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My husband has helped me become a better person

My husband has helped me become a better person

We just celebrated 21 years of marriage John and I got married 21 years ago today. I can confidently say I love him more today than I did back then. One of the reasons I love him more is that I love me more – and that’s in part because he’s helped me grow into a happier, healthier, more loving and generous…

Have you told yourself it’s too late?

Have you told yourself it’s too late?

Where did you get your ideas about what it means to get older? Are they serving you? Too late I have this vivid memory: I’m in middle school, that time when being cool becomes so intensely important. I get a too-short haircut I hate. I worry about how long it will take to grow my hair back out, because what if…

Playing is not goofing off. It’s essential.

Playing is not goofing off. It’s essential.

With all the extra work of staying on top of 2020’s challenges, have you lost the time and energy for fun? Girls just wanna have fun … I bet you do, too. Just like kids, we need recess, too. When you hear “play,” do you translate that to goofing off or wasting time? Do you feel you’re just too busy for…

Margaret Yang on how and why she writes

Margaret Yang on how and why she writes

This post continues an occasional series on writers — how and why they write, what inspires them and how they overcome challenges like writer’s block and rejection. Previously we’ve heard from Jim Tobin, Jim Ottaviani, Lara Zielin, Bruce DeSilva and Jennifer Worick. Today’s Q&A features a baker’s dozen questions with Margaret Yang, an Ann Arbor-based science fiction writer whose first…

Some random observations about NOLA about one month in

Some random observations about NOLA about one month in

John and I arrived in New Orleans for our quasi-sabbatical on March 25 so we’re approaching one month in our temporary hometown. I’m already getting pangs about time running short. We have Easter weekend coming up, then two weekends of Jazz Fest, then we pack up for home a few days later. So after we’ve crossed the halfway point in…

Is there a creativity crisis?

Is there a creativity crisis?

A Newsweek article on creativity says E. Paul Torrance‘s creativity test has been administered to millions of children in 50 languages — and American scores are on the decline. Kyung Hee Kim at the College of William & Mary discovered this in May, after analyzing almost 300,000 Torrance scores of children and adults. Kim found creativity scores had been steadily…

Would you be interested in joining a social wine club?

Would you be interested in joining a social wine club?

I would love your input here. Here’s the general premise for an in-home wine club — think book club or scrapbooking club, but instead, getting together to taste and learn about wine: A group of friends organize around an interest in wine They place an order for regularly delivered wine selections at their choice of price points (low, medium, high)…

I am grateful for: small businesses

I am grateful for: small businesses

  John and I walked home late Thanksgiving night, trying to walk off a few of the thousands of calories we’d ingested with friends, and our path took us past a big shopping center down the street where crowds were lining up for Black Friday sales.   I’ve never felt compelled to get up in the middle of the night…

I am grateful for: air travel

I am grateful for: air travel

I have a couple of trips planned for the rest of the year that involve air travel. I don’t mean to sound all Beverly Hillbillies marveling over the cement pond, but it’s pretty miraculous that I’m going to wake up in the cool November autumn of New York and by that very afternoon, I will be dangling my toes in…

I am grateful for: my iPad

I am grateful for: my iPad

When I pull out my iPad in public, it’s interesting how consistently I get the question, “Do you love it?”
Not “Does it live up to the hype?” or “Do you like it?” Almost without exception, “Do you love it?”
And without hesitation, my answer is yes.

What are you grateful for? Contest #2

What are you grateful for? Contest #2

  A week ago, I asked who you’re grateful for and some of the great responses that came in ranged from “my husband” to “my daughter’s bus driver.”   There’s still time to enter that contest – and now let’s add another to the mix. Besides the people you’re grateful for, what inanimate objects are you grateful for? What things…

Who are you grateful for?

Who are you grateful for?

In the first week of Month of Thanksgiving, I’ve expressed gratitude for things including democracy, traditional jazz and New York City. I also gave thanks for my trainer, and there are plenty more people in my life who make me grateful.* Who are you grateful for? And why? Maybe you thought of your spouse, or your best friend, or the…

Young adult author Lara Zielin on how and why she writes

Young adult author Lara Zielin on how and why she writes

Today I’m kicking off a new occasional series on writers — how and why they write, what inspires them and how they overcome challenges like writer’s block and rejection. Since I wrote a guest post for Lara earlier this week, it seems only appropriate that she would lead off the new project. On deck are Jim Tobin, who won the…

Greatest hits of Newvine Growing

Greatest hits of Newvine Growing

I’ll be at SXSW for a few more days, probably spending more time talking about blogging and social media than actually having time to do it myself. So much like the TV networks used to let you catch up on your favorite shows with summer reruns, here are some greatest hits of Newvine Growing to entertain you until I’m back…