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The conversation on last week’s Friendship Bench was led by everyone’s friend, Phil Williams. As always, Phil brought his A Game and his soothing demeanor. He also brought a provocative question f…
The conversation on …
The conversation on last week’s Friendship Bench was led by everyone’s friend, Phil Williams. As always, Phil brought his A Game and his soothing demeanor. He also brought a provocative question for us to contemplate as he sent us into breakout rooms:What are your expectations for going into a relationship and how will you approach it intentionally?I struggled a bit with what I take to be the juxtaposition of expectations against intentionality. Here’s why: It’s at least arguable that expectations are externally directed. They may or may not be reasonable. They may derive from outc…
Mark O'Brien
December 9, 2024 Just like our story, the original Christmas tales were stories of searching, not so much for the lost, as for the familiar. Mary and Joseph sought in Bethlehem — the home of their familial ancestry …
Just like our story,…
Just like our story, the original Christmas tales were stories of searching, not so much for the lost, as for the familiar. Mary and Joseph sought in Bethlehem — the home of their familial ancestry — a place to start their own family; the three kings from the East journeyed beneath the sentinel star to find the King of Kings; and the shepherds sought a child in a place most familiar to them: a manger. (Richard Paul Evans, Finding Noel)Last year, Anne and I attended a Christmas gathering at the home of some friends, Ron and Nancy. Their dining room was gloriously appointed with Christmas …
Mark O'Brien
December 2, 2024 First, I would straighten out the language. (Confucius, asked how he’d restore order to the world)I’ve recently come to two equally important conclusions:I need to relax more. If I were a dire…
First, I would strai…
First, I would straighten out the language. (Confucius, asked how he’d restore order to the world)I’ve recently come to two equally important conclusions:I need to relax more. If I were a director of a TV show, I’d carry a red card in my pocket like a soccer referee.Here’s why: Exhibit A Anne and I recently watched the season premiere of Unsellable Houses on HGTV. The program features twin sisters, Mimsy and Flimsy — allegedly the largest-selling realtors in the Pacific Northwest. It’s easy to tell they’re realtors, as opposed to linguists, by the way they talk. During the …
Mark O'Brien
November 25, 2024 Recently, my friend and fellow BizCatalyst 360˚ columnist, John Dunia, wrote a post called, “FREEDUMB”, in which he pondered the definition of freedom and its various interpretations and applicat…
Recently, my friend …
Recently, my friend and fellow BizCatalyst 360˚ columnist, John Dunia, wrote a post called, “FREEDUMB”, in which he pondered the definition of freedom and its various interpretations and applications in the United States. John and I know we stand on different sides of the political aisle. We also know we respect and care for each other. Knowing that, I wrote this in the comments:Thank you for the post, John. It’s characteristically thoughtful and insightful. “Freedom, by default, has limitations.” Yes. That’s why we have the Constitution, which we ignore more and more with each …
Mark O'Brien
November 19, 2024 During a visit to my primary care physician on Election Day, he told me my lab tests had revealed acute, chronic Bonkus of the Konkus. “How long have I had that?” I asked. “Probably your whole l…
During a visit to my…
During a visit to my primary care physician on Election Day, he told me my lab tests had revealed acute, chronic Bonkus of the Konkus. “How long have I had that?” I asked. “Probably your whole life,” he said. “But it’s probably flaring up because of the election.” “Am I in trouble?” I asked. With a smile I took to be disarming and inappropriate, he said, “No. You’re at risk.” “What kind of risk?” “It depends who wins the election,” he said with a wink. “That’s easy for you to say,” I blurted. “What should I do?” “Relax,” he said. “I’ll call in …
Mark O'Brien
November 18, 2024 If you’re anything like me, you have days in which, on things you’ve seen a million times, you suddenly notice something you’ve never noticed before. So it was that Saturday morning, I reached f…
If you’re anything…
If you’re anything like me, you have days in which, on things you’ve seen a million times, you suddenly notice something you’ve never noticed before. So it was that Saturday morning, I reached for the box of Melitta Coffee filters for which I reach every day, more than once on most days. The word, German, seemed to jump off the box at me. And I read this:In 1908, a German homemaker, Melitta Bentz, made history when she invented the coffee filter. Tired of drinking bitter coffee, she poked holes in the bottom of a brass cup and lined it with a sheet of her son’s blotting paper. The re…
Mark O'Brien
