If you are in Facebook, you have probable seen this “Polish proverb” (I have no idea where it comes from, and I sort of doubt the authority of someone randomly posting things on Facebook). It has become my new favorite mantra. ### My collection of travel stories, Travels with Jessica, is now available! Kindle and…
Month: July 2014
On the difference between reality and fiction
Jessica is my biggest fan, and she thinks it is very wonderful when I write a book, and even more so when it gets published, and not just because I take her out to dinner to celebrate. But she cannot understand why I am so mean to my characters. She thinks that the best story…
On how we are free
Years ago, Jessica had a big plastic castle that she got for Christmas, and a number of princess figures that fit inside. One day she came to me and she said, “I let all of the princesses out of the castle and now they are free!” She was beyond excited; she was thrilled. And…
On what I learned from watching things blow up
If you’ve been following along, you might think when I refer to watching things blow up, I am using the phrase in a metaphorical sense, but today I actually mean it in the literal sense. That is to say, I have been watching Mythbusters on Netflix. If you’ve ever watched this show, you know…
On how some things never change
I am, as you know, an extremely prolific author, and that means I am constantly working. But it also means I am constantly getting stuck. Jessica can always tell because that’s when I start trying new recipes for dinner. It’s amazing the number of ideas a good tofu marinade can shake loose. ### Dojo Wisdom…
Ode to the coffee shop
One of the baristas at the coffee shop I frequent is an extremely taciturn and dignified young man, and when he asks if I want sprinkles, he uses a carefully modulated and uninflected tone so as not to make his pain too apparent. Sometimes he draws a little leaf on my mocha. The stories I…