Acceptance, Mountain Climbing, and Politics
One thing that mountain climbing taught me is the value of acceptance. It is raining, or it is not, the route is open or it is not, the summit is attainable or it is not. I cannot debate the mountain, I cannot twist its arm, and I cannot trick it. My only duty is to...
Nietzsche on Health
When Nietzsche writes of health, he writes of “overflowing health,” “well-being,” the “abundance of existence,” “joy,” and “strength.” His is the health—psychological, physical, and spiritual—of the pre-Socratic Greeks, the Greeks of Homer, “the most accomplished,...
EHR Data Mining After Death
I am fascinated by the questions surrounding the ethics of data mining a patient’s electronic health record (EHR) after they die. Consider this: From a healthcare corporation's point of view, the EHR of a patient, after they die, becomes extremely valuable. Why?...
My Zinsser Rules For Writing
When I master these four writing rules, my writing will improve dramatically: Verbs have more vigor than nouns.Active verbs are better than passive verbs.Shorter words and sentences are better than longer words and sentences.The concrete is better than the vague....
My Cat on Writing and Relaxing
My little cat Roo (short for Rousseau) “does” two states very well: intense focus and intense relaxation. He also transitions between these two states quickly. I can improve my writing quality and quantity if I follow Roo’s lead and master these states!
Is Tweeting Serious Writing?
Is tweeting "serious writing"? If done intentionally, it certainly can be. A tweet with 280 characters can carry a haiku, a micro-poem, an insightful sentence, even a small paragraph. And sequential tweets can often contain complex stories. Also, emojis, symbols, and...
Becoming a Writing Workhorse
When I look carefully at all of the successful authors I admire, I see a variety of techniques, skills, habits, strengths, and weaknesses. Some write in the morning, some in the evening. Some write daily, some in blocks of time. Some are plotters, some are pantsers....
Twitter, Writing, And Monetization
A few years ago, I was “tweeting” a medical conference that led to a high-tech startup asking me to write a few blog posts that led to a a little bit of cash, becoming a part of a medical advisory group, and a few stock options. . The monetization of writing and its...
Being Mostly Average
I am average in most things. Most people are. Most of the time, just being average in most things is fine, because being average isn't without benefits. For example, I was an average marathon runner, with my best time only 4:06, and an average mountain climber, with...
My Ugly Photograph
I have posted dozens and dozens of black and white photographs on Flickr. Most of them were carefully composed. However, a photograph of a washed-out volleyball court at night (the one shown above), which I took as a quick snapshot (taken to get a sense of how my new...