I listened to a podcast today about choosing a career based on your talents rather than your passions. The guest speaker was a 40 year-tenured Stanford professor who has authored serval books, started multiple businesses, consulted with many tech startups and is a sought after keynote speaker. He stated that people should “just talk to…
Author: Steve Ainslie
Normal Sucks
I just finished reading “Normal Sucks: How to Live, Learn, and Thrive, Outside the Lines“ by Jonathan Mooney. I stumbled across this book at the library and was attracted by the title. I thought it would be about living unconventionally and thriving outside of society conventional norms. It is. In part. It’s the story of…
None Of It Matters
When I am seeking a distraction, I’ll scan the news headlines. My news feeds push 3 types of stories: International News, National News and Local News. 99% of it doesn’t matter to me at all. I’m not saying the articles don’t evoke empathy, disgust, anger or fear in me. Some do. Some don’t. But what…
You Should…Ignore Me
I am a member of an online forum of “single-by-choice” people that is associated with the Solo podcast. I first joined it out of curiosity to learn how other solos live and see what they have to say. Sometimes there are thoughtful threads on specific podcast episodes. Other times people ask questions or share advice….
Giving Bad ISPs The Middle Finger
Google Fiber has finally made its way to my street! To say I’m thrilled would be an understatement. For the last 4 years, my only choices for high speed internet have been AT&T (who I refuse to use*) and Spectrum (my current provider). My problem with both AT&T and Spectrum are sketchy business practices. They…
Ms. Pat vs The Millennial
Ms. Pat was a guest on a comedy podcast that I listened to this week. She is a 50 year-old, African American woman who had 2 babies when she was a teenager, dropped out of high school, sold drugs and went to jail for a year, adopted 4 kids from a relative who abandoned them,…
Cleaning Up My Own Messes
I am reading The Lonely Hunter, a memoir by Aimee Lutkin. I heard her on a podcast recently and then coincidentally happenned to stumble upon her book at the library. She tells the story of her single life up to her early 30s. She writes about growing up poor with a single mother in New…
12,999
With the exception of a few breaks during extenuating life circumstances, illness and injury, I have worked out everyday for 37 years. I started lifting weights when I was 17, heartbroken after an unexpected breakup and determined to get built so she would “she what she was missing”. I might have been exercising my body…
Reality TV
I enjoy watching TV series at night while I eat dinner. For me, it’s mindless entertainment where I don’t have to concentrate. Sometimes the shows surprise me with a plot twist or make me smile or even tear up. When I’m watching, I often see actors that I recognize from something else. I’ll check them…
Not My Life Story
Recently, I was invited to contribute my “Solo” story for possible inclusion in a book. I was flattered to be asked and my brain immediately began cycling on what I would include as part of my story. I could begin with my earliest memories of being an independent child who had close friends, but also…