Musings about 
Life, the Universe, and Everything * 
from Linda / LUE-42 Enterprises 

Issue #63; May 2016
Coming in MAY
MAY is
Get Caught Reading Month!

6 No Pants Day
9 Lost Sock Memorial Day
14 Fair Trade Day
16 Sea Monkey Day
24 Tiara Day
25 Tap Dance Day
25 Towel Day (HH2G)
29 Intern'l Day of UN Peace Keepers (UN)
31 World No-Tobacco Day (WHO)
31 Web Designer Day

Shout Out!
 
A big thanks to some who made my life better in April

APPI Council
ASET Council
Ellen Chorley
Brian Edwards
Neil Fleming
Dianne Johnstone
Janna Jorgensen
Laura Kennett
Bev Mahood
Claudette Pelletier-Hannah
Paul Rechner
Trevor Rueger
Vern Thiessen
Ethel Thorne
Rita & Joe Wood
Erica & Liz, BeWellWebDesigns

"Sticks in a bundle are unbreakable."
~Kenyan Proverb
 
Links/Websites   
 

Logical Fallacies
(Identify yours using this awesome poster!)
Click Here

13 Strange Canadian Laws You Didn't Knew Existed
(I knew a few)
Click Here

Turning Nouns to Verbs
(Interesting article on this annoying trend -- of which I am guilty)
Click Here

Formula for Effective Board Governance

(Interesting Infographic from BoardSource)
Click Here

Towel Day 2015 from the International Space Station
(And a reading from HH2G)
Click Here

Oxfam: Stop Donating 50 Shades...
(Shocking article from Wales about how many copies of that book get donated)
Click Here 

Lily "Throw and Shoot" Camera
(This this is amazing)
Click Here

LUE-42 Enterprises  (Mine) 
www.lue42.com  
Northern Sabbatical Productions (Mine) 
www.northernsabbatical.com 
Northern Thumbing

     Not sure what your plans are for the summer, but here are some tips for hitchhiking in Northern Canada.

1. Do it. There are no laws against it in the north.

2. Little traffic. You may not see anyone for hours, so stay warm and hydrated.

3. They'll stop. With so little traffic, northerners are more likely to stop.

4. Converse. Talk, listen, and learn about the north.

5. One direction. There aren't many places to go. So long as you stand on the correct side of the road, the driver is likely going where you are.

6. Fuel. Offer to pay for gas. It's not required but it's appreciated ($1.90/litre).

7. Get dropped in town. Never on the side of a road! There are no motels but plenty of wolves.

8. River crossings. Ferries depend on time of day, ice roads depend on time of year.

9. Safety. Wear a seat belt even if your driver doesn't.

10. Leaving Nunavut. There are no roads out, so you have to fly.

- Daniel Campbell, Up Here Magazine, Feb. 2016

Also, according to the Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams) always carry a towel! Click Here
Powerful People=Bad Decisions? 
Things that Contribute
to Happiness  
Heard in the Board Room

Reader Notes
 
Wish I'd said that...
 

Books by Moi   

 

Understanding Bylaws: A Guide for Directors of Not-For-Profit Organizations

ISBN 978-0-9866030-0-6

 

 Exceptional Board Members, Exception Boards 

ISBN 978-0-9866030-1-3

    

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Spread the Word!

Some May Flowers I Received
    

       
     April was a whirlwind month with many highlights. I feel lucky just looking back on it!
     It started with my friend's first art show. I was blown away, just as I am when all brave souls put themselves out there and share their creative talents. Three cheers for Claudette!
     I also attended the Alberta Playwrights' Network "Showdown" which included partial readings of about two dozen plays that won the Alberta Playwriting contest over the years. The event was inventive and fast paced, and it was awesome to be in the midst of so many playwrights. I don't know how that event can even be topped.
     I was also invited to Theatre Network's Spring Fling fundraiser. The company was great, the food was excellent, and some money was raised for a wonderful theatre company. They even had a poet with a 1950s typewriter who, for a donation, would write you a poem (on the spot!) on a topic of your choice. I gave him the subject: goat meat. He said that was a first, and then pounded out this gem:    

The other other dark meat
made tough and greasy
from generations of cliff climbing
and a scorn for shampoo
what here is rare and nuanced
a feast for the eyes ears and aught
there is another, a place,
where it is simply leftovers for lunch meat
one' man's trash
is another man's livelihood
-- c.m. matty