November 11, 2024 For those of you who’ve never suffered from insomnia, I’m here to tell you it’s a dangerous thing. If you have insomnia, you run the risk of experiencing fatigue, impaired cognition, mood distur…
For those of you who…
For those of you who’ve never suffered from insomnia, I’m here to tell you it’s a dangerous thing. If you have insomnia, you run the risk of experiencing fatigue, impaired cognition, mood disturbances, chronic diseases, weakened immune systems, accidents and injuries, reduced productivity, relationship problems, and increased risk of mortality. Worst of all, if you suffer from insomnia, you’re likely to be subject to late-night TV infomercials. I know whereof I speak … uh … write. In the early ‘90s, during a bout of insomnia, I happened to see an infomercial for what was billed a…
Mark O'Brien
November 4, 2024 
Unless you’ve lived in Outer Mongolia for a while (quite a while) or have already moved down into your survival bunker ahead of the 2024 U.S. Presidential election season that now stretches from Lab…
Unless you’ve live…
Unless you’ve lived in Outer Mongolia for a while (quite a while) or have already moved down into your survival bunker ahead of the 2024 U.S. Presidential election season that now stretches from Labor Day to Easter to allow sufficient ballot-box stuffing and counting the votes of dead people, you may have heard of Pickleball. You may even have played Pickleball. If so, you’re clearly not alone. Believe this or not (I couldn’t) there’s even a site for USA Pickleball and a site for Pickleheads. And that’s not the worst of it. According to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA…
Mark O'Brien
October 28, 2024 Because I’m something of a newshound, I came across a press release on the Reuters site the other day, the headline of which was this: “Campbell Soup dropping ‘soup’ in name to become ‘The C…
Because I’m someth…
Because I’m something of a newshound, I came across a press release on the Reuters site the other day, the headline of which was this: “Campbell Soup dropping ‘soup’ in name to become ‘The Campbell’s Company‘”. The drift of the release was this:Campbell Soup is dropping “soup” from its name to become “The Campbell’s Company” … a pivot symbolizing the company’s shift to other packaged food such as jarred sauces like Rao’s and Goldfish snacks … Campbell’s is focusing on 16 top brands across its meals and beverages and snacking division including Goldfish, V8…
Mark O'Brien
October 21, 2024 On September 19th, I led a conversation on the Friendship Bench about humor. Among other things, we discovered humor — particularly joke-telling, the nature of the jokes being told, and the people t…
On September 19th, I…
On September 19th, I led a conversation on the Friendship Bench about humor. Among other things, we discovered humor — particularly joke-telling, the nature of the jokes being told, and the people to whom they’re told — should be a matter of respect. (Thank you, Phil Williams.) Yet I remain curious: How far should respect go? Do we need to Exercise respect for every demographic group such that some jokes are simply off limits because of their possible connotations or their potential (mis)interpretations? What are the respective responsibilities of teller and listener? If I know a joke, t…
Mark O'Brien
October 14, 2024 It was 1975. I was 21 years old. It was time to buy my first serious stereo system because if it was 1975 and you were 21 years old, that’s what you were supposed to do. I enlisted by buddy, George,…
It was 1975. I was 2…
It was 1975. I was 21 years old. It was time to buy my first serious stereo system because if it was 1975 and you were 21 years old, that’s what you were supposed to do. I enlisted by buddy, George, to aid me in purchasing the requisite components — a stereo receiver, a turntable, and a pair of speakers. George was five years older than me. He still is. So, at 26, he was considerably more knowledgeable and worldly than I was, at least in my 21-year-old view of the world. Plus, he already had a serious stereo system. That made him the perfect choice. As fortune would have it, 1975 also was …
Mark O'Brien
October 7, 2024 Some of you may recall my having published a post two weeks called, “Stunning Climate Change News”, in which I shared an alarming portent from The Washington Post that autumn would bring cooler te…
Some of you may reca…
Some of you may recall my having published a post two weeks called, “Stunning Climate Change News”, in which I shared an alarming portent from The Washington Post that autumn would bring cooler temperatures to parts of the United States. Those cooling temperatures have nothing to do with the weather, of course. Rather, they’re entirely attributable to anthropogenic climate change. To cope with the thermal dips attributable to climate change, people in the affected areas are encouraged to wear heavier clothing. As it turns out, along with our outerwear, the plot is also thickening. On Fri…
Mark O'Brien
