Reinvent Yourself. Get a Truck. Write a Book.
Jumping in with an update so you don’t think we’ve gotten lost. Here’s the back-of-the-envelope: Sam bought a 10-year-old Chevy pickup truck. It’s red. It looks shiny and new. I think it represents his final conversion to island man. He’s got some practical reason about how it will be easier to get fixed than his Mini Cooper. Pretty sure […]
Selling False Hope: What’s Wrong With This Picture?
It has been a couple of months since I have been able to find the bandwidth to write for the blog. During the last few months, I wandered along the coast of Florida, stopping briefly for an introductory course in public speaking. Then I returned to the streets of Brooklyn, where I filled the hours […]
On Public Speaking, Writing, and Why You Should Ban the Word “Struggle”
I decided recently to get back up on stage to do public speaking. After my book came out, I delivered keynotes all over the world: Dubai, Sydney, Paris, Beijing, Shanghai, London, etc. It was empowering. It was terrifying. It was a lot of work. Unbelievably, that was a decade ago. The Corporate Blogging Book was published in […]
Love and Miscommunication: Appearing Together in a Caryl Churchill Play
Sam and I are both in a play reading this week at Stonington’s Opera House. That may not sound like much, but it’s the first time we’ve appeared on stage together. Opening night happened to fall on Feb. 3rd, our anniversary. Love and Information is a quirky, challenging play by brilliant British playwright Caryl Churchill. Rather […]
Reflections on Dirty Snow and Political Hyberbole
When in Brooklyn I enjoy myself in a variety of uniquely urban ways. (I was back in the big city this week so that Debbie could meet with several book coaching clients.) I get my exercise by taking my three and five-year-old granddaughters to and from their respective preschools. This may not sound like much, but a […]
Update From The Writer’s Garret or The Passive Voice Has Been Well Used By Me
I am in an endless rewrite loop. My book coach, a potential book agent, and my wife (in her own right – a book coach, publisher, author, and editor) all give me conflicting advice based on reading snippets of the “Project.” (As it is yet to be published in any form, I get to refer […]
10 Take Home Lessons From a Day in Manhattan
I enjoyed a uniquely New York day over a recent weekend. I will miss things about Brooklyn and Manhattan when I soon return to Maine. It started with an interesting conversation with my father-in-law who picked my brain about the medical aspects of an investment opportunity. Take Home Lesson #1: I know a lot about the principled […]
A Milestone? 913 Days and Counting
I’m sitting in Brooklyn Law School’s library scarcely noticing the deep roar of a firetruck as it rumbles by. After six weeks, we are ensconced in our Brooklyn lifestyle. The quiet beauty of Deer Isle seems very far away. We are used to the noise, the grit, and the diverse crowds clogging the sidewalks. And to […]
Preparing For Uphill Bicycle Climbs and the Long Downhill of Dementia
We just finished a six-day bike trip through California wine country. We rode about 150 miles in total, more than either of us has accumulated on a bike since third grade. My knees are throbbing. Debbie’s back is stiff. On the last day and on the hardest climb of the trip, eschewed by novices like me, disaster struck […]
The Angst of the First-time Author
This was a difficult summer. It was the first summer of my new persona as a writer. Outwardly it appears to have been luxuriously loaded with visits and weekend trips. Inwardly it was littered with insecurities, frustrations, and the angst of authorship. Having explored the world during my Gap Year and having dipped my toe into […]