I am a husband and father. When I have a few minutes, I like to read, write, take pictures, walk, and cook. By day I work in HR. This site is a collection...
Turning 50 comes with a myriad of cliches: Not caring what other people think. Taking stock of what's really important. Focusing on health or other things that have been neglected for years. But for me, the biggest realization that has come with turning 50 is gaining a better understanding of how I want to spend my time. My interest in routine maintenance, administrative tasks, and general…
At least a couple Saturday mornings a month, I take my sons to the farmer's market in the town near where we live. They hold the market at the train station, which is an old B&O station built in the late 1800s. The local commuter train stops there on weekdays, and the CSX and Amtrak drive by regularly. My oldest son and I usually get a few empanadas and sit at the train station while he waits for…
My oldest son is at the age where he doesn't want to listen to his mother or me talk to him about the importance of communication (or anything, frankly). But he also has some learning challenges which make communication more difficult. Lately attempts at addressing some ongoing issues have quickly turned into shouting from my son. We've reassured him that we know that talking about them is hard,…
I was looking through some old notebooks the other day, and I came across a list I wrote more than two years ago with criteria I wanted in my next job. At the time, I was nine years into a position that was supposed to last just three years. I took the position because I thought that doing this work for three years would give me experience in several new areas. In my personal life, I went from a…