Five Things
1. I know some people manage to live in this world without losing their minds, but I am not naturally one of them. I have to work at it. 2. As part of this, I have a paper calendar that lies flat on my desk, slightly to my left, but
Chaos—and the SOB
Every month I meet for a half day with the two people who lead the company I own. These appointments show up on my calendar as SOBs, not because my Co-CEOs are unpleasant—they are two of my favorite people in the world—but because the purpose of these meetings
(Truly) Random Acts of Kindness
My son gave his fish an electric blanket—his electric blanket to be precise, the one he counts on to stay warm in the damp cold of a Seattle spring. My son is 16, not six, and an aspiring engineer. He knew the ideal water temperature for his new fish
For Once I’m Not the One Having an Identity Crisis
Hello from the University of Washington, where I’m attending the Northwest Dispute Resolution Conference. Traditionally, attendees (mainly mediators and arbitrators) come for continuing education as “neutrals”—people whose professional codes require a certain remove in the face of conflict. This year, however, both in formal sessions and in the
Okay That Was Embarrassing
The first time my future husband visited my apartment, I lied to him. As he took in all 300 square feet of my Hong Kong home—hardwood floors, light blue sofa, light blue bedspread—I watched his eyes settle on my “dining room” table: a white, lacquered IKEA desk. “It
A Tragic Avalanche and the Perils of Groupthink
Last month, nine backcountry skiers died in an avalanche in the mountains near Lake Tahoe. The victims included six moms in their 40s and 50s; they were part of a group of eight friends who regularly went on outdoor adventures together. The other three victims were professional guides—two leading
Three Quick Things
It takes me an absurd amount of time to write a proper post—and that time was not available to me this week.* But as reader-friend David Hirning and I discussed in the comments of last week’s post, connecting with kindred spirits—even briefly—goes a long way to
Note to Self: Go Play Outside
“Wanna climb a mountain tomorrow?” Whenever I text this to my friend Ulla, she invariably says yes. These outings are never easy to pull off. We’re both deep in what I call The Vortex—a seemingly endless swirl of tasks and commitments. But Ulla is half Swedish, and apparently
This Is a No-Brainer...Right?
Now that everyone has read the memo*and seen the backflips**, it’s clearer than ever that we need to move briskly towards single payer…right? That we can’t have something as vital to humans as healthcare depend on employment, if the jobs landscape is slated to go haywire?
Bad Parenting Decisions
Yesterday, I let both kids skip school to attend the Seahawks parade in downtown Seattle. I know. I barely recognize myself. We are not a football family, and typically when the kids tell us what their friends are allowed to do, we are quick to joke (or not joke): “How
One Thing Humans Do Better Than AI
…is die. Stay with me. I know that’s a strange way to start a pep talk. The more conventional pep talk to humans these days centers on our hard-to-replicate judgement—the kind of discernment that comes from years of roving the earth in a fleshy body. The technology is
A Quick Coda to those Milan Boos
Back in the late 90s, I was a fish out of water in Wharton’s MBA program: as an undergrad, I’d studied literature not economics. I’d worked not in investment banking but in the wordy world of crisis communications. I had not yet met the wonders of Excel.