Meanwhile, In Real Life

  • The Charm of Inconvenience

    The Charm of Inconvenience

    Imagine standing in a museum, looking at a display of writing implements. A timeline of glowing cases and uplit pedestals span the room’s wall. On the left, secured in a climate-controlled case, is a clay tablet detailed in Sumerian cuneiform. In 3000 BCE, someone pressed their reed stylus into wet clay. This was writing technology

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  • Building Toward Your Tuesday

    Building Toward Your Tuesday

    What would your ideal, average Tuesday look like? That’s the question driving this blog (with audio) in the “Meanwhile, In Real Life” series. North Texas artist Krystal Skinner’s recent Facebook post about building an artistic life through small, intentional actions made me think about agency—what we can control when everything else is in flux.

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  • Sitting With Sadness

    Sitting With Sadness

    Meanwhile, in real life, sad news finds its way through the cell towers. A text message converts to data packets, bounces between satellites and ground stations, and reassembles itself on your phone screen in perfect sequence. The technology is elegant. The message is not. “Are you available for a call?” asked the text message. I

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  • Symphony Musings: Why Nobody Can Beat You at Being You

    Symphony Musings: Why Nobody Can Beat You at Being You

    This Saturday, I attended the opening performance of the 60th season of the Sherman Symphony Orchestra (SSO). The performance featured Romantic music of Mendelssohn, Wagner, and Brahms. The concert event page alluded to the composers’ different approaches, noting that Wagner’s ideas “were somewhat extreme and at odds with composers like Brahms.” That comment lured me

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  • Wait: I Won the Art?

    Wait: I Won the Art?

    My AI assistant, Claude, greets me with the welcome screen “Coffee and Claude Time?” I certainly appreciate the algorithmic Reveille that heralds the day’s collaboration (although “Michelle Returns!” is my favorite). But starting a new business means balancing digital efficiency with real-life connection — with real people in real rooms. Intent on real networking, I

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  • A Coffee Run Turned Art Opening

    A Coffee Run Turned Art Opening

    Discover Goodwill ArtWorks, a community art center in Denison where local artists showcase recycled, colorful, and inspiring work. From interactive murals to mixed-media exhibits, this creative hub offers connection, healing, and a vibrant celebration of Texoma talent.

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