Important Stuff

Christine Eldin

If you’re human, someone’s death touches you differently when it’s someone who’s crossed your path. Chris Eldin and I were not friends, and if asked before her passing, she would probably not recognize my name. But for those of you who do know me, that shouldn’t be a big surprise – I tend to be more of a lurker than contributor. However, I did know of Chris and…
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Important Stuff

John moves on

An open letter to my coworkers at the Largo CSE office: It’s Sunday morning, December 29th, and I’m sitting in my new home in Orlando. We’re mid-move and I’ll be driving back to Dunedin this afternoon for one more week of work in Largo, but I’m already feeling nostalgic. I drove past a vacant building this morning. It used to house a non-profit job training program…
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Important Stuff

Help out a good guy

My friend Richard is having surgery. A pituitary tumor (it’s all in his head), unending migraines, and a body that doesn’t play nice in general, does not pave the road to financial stability. A hospital stay isn’t going to help. So do me a solid. Help my friend with a donation. You’ll get some good reading in return – a collection of short works donated by his friends…
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Important Stuff

Blocked

I can’t imagine writing a book. I read authors’ blogs, both published and not. I see the frustrations and the rewards. I look at myself and I think, “Whoa, that is so not me.” There are days when I don’t have the patience to finish a single blog post. I’ve been tinkering with a post for a few weeks now and I’m not sure I’ll ever finish. It’s…
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Important Stuff

Just in case

A few years ago Cheryl and I talked about moving to Vermont. It wasn’t serious talk, just two people inspired by pictures of my mother’s family home in a small town just south of the Canadian border. (Actually, my mother was born in Massachusetts, but both of her parents were from Vermont.) I’ve only been there once, when my grandmother died, but the place has a hold on me&#8230…
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Important Stuff

Forecast: It's going to be hot

I want to point you to a couple of links you should check out. They’re both on the same topic, but they’re both worth your time. Here, and here. I know what you’re thinking: “He’s tried this trick before. There’s no way in hell he knows what I’m thinking.” Fair enough. If I were you, I might be thinking: “I don’t do links. You’ve…
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BethImportant Stuff

Not afraid

Beth’s stubborn streak can drive me crazy sometimes, but I wouldn’t have her any other way. Her almost complete lack of fear to speak her convictions can push my patience to it’s absolute limit. At the same time, it’s a big part of why I’m so proud of her. (Probably at least in part because I had none of her inner strength when I was her age – which she finds…
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BethImportant Stuff

Listen to me?

At least the kids are listening. I’d swear I covered this a long time ago, but judging from Beth’s reaction to this telling, I’m guessing I didn’t. A couple months ago Beth asked me why we recycle. I told her. Now Beth wants to recycle everything she can. When she can’t, she wants a detailed explanation why not (which usually isn’t sufficient). She figured the…
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Important Stuff

Controlling the message

I received an email alert from wecansolveit.org, the site/campaign started by Al Gore to create the political will to tackle the climate crisis. We Can Solve It: ABC recently refused to run our Repower America ad, even though they run ads from oil companies that mislead the American people about the role fossil fuels play in the climate crisis. Ask ABC to reconsider their decision and air our…
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