The birds in the attic

This morning I went out to my garage to work out, and I discovered that two wrens were in the loft attic over the garage. There’s a short staircase from the garage to the attic through a large opening in the attic floor; I supposed that they had flown in and up.   They were ... Continue Reading

“I was wrong.”

This week I’m looking at the advice that writer Louise Penny puts in the mouth of her character, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. Gamache tells his protégés that there are “four sentences that we must learn to say, and to mean.”   I don’t know. I need help. I’m sorry. I was wrong.   What all of ... Continue Reading

“I’m sorry.”

This week I’m looking at the advice that writer Louise Penny puts in the mouth of her character, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. Gamache tells his protégés that there are “four sentences that we must learn to say, and to mean.”   Gamache has to specifically advise young police officers about these four sentences because they are ... Continue Reading

“I need help.”

This week I’m looking at the advice that writer Louise Penny puts in the mouth of her character, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. Gamache tells his protégés that there are “four sentences that we must learn to say, and to mean.”   Gamache has to specifically advise young police officers about these four sentences because they are ... Continue Reading

“I don’t know.”

This week I’m turning for inspiration to one of my favorite writers, Louise Penny. Her wonderful mystery series is set in Québec, and it features Chief Inspector Armand Gamache.   Gamache tells his protégés that there are “four sentences that we must learn to say, and to mean.” He is referring to people in his ... Continue Reading

You are not disqualified.

In North Carolina, when the Department of Employment Services (sorry, Division of Employment Security) decides that a worker can receive unemployment benefits, here is how they say that:   Claimant is not disqualified for benefits. “Not disqualified.”   They could say “approved.” They could say “earned.” They could say “given.” They could even just say ... Continue Reading

“Getting better.”

I love an article or a book about productivity. If there’s a hack, I’ve read about it and probably tried it out. But here’s one I’m having trouble with.   “Get 10% better.” (The idea is that you’re not trying to blow anything out of the water, you’re improving incrementally.)   But what does that ... Continue Reading

Resting.

I don’t know about you, but the internet is giving me a lot of advice about what I should be doing during the stay-at-home order.   Make the most of this time!  Develop that side hustle!  Train for an Iron Man!  Learn a new language! Bake bread! Spend time with your family! Spend time with ... Continue Reading