The Pen
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Focus is the thing, and it's tough.
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How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Blog
I've been blogging on and off for almost fifteen years now, and one of the recurring problems I've struggled with is the stifling thought that what I'm writing had to be meaningful and cohesive.
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Two Lessons In Parental Bittersweetness
Our family visited a theme park this Saturday. I captured the trip on film, but shortly afterwards lost said pictures when the trolls living in my computer managed to run off with the precious data. I am resigned now to capturing it with words because I was struck with two powerful realizations that I don’t... Read More
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The Urge To Create Something Meaningful
Funny how difficult it is to consistently write every day, especially when stricken with different moods and temperaments. Being busy isn’t so much the issue, because it only takes fifteen minutes of my time; but the mental fatigue is what makes it difficult to push out interesting content on a regular schedule. Which brings up... Read More
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There seems to be some correlation between freedom and maturity. It’s irresponsible to give children the same type of freedom that adults have. I wouldn’t give a six-year-old the keys to my car and if he suddenly disappeared from the house, I’d immediately start looking for him. I wouldn’t do the same with a forty-year-old... Read More
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Comment Policy or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love The Mob
All of the trains out of Penn Station today were delayed an hour. I knew something was wrong when the amount of people on the street and around the station was nearly triple an average day. It was actually quite humorous, watching the teeming masses of people, all visibly annoyed and some let it escape... Read More
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The Irony of Pixelated Insomnia
I passed a very large electric plant and the stories high scaffolding triggered a childhood memory. When I was younger, early teenage years, I had difficulty getting to sleep at night. (No wonder I became a web designer.) I’d lie awake in bed and try as hard as I could to fall asleep. Of course,... Read More
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Better Than Accomplishing Great Things
To be a good leader, you need to listen twice as much as you talk. You can be full of grand ideas, but leadership isn’t just moving toward a bright future; it’s about bringing people along with you. This principle is especially important when you’re new. People are more likely to get behind someone they... Read More
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“What A Piece of Work Are Meetings!”
Meetings seem to suck the life out of me. I was in meetings for about three and a half hours today, and I’m sitting here on the train, exhausted. I’m not just emotionally drained, I’m physically tired and all I did most of the day was sit and listen to someone present ideas. Don’t get... Read More
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I’ve been thinking quite a bit lately about my Aunt Alice Winn. She’s one of the last few remaining of the older generation of relatives in my family. She was married to my grandmother’s brother, so she was technically a great aunt (in more ways than one). She’s had a few spells recently where she’s... Read More
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One of the disadvantages of this new job is that like most people with normal 9-to-5 schedules, I now have to do my yard work on weekends. I used to work in the yard during the week because trips to the hardware store were much quieter. Now I’m fighting the Saturday morning rush with every... Read More
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I’ve been thinking alot about joy recently as I’m studying through the book of Philippians. What’s got me particularly thoughtful is Paul’s perspective on the source of joy. He seems to make it pretty clear early on in the book that being alive here on earth is all about Christ and his own death would... Read More
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Since taking this new job, I’ve been riding the train in to New York City every day; a new experience for someone who has worked out of the house for the last five years. It’s all pretty much ritual: purchasing the tickets, finding the best seats, perfecting the timing of it all. One of the... Read More
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The Blind Man and the Art Museum
At South By Southwest this year, I had the privilege of meeting Matthew Smith. I had some very thought provoking conversations with Matthew. One conversation in particular made an impression on me. Matthew told of a project he worked on for his bachelor’s thesis: he went to an art museum dressed as a blind man—sunglasses,... Read More
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For the last few years, my writing has been decidedly utilitarian. Most of my articles and entries were written to answer a question, fulfill a need, inform the reader. Tonight, however, I write because I can’t seem to figure things. I have a broad, unfocused restlessness that’s keeping me awake because I can’t even seem... Read More
