What does the world ask of me? This is a weird question. How easy you find it to answer depends on who you are. I recently read Andre Agassi’s gutting memoir Open, and this question is the stage setting of his first four decades. So, what did the world ask of Andre Agassi? The world … Continue reading On Andre Agassi and what the world asks of us
Category: Cultural Comment
Dear Quivers,
Dear Quivers, When our first baby was six months old, my wife had to go a business trip. Given the lunatic logistics of pumping during meeting breaks and overnighting milk from Florida to Colorado, the kid and I came along on the trip. A mini vacation! Except, a vacation isn’t really a vacation with an … Continue reading Dear Quivers,
On Tim Kreider’s The Referendum
When my wife and I told certain friends we were expecting a child, they didn't get it. I mean, they understood the premise and all, but they didn't get it. They were polite enough to not question us, but I could sense their desire to: Why are you doing this? I didn't have the framework … Continue reading On Tim Kreider’s The Referendum
Getting tired of “times like these”
In the past several weeks, I've had to do quite a bit of what I think of as "big picture" writing. "Big picture" writing is writing—usually in someone else's voice—where you step back from the everyday, take the pulse of things, and then attempt to say something about it all that is general but also … Continue reading Getting tired of “times like these”
How many people does it take to “make a tiger”?
I came across a wonderful Chinese proverb recently—one of those proverbs mysterious enough to demand an explanation and, even better, deliver with an excellent historical parable. From Wikipedia: "Three men make a tiger" refers to an individual's tendency to accept absurd information as long as it is repeated by enough people. It refers to the … Continue reading How many people does it take to “make a tiger”?
Modern life and the scope creep of shadow work
Each of us is doing the work of others and not getting paid for it. [Shadow work] is responsible for taking away a great deal of the leisure time we thought we would all have in the twenty-first century. Daniel Levitin Since I learned about shadow work, I have started seeing it everywhere. The above … Continue reading Modern life and the scope creep of shadow work
Did the Pret A Manger cashier actually like my coworker?
"I think she likes me." A former colleague, cup of coffee in hand, had just returned from the Pret A Manger on the ground floor of our office building. "Who?" I asked. "The girl down at Pret," he said. "One of the cashiers." He held up the coffee. "She just gave me this for free! … Continue reading Did the Pret A Manger cashier actually like my coworker?
Did I receive the “fatherhood bonus”? (Um, yes.)
Recently, in researching parental/family leave, I came across a worrying concept: the fatherhood bonus. In an article published in the Third Way, sociologist Michelle Budig looks at the fatherhood bonus alongside and its partner concept, the motherhood penalty, and explores some of the reasons that they occur in workplaces across the US. Of course, the … Continue reading Did I receive the “fatherhood bonus”? (Um, yes.)
So you don’t want an Amazon delivery station in your backyard?
In the past few weeks, I've gotten involved with a group of neighbors who are fighting against the development of a new Amazon "last mile" delivery station facility adjacent to our neighborhood. Now, there are plenty of typical "NIMBY" reasons to not want a 24/7 logistics facility on this site—increased traffic, light and noise pollution, … Continue reading So you don’t want an Amazon delivery station in your backyard?
The pandemic era & seeing inside people’s homes
As the vaccine roll-out accelerates and a return to "normal life" in the coming months seems increasingly likely, there's a question I keep asking myself: What will I miss about this strange, strange pandemic era? One thing I know I will miss is the weird experience of getting to see inside so many people's homes. … Continue reading The pandemic era & seeing inside people’s homes
Taylor Coe 