Good Fortune
“Good Fortune: Grandfather Dies, Father Dies, Son Dies.” Zen koan
Spirit
Thanksgiving 2012
Thanksgiving 2012 is a chance to reflect on all that I am grateful for: health, family, friends, and the opportunities I have been given.
Take a Moment To Remember 11 Years Ago
Take a Moment To Remember 11 Years Ago; The 9-11 attack may be the question for my middle age that “where were you when John Kennedy was assassinated?” was in my youth.
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Memorial Day 2012
On Memorial Day 2012 in we commemorate those who died in the service of our country. I offer some excerpts from Lt. Col. Michael Strobl’s account of escorting the remains of a Marine killed in combat in 2004 for you to meditate on.
David Foster Wallace: The Only Choice We Get is What to Worship
What follows are excerpts from a commencement speech given by David Foster Wallace to the 2005 graduating class at Kenyon College. I thought they were an appropriate antidote to a model for entrepreneurial motivation that aspires to make enough money to do whatever you want. Wallace outlines some of the risks in failing to align
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A Storm Driven Sparrow
Two excerpts, one from H. Rider Haggard and one from Venerable Bede, that use a sparrow in flight as a metaphor for the evanescence of a man’s life.
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Merry Christmas 2011
Merry Christmas 2011: “It’s a whole year between Christmases, but it’s a short Christmas between years.” Ashleigh Brilliant Merry Christmas 2011 “It’s a whole year between Christmases, but it’s a short Christmas between years.” Ashleigh Brilliant “Human beings must always be on the watch for the coming of wonders.” E. B. White in “Charlotte’s Web”
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Thanksgiving 2011
Reflections at Thanksgiving 2011: in the second half of my life, it’s time to appreciate all that I have and be more forthcoming in my gratitude to others.
Remembering What Happened
Peggy Noonan notes we didn’t know what to call 9-11 at first, we called it “what happened.” This post is about remembering what happened.
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Father’s Day 2011
“When my father died it was like a whole library burned down. ” Laurie Anderson “World Without End” Father’s Day has me reflecting on my father’s passing almost four years ago now: there isn’t a week that goes by that I don’t wish I could still give him a phone call. I moved away from St. Louis
The Snow Lay Round About, Deep and Crisp and Even
Luck is like snow, a certain amount falls on everyone. But unlike snow, you can increase your luck.
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Some Things Change, Others Remain Constant
Some things change, others remain constant. It’s hard to see the patterns when you are enmeshed in them. You have to pause and reflect.
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Fall Back
Daylight savings time ends tonight in Silicon Valley: we fall back to get the hour back we lost in the Spring.
Take a Minute to Recall 9 Years Ago
I apologize for this detour from our exploration of entrepreneurial issues, but this anniversary of my complete confusion is one that I continue to observe, still attempting almost a decade later to make sense of it. But please, take a minute to recall 9 years ago.
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Picked Up And Moved Heavy Objects Without Getting Hurt
When I put together my first resume in college I described my job as a mover as “picked up and moved heavy objects without getting hurt.
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Fourth of July 2010
Fourth of July is when the Declaration of Independence was signed, America’s declaration to England that “You’re Not The Boss of Me Now.”
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Deprecating Facebook Part Two
I am deprecating my use of Facebook except for a small group of friends and family. On-line communities do not enable person to person trust to scale.
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Memorial Day 2010
On Memorial Day 2010 we commemorate those who died in the service of our country. Richard Fernandez has an outstanding post “Memory and Survival” that highlights the importance of remembering the altruistic sacrifices that not only make our society possible but better than it would be otherwise.
Thanksgiving 2009
Thanksgiving 2009: to be self-employed in a downturn is a wonderful opportunity–I don’t have to worry about getting laid off.
Veterans Day 2009
A thank you on Veterans Day 2009 to all of the men and women in our armed forces who make this Silicon Valley oasis of rationality and innovation possible. Veterans Day 2009 “We sleep soundly in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us