Discovering the song in the heart after living in a culture of fear
Imagine existing in a professional music environment where fear is the dominating factor in everything you do. You miss a note and immediately get the stink eye from the maestro, fearful that one more misstep and you’ll be out on the street, without a job and no hope of ever getting one again. The maestro even…
Read MoreThe most passive-aggressive tenant in the history of tenants
This email is kind of funny and is something my wife Sana and I had a good laugh over. As I’ve mentioned before, I recently returned to Virginia Beach after a long stay living with Sana in Hanoi, Vietnam. The place I’ve rented is a bit interesting. It’s technically on farm land but within the…
Read MoreWhy I have only 3 listeners
Something I like to do when I’m doing a podcast interview is to tell the person on the other end something along the lines of, “Don’t worry if you mess up, there’s only 3 people listening.” It’s meant to put people at ease, to just relax and be themselves and not be thinking about all…
Read MoreAll I really need is a song in my heart
One of the great joys I’ve experienced, not just in the last few weeks being back in Virginia Beach, but throughout the last 7 years is my son Gabriel. He’s always been a joy to be around, listens well, has gone through a lot with the separation of his parents over the last 3+ years,…
Read MoreWhy I have only 3 listeners
Something I like to do when I’m doing a podcast interview is to tell the person on the other end something along the lines of, “Don’t worry if you mess up, there’s only 3 people listening.” It’s meant to put people at ease, to just relax and be themselves and not be thinking about all…
Read MoreComply or die
It’s good to be back in the good ole U.S. of A. I just spent seven months in Vietnam nurturing my relationship with my beautiful wife, and it was well worth it. We’re hopeful her visa will finally be approved and she’ll get over here before the end of 2021. I’ve got a few quarantine and…
Read MoreThe Sinking Sands of the Maybe Desert
I am REALLY looking forward to getting back to the United States. I am NOT looking forward to being separated from my lovely bride, Sana, again, for an indefinite period of time, again. But we had much meaningful quality time together, not to mention the progress made on her visa application in the 7 months I was here. She knows…
Read MoreA mind-bending take on intellectual property
On Facebook today, I came across a post that made me do a bit of a double take. At first, I thought the person who made the comment was one of those dudes who’s got a full six-pack, but lacks the little plastic thing that holds it all together. The OP was someone who was…
Read MoreThe impossible warmup
Many years ago, I listened to Wynton Marsalis’ recording of Grand Russian Fantasia. If you haven’t heard it, it’s okay. Let’s just say my 18 year old brain couldn’t comprehend how something so difficult could be played with such ease. Well, Wynton made it sound easy anyway. But I remember thinking, “That’s impossible, no way…
Read MoreHow do you pronounce “epinephrine”?
Awhile back, I guess going on 2 years ago as I write this in July 2021, I received a voice message from Ben Greenfield’s executive assistant. Ben was putting the finishing touches on his mammoth book Boundless and they were in discussions about having it narrated in audio format. They had flirted with some of the…
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