Whatnot
-
Neat Tweets
Appropos of nothing, here is a list of some recent tweets I have enjoyed. First, in “30 Rock,” there are a few throwaway jokes implying that Sbarro, the restaurant chain, is actually run by the wealthy and powerful Sbarro family. In one episode, Jack is trying to convince his girlfriend…
-
A Salute to Rubin Simanoff on Veterans Day
My World War II hero is my grandfather, Technical Sergeant Rubin Simanoff of the 353rd Army Corps of Engineers. I never met Rubin, but I imagine he was a lot like me: Loud, social, and clever. He loved to chat and entertain. He was proud to be an American, yet…
-
Mary Lou Retina
As the ophthalmologist was preparing me for photocoagulation this afternoon, it took every ounce of restraint in my body to not turn to him and say, âDo you expect me to talk?â Thatâs because, until today, my only knowledge of laser surgery came from this scene: It turns out that…
-
Here Comes the Sun (an Hour Earlier Than Yesterday)
Daylight Saving Time1 kicked in yesterday, and lots of people seem upset. I’m not one of them. I time my runs with the sunrise, and an earlier start means I won’t be late for work. Ergo, I won’t have to give up sights like this â the blue hour from…
-
Gen Z Needs a New Name. This Gen Xer Explains Why.
I am part of Gen X, the most neglected, overlooked, and ignored generation in modern American history. We grew up under the monstrous weight of the baby boomers, a group whose importance is completely outweighed by its sense of self-importance. The baby boomers dominated our formative years. We got their…
-
How Tweet it Is
In the past few weeks, I’ve been using Twitter mostly for fun. I created @dsimanoff to do some personal branding1, but tweeting about nothing but marketing is kind of dry â although I really appreciate the professional insights I gain from my professional peers. Then I went through a fallow period…
-
Dave and the Waves
I donât often see waves on Bayshore Boulevard when itâs not windy. Hillsborough Bay is pretty placid, as youâve probably noticed from the many photos I post. This morning was an exception. Small waves rolled in from the east and lapped against the sea wall. No wind. No boats causing…
-
A Flowbituary for Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a world-renowned psychologist and the author of âFlow,â died yesterday. Csikszentmihalyiâs work has played a role in my life for the past year or so. In 2020, I participated in a workshop for people looking to reboot or reinvent their careers. The workshop was something of a bust…
-
The Plot Thickens? Maybe Not.
One of the things that have been holding me back from writing a novel is that I simply canât think of a plot. But maybe I donât need one. I just finished the first three books in the Wayfarer series.1 Becky Chambers is an adept storyteller who has created a…
-
It Takes a Lot of Chutzpah to Write a Blog Post About Yiddish
The other day, I felt a bit sick and told the Complimentary Spouse I was going to have a bissel of ginger ale. He knew exactly what I meant. At long last, the Yiddishification of my shaygetz husband is complete! Yiddish might be a dying language, but Iâm not letting…