Today I turned 58 and it turned out to be a great day. I got to spend the day with my family, and nothing beats that. The day started with the usual Sunday routine of my wife and I going to early Mass followed by a trip to Planet Fitness, and then coffee and bagels from … Continue reading An Ideal Birthday →

Most people recognize that a condo with a waterfront view will sell for a premium, but what about a condo that has a pet? Advocates of lifting pet restrictions in condominiums usually argue for the medical and psychological benefits of pet-owning. Now there is research indicating that there are monetary benefits as well. Zhenguo Lin … Continue reading A Waterfront View And a Dog In Every Condo →

Seth Godin had an interesting post today about "Serving Size". In the post, Seth talks about how in our culture, our instinct is to "fill the bowl". We are used to filling coffee to the brim of our cup, to eating whatever portion we are served, to spending just as much as we make. Seth … Continue reading Seth Godin and Parkinson’s Law →

Feeling some stress? Look no further than some good old exercise as an effective, and enjoyable, way to manage and reduce stress. The Wall Street Journal had a story recently featuring some comments from Brad Roy, the executive director of the Summit Medical Fitness Center in Kalispell, Montana. When faced with a stressful situation, "stress response … Continue reading Wellness Wednesday: Exercise and Stress →

Thomas Cottingham, 27, of Wilmington, Delaware died Monday night while protecting a woman and her baby from an attacker armed with a knife. The attacker was later caught and has been charged with first-degree murder. Police stated that as the attacker was chasing the woman, Cottingham intervened and tried to stop him. The suspect then … Continue reading Not All Heroes Live To Tell About It →

That was one of the headlines in today's Philadelphia Inquirer, with the sub-heading "One person died. Others were hurt in shootings and a stabbing." I must admit that at first I just skipped over reading the story, and kept paging through the paper, stopping to read only those stories that captured my interest. But then … Continue reading Deadly Night of Violence in Philly →

I thought it would be fun to look back at what the first YouTube video was, the first tweet, the original Google search page (shown above), the first Facebook page, etc. But while doing my search, I came across a post by Alyson Shontell on Business Insider from a couple of years ago that already did … Continue reading A Bunch of Internet Firsts, but Done Second →

The Wall Street Journal had a story today by Michelle Hackman about the growing number of college students who are earning degrees in multi- or interdisciplinary studies. The number of such degrees increased by 74% from 2003-2013, making it the fourth-fastest-growing type of major among those with at least 10,000 degrees granted. While many schools … Continue reading Customizing the College Experience →