My reading log, favorite fiction and nonfiction, and perspective check

In an Internet already lousy with unsolicited life advice, here’s mine: Pick a hair salon that’s far away. Resist the obvious pick of the closest salon to you, the one on the block you go up and down a trillion times a week, because how will that possibly save you? …

(I wrote this in April 2015.) On my first day working in London’s Benjamin Franklin House, I cracked open a window and overheard one of the many tours of the city that passed by the House. “This is where Ben Franklin lived the longest in his adult life. Franklin is…

Why visitors do the museum shuffle and leave disappointed — I’ve worked in museums on two continents and beeline to them everywhere I travel. And I’m here to report that the “museum shuffle” happens the whole world over. This is the customary way of going through a museum: reading each sign, spending an appropriate few seconds in front of each…

Here I am Sunniest morning San Francisco will ever get. Here I am, determined to make the most of the cavernously empty Sunday I’ve eked out for myself. I’ve packed a choice of books and even (overkill) a choice of journals. I plop down on a patio, grab a drink and…

Why it’s worth choosing your values — Even though it takes time to define values, I think it’s well worth it. Having set values means you can focus on just the new information and relevant parts of a given situation. At work, individuals have to make decisions on behalf of their teams all the time. Having set…

Fiction books I particularly liked

When I casually agreed to my mother’s simple request, I had no inkling it would take on a life of its own. I was visiting my paternal grandmother in Tianjin, China, and Mom requested I bring back some of her favorite childhood candy: tanghulu (糖葫芦), haws strung on a stick…

If you got a beautiful journal for Christmas that you’re looking to start on January 1st, 2015, awesome! I don’t want to dictate what you do with it — I think keeping any sort of journal is worthwhile. …