Years ago as an apprentice salesman, my supervisor handed me a telephone directory. I looked at the thick book and asked why he had given it to me.

The lament that “there’s nothing good on TV” doesn’t deter me from wanting to be able to watch the tube whenever I want. If the cable company takes the system offline for ten minutes at 2:50 a.m. on Sunday morning, it’s a good bet that I’ll be in nocturnal mode and want to watch something at just that time.

I’m no handyman, and I have to admit that I don’t do much around the house. I leave most of that to my wife, Natalie. There are, however, a couple small jobs that I am trusted with – like taking out the trash.

I’ll warn you: I’m a reader. Like Sesame Street’s Count (a Muppet obsessed with counting everything in his path), I read everything from the small print on soap wrappers to the large print on bus advertising.

I’d just finished presenting a project to my boss. My work had been adequate, but I could tell that it hadn’t exactly blown his socks off.

“I realize that I haven’t been submitting posts to the Training That Sticks blog with my accustomed regularity. For any disappointment or inconvenience my lack of diligence may have caused, I am truly sorry. To ensure that this won’t happen again, I have committed to sending at least one post every month before I file my expense report. If I don’t write, my expenses won’t get reimbursed. That will motivate me to get the job done!”