Catalogs that come to my mailbox usually get dumped straight into the recycling bin, but today I took a cruise through Shutterfly’s. There was something strange about the catalog, though. It took me awhile to figure out what it was. And then I realized: It’s not what it is. It’s what it isn’t. A 24-page catalog, … read more The missing family
Month: November 2015
Cutting a tomato into 48 pieces
Twenty-five minutes: What can you accomplish? The tomato method says: A lot. If you do only ONE thing – and nothing else. Like a lot of people, I struggle to walk the fine line between multitasking and being scatter-brained. Email and social media are a constant lure, an easy way to distract us from focusing on the … read more Cutting a tomato into 48 pieces
Picasso said so
One of my mental blocks about art is that I am always trying to create a masterpiece. After all, Picasso said, Everything you can imagine is real. So if I can imagine a masterpiece, it is real already. I just have to paint it. So I come to the daily practice, reminding myself of another … read more Picasso said so
No power
What is zero to the zero power? If you’re like me, you might flash on the introduction to the old Ben Casey TV series. A hand wrote on a chalkboard the symbols for “man, woman, birth, death, infinity,” while the narrator somberly recited those words. Even at the age of five, I knew this was something heavy and … read more No power
Something doesn’t add up
Since I was a kid, any time I’ve taken an aptitude test I score higher on math than language. My GRE score was highest in analytical, almost as high in quantitative reasoning, and lowest in verbal reasoning. Funny stats for someone who always wanted to be a writer, and whose career involved very little math. … read more Something doesn’t add up
Weeping, and other visions
“Those who do not weep, do not see.” – Victor Hugo, “Les Miserables” A friend offered this quote after my sorrowful post about my failures in fused glass. It reminds me of the passage from Khalil Gibran’s “The Prophet” engraved on my memory: “The more that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can … read more Weeping, and other visions
Four steps of investigative journalism and other pursuits
In 2002, I was asked to give a workshop on investigative reporting for journalists in Laos. I was pretty surprised by this request. Laos was, and still is, a tightly controlled Communist country. And yet, having given up central management of the economy, the party leaders had recognized that its media needed to do a … read more Four steps of investigative journalism and other pursuits
The worst job I ever loved
The worst job of 2015, according to an analysis by CareerCast, is one that I held for 12 years: newspaper reporter. That job was hard and often exasperating, but I loved the challenge, was fascinated by the people I met and stories I reported, and was proud of my profession. It seemed a perfect fit for my curiosity and my … read more The worst job I ever loved
Nauseated from memory
When I was little, I’d get deathly carsick. As a kid I read constantly, and it was hard for me to put down the book. But I think it was good for me to have to look out the window instead of always at the pages of a book. Maybe it’s even why I became … read more Nauseated from memory
Margaret, grieving
Gerard Manley Hopkins said it best in Spring and Fall: To a young child: Márgarét, áre you gríeving Over Goldengrove unleaving? …It ís the blight man was born for, It is Margaret you mourn for. These words come to my mind so often, but most of all now. This weekend, autumn is at its peak. The … read more Margaret, grieving