Funny thing about telling semi-strangers that you're a writer: apparently everyone else on the planet is too. Hair dressers, convenience store clerks, shy co-workers -- half the people you meet from day to day, if you listen to them long enough, will divulge: "I've got a story in me. I just need to write it first." It seems the only difference between successful writers and … [Read more...]
How To Waste Your Money on College
The professor pulled his notes from his pocket and began speaking. He started with all of the things a student should not do: work, focus on too many extracurriculars, or take classes outside the main curriculum. He ended with a heartfelt plea to study as much as possible, focusing intensely on one's GPA and the CPA exam, excluding anything outside those narrow … [Read more...]
Modern Alchemy
Editor's Note: this is a guest post by Keith Savage, http://www.traveling-savage.com/. What's my story? It had the same plot line as a million others: middle class upbringing in the suburbs, college at a well-respected university, tech job after graduation, marriage – you get it. Time corkscrewed forward, twisted by the green hand of currency. Short vacations burst into light … [Read more...]
Totally Untemplated
Editor's Note: the following is a guest post by Marlee Ward. Buying Into The Template I can’t say that giving into the template lifestyle was completely my fault. I think it’s just a byproduct of going through the “system.” Notions of creating a self-defined lifestyle are rarely discussed as you grow up. Rather, you are encouraged and even rewarded when you fall in line, … [Read more...]
Crushing Clutter + Selling Crap = Win!
Odds are you're suffocating in clutter, even if you don't know it yet. It's a growing disease thanks to modern consumerism. We lust for more "stuff" not because we need it or even because we particularly want it. Instead, we're obsessed with having the "best" TV money can buy, a "better" car than our neighbors, the "latest" gizmo, you get the idea. The results of such … [Read more...]