The Student Stock Market

I’m thinking this is a win-win proposition: Why can’t we invest in individuals in the same way we invest in companies in the stock market? I’ve been toying with this idea for a few days now, and a comment on yesterday’s blog post made me want to write about it today. The comment mentioned a … Read more

Why Wouldn’t You Give? Part 3

Okay, one more post about this, then I’ll go back to talking about cats, pet peeves, and how oxygen masks should be available in every workplace. How does reciprocation affect your decision to give or not to give? When you give to someone’s 5k for the cure, do  you expect for them to return the favor in … Read more

Why Wouldn’t You Give? Part 2

In an age when we’re often solicited by our friends to support their causes through social media and e-mail, not to mention all the random charities that solicit us by snail mail, we have to pick and choose if and how we engage in philanthropy. That’s why I’m a strong advocate of creating personal guidelines … Read more

Why Wouldn’t You Give? Part 1

I’ve been thinking a lot about charitable giving lately. Partially because I’m just a few days away from a fundraiser that I’ve spent the last 5 months working on. And partially because I think about random things at random times. Actually, think it started with a few people who asked me to contribute to their … Read more

Two Brilliant Websites for Photos

Do you ever come across a brilliant, funny, or insightful photo online, and you want to share it with others? I often use Facebook for this, but there is a website called Pinterest that is much better for discovering, sharing, and perusing random photos and pictures. A number of the photos on this site tell … Read more

What’s Your Replay?

I just finished the first book in a long time that I simply could not put down: Replay, by Ken Grimwood. Seriously, I’ve stayed up way too late the last few nights reading this book, and I just finished it. I’ll tell you what happens in the first 30 pages of the book so this … Read more

A Box That Is Also a Box

Besides grocery shopping, I do almost all of my shopping online. So I receive a lot of boxes. Boxes that often feel way too big for their contents–a waste of cardboard. The other day I checked my mail and discovered that I had received my reward for backing a Kickstarter project for a company called … Read more

Contrivance #6: Public Fountains

A few months ago, I got a text from a friend in my neighborhood. “Bob and I are going to splash around in the public fountain. U in?” she wrote. I texted back. “I wouldn’t step foot in those syringe-filled waters if you paid me.” Obviously there probably aren’t fresh needles festering in the fountain … Read more

8 Fall Movies to Get Excited About

Drive (Sept. 16): I don’t think I’ve seen a movie look this cool in a long time. Real Steel (Oct. 7): I’m a sucker for robots fighting each other. Tower Heist (Nov. 4): I’m also a sucker for a big heist film ala Ocean’s 11. A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas (Nov. 4): Name … Read more