It was my sixth attempt; the previous five had all resulted in a "thanks, but no thanks" decision. Maybe today would be my turn, I would be one of the chosen few. I really wanted to do this, but alas, it was not meant to be. I'm talking about jury duty. Even though I've been … Continue reading Rejected, Again
Every year for Bach’s birthday a spontaneous, global community of musicians unites to sow the seeds for future generations of classical music lovers and share their joy and inspiration for their artform. The power and beauty of Johann Sebastian Bach's music consistently transcend social and musical boundaries and inspire deep appreciation and strong emotion. Yet … Continue reading Music Monday: Bach in the Subways
I'm sure our dog is no different than most dogs. When it's time to eat, she can barely contain herself. She starts spinning around, jumping up on us, pawing at the door where we keep her food, and running around the kitchen. It's the highlight of her day. But then it's over so quickly. She wolfs … Continue reading Thanks to Harlan Coben, Now I Know What It’s Like to Be My Dog
Welcome to another edition of the occasional post highlighting the best stories of the weekend edition of the Wall Street Journal. The Right Way to Choose a College Denise Pope, co-founder of Challenge Success, a research and advocacy group at Stanford’s Graduate School of Education, conducted an extensive review of the academic literature on whether the brand name … Continue reading Best Stories from the Wall Street Journal Weekend Edition
I don't know why this memory from nearly 50 years ago came back to me, and I'm a little fuzzy on the details. When I was about 12 or 14 I started using the phrase "I need a freaking rock." A lot. I would use it when something wasn't going my way, when it was … Continue reading “I Need a Freaking Rock!”
Today I brought my car in for service to the local Toyota dealer in Ardmore. Since the repair was going to take a while, I figured I would just use the free shuttle service that I've used on previous visits. It's been a while since I've used the shuttle service since I usually just wait at … Continue reading Now This Is What I Call Service
The Wall Street Journal had a story today about the success that Planet Fitness is currently experiencing. Planet Fitness’s revenue has increased more than 30% over the past year and its valuation has nearly quadrupled to about $6.2 billion since it went public in 2015. The chain has more than 12.5 million members and operates … Continue reading Long Live Planet Fitness!
Researchers at Princeton and NYU's Social Media and Political Participation Lab examined the individual-level characteristics associated with sharing false articles on Facebook during the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign. Here were some of the results: first and foremost, sharing content was a relatively rare activity. Roughly 1 in 12 users shared fake news stories. Those who shared the most … Continue reading Getting Too Much Fake News on Facebook? Blame Your Conservative Grandparents
Here's a list of movies that have something in common - at one point in the movie they all played the same song: 1981: In Excalibur, when King Arthur and his knights ride into battle. 1984: In Speed. 1989: in Glory. 1991: In The Doors, Oliver Stone's biographical film of the American rock band. 1992: … Continue reading Music Monday: The Most Overused Piece of Music in Film History
I'd never heard of the phrase "snowplow parenting" before today. But it seems like the perfect description of the style of parenting that may have been at work with the college admissions scandal that made headlines this week. The phrase was used in a New York Times story yesterday, noting that “snowplow parents” keep their children’s futures obstacle-free … Continue reading Snowplow Parenting
Borden's Blather 