Back in my college newspaper days, one of the big editors sat me down for a talking to because as a junior editor, I was laughing on the job. Being a cocky 19 year old, I responded that I was sorry she didn’t like her job but I liked mine and as long as I was getting the work done,…
I’ve written quite a bit about how grateful I am for my fabulous piano teacher, but today I need to give a little equal time to my personal trainer, Cory. It’s a little confusing why I’m paying someone to torture me – after our first session, I literally could not walk down stairs without a sad, painful little…
Preservation Hall Jazz Band plays New York tonight and I’m such a geeky fan girl that I’m going even though I think I’ve seen them five times already this year. Traditional jazz is my soul music. It never fails to make me happy. Whether I am covered in mud on a rainy day at New Orleans Jazz Fest or packed…
I’m no Pollyanna about our political system. From negative campaign ads to the influence of money, I get that American democracy suffers numerous problems. AP’s Liz Sidoti wrote of Washington, D.C. recently: This is still a city of red-hot polarization, gridlock the norm, with partisan rancor from the Capitol to the White House. Neither party is giving the country what…
Thanksgiving is about a month away — on Nov. 25, in case you haven’t checked your calendar. That means I’m getting ready to do another Month of Thanksgiving. Maybe you recall that last year I did a post every day leading up to Thanksgiving, focusing on gratitude and getting in a thankful mindset. What’s so cool is that Paul Taubman,…
Have you heard about Dan Savage’s It Gets Better project? Upset by yet another gay young person committing suicide, Savage used his relationship column to call on gay adults to tell their stories and assure teens that if they can endure the persecution they’re experiencing, life will get better as adults. There was so much I hated about high school.…
Before we moved to New York, some friends shared their strategy for successfully living in NYC’s small apartments: every time they brought something new in, something old had to go. Sharing an apartment smaller than the one I rented as a college senior has forced us to be ruthless in casting off anything unnecessary. This has been liberating. We’re such…
We all get mad about something — coworkers, family, neighbors, bad drivers, lousy service, too much to do … I’m getting mad just thinking about the possibilities. That’s why I liked this post from “How To Become a Better You in 365 Days.” It’s a normal human reaction to get angry, but if you can’t control the things that make…
Did you hear the recession is over? And has been for a year? As the blog Death and Taxes wrote this week: The recession is over. It is official. According to The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), our “Great Recession” lasted 18 months, beginning December 2007 and ending June 2009. Monday’s announcement from the NBER probably came as a…
I heart New York. John and I made a very intentional move to New York City more than four years ago and it’s amazing here. I look out my office window at the Empire State Building every day and sometimes still can’t believe this is my life. People from all around the world travel to vacation in our city. They…
When I was a kid, fall meant the start of the new season of TV, so if you watched the night soaps like Dallas or Dynasty, you needed a refresher of what happened on the cliff hanger so you could be ready. I haven’t left you with any cliff hangers this summer, but in that spirit, here’s a round up…
Another season of Mad Men, another round of Sunday night obsession with what America’s favorite misogynist is up to. I wrote a while back about what a loathsome creep I think the lead character of this cult show is, but Linda Stasi at the New York Post did a far better job: So, what’s his appeal? Simple. Don Draper represents,…
Earlier this week, I wrote about how love at work can help leaders succeed. It’s Friday in August so I’ll give you a nice, easy post to help that message sink in — a sampling of love-themed songs from YouTube. Nat King Cole gets us started by spelling L-O-V-E [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JErVP6xLZwg] A snippet of the sweet Beatles-themed musical Across the Universe,…
South by Southwest Interactive has a great way of selecting speakers and panels for its schedule — it includes expert review, staff consideration and the will of the people. SXSWi Panel Picker crowdsources the decision of who should speak. Voting started this week and I’d love your support in getting on the roster. Here’s my pitch: Explore how you might…
If you’re wondering if a vision board or a spell painting can influence the direction of your life — and you weren’t convinced by reading The Secret — then here’s another blogger’s tale of feeling good energy coming from a vision board. And by the way, if you need a spell painting to help visualize your life goals, John’s available…
My blog post earlier this week on saving for retirement prompted passionate discussion when I posted the link on Facebook, so here’s a follow up to keep the conversation going. On this blog about retirement (see below), the author not only discusses the sources of funding you might have for retirement but also talks about what your expenses are likely…
John and I went to see Toy Story 3 this weekend, which has prompted several long conversations about the transition from childhood to adulthood. The premise of the movie is that Andy is heading off to college and has gotten too old for his toys. It tells the story from the toys’ perspective, of course, but it’s hard not to…
Say what you will about pop phenom Lady Gaga, the woman can write a catchy tune. More than a week ago, I heard one of her songs at a neighborhood sushi restaurant and I’m still finding myself singing Bad Romance. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrO4YZeyl0I] An excellent (if very long) article in the Washington Post recently was headlined: The Marriage Myth: Why do so…
