Throughout high school and college I studied languages. I studied French all eight years, plus several years of Russian in college, a semester of Mandarin Chinese, an independent study of ancient Greek, and some Spanish and Latin. With each new language, a new world and new way of thinking opened up before me. I loved […]
Read MoreEfficiency is over-rated. Efficiency experts tell us how to get organized, to only touch each piece of paper once, to multi-task and hence make the most of our time. However even the experts are realizing that effectiveness is more important than efficiency. You can be very efficient at doing the wrong thing, thereby being ineffective. […]
Read MoreMarriage on the downhill side of fifty is different from marriage in my twenties. Back then, death, illness, cancer, retirement, were all far off phenomena, not on my radar screen. Life was long and we had years ahead of us before we would have to deal with such things, or so I thought. Even […]
Read MoreThe following is from a column I had published in the Jackson Citizen Patriot on Feb. 23, 2007. In light of the bitter cold and blowing snow we have been experiencing this year, it seemed appropriate to post it again with small modifications. Stay safe! During the extreme cold spell a few weeks ago, […]
Read MoreOh, to be a ground hog. I’d pull back the covers and sleep until spring. The unusually cold and bitter weather has robbed me of all motivation. I don’t want to go out. I don’t want to work out. I just want to eat comfort food, after all, I need a few extra rolls of […]
Read More“The gods have two ways of dealing harshly with us, the first is to deny us our dreams and the second is to grant them.” Oscar Wilde What do you do when you have everything you dreamed of and it’s not enough? All of my adult life I dreamed of someday having the time and money to write. I’ve […]
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Another day of cold and snow. As this cold snap continues with no end in sight, I find myself lethargic and unorganized. I don’t know what I’m doing with my time, it just goes by until yet another day has passed with nothing to show for it. The Long Winter I blame it on the […]
Read MoreIn this day and age of digital books and ereaders some predict the demise of libraries, at least as a physical building with real people. The libraries of the future will be virtual libraries that you visit via your computer, or whatever the next technological device might be. You will download not only […]
Read MoreConstruction Zone I’ve been under construction for some time now. I’m not talking about those constant minor repairs and changes that are part of every life. Rather I’m talking about major reconstruction requiring tearing out the old in order to make way for the new. This has included months of home renovation […]
Read MorePrinciple #1: The key you need is always in the pocket opposite your free hand! Why is that? It’s like those socks that disappear in the dryer. Somehow they are transported to sock heaven or wherever it is socks go that have lived a good life of service to those small, but oh so essential parts […]
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