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See that guy on the left? The one at the Steinway? That’s Andras Schiff, one of the greatest concert pianists alive today. Andras and I have a few things in common: 1) we both play the piano; 2) we both play Steinways (although his preferred instrument is a Bosendorfer); 3) we’ve both had dinner with my sister (but not ...
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I had a speaking engagement in Indianapolis this past Saturday, which meant that I flew in to the Indianapolis airport on Friday. At least, that was the game plan. Those of you who watched the news over the weekend know that much of Indiana was devastated by massive thunderstorms and tornadoes. The actual weather conditions ended up being much worse ...
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A couple of friends and I went to a little jazz club in Seattle on Saturday night. The quartet, led by vocalist Greta Matassa, was outstanding. My friends and I had a wonderful time, but here’s the thing that really struck me:
Towards the end of the last set, late into the night, there were only about fifteen to twenty people left in the club. Yet the band ...
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First, a status report. My cheese is fine. Nobody’s moved my cheese; my cheese is right where it’s always been.
Cheese, you see, is the reward you get for making it through the maze. It’s the fun stuff. Cheese is:
Cheese is the fun stuff. I’m not going to lose track of my cheese. It’s front-of-mind, and I know exactly where it is.
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It’s that time of year again—time for my annual “Let’s try to see as many Oscar nominated movies as possible” drive. So last night I saw Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, which is not exactly the front runner for Best Picture. Still, it’s nominated, as is co-star Max von Sydow for Best Supporting Actor. Conspicuously missing from the nominations, however, is ...
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What decision will you make today?
Every movement—forward, backward, or sideways—begins with a decision. The quality of that movement is determined, to a large degree, by the quality of the decision. Making a decision is like putting your car in “drive.” You’re not going to go anywhere until you step on the gas, but by shifting into “drive,” you’re making ...
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Back in my Seattle TV days, I used to hang out occasionally with a guy named Dave Grohl, who was the drummer for a little trio called Nirvana. Last night, he and his current band, Foo Fighters, picked up five Grammy awards. While accepting the award for Best Rock Album, Dave said something that really struck a chord (pun intended, ...
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So I got a Roku for Christmas. Now, I know that “a Roku” sounds like one of those yappy little dogs that Paris Hilton would carry around in a purse, but it’s not. It’s actually a very cool little device that sits near your TV and lets you stream movies and TV shows from sources like Hulu and Netflix. And the ...
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I was recently talking to a fellow speaker about marketing. She was complaining (whining, really) because she had to put together a new marketing campaign for her services, and she wasn’t enjoying the process. She said she didn’t want to do any marketing. I asked her what she did want, and she said:
“I just want people to hire me.”
Well, ...
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I recently had the privilege of delivering the opening keynote address at the annual convention of Mensa. This can be a little intimidating, because the sole requirement for membership in Mensa is that you be a genius (in the top 2% of IQ). Granted, I’m a member, but I’m pretty sure I got in under some sort of affirmative ...
