork day, though it was more like organize a bit in the studio, look for steampunk parts for some projects and go through half-finished bags and see where I have improved, are they useable to finish and put up in the art show, etc. Most of them aren’t since my skills have improved in adding fringe to the bottom edge of the bags. I will be tearing them down and resuing the beads in new projects. That’s a good thing in that it gets the clutter out of my studio and helps me see how far I have come in skill since I started creating amulet bags. Tomorrow I switch back to computer work, though with the loss of two days to the holidays this week, I may finish up quickly and be able to get back in the bead studio (hopefully).

Quattro’s 90-Day Challenge, Day 85, 11/24/09

Thinking Systems

Tonight I listened to last night’s Quattro For Life call, it was about Thinking Systems.  This was different from other such calls on the topic and rather deep.  I’m probably too tired from work to really appreciate it.  I’ll have to listen to it again later.

Briefly, the instructor, Deborah Peters said that there are eight levels of thinking systems.  They range from the first, which is survival mode, to the eighth, which is a more global, “how does what I’m thinking and doing affect the world” mode.  She says that we bounce back and forth between the different levels and we deal with different subjects through our day and our life.  It is also important to understand what level other people are operating on to better understand them.

Corporations can also have thinking systems – what is important to the company and how they go about achieving it. 

Right now, I want to be in a non-thinking system.  I’m going to bed.

Sleeping in class,

Dennis Cherry

Quattro’s 90-day Challenge – Day 84 – So What is all This New Moon Hype, Anyway?

Ah…it reminds me of my Star Wars days way back in 1977. I didn’t see what all the hooplah was. The first time I saw Star Wars was in a drive-in theater. Bad place to see it. The space scenes got completely washed out on the screen and the sound quality was terrible. Yet, I still kept hearing amazing things about it, so I gave it another chance in a theater. Then I saw why it was such a milestone destined to be the “Doctor Who” of American pop-culture.

One of my girlfriends has already seen New Moon and said it was better than Twilight by far. In tonight’s YouTube video she explains why it is so appealing to such a wide range audience. I think the thing that amazes me is how even grandmothers and moms of teens are flocking to see it. My friend Kristen said Twilight had a heavily female demographic in the audience at showings, but New Moon is drawing a 50/50 crowd of both men and women. Very interesting…I guess the guys like to see wolf transformations and fights, too, unless they are being dragged to see this newest installment by their girlfriends. That’s what happened to our best friend Chris when Kristen went.

I’ve made a date with Kristen to see it the day after the 90-day challenge ends. I’m sure it will still be around in 7 days. Can’t wait!

Quattro’s 90-Day Challenge, Day 84, 11/23/09

I’m late, I’m late, for a Very Important Date

Today was a long day at work.  In my day job at Natren we ship almost everything 2-day.  And because of the holiday, today was the only day we can do regular shipping.  So we went long and I didn’t get home in time for the Quattro For Life call.  I hate when that happens.

Tomorrow I’ll listen to it and let you know what it’s about.  In the meantime, I’m helping Kris with her homework.

Catching up,

Dennis Cherry

Quattro’s 90-day Challenge – Day 83 – My Vision Board is Done!

With the emotional stress of things last week, I fell behind in some personal growth assignments. Today I finished up my Vision Board. This board is a little different than typical boards…it has a timeline of my present and future, with representations of the tools to how I am going to get to my future dreams. These tools are placed in the middle of the board, a logical place for them since they symbolize how the change is going to happen.

Vision boards can be powerful tools for transformation when constructed in a way that the subconscious understands. The subconscious mind carries out the will of the conscious mind, so the board must speak to one’s emotions, not to one’s logic. Symbols are a powerful communicator because they are embedded in our neurology and genetic memories. They have the backing and power of deep meanings to all the generations that came before us. The pictures each person will use will vary according to the goals they want to accomplish, but generally, wealth is symbolized by money, gold, and to some, fast cars, expensive jewelry and large homes. Love can be conveyed by hearts, couples, romantic scenery, etc. Use what gets an emotional reaction out of you – that is the important thing to remember.

Once done, be sure to spend time meditating/comtemplating the board. When you get up in the morning and when you go to bed at night are perfect times. Beginning and ending the day with your goals in mind will cement them in your mind and keep you focused on the prize.

Quattro’s 90-Day Challenge, Day 83, 11/22/09

Channeling Billy

The Loscon blood drive is now only six days away!  Yesterday I was getting the raffle tickets and buttons ready, today I’m getting me ready.  As I said, the theme of the blood drive is “Now How Much Would You Bleed?”  And in keeping with that, I’m cosplaying (going in costume as) pitchman Billy Mays.

Among her many talents, my sister Darc, is a makeup artist.  Today she helped me trim my beard and taught me how to temporarily dye it and my hair jet black – just like Billy Mays.  Have you ever really looked at Billy Mays?  It’s kind of scary how even his eyebrows are jet black, but that’s the look I’m going for.  Actually, it works in my favor.  His look and gestures are so recognizable that people should get my costume instantly, especially when I start saying things like, “But that’s not all!” real loud. 

In past conventions I’ve cosplayed other characters like my own Star Trek character, a Monty Python Gumby and Father Dugal from “Father Ted”, but this is the first time I’ve cosplayed a real person.  Unfortunately, Billy Mays died earlier this year, so my portrayal of him is sort of a tribute.  It’s not how I originally intended it, but that’s the way it worked out.

For a limited time only,

Dennis Cherry

Quattro University’s 90-day Challenge – Day 82

This afternoon and evening I am retooling my daily schedule in accord with our further advancement in Sensei Ron’s class. Implementing intentions, goals, strategies and tactics gives me more of a fighting chance to realize my dreams. The subtle difference between intentions and goals will make all the difference.

Quattro’s 90-Day Challenge, Day 82, 11/21/09

Dreaming Big

Today Kris was working on her homework for Sensei Ron’s Black Belt in Excellence course.  Her homework was to think and dream big.  To test drive her dream car and see million dollar dream homes and notice the feelings they brought up.

She looked up open houses for million plus homes and found with “open houses”, she still needed an appointment.  We were, however, able to walk through some condos in the Westlake Village that are on the lake alongside million dollar homes.  The condos were nice and had a great view. 

Personally, I like where we live.  I could live here the rest of my life, just fix things up a bit.  My dream would be to remodel my home by moving one wall which would get rid of the dinning room – that we never use – and enlarge the kitchen.  This would give us a small kitchen storage room, a kitchen island and space for a bigger kitchen table which would be used as a dinning room.

Kris does like the Westlake Village area, and it is a really nice area.  So I if she really does want to move there one day, I won’t be opposed to it – as long as it has a nice kitchen.

Dreaming of Kitchen Stadium,

Dennis Cherry

Quattro University’s 90-day Challenge – Day 81

Today was a fierce, emotional wringer that surpassed the many I have had so far in this 12-week course.  Couple that with the fact that the material this week in our homework has me thoroughly confused, and it doesn’t make for a very happy day.