Could Have? Shouldn't Have.

As soon as I moved, the Google and FB magic got to updating geo-targeted news and promotions for me in my new city. One of the first ads I saw actually happened to be of interest, imagine that! A 90's classic playing at the opera. I made a note of it on my calendar to follow up closer to the date, but you know how that goes. My girl LaLa from middle school connected me with another homegrown Austinite via IG who lives here. I hadn't realized that life had gotten in the way until the morning of when Dominique pinged me on Whatsapp hoping to meet that night. She just happened to mention that she and her husband were on their way to the showing. I had 30 minutes to get dressed, and hop in a taxi before the box office would close, but that message was the motivation I needed to not waste the day away in bed.

Watching Jursassic Park with the musical score playing by live orchestra is amazing. Why was I still shook when the raptors got into the kitchen? What made them think they could recreate a whole species without changing the surrounding ecosystem? Why did they trust all IT security with a man who stayed typing with sticky cheeto dust on his fingertips? So many things I missed in this movie watching as a child. And many great lessons for businesses needing to heed glaring warning signs.

"Spared no expense."

There are multiple ticket prices at the Dubai Opera, but let me tell you that there is no bad seat in the house. I wish I had known that, or that the matinee showing would only be half full, when I stepped to the counter. Not wanting to look cheap, I went for the second cheapest ticket option for AED350. As cool as it was, I spent triple the amount on the viewing than was necessary for the same experience. I'm not hurting for it, but I was going alone, and the only person who had an influence on my choice at the time was someone working for an upsell at the box office. Art is valuable, but pride is expensive.

Even Kate Spade is in on prehistoric decadence. Dinos are hot. Crocs, not. Kate Spade TriTop & T-Rex, Spring 2017 — Even Kate Spade is in on prehistoric decadence. Dinos are hot. Crocs, not. Kate Spade TriTop & T-Rex, Spring 2017

Mr. Hammond stated several times that he spared no expense in the making of the amusement park. How many times have you thrown money at a great idea or investment that hasn't even been vetted past a trusted inner circle? When's the last time they challenged you on something that gave you pause? Do you find yourself able to adapt as you go, or are you often so steadfast on original plans that you're unwilling to find alternate routes as roadblocks appear?

A heavy hand tilts the scale on sunk cost early, but that doesn't mean chase bad money with more. If you wouldn't spend your last dollar on it, maybe you shouldn't shell out your first.

"He left us. HE LEFT US!"

I don't know where that lawyer thought he was going when he left them kids in the car all by themselves. As if closing the door to a shoddy outpost after you've lured a predator in close would make the threat disappear. You cannot be selfish and obtuse at the same time. Only babies believe in the magic of peek-a-boo. Just because you close a blind eye to problems around you doesn't mean they don't exist. And they don't go away because you ignore them. I think his cowardly actions symbolize what the park owner was doing to that island. Running away with a plan, ignoring the dangers around him, leaving his team to suffer the consequences. Protect your people. They will help you survive.

You could tell Dennis was going to be a problem from the BEginnning. Weak. If it is apparent that an employee is extremely dissatisfied with their position and/or pay and you are unwilling to change their predicament, please let them go. There is no limit to what someone with a vendetta against you will do to sabotage your progress. And they suck the life out of everyone else in their path. Don't wait to find a proper replacement. The safety of your brand's reputation, your company's morale, and your IP are worth the temporary talent gap. Protect your assets. Their value can be eroded from the inside.

**"Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether they could, they didn't stop to think if they should."**

When the mathematician, Dr. Ian Malcolm hit them with this one liner boooooooyyyyyy. That's that real. People are out here doing a lot to disprove the impossible without regard to meaningfulness. Confusing activity with productivity. Sometimes the excitement for being the first overshadows our need to wait on Him to do or be our best. And if you don't believe in a higher being, you can still be thorough and thoughtful in asking some great introspective questions to assess if your personal motives feel true to self. And then look outward. Can you fill a need in the market with a consistent promise of product or service? Is it a benefit or propellant to the growth of our society? Will you help more than harm?

Speaking of which, why is this random Dino Park out here in the middle of downtown Dubai and why did I love visiting it? Is there a history of dinosaurs roaming this area specifically? Who thought to put life-size statues of extinction inside a garden that glows at night? This is unclear, but a chill attraction nonetheless.

I may have had more than a little fun out there. I am a kid at heart after all. Who cares that the animatronics are not very advanced and some dinosaurs sounded like lions in distress? Not I. Dubai Garden Glow closes at the end of May because no one is trying to die in the 110°F heat and Ramadan fasting. But I had an educational, timely walk through the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods. Don't quiz me on their names. Just know that I now know that all Sauropods are not Brontosauruses. Brontosauri?? You get what I mean.