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12/21/2018
11/16/2018
Four Statements of Wisdom for a satisfying life!
The Chief Inspector Armand Gamache book series is written by Canadien Louise Penny. Penny originally began writing a historical novel but changed to mystery writing after finding trouble finishing. She entered the first book of the series, Still Life, in the "Debut Dagger" competition in the United Kingdom, placing second out of 800 entries.
The series is based on the character of Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. The stories take place usually in the village of Three Pines, with Gamache investigating the murders of various people in each novel. They have been described as "character-driven" mysteries that explore the relationships between characters with each book in the series. Three Pines is a fictional location set in the province of Quebec, with Penny setting up the characters using the history of old Canada to show their personalities and backgrounds. In the series, a few of the plots are set outside of Three Pines.
Inspector Gamache is a likable, honest man who gets placed in the most trying situations in a dirty police department. One of the reasons he survives is that he is a kind soul and plays by four statements of wisdom. Those statements are:
I don’t know
I was wrong
I am sorry
I need help
Throughout the Inspector Gamache mystery series, these four statements have helped him solve crimes, patch relationships, and become a better man. He tries to teach these four statements to his recruits and reinforce those statements to senior officers.
What I find amazing is that these statements do work. Recently I stepped in it big time. As I tried to manage the situation, I found that each of these statements worked for me. It did not change the outcome, but it provides wisdom to me as I walked the path I set in motion.
So I challenge you to think about something in your past and follow these statements to see if the statements provide wisdom to you.
Until next time,
Frank Jacob
for more on Louise Penny visit her site http://www.gamacheseries.com/
11/07/2018
Sneakers, The Movie
I woke up this morning and caught one of my favorite movies Sneakers. Sneakers is a 1992 American comedy caper film directed by Phil Alden Robinson, written by Robinson, Walter Parkes, and Lawrence Lasker.
The stars in the movie are Robert Redford (Bishop), Dan Aykroyd (Mother), Ben Kingsley,(Cosmo) Mary McDonnell (Liz), River Phoenix (Carl), Sidney Poitier (Crease) and David Strathairn (Whistler).
Sneakers You can see the trailer here. 
(Short synopsis) Martin Bishop is the head of a group of experts who specialize in testing security systems. When he is blackmailed by government agents into stealing a top secret black box, the team find themselves embroiled in a game of danger and intrigue. After they recover the box, they discover that it can decode all existing encryption systems around the world and that the agents who hired them didn't work for the government after all. Written by Graeme Roy <gsr@cbmamiga.demon.co.uk>
I love mysteries and spy stories. This movie combines the two. With hacking today becoming an hourly event, this movie shows that espionage was alive and well back in the day. Redford and Strathairn provide a glimpse into the world of the blind (Strathairn is blind in the movie). Whistler’s ears and Bishop’s memory help locate the people responsible for creating a device that can bust any code it reads. In the hands of the wrong people, this decoder can doom the world.
The movie also combines humor with the serious. Blind Whistler driving the getaway van is hilarious. Liz was trying to get Stephen Tobolowsky ( Dr. Werner Brandes) to say certain words on a date so they can record his speech to make a voice print that they can use to enter the building is priceless. When the group hides in Liz’s apartment, they string the place with computers and wire such that it looks like a jungle. Once the mystery is solved the movie ends on a hysterical note.
Sneakers is not your typical mystery but one which will help you escape for a couple of hours.
Check it out!
Welcome!
My name is Frank Jacob Szewczyk (sef-check).....Thank you for visiting my blog.
I have spent most of my life talking about a wide variety of ideas. I have had three distinct careers. Banking, IT consulting and ordained ministry. In each position, my job was to interpret the ideas and language of each profession. I have been married to Karen Smiricky for 39 years.
As a bank branch manager and financial planner, I was on the custom retail side of the operation. My job was to help people make good financial decisions and manage the staff of the branch. Every day I had to interpret the goals of the bank, my customers, and staff and try to get all three in alignment.
As an IT consultant, I was the interpreter between the business that needed new solutions and our engineers and salespeople. I would talk to everyone from senior management to warehouse people to learn their needs and goals. I would interpret those needs and goals to our software engineers to customize a solution.
As a pastor, I spent 20 years interpreting a liberal Protestant faith to the churches and community I served. The ultimate why questions often came up in our discussions.
Recently I took an early "retirement" from ministry to take care of family and to decompress from 9 years as a pastor of a small church. The past months have been wonderful as I have enjoyed caring for family and reconnecting with my wife after 60+ hour weeks away from home especially on the weekends.
Today I am writing a mystery novel, A Hack in Time Solves the Crime. I am blogging about life. After stomach reduction surgery I have lost 90 pounds in 11 months and continue to live a healthy lifestyle.
Lately, I have been thinking about a ukelele and dusting off my wood carving knives for holiday ornaments. I am also looking for full-time employment as we have taken care of the needs of my family.
I thank you for checking my blog.
The best for you and yours,
Frank
p.s. Sign-up for my occasional newsletter and notifications for new blog posts.
