© 2015 SHAD BARNES
Main page
Hey Comic-Con, can we come out and play?
12 Jul, 2015
1 Comment Barnesian Lore, Blog, Featured

Hey Comic-Con, can we come out and play?

Before I begin, I’d like to beg a favor of you kind reader….Can you help a couple friendly souls realize a dream? Put that notion in your pocket and read on:

  • Do you see the Super Friends poster back there?
    Pop Culturing since FOREVER!

Brave Odysseus battled in the Trojan War for a good ten years and then spent another ten heroically wandering the Mediterranean before he finally made it home to the promised land. I’m starting to feel like Odie had it easy….when you’ve been fiercely navigating the stormy seas of popular culture as long and in the manner of my good friend Dale Whitley and I,  the notion that we haven’t attended the world famous San Diego Comic-Con is RIDICULOUS.

We meet almost weekly to digest whatever Sci-Fi, High Fantasy, Supernatural, Action, Adventure, or any Tales of the Strange that Hollywood can possibly drum up. But it doesn’t stop there, we share a love of Graphic Novels (comics) and we pore over them and dissect them in a way that would make Oprah Winfrey shriek and gleefully spin freebies to the entire studio audience. Oh but it doesn’t stop there, we callus our thumbs and hone our reflexes upon a steady stream of pixels and a buffet of console-provided video games. We attend parties dressed as the characters that supplied the guide rails of our youth. We marvel at the full 21 points of articulation as triumphantly thrust our baked plasticine trophies mounted on cardboard above our heads. We scour the deepest chasms of the world wide web, seeking insight, support and answers to the questions of what used to be and what comes next across the vast multiverse of geekdom. Oh yeah, and we’ve been doing this since we were just a couple pups roaming the hallways of small Oregonian high school, and as roommates at the University of Oregon. Dedicated, durable and passionate don’t even get you to the starting line of description.

Anyhow, if you’re still with me, you can imagine what a good fit the San Diego Comic-Con would be for a couple head in the clouds dreams like Mr Whitley & I? An aside: It isn’t all pop culture for the protagonists of this tale. We are husbands, dads, dutiful sons and reliable comrades, we work hard to earn and provide most often pursuing the selfless options in Choose Your Own Adventure novels that create the framework for our lives. (aside complete) Three or four years ago we set out to plot a trip down to the world-renowned pop culture extravaganza that is the San Diego Comic-Con. Between relationships, marriages, children, finances, life and all the goo that exists in between, the big trip had been put off for long enough. We were both approaching some milestone birthdays and had heard some whispers that acquiring entry passes could be tough…..TOUGH!?! TOUGH!?! Try downright soul crushing.

If you’ve never sat in a virtual queue watching each day sell out over a 3-5 hour period of time, don’t….you’ll miss that innocent part of your soul. We entered with such high expectations, downright giddy about the prospects of a leisurely trip from Oregon to San Diego, already plotting all the great places we might nosh, just where to stay, taxis, airfare…the event passes were simply a formality, a hurdle made for skipping rather than jumping. Twas a gleeful moment spent on the phone bantering as we keyed in our credentials and allowed our shared dream to make one last ethereal glide through the slipstreams of our minds. We figured we would both login just in case there was an issue, an overcautious, probably unnecessary backup of a backup. Four and a half hours later, there was no joy in Mudville, mighty Casey had struck out.

We redoubled our efforts, did some additional research and a year later, the same results. I didn’t stop at that though, I reached out to comic companies, we entered contests, begged favors from friends of friends, even my sweet wife (who is kind enough to put up will all of this) put an 11th hour plea into an industry insider. The cold rebuke was somehow worse, as if Thor himself had gripped tightly upon his hammer and rained lighting upon our backs.

The following year was a more cautious, jaded version of the second, we barely had enough fight left to beg…Vanquished thrice, our faces communicating the sad reminder of a love unrequited. So today, as another San Diego Comic-Con wraps up, two men sit staring out upon a broken mental wasteland of what could have been.

BUT WE ARE NOT GOING TO GO GENTLY INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT! Our quest to attend Comic-Con 2016 starts now, the publish button unleashes an earlier approach, a better way, a more furious effort! Can you help? Will you aid two gentlemen in realizing a beat up dream? Gaze upon our picture, consider the power you have in hitting “share” or forwarding this on to your chums with some sway. The gratitude and karmic reprisal just might thrust your essence into the most golden and sought after of eternal rewards. Please help us internet, you’re our only hope.

Asking Can Move Mountains
15 Apr, 2015
0 Comments Blog, Featured

Asking Can Move Mountains

It is amazing to me how difficult it can be for people to ask for something. Maybe it’s a politeness thing, a fear thing, or a shyness thing, but no matter what, I find that people are often paralyzed or unaware of just how much someone can get by asking. Be optimistic, shoot for the moon! Like anything, it takes a little forethought, and maybe some internal thought, but if you start the ball rolling by asking….You most likely will be happy with the result.

Recently my wife (full disclosure – I married way above my head because I was unafraid to ask) and I took a little trip that involved an overnight stay at a hotel. I know that hotels and airlines are terrific at social media listening, so I jumped on Twitter and asked my friends at Marriott for an upgrade. Over a series of Direct Messages I explained that my wife and I don’t get away much without the kids and that I’d hoped to make it a special stay. WOW! Marriott really bent over backwards to do just that. We were upgraded to a corner suite, we received complimentary champagne, chocolate dipped strawberries, meals, a note from the manager and much more. Why?!?!….Just because I asked.

This morning I read this post about a gentleman named Lee who sent off letters of praise to some companies he patronizes. What he got in response was nothing short of incredible. Moral of the story: Companies and people love to share what they do….All someone needs to do is ASK!

