Earlier this week, we saw an American treasure. Cellist Yo-Yo Ma performed a solo concert along with commentary about his life and influences on his music. In his teens, after studying and playing the cello from the age of four, Ma’s father asked him to do...
When you tune into entertainment award shows, you’ll notice actors gushing about fellow cast members. This high praise comes from working on complicated projects with looming deadlines.David performed in Otherwise Engaged at the Berkeley Rep. The cast was inspired by an intelligent script, so they...
Who hasn’t blown a pitch, failed to connect with an audience, or muffed an important presentation? But when we’re ready to get back on our feet, we need inspiration and rehearsal.Lindsey Vonn is 40, ancient in terms of Olympian skiers. She competed from 2002 -...
Oscar Wilde famously said that “Life imitates art far more than art imitates life.” We enjoyed the TV series Running Point with Kate Hudson about the life of pro basketballers. A young player, Dyson Gibbs has trouble making free-throw shots, so the team brings in...
On a dawn hike, we took time to breathe in the fresh air and scenery in Santa Fe. Scanning arroyos, mountain ranges and miles of open space took us back in time, imagining when dinosaurs fed on grasses from the inland seas. Being in the...
We took a break from airports and client gigs and booked a stay at Vermejo, one of Ted Turner’s ranches in northern New Mexico. Covering 550,000 acres, the ranch is a jewel, with herds of elk and bison, hiking, horseback riding, hunting and fishing.One of...
AARDVARK PORCUPINEThe writing skills of Americans are on the wane. But judging by the verbal skills of current public figures, the decline is not limited to the written word. Reading great authors informs your writing, which strengthens your speaking. But there are also techniques that...
Author and illustrator David Macaulay published The Way Things Work in 1998. It was a book about everyday machines and the scientific principles behind how they operate. How did Macaulay manage to sell over two million copies? To explain levers, he drew a mammoth on...
Highly decorated Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn’s career was over in 2019… Or was it? Vonn missed competing, so after a partial knee replacement, she trained like mad and is now back on the World Cup circuit, recently placing 4th. And she is 40. Mikaela Shiffrin, recognized...
Hank Azaria, an actor known for many Simpsons’ character voices, wrote a piece in the NY Times about his creative process. Azaria also touched upon what makes a quality TV show. His statement directly relates to how you can make your own “show” better.Azaria said...