Here we lay in the Horse Latitudes (that listless, empty span near the equator where old timey sailors couldn’t catch a breeze) between the Day of Thanks and the Season of Giving. This is a wonderful time to talk about selfishness. Philosophers, psychotherapists, people of faith and historical icons have all struggled with the issue [Continue]
Once upon a time, I was at court in front of a judge for a Failure to Adjust to treatment hearing. I stood next to my patient, and on the other side of her stood her probation officer and child-advocate attorney. The jude was yelling at everyone except the kid about not receiving any updates [Continue]
“Humans are the only creatures that actively seek out fearful experiences. We take roller coaster rides. We skydive. We go to scary movies. We even pay money to do these things.” – Dirk Eitzen The Society for Cognitive Studies of the Moving Image Like most married Americans, I watch television with my wife. We usually [Continue]
It’s October and I’ve got Horror on my mind. Horror, as a genre, can be one of the most diverse and controversial storytelling styles for the simple fact that it is a pusher; a boundary pusher, a moré pusher, a comfort zone pusher. Horror exists on the other side of where we live. It’s part [Continue]
“Writing…is like shooting with a rifle; you may hit your reader’s mind, or miss it…” -Oliver Wendell Holmes As with last fall, I’ve loaded up my cerebral six-gun with the Six Word Stories of our recent adventures. In this fashion I serve three ends; It is a writing exercise for my literarily minded readers, [Continue]
ther·a·py (n) 1. the treatment of disease or disorders, as by some remedial, rehabilitating, or curative process. 2. a curative power or quality. I talk a lot here about healing. I hope that how much I love the opportunity to help a person heal comes through these words every other week. It is truly a [Continue]
Didn’t you know social media is bad for you? According to a study of Facebook and MySpace presented at the 119th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, “young adults who have a strong Facebook presence show more signs of other psychological disorders, including antisocial behaviors, mania and aggressive tendencies,” and lower grades in school. [Continue]
As Randy Pausch said in last month’s article “It’s Not About Dying,” we should get a feedback loop, and listen to it. I published my own feedback loop, a few months back, with the article critiquing the website. Now I offer you the “listen to it” portion. There have been some changes to this ever [Continue]
“We cannot change the cards we are dealt, only how we play the hand.” -Randy Pausch, “The Last Lecture” I still have the applause at the end of “The Last Lecture” ringing in my ears as I type this first line. I’m a bit teary-eyed. Go ahead, click the link and watch the hour long [Continue]
“In 1987, Jon Hein and his roommates at the University of Michigan were drinking beer and had Nick at Nite playing in the background. They started talking about classic TV shows when someone asked, ‘What was the precise moment you knew it was downhill for your favorite show?’…Sean Connolly offered, ‘That’s easy: It was when [Continue]
