Stay tuned for the next topic:

The 'Follow the Money' approach to organizational consulting.

A Promise to Myself

If I ever again feel tempted by the extravagant claims on the covers of self-help books, I will turn away. To free associate, this genre's salient descriptors seem to include: maudlin, lugubrious, platiudinous, formulaic, artless, drek. I wasted about an hour and a half on a 'self help' book this afternoon, which I now regret. Contrary to the claims of the publisher, it was a complete bummer--encouraging readers to wallow endlessly in their 'pain' so they can be freed from it. The question is: does the 'implosion' theory of 'personal growth' (e.g., if you want to be free of something, go farther into it) hold water? This n=1 study (sample size: me) suggests "no."

By contrast, I spent one particularly bleak Thanksgiving vacation during my junior year in college reading Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston. When I finished, I cried like a baby for two straight days. The book was poignant--beautiful, sad, and uplifting. My tears notwithstanding, I felt wonderful after reading it. Many years later, I can still feel the lesson.

From now on, I think I'll stick with fiction.

Words and Music

Summertime......we had a tiny taste of it today and hope to have a lot more, soon.

Enough Words!

......Now, some music:

James Carr: A Man Needs a Woman

Les Nubians: Les Princesses Nubiennes
....especially "Tabou."

Thievery Corporation: Mirror Conspiracy
....especially "Lebanese Blonde."

Van Morrison: Moondance

"Wild Thornberrys" Movie Soundtrack