Lost: Two confessions and a Mystery Box
Confession #1: I’m hooked on Lost. I never thought this would be me, eagerly awaiting each Tuesday, joining in discussions following each episode, mulling over key lines, speculating, wondering what might happen next. I’m hooked, and I’m loving it. But I must confess one other thing: I haven’t always been hooked. No, I’m a fair-weather…
Reminiscing on a Friday Night
It’s a quiet, snowy Friday night, and I’m feeling sentimental. Within the next week or two our lives will be turned upside down forever. Our baby girl is due to arrive any day, our jobs are coming to a close in a week, and in a couple months we’ll be moving from the city that’s…
Flipping the Switch on Change
I just finished Switch, the newest book from the Heath brothers (authors of Made to Stick). While I was surprised that the second book from Chip & Dan wasn’t about communication, as their first had been, I really enjoyed this one. Switch discusses how to make change happen, both personally and in relationships, as well…
Lego and Obsessive On-Tasking
Dave exposed the myth of multi-tasking (thanks Chris). I used to be proud of having 10 windows open on my computer, moving swiftly between them giving the illusion of getting a lot accomplished. Lately I’ve been trying to focus my energies, removing distractions whenever possible. Nathan’s post last week made me re-visit the importance of…
The Master Storytellers of New Orleans
I spent last week in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. While walking the streets of the French Quarter, I took note of some incredible communicators: the city’s tour guides. The Challenges Tour guides in New Orleans have at least two huge challenges: battling distraction and telling a compelling story. The French Quarter during Mardi Gras…
Jamie Oliver’s TED Prize Wish
I just watched this amazing talk by Jamie Oliver about the need to teach children about food, and it gave me chills the whole way through. Watch it below, or on TED. Jamie came in with a chip on his shoulder, I think it’s his strong passion that made this talk so compelling. He calls…
Logo Design: Kansas City Carpet Care
I enjoy the process of designing a logo – understanding what the client wants their logo to represent and putting the pieces together in a simple and memorable icon. I spent my mid- to late-teenage years cutting vinyls and installing them on vehicles and signs, so I can appreciate the use of simple images and…
Thoughts About My Grandchildren
Jim Wallis of Sojourners recently put out a new book, “Rediscovering Values: On Wall Street, Main Street, and Your Street” (download the first chapter free here). He was recently on Jon Stewart, where you can see that he’s trying to start a very revolutionary, and necessary, conversation. www.thedailyshow.com “I love the Native American notion that…
Help for Haiti
I had the privilege of going to Thailand in 2005 to help with the reconstruction efforts after the tsunami that destroyed many parts of southeast Asia. We got there 3 months following the disaster and were surprised to find that so much restoration had already happened in major cities and tourist hotspots, while fishing villages…