Guide to Gift Giving
It’s close to Christmas, and as we finish up our shopping, it’s worth reflecting on the purpose of gifts in the first place. I read an article this am about how millenial parents are frustrated that their Boomer parents are showering their kids with useless stuff that just ends up
FFS
We’re living in interesting times. The lead candidate for the republican nomination for presidency just wants everyone to give up and anoint him their candidate now, despite finally starting to face the consequences of years of fraud and treating the legal system as a cudgel to use against anyone he
AI is Going to Change Everything
Working in digital marketing, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and what it can and should be used for is all the rage right now. If you want to understand AI better, the best source is really Chris Penn– who has an excellent set of videos and regularly explains what’s happening in AI
Podcamp 2023
A small group of us, die hards from Podcamp Philly and Podcamp East, came together this past weekend for Podcamp 2023 in Philadelphia. There were amazing sessions talking about how AI and Chat GPT will pose challenges to those of us who are involved in digital marketing, or looking to
Glad to Leave Office? I get it.
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney is getting into trouble because he spoke his truth, saying he’s looking forward to a time when he’s not mayor. As someone who was a Township Supervisor for 6 years, I understand this sentiment perhaps as much as anyone. Being a local elected official may look
Almost 80 Best Movies of the 80’s
Rolling Stone just put out a post of the 100 best movies of the 1980’s- and there are a lot of obscure movies that as a teenager/college student during the 80’s I never heard of. As a child of divorced parents, I spent a ridiculous amount of time at the
Losing but not Lost
I lost my bid for re-election as a Township Supervisor. Elections are like the world’s longest job interview. I knocked 946 doors, speaking with friends and neighbors; sending mail out to people about what I stood for, and what I believed. I chose not to attack my opponent, even though
Running for Office
I am a local Township Supervisor in Pennsylvania, running for re-election this year. Supervisor is a part-time position, and comes with a statutory stipend of $2,500.00 a year. that equates to about $5.20 or less an hour of meeting time, and other work we put in to help guide the
Dementia
My mother-in-law has dementia. She had been pretty good at hiding her slow cognitive decline for a long time, but gradually, not even those of us who would have preferred to be in denial could avoid the truth. We needed to move Nancy out of her home and into a
Running for Office again!
Dear Neighbors: While elections may be popularity contests, governing is about doing the hard work required, every day, that our community demands and deserves. To me, part of my job is to be available- that’s why I answer your questions on Facebook, NextDoor Now, email, phone, at the grocery, and
Reflection
2020 has been a crazy year. It doesn't seem to be slowing down much, either. The pandemic has given me time to reflect about what's important, and what I believe. This morning, I was thinking about how I was raised with certain core values. Others I have come to over...
Notes from the Trenches
I was talking to a health care worker the other day, and they mentioned that they have several types of machines to do COVID tests in the hospital. The one machine they started with has been running pretty much 24 x 7 since March. It recently broke, and the hospital...
Joy and Loss
There's a lot going on for everyone right now. We're all struggling with new rules and parameters on things we can or should do, and things we can't. Some people seem to look for endless loopholes to justify their personal decisions, and others just shrug and...
Moving Business Online Checklist
This morning I got up and decided to do a little self- care and order some scones and a latte from a local shop that is doing curbside pickup during coronavirus. Their website was down, so I called the shop and let them know and made my order over the phone. They also...
Declaring an emergency
What's it like being someone in charge- at any level- having to make decisions about the health and welfare of our entire community? This week I found out. Last week, I started talking with a client of mine about the steps we needed to take to make sure all the...
Parenting Young Adults
I just read a great blog post by my friend, C.C. Chapman on parenting his kids as they become young adults. CC is also teaching at a college in Boston, so he has a great perspective on mentoring young people as they start to deal, gradually, with the expectations of...
Politics and Politicians
Right now, people are getting ready to run for office in local elections. Here in PA, this means County, Township and Borough positions will need to be filled. The primary and general election turnout in "off-years" like this one have the lowest turnouts, but people...
What I want in a Candidate
I had lunch with a good friend the other day, and we naturally started talking about politics. This happens a lot, especially since I am technically a politician. As a local elected official, I *guess* I'm a politician by definition or default, but I can't say I'm...
Blogging For Myself
I have about 10 blog posts here in draft form, things I've written because I just needed to get them out of my system, but things I'm not sure are ready for prime time, so to speak. The problem with being elected to office- even a small local office, is that I feel...
The Art of Writing in the Digital Age
As many of you know, I started the LD Podcast when my kids were small, because they had learning struggles, and one went to a school for kids with learning disabilities for a number of years. Along the way, I read, researched, and even wrote a book, on top of...