     We cast my new Fringe play "Trail and Error" and rehearsals have started. We're having fun already and I can't wait to see Ellen Chorley be a better Linda than I am. David Cheoros is directing and I am grateful he keeps saying yes to me. Thanks to Mountain Equipment Co-op who let us goof around with a sixty pound backpack for awhile.
     My play "Never Let the Crew See You Cry" was selected for Suncor's Stage One Festival of New Canadian Work through Lunchbox Theatre. It will receive a week of workshopping and dramaturgy in Calgary in June. This will put us in even better shape for our October/November tour. If you're in Alberta (or not too far) and are interested in a performance around Remembrance Day, let me know.
     It's the time of year for many AGMs and Board meetings, too, and I've been all over the place to attend them. I love (good!) AGMs and all the ways different associations mark the completion of a year. There is so much to be proud of in our sector.
     You'll notice that May 31 is web designer day. Here's my shout out to the very talented and intuitive women who make my websites so "me." Kim Tanasichuk for LUE42.com and Erica Brown and Liz Garratt for NorthernSabbatical.com
Huzzah, ladies!
     I attended the spring tea at the seniors residence where my mom used to live. I visited with her friends, and they miss her too. It was time well spent and the bake sale was so good that I didn't mind not winning any of the raffles.
     In the category of goofing off, I did a River Valley Segway Tour. I'd forgotten how beautiful Edmonton's river valley is (and I'd never seen the Chinese Garden before). If you're looking for a team building activity, consider this. It's fun (but boy did my calves hurt after!).



     I also had a holiday on Vancouver Island and spent some time with good friends and family. The down time was much appreciated.
     I was back to work within thirty minutes of landing in Edmonton and the pace continues for several weeks. My work will continue over the summer but perhaps some of the hard working volunteers on boards will get a bit of a break soon. Hey, a break for you means a break for me :) 
     But we all need to get through a couple of months first, so chin up and carry on. Have a wonderful May!                       
            
Soil that is dirty grows countless things,
Water that is too clear has no fish,
As a mature person you properly include and retain a measure of grime,
You can't just go along enjoying your own private purity and restraint.
-- Ts'ai Ken t"an

/lmwe  


The Answer   

 
Q: WHEN SHOULD YOU RESIGN FROM A BOARD?
  
A: COUNT TO TEN...      
 
     I've covered this topic before, but in the last month I found two new articles, plus I have a couple of friends who are spinning their wheels on boards and it doesn't seem very healthy.
     In the June 2014 Non-Profit Law Blog, Gene Takagi wrote "12 reasons WHY you should resign from a nonprofit board" (summarized by me).
  1. You're serving more for personal than for public benefit.
  2. You have a material financial interest that would be damaging if word got out.
  3. Your values don't match the organization's.
  4. You can't speak with one voice as a board after a vote.
  5. The organization is not operating within the law or its own governing documents.
  6. You're not informed about current activities, results, or the ED's performance.
  7. You don't review the financials on a regular basis.
  8. You're missing a significant number of board meetings.
  9. You're not contributing (money, time, connections, other) beyond showing up at meetings.
  10. You don't spend significant time thinking about how to advance the mission and be more effective.
  11. Your conduct at board meetings is viewed by the majority of other board members as disruptive, and you're unable to work collaboratively with the other board members in a productive manner.
  12. You intervene/interfere with the executive's management of the organization by personally directing the executive and/or staff and falsely asserting rank.
     Any one of those is a good indicator that your time is probably up. Here's the entire blog Click

     I also love this article on HOW to resign from a Board by Jan Masaoka (Blue Avocado), "Golden Rule of Board Resignations." In brief, Masaoka recommends:

- Raise your concerns with the Board Chair or ED before making your final decision.
- If you haven't been able to participate the way you expected yourself to, do at least one more thing to help the organization shortly after you resign. (I love this idea!)
- If you cannot agree with a board decision (and it's not just sour grapes), write a letter. Share it with the Chair at your last meeting and have it read into the minutes.
- If you're feeling ineffective as a board member, perhaps it is because of the Board's structure (e.g., an Executive Committee doing the work). Share your thoughts with board leadership.
- Go out on a positive note.

Here's the article Click

     Those articles deal with WHY and HOW, but I also want to touch on WHEN. In my view, you should resign when it stops being fun. Of course not all board work is a-laugh-a-minute, but when you dread going to meetings, panic when an email hits your in box, or realize that none of your advice is being considered or respected -- move on. There are plenty of other boards you can help.  
          
/lmwe 
Self Confidence for the Stupid      

     A 1999 study showed (in a nutshell) the more stupid people are the more confidence they have AND the smarter people are, the less confidence they have because they are aware of what they don't know. This quick video "Stupid People are Surprisingly Confident" describes the phenomenon.

Click Here

     I raise this because lately many people in my circles have been talking about the Imposter Syndrome -- where you are succeeding at something but sometimes think you're a fraud doing it. Margie Warrell explains this concept to Forbes.

Click Here
   Spring Clean Your Life    

     I just saw an interesting article on the Weight Watchers website. Here are some tips on how to do some spring cleaning in your life.

1. Change your routine. (If only the cats would help by getting away from 5:05 a.m. and p.m. feedings!)

2. Dust off a hidden talent. (Better dig out those tap shoes again!)

3. Clear your schedule. (Yes, you've heard it a hundred times but block off time in the calendar for yourself!)

4. Clean out relationships. (If you can't do it now with real live people, start with your contacts, Twitter, Facebook, etc.)

5. Brighten your attitude. (You've heard this too, but gratitude helps. A ton.)

Here's the whole article Click

About LUE-42 Enterprises 



Contact LUE-42 Enterprises  lue42@shaw.ca  www.lue42.com                 

Musings about 
Life, the Universe, and Everything
*
from Linda and LUE-42 Enterprises 

Issue #59; January 2016