Advertising… The Worst Birthday Card Ever 8 Sep 201213 Oct 2012 I'm excited to be turning 50 soon, and my friends are celebrating early--even Aetna. They sent a card: "Happy Birthday!" it says, with fourteen lighted candles. It says "aetna" in…
Advertising… Friday Flick: Real Beauty 24 Jun 201125 Jun 2011 Even if you've seen this classic commercial, it's a great reminder that what we see in certain environments bears no resemblance to reality. It's also a reminder that some revisions…
Advertising… Your Brain on Ads 14 Jun 201114 Jun 2011 Take a therapist who trained her daughter to watch media, including ads, with critical attention. Now imagine this daughter, Maya Cueva--already a journalist while still a teenager--not only applying that…
Business… Handwritten E-mail 25 Apr 201123 Apr 2011 Handwritten E-mail--what a lovely idea! Pilot, maker of traditional pens, is working on it. It isn't perfected yet--this is still beta testing--but they have a beautiful goal. I suggest you watch…
Change the World… In Case of Rejection 13 Apr 2011 As poet Wesley McNair braved rejections, his mentor Donald Hall comforted him with these observations: "These feelings simply do not end! Believe me I am sympathetic with your feelings, but…
Collaboration… Composing Language 11 Apr 20119 Apr 2011 Every time I see my composer son, he raves about and demonstrates some new tool in his repertoire: something about counterpoint, some chord he picked up from another composer, some…
Baby Boomers… The Lady with the Pineapple Hair 8 Mar 201112 Mar 2011 As teenagers, we stifled giggles whenever we sat behind the lady with the pineapple hair. I theorized that she hoped its astounding height would be slimming. I also guessed that…
Academic Writing… Dialogue Skills 15 Feb 201116 Feb 2011 Can you write believable and interesting dialogue? It's a skill we all need. In fiction, it's a given. Drama, more so; poetry, maybe. And nonfiction? You'd be surprised. The most…
Academic Writing… I Am Woman; Call Me She 27 Jan 201127 Jan 2011 Since Facebook already knows whether you are male or female, and even distinguishes between your "Cousin (male)" and "Cousin (female)," a distinction the English language doesn’t make, then why can't…
Change the World… “Good Job!” 20 Jan 201120 Jan 2011 In church last Sunday, my pianist son played a mellow duet improv with cellist friend Ken. It was gentle and healing, both worship and blessing. Usually, I listen as a…
Business Communications… Dinnertime “Stop, Drop, and Roll” 5 Jan 20115 Jan 2011 No, it wasn't a kitchen fire. One of my favorite comedians—though he’s clearly an elementary school boy—was checked by his much older brother with “Stop, Drop [the topic], and Roll”—to…
Business Communications… Friday Flick: Validation 17 Dec 201027 Jan 2011 Click on the image to access the 17-minute film, "Validation," a fable about more than the magic of free parking.
