Archive | Travel

Lessons Learned the Hard Way

I make mistakes, a lot of them. A few minutes ago, David pointed out my most recent mistake, for which I apologized. I almost always take responsibility for my mistakes and I try to correct them when it is possible to do so. Fortunately, none of my mistakes have resulted in seriously negative outcomes for […]

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Some of the lessons learned at the top of my list are not really mistake driven, but lessons learned due to many of the unique aspects of doing trial consulting work, including working with highly successful, demanding clients (attorneys) on difficult and complex cases.  And, further, while we are not doing “rocket science,” there are […]

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Zenobia

Recently, a long time friend of my family’s, Woody Hanson, posted an old photo on a social media site that brought back fond memories. The photo was of Zenobia King Hill, the owner of a modeling school in my hometown of Fort Myers, Florida. Zenobia was from Alabama; she attended the famous John Robert Powers […]

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I’ve heard many stories about Zenobia over the years, but it was not until I saw the photo Melissa referenced, with the description, that I actually knew how her name was spelled.   Melissa, as well as some of her friends, have spoken fondly of Zenobia over the years.  I’ve heard about the life skills learned, […]

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If You Won’t Practice, Don’t Bother Learning

As I mentioned in my previous post, “practice makes perfect,” my childhood piano teacher, Corella Johnson, insisted that all her piano and organ students practice their instrument(s) at least 30 minutes a day. The first thing she did at every lesson was ask her students to play the piece of music they were learning, so […]

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Childhood music lessons didn’t work well for me.  I tried guitar and piano but found I’d much rather go fishing or tromp through the woods than hone those skills.  Perhaps it was also because my early music lessons focused too much on fundamentals, rather than playing a song, these music experiences were not attractive to […]

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Practice Makes Perfect

Practice makes perfect. How many times have we heard this phrase? I have heard it too many times to count! I started playing the piano when I was 6 years old. I started playing the organ when I was 11. My piano and organ teacher was a wonderful friend and neighbor, Corella Johnson, who had […]

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I can attest to Melissa’s commitment to practice.  She takes it seriously and is religious about it, as long as her “day job” doesn’t interfere.  But practice gets a bad rap, that is a bad name.  Melissa’s practice time is often better characterized as “playing” as in “playing the bass.”  Practice seems repetitive and punitive.  […]

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10 Things I Love About My Job

I love my job! I truly do! My dear friend, Bob, has called me a workaholic since we met in 1980. I am a person who really likes to work! Being bored is not for me. I decided to think about the top 10 things I like about my job as a jury/trial consultant, which […]

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All non volunteer or pro bono jobs have extrinsic rewards – a paycheck.  Melissa and I are fortunate that our jobs also have intrinsic rewards.  That is, the personal rewards Melissa mentions of helping people – individuals and those collectively or in groups/companies – who are impacted by the lawsuits in which we are involved.  […]

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Try it – once

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On January 11, 2022

Category: Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Magnus, Magnus Insights, RoadWarrior, Travel, Work-Life

How does one know if he/she will like something absent trying it, at least once? This isn’t limited to trying new and/or unfamiliar foods, however, that is certainly one area in which people with varying personality types differ greatly. Some people are risk adverse, while others are open to taking risks, to some degree or […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On January 11, 2022

Category: Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Magnus, Magnus Insights, RoadWarrior, Travel, Work-Life

Perhaps it is because Melissa and I share the “try it” attitude that we are generally compatible.  I am more adventurous than she is in some ways – I like SCUBA diving for example, though I haven’t been underwater like that in some time.  For me, the mold was broken when I accepted the opportunity […]

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Champagne on 1st

David and I celebrate life. If we look around, there is something to celebrate every day. One event David and I have always celebrated is our anniversary. We were married on New Year’s Day, January 1. We selected January 1 because it is a holiday and, therefore, we would never have to work on our […]

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The sound of the pop of a cork always brings a smile to our faces.  Opening our many bottles of champagne (or non-French “sparkling wine”) has made me pretty good at it.  I have only had a cork fly away 1 or 2 times in all these years.  We try to keep well stocked so […]

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Things Back to Normal! Water Fountains, Crowded Elevators, Smiling Faces

Hooray! Hooray! I had the privilege of selecting 2 juries, for 2 different clients, in 2 different courthouses, recently. Usually, this would be nothing to write about, however, these jury selections were noteworthy due to the fact that they were the first, and second, jury selections for me since the world shut down in March […]

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As the one who watches the business side of our business, it is great for Melissa to be back in the courthouse again.  Non functioning courts have been terrible for our business as clients have had little perceived need or motivation to hire a trial consultant if there can be no trials.  So, having trials […]

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Was it Worth it?

In October of 2005, David and I were fortunate to attend a concert by the renowned group, Cream. As many people know, Cream were considered the world’s first supergroup because their 3 members, Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, and Ginger Baker, had been members of other successful groups prior to forming Cream. Although Cream were active […]

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The trip to New York City to see Cream was a long time in the planning.  We bought tickets to the show as soon as it was announced.  Hotel and flight bookings followed.  I’m sure we had other items on our agenda for the trip, but seeing Cream in “The Garden” was the focus and […]

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Train Train

“Train Train” is a song written by Shorty Medlocke, the grandfather of Rickey Medlocke , who was the founder of Blackfoot (a fantastic Southern rock group from none other than Jacksonville, Florida). The song starts with Shorty Medlocke’s harmonica, which mimics the sound of a whistle on a steam locomotive. Not only is “Train Train” […]

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It is not by accident that one hears the long long short long whistle (horn) blast when a train nears a public crossing.  It is to avoid accidents that this pattern is a required operating rule for trains in the U.S.A., and some other countries (there is an official list of whistle signals that trains […]

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