Archive | Getting Through Life and Work

All my shoes are Boogie Shoes

Ballet dancers wear ballet shoes. Tap dancers wear tap shoes. Many other dancers, such as flamenco dancers, wear some form of dancing shoes. In the 1970s, a Miami group called KC & the Sunshine Band had a long series of hits, including a song called “Boogie Shoes,” released in 1978 at the height of the […]

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We attended a concert by KC & The Sunshine band recently. Their music was ubiquitous in the 70s and 80s. Not my favorite type of music, but I’ll be honest, the show was fun. From the pre-show festivities, including dancers in costume as we entered the hall, through the show with lots of energetic dancers, […]

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We can find Another Driver, but we can’t Replace Me

On a recent Sunday morning, David and I, along with a Magnus staff member, were on the way to the Miami airport for a very early flight to the destination where our research project was scheduled the next day. We always try to arrive on site the day before our research projects, due to the […]

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The adage “the show must go on” is one for which we can prepare, but the reality is that, without the lead singer, it won’t be the same. Clients pay considerable amounts of money for the presence of our “lead singer.” (Well, actually, Melissa is a bass player who is happy to be in the […]

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Plan B isn’t All Bad

Plan B carries a connotation that it is second best and, therefore, less desirable than Plan A. I guess it is, by definition, but that’s a bad rap as sometimes Plan B turns out just fine. Sometimes, it’s probably better. A few weeks ago while in a somewhat unfamiliar small town for a trial, Melissa […]

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I have a luggage tag that says, “I live my life according to Plan B.” I have found that life isn’t always as neat and tidy as I would prefer. Because of the nature of my job and its ever changing priorities due to fluctuating trial dates of multiple attorneys, I have learned to go […]

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If things can go well, they will

I have a button pinned on the inside of my well worn briefcase I carry on research days that says, “If anything can go well, it will.” Notice that it says “well,” not “wrong.” I have found that, by focusing my energy on positive forces, instead of fretting about all of the negatives in life, […]

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Being positive beats its alternative – pessimism – in many ways. Though, in other posts I’ve noted having one or more “Plan B.” For me, that is not because I think something is going to go wrong. I know it may, but I’m positive that we can overcome most obstacles if we approach them with […]

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Tallahassee Old Friends

I have always been fortunate to be the kind of person who makes friends easily. Regardless of the situation in which I find myself, I always find one or more kindred spirits with whom I can socialize. Some of my friends, in fact, refer to me as a “social butterfly,” whatever that means! On a […]

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I am fortunate to have met these Tallahassee people and get to know them to varying degrees. (And, I’ve met many of Melissa’s friends in, or from, Fort Myers in various other places as well.) I’ll say Melissa is fortunate to know them, and they, her. Good friendships are like that – two way streets. […]

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Traits of a bad houseguest

The parallel post to my previous post about traits of a good house guest is, of course, those on the opposite end of the spectrum, the not so good house guest. I have no idea of the number of parties David and I, or I, before I knew David, have hosted, nor do I know […]

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As I noted in the prior post, we only extend invitations to visit to people we think we’d find to be good guests. But, sometimes, especially if they are, for example, the significant other of a well known friend, or perhaps a child, there is a bit of a gamble involved. Yet, one expects that […]

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Traits of a good houseguest

David and I have lots of overnight house guests. Some people stay with us for a day or two while others stay longer. Some people come from far away and some come from nearby. Some people stay at our house once, then not again for many years, while others are frequent visitors. Although David and […]

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One reason I enjoy having guests is because they give us an excuse to play tour guide and take them to explore some of the fun spots we’ve found while living in south Florida. In that regard, they sometimes give us an excuse to go visit places we have only read about. So, another positive […]

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When will you arrive and when will you leave

I am a busy person. I live “life in the fast lane.” Or, as the late, great, B B King famously said, “I’m pretty fast myself.” As a result of having too many things to do in too short a time, I am very time oriented. When someone is coming to visit me, I want […]

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I think that, to those of us whose schedules stay pretty full, and who are planners in general, knowing important details seems normal to us. We always try to communicate details when visiting or staying with others so that they can plan as necessary. But, over the years, we’ve frequently experienced times when we expect […]

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When to break rules

I am not a “Goody Two Shoes” by any means, however, I usually play by the rules, regardless of the situation. I would never, ever, park in a disabled parking space unless I am transporting a disabled passenger, I do not try to outrun trains at a railroad crossing, and I clap my hands along […]

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It is probably because of my schooling from 6th to 12th grades which, while not Catholic school, was very strict. Lots of rules, and at some point I started asking “why?”. I did not ask “why” to be obstinate. Rather, when things seemed arbitrary, it seemed like a fair question. Some things were clearly safety […]

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Laugh at yourself

Some people take themselves too seriously. No one is infallible; everyone makes mistakes. Some mistakes are made by us, other mistakes are made by someone else, and many are more situationally than personally based. How each person chooses to respond to mistakes, negative situations, and life, in general, is an important part of his/her personality. […]

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I see the humor – the absurdity – of showing up at the fancy hotel, feeling like I was Jed Clampett limping along in his jalopy. In my defense, my lack of humor in this situation was primarily fear that we would not safely make it to our destination. There was no way I could […]

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