Not long ago, I saw an interview with Range author David Epstein. He researched successful athletes, artists, musicians, inventors and scientists. He discovered that in complex and unpredictable arenas, generalists, not specialists, tend to excel. Generalists usually juggle multiple interests, rather than focusing, and often find their paths later in life. They are also likely […]
A very amusing column about jargon appeared in the Economist recently and introduced me to the concept of a “nub.” This acronym for non-useful body is apparently employed by submariners to describe a ride-along person who takes up space, air and food while performing no useful function. In other words, not a member of the […]
It’s been a challenging year and my energy for painting was in short supply, so I was thrilled when the urge hit me, strongly, this month. Here’s how it goes. First I sort through my photos thinking about what to paint. Next I have a phase where I try a few thumbnail sketches to test […]
A recent article in the New York Times explained how parts of Andalusia, in southern Spain, are using techniques from the Middle Ages to combat climate change. Known as acequias, the clever systems were designed by the Moors, who ruled southern Spain during a golden age of knowledge, culture, science and architecture. Their acequia irrigation […]
A friend’s email signature contained this quote from Eleanor Roosevelt, which I loved: “Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself.” Good advice, and there are certainly things I’ve watched others do that made me vow to never do the same; I call them negative role models. […]
According to John Steinbeck, quoted in the Economist, “Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.” Steinbeck was talking about writing, while the Economist article discussed the concept in relation to technological advances building on each other. I believe it applies equally […]
For people who know Chicago, the Marina Towers condo on the river is instantly recognizable and popularly known as Corncob Towers, for its shape. For those who don’t, a photo or, in this case, a painting, could be confusing. Let me digress a bit and provide some background. While attending graduate school in Indiana, I […]
Research cited in Psychology Today suggests that how long you live is partly determined by how you think about aging. An interesting longitudinal study tracked adults for 23 years, measuring mortality and asking about their perceptions of aging. Turns out that people who had positive perceptions of aging lived longer than those who didn’t. This […]
It seems I have a thing for old cities with quaint, human-scaled buildings. As my husband would say, “you just love arches, lampposts and umbrellas.” If we’re talking the cafe variety, not the rain variety, he’s right. And I’d add balconies. There’s something about those architectural features and streetscapes that feel inviting to me. Any […]
We tend to travel at off times. It’s not just to avoid crowds, though that’s a plus. It’s also because we enjoy being home most of the year, hating to miss spring blooms, summer sailing, autumn leaves, or snow-covered scenes. So our trips tend to be November and March, the only ugly times here, and […]
