February 10th, 2025 Mark O'Brien
It seems as if more and more people are in need of validation and positive reinforcement as of late. I don’t know if this is a reaction to our being in the last year of the first quarter of the 21st century. I’m not sure if there’s something in the water that’s causing levels of […]
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February 3rd, 2025 Mark O'Brien
I love reading spam emails for the same reason I love watching bad movies. They always make me wonder: Who wrote them? Did they actually make sense to whomever wrote them? Did the people who wrote them have any questions about them? Who released them? Did they actually make sense to the people who released […]
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January 27th, 2025 Mark O'Brien
If you read Part One of this series, you recall my having learned Melitta Coffee filters were invented by a German woman, Melitta Bentz. Since then, Anne has been to the store to buy more coffee Melitta coffee filters. And now I’ve learned they come in two colors — white and brown. Since I was […]
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January 20th, 2025 Mark O'Brien
I don’t know why, but ever since the Holidays, I’ve been spammed with ads for Coolina knives. They show up on my phone. They show up on my computer and my iPad. They even started showing up in my dreams, which is the only place I can prepare food without cutting my fingers off. And […]
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January 13th, 2025 Mark O'Brien
In the first part of what I didn’t know at the time would become a series, I cited a conversation on the Friendship Bench, led by everyone’s friend, Phil “Don’t Call Me Hank” Williams, in which he asked a provocative question: What are your expectations for going into a relationship and how will you approach […]
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December 9th, 2024 Mark O'Brien
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 […]
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December 2nd, 2024 Mark O'Brien
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 […]
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November 25th, 2024 Mark O'Brien
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 […]
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November 19th, 2024 Mark O'Brien
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 […]
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November 18th, 2024 Mark O'Brien
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 […]
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