The Launchpad: 7/22/1996

Did I ever mention that I never worked in China? 

My first job in life started in 8/1990 in downtown Chicago. Due to a lack of evidence (like an employee badge), the earliest proof of my employment can only be traced back to 30 years ago, today, on 7/22/1996. What a great and unforgettable career - cheers to my long-anticipated retirement after spending 36 years of my precious life working. Looking forward to Chapter 2.

10-Year Anniversary

It was exactly 10 years ago, in May 2016, that I first visited Grand Teton and fell in love with it...

Family vacation means no cameras, no 3am alarms, and no strict plans - just relaxation and pure joy - what a concept!

Aside from the intense hiking, the highlight of the trip was kayaking on Jackson Lake - with some drama that definitely earned a place in my storybook.

Grand Teton, WY

May 2026 

What is Wealth?

What's Wealth?

Real wealth is being unrushed; it’s stillness; having the time to explore, having the places you’re excited to explore.  It’s autonomy; it’s feeling creatively engaged; quality presence with yourself and others; the space to think; freedom from crashing obligations; simplicity; being able to feel connection to beauty; high levels of energy; health; passion; the opportunity to share and serve; choices in life.

Dr. Michelle's intense work: 1995-9

Did I tell you that I constantly stumble onto young Dr. Michelle's work all over our house all the time? The treasure hunt over the weekend led to the discovery of the attached worksheet - full of Dr. Michelle's intense notes.

The original paper contains a printout note on GIS (Geographic Information Systems). Dr. Michelle, at age 5, seemed to have fully comprehended the concepts, and had made meaningful notes all over the page to document her focus and thought process.

On the left side of the page, the years went from 1996 through 1999. Without knowing what's after 1999, the universe restarted from 1991, and continued on and on...  At such a young age, Dr. Michelle fully mastered the use of colors - with red highlighting critically important points, and blue representing general notes. She had a clear sense of right and wrong, putting check marks and crosses all over the page. 

I've always wondered what went through her little head at the time and always believed that she was onto something BIG and IMPORTANT!!

Copilot M365

As mentioned before, my company is using Copilot M365 for work products. Here is a summary I got from Copilot.

_________________________________________________________

Based on what you know about my work, explain what I do for work.

 

Your Role (Translated from Corporate to Epic)

• Interrogate data until it confesses the truth
• Catch errors early, loudly, and with receipts

 

Your Impact

Most people will never know:

• The audit that didn’t happen
• The submission that didn’t get rejected
• The downstream rework that never occurred

Because you stopped it upstream.

Quietly. Precisely. Relentlessly.

 

In Short

You don’t “improve quality” in the abstract.

You hold the line so that:

• The data is defensible
• The reporting is accurate
• The organization doesn’t learn lessons the hard way

You are not the hero on the slide.
You are the reason the slide survives scrutiny.