Buckle up and get your reading glasses–this is a long one. Recently someone insinuated that, since I spent my life in academia, I didn’t know anything about working real jobs. (It was phrased in terms of never wearing steel-toed shoes.) So I thought I’d compile a list of all my work experiences in and outContinue reading “List My Work History”
Tag Archives: retirement
I Hereby Resolve…
A few years back I read an interesting article on New Year’s resolutions. The author suggested that, instead of resolving to do more in the coming year, one should do less. It’s like the scene in the movie Birdcage when they are turning the apartment into a straight-looking residence, and Val says, “Don’t add; subtract.”Continue reading “I Hereby Resolve…”
Ah, Travel? Big Deal…
While on a cruise to Greece, I wrote the following: “Here I am in Greece. Amazing, but that usual phenomenon of ‘Here I am!’ And then: ‘Big deal.’” What I’m referring to is the state of mind that seems to always happen to me when I travel internationally. I get very excited by the prospectContinue reading “Ah, Travel? Big Deal…”
What’s Your Passion?
I know a lot of people hate their jobs. And I’m sorry for that. A line I used to say to people was: “I love my work, but I hate my job.” There are times when being a college professor could be very annoying, But the most important thing about that was that I didn’tContinue reading “What’s Your Passion?”
Campuses: WTF?
When I arrived at Berkeley in 1985, I saw a makeshift shantytown on the campus. It called attention to apartheid in South Africa and sparked my awareness of that situation and of politics in general. I mean, the campus was steeped in political protest since the free speech movement decades earlier had ignited a trend—thatContinue reading “Campuses: WTF?”
Resuscitation of Old Projects
One of the recurring themes of my digital life has been bringing old projects back to life. One of the manifestations of this was “Gilbert the Goldfish,” which began as a short story and ended up as a web-based story with my scanned illustrations. You can see it here. (I guess the Flash animated versionContinue reading “Resuscitation of Old Projects”
Hand Me the Whiteboard…
Every time someone starts an in-depth explanation of something, or I need to explain something that requires a variety of steps, I ask for “the whiteboard.” I assume at that point that only a detailed diagram will be able to provide any sensical explanation. I always needed a whiteboard when I covered one of theContinue reading “Hand Me the Whiteboard…”
The Premiere Premiere
This past weekend, StoryZ presented our first live theatrical production: Gentle Larceny, written by the late Terry Hamilton who, I’m told, was a Broadway bartender with aspirations of being a successful playwright. The subject of this one-man play was Wilson Mizner who seeks fame—or infamy—through his monologue. Is he telling the truth, embellishing, or outrightContinue reading “The Premiere Premiere”
Questions Only
What is one question you hate to be asked? Explain. Over the years, the questions that made me uncomfortable have changed. I guess that corresponds to my level of maturity and leads me to where we are now. First, speaking generally of questions, I always like to come back to the Bernard Pivot questions usedContinue reading “Questions Only”
Don’t Tell Me I Can’t
How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success? One of the quickest ways to encourage me to do something is to tell me I can’t do it, or to speak the more passive phrase, “it can’t be done.” That’s precisely the motivation I’ve often needed to accomplish a goal. ItContinue reading “Don’t Tell Me I Can’t”
MUSOFYR 