The Two Dollar Tango
It has been a great feeling, watching the numbers on our eBay account tick up each month. But, for all of the successful buy-it-now listings I’ve completed and the green numbers that accompany them, so much more of my inventory sits in the reject pile. So, alas, I must now pivot from the meticulous, methodical […]
Reluctant Protagonist
Ever since my teenage years, I’ve cast myself as the reluctant protagonist of my life’s tangled narrative. I believed, perhaps naively, that by positioning myself as the central figure—often cast in the role of a tragic hero — I could somehow claim redemption in the grand arc of my poet’s soul, tethered reluctantly to this […]
Scenes from the Shelburne Museum
My wife Emily and I journeyed to Shelburne, VT yesterday to visit the Shelburne Museum. It’s half-price admission for Vermont residents, which makes it well worth the ninety-minute trip from our house. You actually get a two-day pass for the half-price deal, but my legs took a beating from all the stairs in the old […]
Ask For Advice, Get Money Twice
“Ask for money, you get advice, ask for advice, get money twice.” – Pitbull Yes, this quote is from the very Pitbull you believe I’m referring to, the rapper from Miami, Florida. The quote is literally from the opening lines of “Feel This Moment,” the fourth single from his Global Warming album. This is excellent […]
What Good is Potential Without Courage?
“One isn’t necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can’t be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.” – Maya Angelou Maya Angelou once said, “One isn’t necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential.” With courage comes the ability […]
It’s Never Too Late to Learn Wisdom
“It is better to learn wisdom late than never to learn it at all.” – Sherlock Holmes, from Arthur Conan Doyle’s Holmes short story, The Man with the Twisted Lip. While I’ve always been a fan of the Sherlock Holmes mystery stories, since reading the DK Big Ideas Book about Sherlock Holmes, I’ve gained new […]
Why a Photo is Made, And Not Just Taken
“You don’t take a photograph, you make it.” – Ansel Adams This quote is from Ansel Adams, one of the 20th century’s most acclaimed photographers. It’s one of my favorite quotes about photography, because it highlights the fact that a photo is made as much as it is taken. Many people focus too much on […]
Luck is the Residue of Design
“Luck is the residue of design.” – Branch Rickey, legendary baseball general manager Branch Rickey is most famous for being the general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers who signed Jackie Robinson, the first African-American to become a regular player in Major League Baseball. In baseball circles, though, he’s perhaps even more famous for inventing what […]
Talent is a Terrible Thing to Waste
“Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.” – Stephen King Human beings are blessed with one sort of talent or another. Some are great at public speaking. Others are great at composing music. Still others are very good at writing essays; […]