Category: Musings
Posted on May 19, 2024
An Empty House
An empty house is an interesting thing, particularly one you have no intention of filling. I have had six major moves in my life and we are in the midst of number seven. Movers showed up this week …
Posted on March 10, 2024
On Speechwriting
Fifteen months is long enough to feel like an age and short enough to vanish in a blink. It’s also short enough to make you feel like an expert in something, but long enough to know better. I …
Posted on February 25, 2024
I Use 100% of My Brain and You Can Too! The Nature of Pervasive Myths
I’m currently reading Adam Grant’s Hidden Potential, which has been quite enjoyable so far. One data point from the book, however, stands out. The popular educational belief that each of us has a preferred learning style (e.g. audio, …
Updated on December 25, 2023
On Christmas
Tomorrow is my 34th Christmas. I have had Christmases full of joy, and some tinged by sadness. One year involved cutting down our own snow-covered Christmas tree with thermoses of hot chocolate holding off the crisp winter air. …
Posted on August 27, 2023
Someday
Tom Cruise is apparently this week’s muse. My initial idea for today’s Wandering was to review the latest Mission Impossible movie. When I talked through it with my wife, though, the conversation strayed into territory covered by a …
Posted on August 13, 2023
Handicaps and Flaws
Generally speaking, interesting characters have to overcome obstacles. That’s why Superman bores me. It’s hard for the most powerful being around to face challenges that don’t immediately turn absurd. Something writers think about when developing those characters is …
Posted on June 18, 2023
Father’s Day Round Two
Today is my second Father’s Day as an actual father. This one sinks in deeper than the first given that during the first, my son was basically a semi-sentient potato capable only of pooping and crying. Now, however, …
Posted on April 24, 2023
It’s All Connected: Scams, Conspiracies, and Belief
In an interview shortly after publishing The Da Vinci Code, author Dan Brown stated unequivocally that the various secret holy orders contained within were real, that the French monarchy blood line claimed to have been wiped out in …
Posted on April 9, 2023
Easter Message ’23
Happy Easter! What a special day this is. For many, it involves egg painting, Easter baskets, and large quantities of sugar. The best part of that is how much of it revolves around doing it with family, a …
Posted on March 13, 2023
I Left My Heart in SpaceX – Starbase
One of the unique parts of life in the military is you never really know what your job will be. Sure, you have your specialty code, but ultimately you are a widget they can and will slot into …
