Though I’ve been fortunate to have some amazing experiences in my life, you could never accuse me of living life in the fast lane. Unlike the Eagles, I guess I did not know the right people, take the right pills, throw outrageous parties, or pay heavenly bills. Oh well. As Joe Walsh would say, “Life’s […]
August 2, 2025
Bless me, friends, for I have not posted a new piece in seven weeks. I have my excuses. Boy, do I have them. I had a big consulting job that got in the way. That’s why. I’ve been injured twice – bruised ribs and a sprained wrist – certainly that’s a good enough reason. I’ve […]
June 14, 2025
Summer officially begins on Friday, June 20 at 7:42 PM PDT. Kind of odd to have summer start in the evening, right? But astronomers don’t give a hoot about Pacific Daylight Time. All they care about are the facts – as seen from Earth, the Sun will be directly over the 23.5-degree latitude line – […]
May 24, 2025
One of my favorite stories to read to my children was Frederick, by Leo Leonni. It’s a super simple story with great illustrations about a family of field mice preparing for the winter. All of them work their long tails off collecting food for the winter, except Frederick. All he does is stare out into space. […]
October 19, 2021
Critical Race Theory. It’s something I had never heard of until September of last year. And then, I began getting very angry emails and people started coming to board meetings to demand that we stop teaching it. The questions were very much like ones featured in the first-ever school board meeting parody on Saturday Night […]
June 30, 2022
I have loved not working. Transitioning from a 60 to 80-hour work week to a 0-hour work week was easier than I ever imagined. I have rested, lost weight and become healthier overall, organized my life, increased my time spent on hobbies I love, and avoided being such a pain that my wife wanted me […]
April 16, 2022
If you started singing the theme song from Green Acres when you saw that title, you may (1) way too impacted by afternoon tv in the 1970s, and (2) also be considering this question. August 31 was my last official day at work in my job as a school superintendent. For almost eight months, I […]
Patrick M. Lencione
2016
Read: 2024
Education/Leadership, Non-Fiction, Reading Now
One of my favorite parts of my career in public education is the teams that I have been fortunate to be a part of. I wrote a post on my love of teams back in 2020, celebrating teams that included: History classes that I taught New teachers (and eventually veteran ones too) at San Lorenzo […]
Stephen Covey
1989
Read: 2010 or before
Education/Leadership, Non-Fiction, Reading Now, Recommended for Young Adults
This is another one of my bedrock books. Stephen Covey has had such an influence on my personal and professional life. The seven habits: Be Proactive Begin with the End in Mind First Things First Win-Win Seek First to Understand, Then Be Understood Synergize Sharpen the Saw From “Beginning with the End in Mind” which […]
Eckhart Tolle
2010
Read: 2022
Non-Fiction, Reading Now
I’m not sure why I haven’t added this book until now. I’ve been reading it and re-reading it for years, and it has helped me through many a stressful time. I love the references to all of the world’s major religions. The main premise is rather Buddhist in nature, seeking the end of suffering through […]
Michael Easter
2021
Read: 2024
Non-Fiction, Reading Now, Spirtuality
After I wrote my blog post on doing something that sucks everyday, my sister-in-law Libby recommended that I read this book. It was an outstanding recommendation. Michael Easter does a wonderful job of telling the story of a highly challenging hunting trip to Alaska, weaving in research on how we 21st century humans have it […]
