Some of my blogs are useful and informative. Others are just for kicks. Welcome to the mixed bag that is my brain.
Nice Thing o' the Week
Anyone who knows me well knows I only really like to cook breakfast. Beyond that, I tend to regard cooking as necessary, often frustrating drudgery that does not come naturally. I’ll do it, but I won’t be good at it.
For real, guys. I’m finally making it happen. And since working on the book is exactly what keeps me from posting blogs as regularly as I intend to, I figured it’s high time I confess.
Folks, this week we have a unique treat: a guest post from a lovely man named Paul Denikin (he runs a website called dadknowsdiy.com) sharing some helpful DIY information for families dealing with Alzheimer’s.
Bill Murray has really been helping me a lot these days. To be clear, not <<in person>> or anything like that. Simply the idea of him. The lesson of him. His sheer existence on this planet, really.
I eat a ton of chili in the winter months. Some days, I’ll eat chili for lunch AND dinner and not think twice about it. It’s warming, it’s yummy, it’s easy, and it’s cheap. Chili is pretty much the greatest winter food of all time.
Every family has their unique holiday traditions. Mine featured a grandfather who annually attempted to murder Santa Claus.
Eggnog. Wassail. Mulled wine. Hot toddies. Hot buttered rum. You’ve probably heard of these holiday drinks. What about the Tom and Jerry?
In this video, a man who’s colorblind is surprised by his colleagues with a pair of special glasses. The glasses help him see colors for the very first time in his life.
Last week, my friend Liz blessed me severely by sharing this amazing video with me. It is what it says it is, but it’s also so much more.
Small Ways
What does a high school student need to survive and thrive in today's world? A snappy-looking three-ring binder and color-coordinated folders can only take you so far in life. So, welcome to my first “Small Ways” post in a while.
Writers always want to know how other writers write: what their routines are, what recommendations they have, how they come up with their ideas, and what tips they've picked up over the years.
To succeed in business relationships, “do unto others as you would have done unto you” needs to become “do unto others… as others would have done unto them.” I've started to think of this practice as “The Rule of You.”
In last week's blog, I made an argument for never ending your presentation on Q&A. This week, I promised to explain more fully what I propose you do instead: serve the audience "dessert."
If you end your presentation with Q&A, you're choosing to give up a very important thing: control. You're giving up the right to decide what the audience's final impression of you will be — what they'll feel, and what they'll remember.
We all enjoy looking smarter than we are. Sadly, however, there’s no avoiding the fact that people make judgments about other people's intelligence based on the smallest bits of data. It's not fair, but it happens.
The English language is rife with super-fun word pairs in which one word is commonly confused with the other. Some simply sound alike. Others have overlapping/similar meanings that are hard to keep straight.
Flagrant misuse of apostrophes is yet another unfortunate reality in today's world. I admit, however, that flagrant misuse of apostrophes does lead to some good jokes.
Just as others find value and interest in things I can't pretend to understand (e.g., golf, doomsday prophecies, gambling, manicures), I don't expect everyone to have time for the comma.
Imagine a world where you make an announcement on a conference call and people legitimately pay attention, pausing in their feverish multitasking or online shoe shopping long enough to genuinely listen.
Red Pencil Scribbles
I don't really know anything. Well, to be clear, I know a few things (e.g., semicolon usage, proper laundry procedures, how to make excellent fried eggs). But against the scope of the universe, I know almost nothing.
At the age of 42, I’m a woman taking my first solo camping trip. It’s just an overnight, but it feels a little momentous. I wish I weren’t so fixated on my cell phone.
Paul Simon doesn’t need an opening band. Anyway, we’re here to see him. Because he’s not even supposed to be here. See, Paul Simon officially announced his retirement from performing last year, in 2016.
Dolly is 73 years old, an age at which many performers are content to sit back and let others sing their namesake tributes to them. Not Dolly. Dolly went ahead and stole her own show.