Today is the birthday of Gandhi, a man who faced unending heartbreaking frustrations and yet changed the world radically and for the better. He was also notably nice to people, including his jailers, most of the way. A sterling example of bold living. This sculpture of him sits three blocks from my office. Add to […] Read More

You know that website called Publishers Marketplace? You can get a lot of info at no charge there, including a free newsletter about the publishing industry, what book just sold by what agent to what editor for what price level. I’ve generally ignored the $20 a month membership option for additional info there, thinking that […] Read More

At moments before two o’clock this afternoon, I decided to close my eyes for a moment on the little fainting couch in my office. I woke up shortly after six pm when my husband called. In the meantime, my office partner Carrie was working busily in the next room, as she had been since early […] Read More

Sometimes the tricky part of a bold move is what comes next. A very minor example. I wrote an extremely odd short short, a bit of what is often referred to as “flash fiction”, which is to say, a story that’s very short. I wrote it in the form of a style sheet, the list […] Read More

Two courage quotes from Abraham Maslow on the power of confidence: “The history of the human race is the story of men and women selling themselves short.” “We fear to know the fearsome and the unsavory aspects of ourselves but we fear ever more to know the godlike in ourselves.” Advice for the day: Don’t […] Read More

After a summer of neglect, my flower garden was full of reproach when I started a bit of weeding this afternoon. It’s just too hot here to enjoy such activities in summer, plus I’d rather be on the water then. (Or lounging in the AC reading a novel.) So I expect a garden to look […] Read More

At a party last night, I had a talk with the hostess, a woman in her seventies whom I’d never met before, and was impressed by the fact that she seemed entirely “for real” through the whole conversation. I asked myself what gave me that feeling. She seemed: * relaxed, but not ostentatiously so* forthcoming […] Read More

A friend with a martial arts testing this weekend is dealing with a stiff back. It would be possible for him to get the test put off. Here’s what he says about that possibility: “My default setting is to ‘go for it.’ The back would have to be really bad for me to ask for […] Read More

“We must insist that the future does not belong to fear.” —President Barack Obama, speaking to the U.N. Add to del.icio.us - Stumble It! - Subscribe to this feed - Digg it Read More

Recently I spent a day working on my sofa–and napping on my sofa–from roughly 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Not my usual workday but I got a fair amount done. And caught up on my sleep. (I think.) And I didn’t let my laptop crash to the floor and die. Variations like that in my […] Read More