Blog

Hello, Readers!

Welcome to my blog! Here, you’ll find a mix of topics from intentional living to navigating your career in the age of AI to updates on my various projects. The themes that run through my work are Living the Life You Want, Simplicity, Continuous Improvement, Iteration, Travel, Indie Book Publishing, and Agile Software Development.

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Slow Productivity by Cal Newport: Good Reminder, Not As Good as Deep Work

In Slow Productivity Newport says that our current definition of productivity is broken. Busyness has become a proxy for actual effort, and that history’s most creative and impactful people worked very differently than we do today. I buy into this premise completely. Newport is one of the clearest thinkers writing about work and attention right now, and I always appreciate his thoughts. Here’s a review about what I found valuable and perhaps not as valuable.

Why I Keep Starting New Things in Retirement (And Why You Should Too)

The truth about retirement is, I’m still figuring out which challenges belong in my days and which problems I really want to solve. I’m still learning what it means to do hard things by choice rather than by obligation and how to find the right balance between the ebb of rest and the flow of something hard that I think matters. Here’s what I’ve figured out so far.

The Best Part of Our Viking Rhine Trip Was After the Boat: Switzerland, Lake Como & Milan

Our extension, which went from Basel through the Swiss Alps by the scenic Bernina Express train, two nights in St. Moritz, another scenic train into Italy, a stop at Lake Como, and two nights in Milan, was fantastic. It had everything the river cruise sometimes lacked: free time, fitness centers, beautiful hotels, and the feeling that the pace was ours to explore. Let me tell you how our post-extension to Switzerland and Italy went.

Viking Rhine River Cruise: The Good and The Bad

We went on a Viking River Cruise down the Rhine River this July. The trip was wonderful in many ways, but it was not quite what I expected in a few important ones. The Rhine River was low so we ended up switching boats partway through the cruise. This is my account of both the day-by-day itinerary, what we actually did, and my verdict on whether a Viking River Cruise was right for us (and whether it may be right for you).

A Day and a Half in Amsterdam

Here’s how we spent our day and a half in Amsterdam before we jumped on a Viking Rhine River Cruise.

How I Plan a Trip (And Why the Planning Is Half the Fun)

I am an enthusiastic trip planner. At any given moment, I would rather be traveling (seeing new things, trying new foods, meeting new people) than almost anything else in the world. For me, planning the trip is almost as fun as actually taking it. So, let me walk you through how I plan a trip, from the first spark of interest to the last booking.

I’ve Been a Nonfiction Reader My Whole Adult Life…Until Now

For most of my adult, working life, I’ve been a nonfiction person. And then, sometime in the last year I started reading more fiction. And once I started, I couldn’t stop. And there are some very important benefits of reading fiction that make me happy I’ve added a lot more fiction to my stack of books.

How to Find Friends As an Adult (And We Really Need Friends)

On the heels of an amazing girls’ trip last weekend, I’d like to share part of a chapter from my upcoming book (publish date still to be determined). This section is from Chapter 11: Go To That Event By Yourself and it’s all about making friends as adults and why those friendships are so valuable.

A Newport, Rhode Island Girls’ Weekend: Mansions, Cliffs, and a Lot of Kilts

Last week, two friends and I escaped for a girls’ weekend in Newport, Rhode Island. It included gilded Age mansions, a dramatic coastal walk, beaches, a flower show, and more seafood and cookies than I’d like to admit. Newport, it turns out, is an absolutely perfect setting for a few days away with your closest friends.

Exit Interview: A Book Review

I recently read Exit Interview: The Life and Death of My Ambitious Career by Kristi Coulter. I picked it up because the title resonated with me. I, too, have had an ambitious tech career and just recently semi-retired, pulling back to teach and run programs at my alma mater, the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Coulter’s book was funny, interesting, and, above all, kind of PTSD-inducing if you’re in tech and especially if you’re a woman in tech.

A Different Kind of Power: Why Jacinda Ardern’s Version of Leadership Matters

I just finished A Different Kind of Power: A Memoir by Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand’s Prime Minister from 2017 to 2023. At a moment when the political world feels particularly bleak, Ardern’s book feels different. It’s full of hope (and good decisions). Her tenure as New Zealand’s Prime Minister shows us that a person can hold the highest office in a country and still be, unmistakably and unapologetically, a human being, a woman, and a mom.

Stick Together: What the Women’s Suffrage Movement Can Teach Us About Politics Right Now

I’ve been working on a new book for women trying to kick ass in a male-centric world and I’m in the developmental editing stages right now. I just got through my final chapter and I love it so, darn much. The chapter is called: “Stick Together: How To Stop Undermining Other Women & Get Things Done Together”. Historically, our failure to stick together has cost us decades of progress. Here’s just one example.