I’m on my third electric car now: I’ve owned a Nissan Leaf, a Tesla Model 3, and a Tesla Model Y. People are curious, but anxious, about what it’s like to own one. So I’ll share what I can in hopes that if you’re buying a car, you can benefit from my experience as you…
Picture this. It is the 1960s. You are a student at the Ogontz Campus of Penn State University, near Philadelphia, where the students and professors who are unable or unwilling to get into the main University Park campus end up. You are majoring in something other than science, but you need a science class to…
What does it say that the first day after I quit daily blogging, I considered writing a blog post about how it felt to give up daily blogging? Old habits die hard.
This post is about the changes in my work and this blog starting in 2022, including two new books. Time to reexamine my work Historically, I’ve remade my career every seven to ten years. Things change in your life and your work; it’s best to be thinking about it before it gets stale. I’ve remade…
On Friday, March 27, 2015, I made my first post on this blog. I recommend starting large tasks on a Friday. It allows you to have the weekend to consider where you are going. I made my next post on Sunday, March 29, and I have posted every weekday since then. Since this blog is…
Take today off. I am. Nothing in this post is original. If you don’t need to work today, stay home with family. Wrap yourself in a warm blanket and watch a sappy movie. Make a fire (but only if you have a fireplace). Leave the stress behind. Look around you. If someone in your family…
Yesterday, I told the story of how LeafFilter failed to show up for three appointments — and never called me — when scheduled to perform service at my house in Maine. I described the events from November 1 to December 9, when I’d finally had it with the company and was prepared to tell the…
Sometimes a company doesn’t live up to what it has promised you. That can make you angry. What should you do about it? This post is about what happened when a company called LeafFilter disappointed me, and what I did about it. My father’s mirror I want to start by talking about my father. The…
I’m in a dispute with my accountant. We both feel wronged. And it’s all because of the way they treated free advice. My accountant is part of a mid-sized local accounting firm. He prepares my taxes, which are complex, and also advises me on tax strategy. With a few exceptions, I’ve found the tax prep…