For the first five years that my wife and I had cats, I cleaned the litter a grand total of—I don't know, let's say about 100 times. That sounds like a lot until you consider that cleaning the cat litter is one of those nasty little chores that you have to do every single day. … Continue reading On cleaning cat litter
Author: T Coe
On 7 things from last week (6/26/23)
The beach. Okay, it's not much of a beach to a transplanted East Coaster...but the shoreline of Chatfield Reservoir is about as close as I'll get to the beach experience for at least a few more weeks. Water plus sun plus sunscreen plus two toddlers laughing hysterically as they sword-fight with pool noodles. What more … Continue reading On 7 things from last week (6/26/23)
On the pros and cons of a job where you “wear a lot of hats”
When asked, it's a phrase I'll use to describe my job: "I wear a lot of hats." It's a silly metaphor, of course, but the silliness is important: you can't possibly look good or credible wearing every hat. My first job in A/E/C marketing was as a "proposal jockey," as we jokingly called it. Ninety … Continue reading On the pros and cons of a job where you “wear a lot of hats”
On considering afterlives
I raced through David Eagleman's Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives this past week. What a great and strange book. Eagleman presents 40 brief descriptions of “afterlives”—some with a god (or gods), others that tweak the concept of heaven or hell, a few with extraterrestrials, and some that I can’t possibly categorize. It’s those that … Continue reading On considering afterlives
On isocolons
I wouldn't say this is a rhetorical device, in that it's not argumentative. But an isocolon sure can make something sound good. An isocolon is a parallel structure, where multiple phrases contain the same number of words or syllables. Usually, isocolon appear in two, three, or four parts. A famous example in advertising is the … Continue reading On isocolons
On the pseudo-event in the A/E/C industry
It's hard not to roll your eyes looking at photos of some groundbreaking ceremonies. Shoveling a pile of dirt on an empty parking lot? While construction vehicles actively trundle around in the background? Doesn't look like "groundbreaking" to me. The same can be said of many ribbon-cutting ceremonies, too, with their oversize scissors and grinning … Continue reading On the pseudo-event in the A/E/C industry
On the content of the lesson
Yesterday, I mentioned one takeaway from Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death. Here is another, though really it is a nod toward John Dewey: John Dewey wrote in Experience and Education, "Perhaps the greatest of all pedagogical fallacies is the notion that a person learns only what he is studying at the time. Collateral learning … Continue reading On the content of the lesson
On 7 things from last week (6/19/23)
Telluride Bluegrass Festival. The 50th installment (sort of) was a little disappointing, with freezing rain most of the two days that I attended. The Nickel Creek set was a blast, though! Parenting with friends. One week, three couples, four children. It's amazing how more parents around can make parenting both easier and yet more stressful … Continue reading On 7 things from last week (6/19/23)
On who Father’s Day is for
That Father’s Day is more like National Donut Day and less like Thanksgiving is a given; all holidays are made-up, but some are more made-up than others. Since becoming a father, Father’s Day has felt like an oddity. Firstly, my children are too young to understand (and, therefore, to care) about the nominal meaning of … Continue reading On who Father’s Day is for
On the information-action ratio
Perhaps my most important takeaway from Neil Portman's Amusing Ourselves to Death is the information-action ratio: How often does it occur that information provided you on morning radio or television, or in the morning newspaper, causes you to alter your plans for the day, or to take some action you would not otherwise have taken, … Continue reading On the information-action ratio
Taylor Coe 