Category Archives: Life in the United States

Most college students worry about how much they will make (how much they will be paid) at their first job after they graduate (complete their studies), what we would call their starting salaries.  As you already know, the answer to … Continue reading →

Little boys’ dreams often become the lives of grown (adult) men. When I use the word “dreams,” I’m not talking about those images and sounds that come to us while we’re sleeping. Rather (instead), I’m talking about the hopes and … Continue reading →

The new television season began recently in the U.S. And two writers – Neal Gabler from the Los Angeles Times and David Brooks from the New York Times – wrote about an interesting feature (something you notice) of many of … Continue reading →

Most Americans have either read or heard of a story by Nathaniel Hawthorne called The Scarlet Letter, which takes place in 17th-century Boston. In the story, a woman has to wear a scarlet (red) letter “A” because she has committed … Continue reading →

I’ve always admired people who could look at the stuff (objects and activities) of everyday life and find wisdom. My grandfather was one of those people. So is Seth Godin. What is wisdom? Wisdom is an elusive (difficult to describe) … Continue reading →

I want to warn you that much of this post is tongue-in-cheek, or ironic – some words are used in an opposite way to create humor. I think I learned this from Jeff. On to my story… If we can … Continue reading →

Last week, I saw a picture on the Los Angeles Times website that made me smile: In Los Angeles and many other cities, if you fail to (don’t) pay your parking tickets, your car may get a boot placed on … Continue reading →

I took a trip this week – in my mind – to the past, to my early college and university days. The trip was prompted (caused) by an announcement of a new book, Bob Dylan in America, by Sean Wilentz. … Continue reading →

A few of my RSS and Twitter feeds (messages that come to my computer) give me glimpses (quick looks) from time to time (occasionally) into life in the U.S. and around the world. Some are funny. Some are strange. Some … Continue reading →