Category: Life

• My Story: I Stand Out in an Asian Crowd

  I wrote this for another website a while back. It sums me up well, though, so I thought I’d post it here. I stand out in a crowd in Asia. That may seem like a strange place to start in telling my story, but it has been the one constant truth in my life for…

  sassevn

  April 8, 2014

  Indie Author, Life, Penang

  Asian experiences, expat in Asia, living in Asia, malaysia, Penang, Pirates, Vietnam, Western Pennsylvania

• There is a Difference between Fairness and Equality

  Besides writing, directing drama, and coaching softball, I also teach American Government. I purposefully stay away from politics on this blog because that’s not what this blog is about. But I do state at the top of the page that this blog is about “life” and so from time to time I might slightly dip…

  sassevn

  April 1, 2014

  Life

  equality, equality in government, equality of opportunity, equality of outcome, fairness in government, government overreach, Michigan, michigan baseball seats removed, WJBK

• The Struggle of Living in the Moment

  Deadlines. Vacation plans. Plane tickets. Meetings. Schedules. Events. We all have a life list which looks something like that. An indie author might have another list that looks like this: Final revision, send to editor, pitch writing, release date, text formatting, contact Beta readers, etc … I am constantly striving for something; I always have…

  sassevn

  March 24, 2014

  Life, Penang

  contentedness, family, happiness, living in the moment, relaxation

• If you can’t read the news without spreading rumors, then …

  It gets tiring. Hearing complete falsehoods from well-meaning people who happened to have read it on the Internet. We know the Internet is awash with reliable sources. I live in Malaysia. As you can imagine, the gossip mill has been cranking out hits at a dizzying rate since the strange disappearance of Malaysian flight 370.…

  sassevn

  March 18, 2014

  Current Events, Life, social critique

  effects of social media, flight 370, media consumers, media literacy, news, rumors

• Silent Cal, Social Media, & Conversation (redux)

  When my blog was incredibly young nearly two years ago, I posted an article I entitled, “Silent Cal, Social Media, & Conversation.”  Its timely message has become more and more important with each passing year. We all spend so much time using social media that I do wonder when the day will come when we…

  sassevn

  March 17, 2014

  History & Culture, Life

  Calvin Coolidge, conversation, culture, effects of social media, family life, social media, technology and society

• The Break You Deserve: Ice skating, ice cream, and more!

  Groupon sent out the following advertisement to me. “The break you deserve. Ice skating, ice cream, blah, blah, blah.” Why exactly do I deserve to go ice skating? Have they seen my skills in the rink? I went once when I was in 6th grade and I ended up walking on pins and needles with…

  sassevn

  March 16, 2014

  Life

  advertising, advertising lies, groupon, understanding advertising

• Don’t Be Fooled: An iPAD is just a Gadget

  I’ve had my iPAD now for more than two years, and I finally feel the need to pass judgment on it. Is it the super-cool device to stay connected and get things done in the modern world or is it just another distracting gadget?  Would it fall somewhere in the middle of those extremes? Perhaps.…

  sassevn

  March 15, 2014

  Life

  adobe, best device for productivity, ipad vs windows, Scrivener, writing

• Hugging Scrivener

  Have you hugged your Scrivener lately? OK, I had a student catch me in the act of hugging Scrivener. Yes, I do love it that much. Here’s the proof: And she happened to catch me with my jersey on to make it all that special. I have a group of six students who meet with…

  sassevn

  March 6, 2014

  Indie Author, Life

  book club, Scrivener, The Recluse Storyteller

• I used to eat out only once a year.

  In my last post, I connected my past to the silly memories of McDonald’s restaurants throughout the course of my life. Those nostalgic Big Mac memories made me think of another fast-food chain which I loved for a very special reason. It’s name was Winky’s, and I ate there once a year. Here’s the story:…

  sassevn

  February 27, 2014

  Life

  canning, gardens, growing up, Pittsburgh, reminiscing, winky’s restaurant

• McDonald’s is a Link to My Past

  Perhaps I am the product, indeed. If so, quite the job well-done McDonald’s marketing team! With all the gluten-free, vegan, anti-milk, and anti-fast food which pass around daily on the web, McDonald’s has certainly taken a hit, and I am certainly not one who will bemoan anyone else wanting to eat healthy by steering clear…

  sassevn

  February 26, 2014

  Life

  childhood memory, fast food, mcdonalds, positive view of mcdonalds