I am constantly considering strategies and techniques that will help me be more productive. These run the gamut from simple prioritizing (first things first) to more involved, philosophical approaches like defining and refining my purpose in life. Recently, a friend related an interesting approach which I’d heard previously expounded upon by Isaac Tigrett, co-founder of … More Thought, Word, and Deed
As I’ve made some changes in my life recently, I’ve had the opportunity to consider the relationship between the predictability we all seek and the ambiguity that is inherent in change or progress. We can’t know everything that’s going to happen as a result of a decision we make to change our circumstances. We can … More Predictability vs. Ambiguity
Greetings. My apologies for the long delay in posting. Personal business took up all the oxygen in the room for a few weeks, but I’m now back in the digital saddle. Peter, one of our members and a resident of Stockholm, recently commented about the local upper class and their “less than Old Money” habits. … More Stockholm Syndrome
I’ve adapted to (and adopted much of) Parisian life over the past few years. My American ‘go go go’ mentality has been beaten, bent, reshaped, and refined. Instead of long hours of hit and miss effort, I now work intensely in focused and compartmentalized blocks of time, then walk away from the task at hand … More Getting Things Done
Life in Paris is not always bowl of cherries, but it rarely goes long without a surprise. Most of the surprises are pleasant. A few are enlightening. One of the more enlightening moments occurred recently. (I’ll be intentionally vague with details to protect the privacy of those involved.) A young person from the United States … More The Importance of Narrative
We recently received the comment below from one of our readers. I thought it was very interesting and very relevant. Here it is, and I’ve added some thoughts below. I happened on your site while doing some personal research on old money style and its contemporary applications, like the trendy of the concept of sprezzatura, … More The Application Process
In recent weeks, I’ve noticed what seems to be an increase in the vocal and sometimes violent disruption of school board meetings, political speeches, and other organized events. These protests are sometimes well-organized by groups of activists. More often, they seem unplanned and unhinged: personal issues and unrelated frustrations boil over into the public square, … More The Importance of Order
The slow retreat of Covid 19 and its Omicron variant have allowed me to safely plan a trip back to the United States this month. My last visit was in November of 2019. It’s been an eventful time in between, to say the least: a once-in-a-century pandemic, subsequent global travel bans, local and national lockdowns, … More The Mixed Bag: Returning to the US…Two Years Later
Where stories for screenplays, ideas for books, or lyrics for songs come from is a mystery. Like asking a butterfly to land on your shoulder, creativity is not something that can be ordered like room service. What the world calls genius–the original, unfiltered, simple yet awesome light that shines so undeniably in rare works–comes when … More A Source of Inspiration: Oscar Wilde
Perhaps the best way for us to call attention to ourselves is not through our attire, not through the car we drive, or the house we live in, but through the quality of our work, the depth and scope of our education, the integrity of our choices, and the nuance of our opinions. So much … More A Small Thought for the New Year