It’s that time of year again: the time when we get the pleas for donating to The Fund at school. The Fund is designed to funnel money into more than a dozen different programs at the elementary school, including: Class size reduction for K-3 Art Music Physical education Custodial services Technology Library assistant Reading programs…
Category Archives: life
The Marketing Machine
I’m as much a part of the marketing machine as anyone, creating the messages that try to convince select niche markets that they absolutely, positively need to spend their money on a particular product or service. And yet, when presented with a holiday like Valentine’s Day — something that’s hyped from the youngest preschool classroom…
Lego for Girls
In the past week, I’ve heard lots of people talking about the new Lego Friends (a.k.a. Lego for Girls) and how they wished that they would be released in time for Christmas so they could give them to their daughters, granddaughters and nieces. Wired did a great overview of the forthcoming sets. The main characters…
The Volt
Here’s all you really need to know about the Chevy Volt: it’s a car that you want to drive. I used to have Prius envy, pretty much ever since my father got his in 2004. I rented them from Hertz at every available opportunity. There was something about the Prius that soothed my inner do-gooder…
Why You Hate Public Speaking
Everyone hates public speaking, right? Ask almost anyone, even the most accomplished speakers, and they tell you that they get twitchy before they go on stage. But why? Public speaking is just talking, and everyone I know can talk. I blame school. (I have no doubt that my teacher friends will be stopping by to…
The Three Jobs
I told my son that at this point in his young life, he has three very important jobs. Listen to your parents/teachers/grandparents. They’re telling you things for a reason, and no, you don’t know better than they do. Tell the truth. Always be curious and try new things. If he does these things, the rest…
In Search of Ballpark Courtesy
I grew up with baseball. My family had season tickets to Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, and there was a time when my mother and grandmother would go to every single home game of the season. I spent more hot, sticky summer afternoons stuck to those awful chocolate brown seats in the 200 Level than I…
Birthdays and the Mom Gift
To say that my mother made a big deal out of birthdays would be an understatement. Every year for my birthday, she’d put together an enormous feast — homemade meatballs, a roasted turkey, cold cuts, potato salad, a watermelon boat filled with fresh fruit and at least two kinds of cake — all for the…
Seven Years, Still Remembered
Thanks to the time warp of Facebook, I find that I’m getting back in touch with high school friends once every week or so. These are people who, for the most part, haven’t seen me since graduation 20 years ago. Without fail, the first message that they all send is the same: “I was really…
The Third Rail
I was out with a group of communications professionals and one asked a question about one of my past ventures. I comment about how the business model had retarded any real business growth on a product that, at the time, was uniquely positioned for success. Faces recoiled at the word. Retarded. It took me a…