Find life interesting.
I have decided to pursue an MFA in creative writing. Lots of people in the writing / publishing world have strong opinions about MFAs. Not all of them favorable. Here’s what I’ve concluded. When I was a kid I wanted…
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The exploits of the great Victorian-era sailing vessels Cutty Sark, Thermopylae, Taeping, and Ariel have transported the imaginations of seafarers and would-be adventurers for over 150 years. These amazing clipper ships collected tea in China and raced each other all the…
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Dear Henry, I’ve recently read your book Walden and would like to share my observations with you, if that’s alright. I’m sorry to hear that your cabin was torn down, reassembled, and ultimately dismantled not long after you…
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Running Her Easting Down is an overview of the life and times of the great tea clippers of the 19th century. It was written by William F. Baker (not to be confused with the engineer who designed the Burj Khalifa), an…
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As good old-fashioned bookstores become more and more yeti-like these days (i.e. difficult to find, smelly and temperamental when cornered) it can be tough to know where find a good book. You go to Amazon, scroll through the “other…
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My wife and I were happy to welcome our second child into the world last week (*applause*). This has, of course, given me reason to pause and reflect on life, as major events often do. I’ve spent a lot of…
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I’m a big NPR nerd. No question. Have been for a while. (Yes, I realize that “NPR nerd” is redundant.) NPR-listening, as with all gateway drugs, inevitably led me into that crooked psychotropic world of podcast addiction. Once you start…
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I’m done. I’m calling it. Throwing in the towel. Throwing up the sponge. Done. I am done writing screenplays. It looks appealing right? Hobnobbing with powerful folks. Talking to movie stars, sitting behind a big, fancy…
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This will be my fourth time to run a half or full marathon to raise money for clean water projects in Africa. The distance doesn’t intimidate me as much as it once did. I won’t be breaking any personal records…
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The first season of Serial is the most popular podcast of all time. With over five million downloads, it far outpaces anything that’s come before it. People attribute the show’s success to a number of things: 1) It adopted a…
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