Same goes for your career. Don’t like the color of your desk? How about a spot closer to a window? Want that promotion? Just ask. How about a raise? You can only start by asking. That said, there are certain keys to keep in mind, the biggest one being that people need to be careful about making “No” mean more than it does. This post from Forbes.com has some very sage advice on getting what you want from asking for something. It also discusses the notion of being direct so as not to dilute your question by worming around a subject, but I’m going to cover that in a future post.

So, I’m going to conclude this little beauty by practicing what I preach. I’d like to have more people see and engage with these silly little thoughts in my head. What I’m going to ask is that you send me request to connect on one of my social media channels (links are on the site) and continue the fun. I’d like to see just how far I can get this post to go, simply by asking. What are you going to ask for today?

Oh Sizzler
15 Apr, 2015
0 Comments Blog, Featured

Oh Sizzler

It was several years after “We are the World”, but whoever put together this epic (dare I say OPUS!?!?) Sizzler Brand Video deserves to be immortalized with a statue or at least a plaque. WOW!!  “Let us lift our voices. We can make the choices. We will make the most of all the best that freedom brings, Sizzler is the one who brings us choices.” Were truer words ever sung?

Embrace the Struggle
20 Mar, 2015
0 Comments Blog, Featured

Embrace the Struggle

Be honest, all your best stories are the ones where you persevered, grinded and wrangled your way to some measure of success. Heck, even the personal historical events where you dealt with uncommon drudgery and difficulty only to get creamed are far better than the ones of the “I was always the best” variety. Born winners are boring.

The narrative is always enhanced by the struggle….ALWAYS. Think back to those long days and nights, early in your career as you toiled and scraped shoulder to shoulder with the rest of the noobs to prove that you were worthy. They’re great memories aren’t they? Your mettle was tested and you came out on the other side feeling confident, more alive and stronger.

So, you might have had a long week, or a tough day, or a complicated set of circumstances breathing down hellfire upon you….But guess what, you’ll love telling the story of how you beat all the odds and slayed that dragon. It makes you a better leader, a better role model, a better human having battled The Struggle.

Trust is Everything
19 Mar, 2015
0 Comments Blog, Featured

Trust is Everything

I’ve long admired Gary Vaynerchuk. I’ve read his books, watched his video blogs, accepted his wine recommendations and employed his wisdom to enhance my career. I find that he fires arrows of truth that always seem to hit the bullseye. I’ve also had a long history of success based on empowering others, so this particular quote speaks volumes to me. In business and in life, TRUST is central to everything. When you don’t have it, it is possible to plod along, but you’ll never be great or greater. We’ve all felt the moral-eroding sting of marginalization at one point or another. I think we can also all agree that trust and empowerment form a more potent strategy for success than the antithesis.

So, like Gary says, “surround yourself with people that give you permission to take risks”, and as usual he drops the arrow right in the heart of the target.

Influencers
16 Mar, 2015
0 Comments Blog, Featured

Influencers

In my line of work, we spend a lot of time communicating about influencers and thought leaders. I can honestly say that Dr. Seuss and his books have made a profound effect on the me and the way I think. There are so many quotes of his that are just plain spot on, but this one holds a place so near and dear to my heart. Does approaching the world stoically get serious results? Obviously, I don’t think so. Go ahead and dream a little, do things that put a smile on your face. In the end, you’ll be better for it. Thanks Dr Seuss!

My Dad – Gregg Nelson
10 Jun, 2014
0 Comments Blog

My Dad – Gregg Nelson

Certain moments in your life are crystal clear, like they occurred just ten minutes ago….Impatiently sitting inthe front seat of that blue Toyota Corolla as we motored for a second time to the US Bank in downtown Albany, I remember feeling confused. He had opened the envelope the banks used to put a cash withdrawal into and found an extra $100 dollar bill. We were constantly struggling to pay the bills, so seemed to me that luck was on our side. Only after the teller wept a bit and thanked him profusely as he handed her that Ben Franklin did I understand…It was the right thing to do.

As I sit here picking at the truck load of memories that constitute a person that meant so much to me and my life, I’m continually struck with that same theme, over and over again…It was the right thing to do. To a whiny, snot-nosed 4-year-old kid who had moved across Oregon tied to the hip of a mother trying desperately to make a better life, he came along with a ball, a glove and a heart full of unconditional love at just the right time. From day one, we were bonded. My mom would always say he loved her, but the real reason they got into a relationship that eventually became a marriage was that he LOVED me. It wasn’t easy, it certainly wasn’t always fun, he gave up his life as it was constituted not because he had do, but because it was the right thing to do.

That’s who Gregg Nelson was, a man who worked day and night in a thankless job, a man who gave until there was only lint in the wallet and no gas left in the tank. He took great pride in me and always taught as much with his actions as he did with his words. Even at the end, battered by life after succumbing to the demons of the bottle, living on disability and a small check from the Feds for his time in the Navy he still clung to that same wonderful habit. I picked him up from the rehab facility where he was living and as he hobbled into the store to grab a few essentials, he rummaged into his pocket, pulled out 2 singles, and handed them to the gnarled old hobo with the cardboard sign. Not because he had it to give, truth be told he was in way worse shape than the hobo, but even to the very end….It was the right thing to do.

Writing an obituary for your parent is a tough exercise, it will appear in the Albany Democrat Herald later this week. If you want to read it, here’s the linkhttp://bit.ly/1hBT6Nd If he’s still around, hug your dad tight this weekend and tell him you love him. If he’s not, show a little love by taking a minute to remember the good times.