I was a guest in a Republican’s house last night.

I was a guest in a Republican’s house last night.  Actually, they look much like us.  We paced and exchanged vacuous pleasantries, intending to appear civil, and civilized, as we watched a 40-inch screen-size Fox News on the living room mantle. The hosts withheld their whoops as victorious candidates, state-by-state, invected “Pelosi” as a pox [...]

Roots & Treetops: Richwood, West Virginia

Richwood is my ancestoral homeland. I did not grow up there, but my father, Lester Coe, did, as did his father…well, Cranberry Ridge.  My great-grandfathers, Perry Coe and Leonard Green, arrived in this country at the dawn of the Timber Era and were instrumental in the de-forestation of the last stand of old-growth woods east [...]

GOODNESS

Readers, indulge me here as I post a “Guest” today.  “GOODNESS” is a piece written by a good friend, Steve Fout.  You may learn more about Steve’s aesthetic at: http://tinyurl.com/yf47m5f Goodness Posted by Steve Fout at 02:20 PM on February 06, 2010 comments (0) It’s been thirty-six years since I played my last high school [...]

The Balm of Synchronicity

Events just may be grouped by their meaning. Saturday morning, January 23, en route to Dayton, Ohio, to the campus of the University of Dayton.  My friend, the co-worker to whom I report, lost his 22-year-old son, a senior at UD.  This destination was the funeral mass, at their Immaculate Conception Chapel. This boy, and I [...]

P-I-N-G 4-3-2-1 REDUX

Two weeks ago I posted P-I-N-G  4-3-2-1, a method I practice to stay in touch, to remain relevant.   Today, Seth Godin reminded me of just how applicable my PING-procedure can be. His conclusion:  Friction rewards intent and creates scarcity.  Seth defines friction as the ease, or lack of ease, of communication.  If the channel [...]

P-I-N-G 4-3-2-1

I’m trying to get better at this practice…PINGING.  You know, staying in touch, in a strategic manner. Have you read Keith Ferrazzi’s NEVER EAT ALONE?  He invests an entire chapter on the practice of pinging, and the value it returns.        Are you in sales?  Pinging is merely your unobtrusive manner of staying in contact with your [...]

Ending another decade

Here I am, on the final evening of my sixth decade.  Tomorrow I turn 60…CONGRATULATIONS, MOM! As I bask in the aural tones of Sydney Bechet ( a birthday gift from Jeanie) let me tell you how almost 40 of my family members and friends surprised me REALLY SURPRISED me with a wonderful party at [...]