Blessed Are the Odd

At a job interview I was once asked what I wanted to be remembered for.  I responded, “As a ‘people person’.”  My kids got quite a laugh from this story when I related it to them.  My wanting to be remembered as a people person was not just wishful thinking, it was downright delusional.
My nephew’s [...]

I Don’t Get It

Michelle Obama states “For the first time in my adult lifetime, I’m really proud of my country … not just because Barack has done well, but because I think people are hungry for change.  I have been desperate to see our country moving in that direction and just not feeling so alone in my frustration [...]

Country Mouse, City Mouse

A hint of spring is in the air, which means, first and foremost, the mower needs to be serviced before the grass turns from brown to green.  For many years, I took it to Tiny Tuneups, back when they were located southwest, near where I work.  Development encroached on their little slice of exurban heaven, though, [...]

A Survivor, Not a Victim

When the doorbell rings, I know who it is and grab my checkbook.  I ran into her earlier, while I was walking the dog.  She was sitting on one of those rocks the neighbors with corner lots put near the street to keep drivers from cutting the corner and damaging the lawn.  She was drawing [...]

How Boring

Eliot Spitzer.  Need I say more.

The Jane Austen Book Club

(Warning!  Chick flick alert!)
This movie was a lot of fun.  I probably would have liked it even better if I had read more Jane Austen and had read it more recently, as I’m sure I missed a lot of the references and parallel characters and plot developments.  but I enjoyed seeing “older” actresses in a movie with [...]

One Drop

I just finished One Drop:  My Father’s Hidden Life – a Story of Race and Family Secrets, by Bliss Broyard, which is about her father Anatole Broyard (book critic for the New York Times) “passing” for white, which he did so successfully that his children did not know their racial heritage until two months before [...]

Writers Read

I’m nibbling at a couple of books on writing.  And let me say up front, it is not uncommon for me to be reading a book on writing when I should be writing.  But sometimes in order to start writing, one must read, even if it is about writing.  Right?
One book is Writing Begins with the [...]

Back to the Future

Yesterday I was yanked into a meeting and came out the unofficial release manager of a high profile project.  Originally, this project was a stopgap measure, but now it has become the default standard, so now it needs to be handled like a real project.  And I get to be the person doing that.
Actually, I [...]

Just Let Go

It seems like every time I even think about finding a different job, they throw more money at me.  Well, not just at me.  Despite our profits being down by 85%, 2007 was still our second-best year ever, so the bonuses were again quite generous and they are giving an extra award to the lowest two salary [...]