Gather 'round…
I once thought that book reviews might be something fun for my blog. But then, as I explored a little deeper, it occurred to me what a slow reader I am. Seriously, shockingly slow. Not necessarily words-per-minute slow. More like pages-per-week slow. I enjoy reading. I do. But there is not enough time in life... Continue Reading →
Anyone who read my post Julio the robin must die will find it humorous that this week a very plucky catbird has decided to nest in the arbor vitae tree directly outside my office window. The mockingbird of the north, right there, nestled comfortably into the branches, with only a glass-paned argon sandwich to dampen his beautiful,... Continue Reading →
If you've watched Sherlock - and you should - you've seen the world's most prolific sleuth retreat into his mind palace to retrieve something of the copious reams of information he stores there. I laughed out loud the first time I saw one of these scenes. I thought it was creative genius, pure and simple.... Continue Reading →
So what is it about communication? Communicating an idea to another human being has the power to cement the idea in your own mind and heart; to really drive the thing home. This we know; it's not really up for debate. Depending on your learning style, this can be varying degrees of true, but in... Continue Reading →
George Bernard Shaw, so the story goes, once said to a society matron, "Madam, I'll wager you would go to bed with me for five pounds." She was instantly indignant. How could he think such a thing? He paused as if thinking and asked, "What if I offered you one hundred thousand pounds?" She hesitated... Continue Reading →
When that notorious beauty-lover Oscar Wilde announced in The Decay of Lying, "Nobody of any real culture... ever talks nowadays about the beauty of a sunset. Sunsets are quite old-fashioned," sunsets reeled under the blow, then recovered. ~Susan Sontag, An Argument About Beauty The question of beauty is, as they say, subjective. Sadly, it changes with the... Continue Reading →
There is no expedient to which man will not resort to avoid the real labor of thinking. ~ Sir Joshua Reynolds Sir Josh has it right. It is amazing the things that we trick ourselves into out of sheer avoidance. Not necessarily consciously either; we are hardwired to turn to the easier task. It happens... Continue Reading →
What a wonder each day's sunrise! As soft rays of light peek over the trees, it is always as if for the first time. Dawn beckons with an invitation to begin anew, to see things in a fresh way. "Yesterday is past," it whispers; "you only have today and all its possibilities." Hope rises with... Continue Reading →
...Do not tell me you are a writer but have no time to write. I don’t have time for that (because I am writing)... Linda Lafferty on Finding Time to Write | WritersDigest.com. Ouch. Delivered to my inbox this afternoon was this article from Writer's Digest. Linda Lafferty is a busy woman. I daresay busier than... Continue Reading →
Failure to Launch... Hilarious movie about a guy who still lives with his parents and needs a little help moving on with his life. But that's not important. What is important today is the tiny subplot of an angst-filled girl, whose frustrations with life are culminated in a breaking point involving a mockingbird. She is done, pushed... Continue Reading →
I feel like I've been deprived. I don't rightly know how long MOOCS have been in existence, at least in any reputable form, but I believe I have been woefully ignorant for quite some time. MOOCs - Massive Open Online Courses - are just that. They are massive: the last one I took ran over... Continue Reading →
...came the flu. I've been down with it for a while... too long of a while. But I am happy to report two straight days of health, and tomorrow I will declare myself free of its evils and safe for the rest of the world. Good riddance. Much to my horror, our gorgeous weather this... Continue Reading →
Tales From the Nexus 