Tolkien Sales on a Sea of Hope
{Middle Earth Lessons for Marketers} Warning: if you have not READ J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy epic The Lord of the Rings, stop reading this drivel right now, come join the living world, and read that freaking trilogy of a book. And, we may not be able to be friends until you do. And, no, the movies don’t count. I’m certainly no certified LOTR / Tolkien expert. In fact, the first time I read them through in college, I was rather disappointed at the end. You know, where Frodo is
My body hates me right now, but the feeling isn't mutual.
At 49, I’m more active now than I’ve ever been, except for maybe in high school. More than 30 years ago. This is what I put my decidedly middle-aged, slightly overweight body through last week: Monday: Crossfit; Tuesday: 5 mi. run; Wed: DMV (decidedly a frustrating rest day); Thursday: 4 mi trail run; Friday: Crossfit; Saturday: digging in my backyard for 4 hours; Sunday: 2 hours of Ultimate Frisbee. (Psss….I spent part of last night trying to figure out where I could have fi
Opinions are Easier than Empathy
In the wake of the #UCCshooting, I found myself strangely closed off to both empathy and opinions about the shooting and the victims. I was detached. Clinical even. Maybe it hit a little too close to home: I live about 90 miles south of Roseburg, and my entire family is attending either a community college or a small state university in a very similar setting. Perhaps I just didn't want to, you know... go there in my mind. Anyway, it's clearly a highly charged event. Opini
