It was to be a good day. I could make it to the ferry terminal with enough time not to have to rush (for once). The ferry would be a leisurely two hour ride to the island of Jeju, … Read More … Read More
Awareness
How avoiding conflict can ruin everything
Greetings from the Shinkansen. While on my travels, I got to talking with a guy who had lived in Japan for a while. We talked openly about our lives (in that way that happens surprisingly frequently in situations when … Read More … Read More
How to feel like an infant (in a good way)
I approached the packed little restaurant with interest and apprehension. I say “little restaurant,” but it was really just a hallway with a kitchen and some chairs shoehorned into it. I tried to place an order via the universal … Read More … Read More
Why you don’t travel more
“I wish I could travel more.” Oh, if I had a frequent flyer mile for every time I’ve heard this lament. Travel appears to be the universal wish. Even the usual mileposts of marriage, kids, and house don’t seem … Read More … Read More
Three reasons to avoid bullet points
If you write for a living or even just as a hobby, and there’s any component of advice or help in your work, it’s important to be able to get your point across in as effective a manner as … Read More … Read More
You are more than what you do
“I’m a musician.” I used to define myself that way. When people asked what I “did,” and if the context wasn’t obviously asking about my day job, that’s how I would respond. Music was such an integral part of … Read More … Read More
How disruptive innovation enables effective protest
Last time, I talked about how protesting a single oil company wasn’t an effective way to effect change. Instead, I argued for reducing car-dependency through land use changes. This undermining of a business model is known as disruptive innovation, … Read More … Read More
Greedy Lying Bastards, or how not to make a difference
I had the pleasure of seeing Greedy Lying Bastards recently, the new documentary from local filmmaker Craig Rosebraugh about the climate change denial industry. I knew with a name like “Greedy Lying Bastards” that it wasn’t likely to be … Read More … Read More
How irony is the enemy of a risk-filled life
Much has been written about the hipster in popular culture. Most of it has been done to death, so I won’t go on about it much, but I’ve been inadvertently on the front lines of hipsterdom for many years … Read More … Read More
Do you have any room to complain?
I once knew someone who was, by most standards, rather well-off. Maybe not wealthy in the traditional sense, but definitely doing okay for herself. And yet, there were areas of her life that she wanted to improve. She talked … Read More … Read More