Pointing
As I sort through the survey from two weeks ago, I’m posting this deleted scene. It’s one of my favorites because it shows in a concrete way how naive I was. Being naive can be a not-so-bad thing, you know –as long … Read More
Author
The Following is reprinted in its entirety from National Geographic, May 9, 2014, complete with all original links too. It was writted by Brian Handwerk, whose writing I liked so much, I decided it best to just leave it alone. As a … Read More
You know the feeling. Options, choices, opportunities — too many sometimes. I felt it when we first came back from our Peace Corps years. Laundry detergents at the supermarket were the worst, as any RPCV will tell you. … Read More
Ian Mathie, my Scots African memoirist buddy, tagged me for the FB challenge, “Seven Secrets about Successful Writing.” I accept your challenge, Ian. And, since I can’t seem to tag anyone on my FB Author Page, I’ll post here, … Read More
This week I will celebrate (if that can be the word) the student-led National Day of Silence. These teenagers and young college kids promise not to speak for 24 hours. Who can’t be in support of that? More specifically, participants take a vow of … Read More
For the past four months, my attention has been captured by myriad technical and not-so-technical snafus I’ve encountered while working to get a Second Edition of my book (At Home on the Kazakh Steppe) both digital and print. It has been … Read More
The Internet and various news outlets have been filled recently with stories of a number of now codified parental styles. There are Tiger moms, Snowplough parents, Helicopter parents and Free-range parents. Perhaps you identify with one or more of these? Or, are … Read More
One of the unsung gifts of cultural difference is that we begin to see our own culture anew. So it was with me in the Kazakhstani classroom. In case you’re just joining us and haven’t read my book … Read More