When The Person and The Chair Have Become One

Reading Time: 7 minutesThis post has been a couple of months in the making. Usually, I’m on the road a good chunk of the fall, finally getting settled back into things a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving. This year, the World of Corona forced every event online in one way or another. This means that instead of walking … [Read more…]

Windy But Mostly Peaceful August

Reading Time: 6 minutesIn normal times, the beginning of September is one of my favorite times of year. The heat of the summer starts to subside, the bugs start to disappear, and youthful energy returns to Iowa City. Thanks to the year that just keeps on giving, that energy that powers downtown Iowa City is all but gone. … [Read more…]

The Great Reshuffling

Reading Time: 7 minutes2020 certainly hasn’t been the year that we all thought it would be. Rather than continuing the paths that we all were traveling, a number of crises have placed us at a major crossroads in history. The actions that we – both “we” as individuals and “we” as a society – will shape the years … [Read more…]

That Point Where Spring Vacation Blends Into Summer Vacation

Reading Time: 5 minutesSince the beginning of the pandemic, it feels like a lot of the days have blurred together just a bit. I’m not really confused about what day it is – there are enough recurring events on the calendar each week to use as guideposts. With the exception of two weeks ago, where I was shuttling … [Read more…]

Book Review: The Creator’s Code

Reading Time: 2 minutesAmy Wilkinson The Creator’s Code ISBN: 978-1-4516-6607-6 What takes an ordinary entrepreneur or creative and makes what they do extraordinary? According to Amy Wilkinson in her book, The Creator’s Code, there are six essential skills that divide extraordinary entrepreneurs from the rest of the crowd. These six skills connect and build on one another, and … [Read more…]

I Haven’t Filled My Gas Tank in a Month

Reading Time: 7 minutesWe’re currently in a strange, new reality. With the exception of a few Zoom meetings on the calendar, time and date don’t really have much meaning. Even though I haven’t physically interacted with other adults over the past few weeks, my social life is actually better than it was before this event began, with several … [Read more…]

The Zombie Plague We’ve All Been Dreading

Reading Time: 5 minutesWell, this certainly isn’t the direction I thought this year would go. Usually, the post I write in March celebrates the beginning of “event season,” and I talk about my excitement for finally getting out of the home office and interacting with dozens of new people throughout Iowa and the Midwest. With the country essentially … [Read more…]

Floral, Fragrant, with a Superior Mouthfeel

Reading Time: 12 minutesMost years, it feels like things mostly calm down after the Christmas rush, as winter truly begins to settle in. That didn’t really seem to happen this year, both for planned and unplanned reasons. We’d been lucky through the end of 2019 with no snow days, but after the first of the year, winter decided … [Read more…]

Looking Ahead to 2020

Reading Time: 9 minutesIn a way, you could consider this my “2020 vision.” Hardy-har-har. Horrible puns aside, my vision for the next 12 months involves a great deal of amazing things coming together and programs and products launching. In addition to the new, there are also a lot of familiar events on the calendar for the coming year. … [Read more…]

2019: The Year of Cider

Reading Time: 9 minutesThis “year in review” post marks the fifth year where I’ve taken the time at the end of the year to look back over my accomplishments and examine both successes and failures from the past twelve months. This review, along with predictions for the coming year, are my favorite pair of posts each year. It’s … [Read more…]