This is me with my grandparents at the prom. When I look at this photo, I like to imagine they were my dates that night. It makes perfect sense if you think about it. I was born on their wedding anniversary, for one. And two, if they had been my dates, I could be telling …
Bravery is the Cornerstone of Being a Fraud
Count Victor Lustig never suffered from imposter syndrome, and he wasn’t a Count, a Victor, or a Lustig. He was a Robert Miller, born in Bohemia in 1890 (probably). Bob was a fraud, and “Count Victor Lustig” was only his favorite alias. His most famous fraud was when he forged government credentials and sold the Eiffel …
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Magic is Real
Thirteen years ago, David Copperfield got mugged at gunpoint by some teenagers who’d just moved to Florida from Kentucky. But David Copperfield—the most commercially successful magician in history—didn’t actually get mugged because he used slight of hand to make his pockets appear empty. In "reality," David Copperfield’s pockets were holding his wallet, his cellphone, and …
A Chronology
This is all about me.
Howl: A Playlist
moan growl groan wail roar whimper hoot outcry shriek bellow clamor lament whine bawl bay keen shout quest bark blubber yowl yell weep scream ululate yip
It’s Never Too Late to Get Raised the Right Way
But you might have to do it yourself. I am fortunate to have been raised by cows. This is me at my high school graduation. And if you didn't get raised the right way (whatever that means), then you absolutely have to do it yourself. You owe it to yourself (and to the rest of …
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Wait, am I the Rocket Man?
I don't know how to play the piano. (I write the cord names on colored tape and put them on the keys. I can only have one song's worth of chords labeled at a time.) I'm an ok singer. (I have my moments, but my tombstone's never going to say, "She could sing.") I love …
Moderation: Even in Empathy OR Empathy is for Suckers
We’re told empathy is good. That it’s great. That without it we’d be sociopaths. Fine. I don’t disagree. But I think it’s time we sat down and talked about the dangers of too much empathy. (Now, if you suffer from not enough empathy, go away. This isn’t for you. Go figure out how to have …
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Parenting 400
It’s our solemn duty as parents to make people who no longer need us, but who know we're always there for them.
The Joy of Painting
I think it was Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes who said: “Ancient dissectionists spoke of the auditory nerve being divided into three or more pathways deep in the brain. They surmised that the ear was meant, therefore, to hear at three different levels. One pathway was said to hear the mundane conversations of the world. A …
Tough Love Co. 