Family

Almost Didn’t Happen

05.03.2012 Family

I’ve heard history described as “the story of things that almost didn’t happen.” It’s very easy to look back at the past and see an inevitability, a purpose. But if you look closely that purpose evaporates, pops like the thin soap bubble it is. There are so many near misses in history that it’s amazing [...]

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Social, But Not Completely Open

01.23.2012 Business

It’s very simple: complete transparency is a mistake. You are not one person. My fellow home theater enthusiasts aren’t really interested in my literary pursuits or my political beliefs. My customers aren’t particularly interested in the latest addition to my home theater or my enthusiasm for Apple products (or the stock!). And the whole world [...]

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Emotionally Contagious

01.10.2012 Family

Humans often claim the realm of emotions as strictly and uniquely ours, but it just isn’t true. Anyone who has ever had a dog knows that they have emotions and can tell when we’re upset. Recent research is demonstrating that mammals of virtually all kinds have emotional lives. A rat will try and help free [...]

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I Was A Mall Santa

12.22.2011 Family

Many years ago, when I was in my first year of grad school and Diane and I were in our second year of marriage, I took a job as a mall Santa. The next semester I’d be teaching expository writing and making money working as a tutor, but the extra money earned as a Santa [...]

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My Superpower (and Yours): Connection

12.01.2011 Family

I pay a lot of money, every month, for the illusion that I can be in control of events. I suppose it comes in part from my Boy Scout indoctrination for eternal preparation, or maybe it’s my experience as a parent. I buy insurance. I carry a pocket knife. I keep a first aid kit [...]

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