My friend Dean Abbott recently wrote one of the funniest pieces I’ve ever read about the topic of meetings, or rather our naive belief in American culture that getting everyone together for a meeting will actually enable things to get done. As Dean helplessly shares from the trenches of a recent week of meetings, this often isn’t the case. At all. If I’m not mistaken, reading his brief post will bring you the funniest 5 minutes of your day. Enjoy! Read more »
A strange and un-library thing
I do love libraries. I love the books in them. I love the tactile feel of the books—the weight, the height, the size, and the heft of the wrapped and covered words. I love the texture of the plethora of printed matter as it slides under my fingers. I adore the intoxicating mixture of mingled book scents everywhere— of new paper or old binding, of fresh ink or old news. I like the (mostly) quiet, inviting space the library presents to anyone who cares to use it and delight in it. I enjoy watching the wide variety of people—the very [...] Read more »
On Beauty (of the Female Kind)
I encountered the most beautiful woman today. As I entered Panera Bread, making my way to the ordering line, I was struck with amazement at the beauty that radiated outward from this gorgeous creature. Standing at the coffee station, holding a tray of hot coffees, she was assisting another woman in her party in getting the last of their group’s drinks properly filled. I was left staring foolishly, not knowing what to say. (Encountering unexpected and extraordinary beauty can render me temporarily speechless, and that was certainly the case here.) But what made this situation unique is that this woman [...] Read more »
One of the funniest skits I’ve ever seen in my life…
Years ago, when I first saw this skit with Chris Farley as Matt Foley, motivational speaker, I remember laughing so hard I cried. Every time I’ve seen it since, I’ve still laughed until I cried, including this morning. As this is an embed from Hulu, please bear with the opening 30-second commercial~~I promise you it’s worth it! Enjoy the inimitable Chris Farley and company~~ Read more »
Where Did All the (Real) Men’s Voices Go?
I was listening to the radio the other day, and a song came on that literally made me wince and change the station as fast as I safely could while trying not to cause an accident in the moving traffic jam that surrounded me. What caused such a strong visceral reaction that I simply couldn’t change the channel fast enough? Gratuitous profanity? No, there actually weren’t 4-letter words every other syllable (although that’s common enough these days). Was it in a musical style where I’d rather have teeth removed without anesthesia rather than be forced to listen? No, I can’t [...] Read more »
On the Rise (but Mostly Fall) of the Art of Seduction
It is truly a brave new world out there. Oh, I know every generation sincerely tells their kids that they walked to school barefoot in the snow uphill both ways, and that they should be very grateful for all the things they have that the prior generation didn’t. And I know every generation which hears this secretly thinks their parents or caregivers are archaic beyond their powers to express. And then, years down the road, the younger generation not only find themselves increasingly viewing their parents as quite the progressives…they have begun telling the next-younger generation the “uphill in the [...] Read more »
A Response to “A Video of Students Today”
This entry is in response to the following video: After watching this video, I would like to address some logical problems with a number of the opinions expressed by the students. I will mention first off, though, that I really like the way the creators/collaborators structured this short video. It is thought-provoking, and I really appreciate the conversation it is starting (or continuing) across the country, specifically regarding our educational system. I am grateful for anything that promotes healthy dialogue and discussion about all levels of education (public and private) within the United States. If anyone wants to read [...] Read more »
Individualism in America, or, Why We Spend Our Lives (Increasingly) Alone
A Middle Eastern man of my acquaintance (newly arrived in the U.S. from his home country of Saudi Arabia) said, when asked how his recent Ramadan holiday was going, that it was unusual for him to celebrate this or any holiday without his entire culture around him celebrating at the same time. He said that celebrating Ramadan here felt rather lonely. Different, somehow. This got me to thinking about individualism in America. Read more »
Women and Opportunities
Occasionally I will hear someone speaking about an unusually capable woman of the past, and the speaker will say wistfully, “Just look at what she managed to accomplish when she had all those hurdles to jump over. Just think about what she could have done and the kind of person she would have become if only she’d been born during our times!’ I confess that I, too, used to frame this discussion in this same manner. I’d marvel over women of the past whose ingenuity, leadership, character, and extraordinary accomplishments (in spite of very humble backgrounds and virtually no preparation [...] Read more »
Missing children and the color of your skin…
Editor’s note: an anonymous commentor let me know that the name of the little girl in this case is Alexis Patterson. Whoever you are, thank you so much for letting me know that. I’ve been haunted the last few days by the memory of the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping case. I’m sure you all remember…it was one of those rare times when as a nation, we breathed a corporate sigh of relief and surreptitiously wiped aside the grateful tears that gathered for the unexpectedly wonderful ending to a horrifying story, an ending that you hoped for but deep inside you didn’t [...] Read more »