A student of life
365 day blog challenge Day 5 I watched a video today (see below) from this stretching guru whose YouTube channel, called Strength Side, has really taken off. He said something that resonated about not just choosing goals that you’ve heard about or that you think will impress others. Instead of always chasing the results, think about...
Book review of ‘The Insanity Hoax’: You don’t have to be a nutty artist!
I recently read Judith Schlesinger’s book The Insanity Hoax: Exposing the Myth of the Mad Genius. What a relief! With a gallivanting, witty writing style, Schlesinger doesn’t just debunk, she pulverizes that annoying meme that mental illness is more common among artists than the general population. Interestingly, every time I’ve brought the book up to...
Why I left Facebook to find the fractal side of life
I’m afflicted or blessed, depending on your point of view, with the quest for the meaning of life. Maybe it has to do with my moods. I’m always trying to find ways to stay productive and/or keep my head above water. Running long distances makes me happy, but for some reason I procrastinate it (I’ve...
New Video Series: Alexa’s Books
Episode 1: Reviewed in brief: The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle The Little Book of Talent by Daniel Coyle The Big-Ass Book of Bling by Mark Montano The Anatomy of Story by John Trudy The Renegade Writer by Linda Formichelli & Diana Burrell Don’t Shoot: The End of Violence in Inner-City America by David Kennedy...
20 inspiring thoughts on playing music (in middle school)
This morning I helped for the first period of 6th grade band and it got me thinking about all the things I like to say to kids when I visit a classroom or teach at summer camp. They all came tumbling out, in no particular order. Well, except for the first one, because I think...
Are you dead or alive?
I’m tired of “I’m old.” I’ve been feeling old since I left home at 18. I got married at 22, and by the time I was 30 I was a wife and a mom with a house and a career and I felt old. I meet old people all the time. They’re 35, or 23,...
Forget about time and find the rhythm instead
Time is infinite, ever flowing, on-ungoing. The six-year-old running barefoot at dusk with his mommy wears a watch for the first time. He calls out the time constantly, in time with the innocent slap of his feet on the pavement. He has no concept of measuring time. Yet wearing his big brother’s big blue...
