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When I arrived in Raleigh four years ago, fresh off my disastrous “living on the road” experience and my wife’s agonizing death 6 months earlier, one of the first people I met was Sarah*. Sarah was an older lifeguard at my pool. She was very friendly. I always chat with the guards when I’m drying…

Universal Basic Income sounds like a wonderful way to promote society, provide a buffer against unemployment for any number of reasons, ensure a minimum quality of life and care for humanity. I’ve listened to numerous arguments for and against it. I’ve read through positive results of small studies and short term applications of UBI-like assistance….

I have been reading essays from Neil Gaimen and Tim Kreider that have been both entertaining and thought-provoking. An idea that they stirred up in my head centers focuses on obsessions. Both wrote about their own lives and how they pursued work, art and relationships, based on things they could not stop thinking about. I…

Petfinder seems to be the place to go online in Raleigh to search for adoptable rescue dogs. Some of the rescues and shelters have their own websites, but their websites are not as functional nor as comprehensive. I have been casually browsing dogs for adoption ever since Snickers died. This week, I made the decision…

Over the past few years, there’s been a noticeable increase in the practice of offering “trigger warnings” for news stories, articles and podcasts. Anybody who has not been hiding under a rock has seen these. They’ll warn that the content might upset you. Sometimes they’ll warn about suicide or eating disorders or abuse. They get…

Yesterday while diving down a Wikipedia rathole this callout caught my attention: “Are you an independent, forward-thinking individual? Do you find yourself questioning well-established ideas and conventions?“ As a matter of fact, yes I am, and yes I do. Then the page lists these 11 Rules: I have a mild distaste for the use of…

In a podcast interview about becoming a tenured professor, Dr. Peter McGraw, spoke about the decisions he made regarding education, relationships, locations and work that led him to his career at the University of Colorado. He also spoke about what led him to work on two side projects – Humor in Business and then later,…

One of the unexpected benefits of being a regular lap swimmer is being able to observe the other “regulars” who swim when I do. Because I swim everyday at the same time, doing the same routine, I notice everyone else around me. I see people who use crutches, walkers and wheelchairs who still make their…

Anytime a person asks for advice on how to make friends, build connections, find a mate or not be lonely, somebody is guaranteed to recommend volunteering for a cause that “you care about”. Many companies I worked had an annual paid volunteer day where they solicited employees to team up and work together for a…

I received the same message from two of my favorite essayists this week. In a speech to an audience of Comic Book creators, Neil Gaiman told them to create good comics. He then defined “good” as comics you (the author) would like to read. Gaiman said writers should pay attention to their obsessions. He said…