I picked up a copy of Getting To Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In, by Roger Fisher and William Ury. I had heard of it, and thought it sounded like it might have a few interesting tips. I was surprised that the main points of the book are an application of storytelling structure. I probably […]
I’ve always heard a lot about Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich, one of the most successful self-help books of all time. I was planning to write a review of it, but most of what I would have included was already written in a review few years ago.
Heute vor vierundachtzig Jahren war der Reichstagsbrand. Eighty-four years ago today, the German Reichstag burned.
A few weeks ago, my alma mater, the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, sent out a survey, which it called the “Economic Impact Alumni Survey”. It was never stated explicitly, but based on the questions (not to mention Illinois’ current political climate), I assume the survey is trying to tie IMSA’s worth to it’s monetary […]
Christmas gifts are somewhat misunderstood… or misinterpreted. Yes, every Thanksgiving, people load into their cars to interrupt the day Lincoln proclaimed “should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged” in order to compete with each other for Doorbusters. Yes, the rest of us who aren’t that crazy look on in horror at the news of someone […]
The Cubs are special. When I was maybe 10, my grandmother decided to take our whole family to Wrigley. All 4 of her children and their spouses and their children got on a train in Princeton, Illinois, and rode into Union Station. I don’t remember if we took taxis or the ‘L’ to Addison, but […]
My grandfather, Norman W. Hall, passed away at the age of 89 last week. For his funeral on Sunday, October 16, I was asked to read some memories and thoughts by my father and my sister, and add some thoughts of my own. This is what we shared:
Megan’s 30th birthday was last week, and we took a trip to celebrate. Both of us have heard about Portland. I’ve had acquaintances who’ve moved there. We’ve also gotten curious about having marionberry pancakes for brunch. (If you don’t know what marionberries are, for goodness’ sake, go watch Portlandia.) We had an amazing time.
This past weekend, my wife Megan’s family laid her maternal grandmother, Betty Minck, to rest. My wife has an incredible memory for personal detail, and it’s no surprise that she took it on herself to curate some photographs to display for the memorial. I learned a lot about my wife and her family and history […]