September 30, 2024 My cohorts and I recently engaged in a conversation about humor on the Friendship Bench. As we considered what makes things funny — why some people find things funny and others don’t, why some peo…
My cohorts and I rec…
My cohorts and I recently engaged in a conversation about humor on the Friendship Bench. As we considered what makes things funny — why some people find things funny and others don’t, why some people can tell jokes to some people and not to others — my friend, Phil Williams, said in his inimitable fashion that it all comes down to Relationships. I interpreted that to mean the respect shared between the teller and the listener. Both of those parties have responsibilities in the way, and to whom, jokes are told and received. Jokes may or may not reflect opinions. They may not indicate depr…
Mark O'Brien
September 23, 2024 Before you read any farther, sit down. I’m about to share a headline from The Washington Post that’s going to jar your preserves. I’d break it to you more gently if I could. But I can’t. By th…
Before you read any …
Before you read any farther, sit down. I’m about to share a headline from The Washington Post that’s going to jar your preserves. I’d break it to you more gently if I could. But I can’t. By the same token, I don’t want to keep you hanging or to be overly dramatic. And I really won’t blame you if you think I’m making this whole thing up. But I’m not doing that, either. This stuff is really happening. So, here goes. (Hold the drum roll, please.): Fall is sweeping into the Lower 48 states. Here are 4 things to know. Can you believe that? This what follows that bomb in part: The n…
Mark O'Brien
September 16, 2024 I don’t why. But I love to watch Beat Bobby Flay on the Food Channel. Maybe it’s that Bobby Flay is such an accomplished chef and restauranteur. Or maybe it’s just that he’s such a charming ge…
I don’t why. But I…
I don’t why. But I love to watch Beat Bobby Flay on the Food Channel. Maybe it’s that Bobby Flay is such an accomplished chef and restauranteur. Or maybe it’s just that he’s such a charming gentleman and all around good guy. But that doesn’t really matter. In any case, the format of the show is the same, week after week: Two competing guest chefs go head-to-head cooking a dish with an ingredient Bobby chooses. They have to make that ingredient the star of their dishes. One of those two chefs is declared the winner by two celebrity guests who may or may not know anything about food. T…
Mark O'Brien
September 9, 2024 As a result of watching our local meteorologists forecast the weather, I have an idea that will simplify the way those meteorologists present the forecasts. That idea will also help their viewers unde…
As a result of watch…
As a result of watching our local meteorologists forecast the weather, I have an idea that will simplify the way those meteorologists present the forecasts. That idea will also help their viewers understand their forecasts and be able to explain them to family, friends, and other loved ones who might not have TVs or might have better things to do than to watch local meteorologists forecast the weather. Since we (at least in the West) read from left to right — and since most weather fronts (at least in the Northern Hemisphere) move west to east (which is the same as left to right, depending o…
Mark O'Brien
August 26, 2024 Recently, our son, Quinn, and his wife, Katie, gave us a Nespresso machine. Since I prefer my coffee strong enough to slice it, it was right up my alley. The machine came with a variety pack of coffee…
Recently, our son, Q…
Recently, our son, Quinn, and his wife, Katie, gave us a Nespresso machine. Since I prefer my coffee strong enough to slice it, it was right up my alley. The machine came with a variety pack of coffees, each bearing an Italian name, followed by descriptions, also in Italian. This was the assortment:Il Caffé, described as Diavolitto (devilish), and Altissio (high). After drinking a cup of this, I was so wired, I understood it to mean Hell might be up, not down. Voltesso, described as Inizio (beginning) and Toccanto (touched). The electric effect of this blend was like the initial jolt you ge…
Mark O'Brien
August 20, 2024 COLOMBO (AFP) — Sri Lankan police arrested an astrologer after he predicted a planetary change this month will be inauspicious for parliament and the government may not be able to arrest rising livi…
COLOMBO (AFP) — Sr…
COLOMBO (AFP) — Sri Lankan police arrested an astrologer after he predicted a planetary change this month will be inauspicious for parliament and the government may not be able to arrest rising living costs – a prediction already made by private economists … Sri Lankan politicians take astrology seriously and most have their own personal seers who decide the auspicious times to launch any new program or work.Following Sri Lanka’s lead, I’m pressing charges against my astrologer, Madame Beluga, for unreasonably favorable predictions. My attorney characterized my case as feeble, but …
Mark O'Brien
August 13, 2024 
