Tom Ruwitch
Tampa, Florida; (2023.11.04)#allthisusefulbeauty Recommended Reading  Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel KahnemanRead this book, and you’ll understand better how human beings think and make decisions. That includes how YOU think and make decisions. Why bother? So you can make informed decisions more and guess less. So you sell more by anticipating what motivates prospects. So…
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I mentioned last month how I scarfed down more than 37,238 cookies — give or take — over the holidays. And last year I made nine too many excuses NOT to workout. So this month, I’m back in my home gym — biking, rowing, lifting, sit-upping, and tread-milling. ⬇ Artist’s rendering of me after my work-out ⬇…
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A cautionary tale about trust-busting marketing tricks… Yesterday, I heard about a company offering a $400 discount on its lifetime software license — $97, instead of $497. Tempting. So I visited the site and saw this… “Deal Ends Today….!?” That set my hair on fire. “I better act fast,” I thought. So I checked out some…
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It’s the first week of the new year, and it’s J.R.R. Tolkien’s birthday (Jan. 3). Seems like a good time for this resolution: Embrace conflict without contempt. Tolkien and his literary pals — including C.S. Lewis — inspire my resolve. Tolkien (The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings) and Lewis (The Chronicles of Narnia) were colleagues…
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I didn’t expect this… I can’t stop thinking about the exhibit I saw the other day at the St. Louis Art Museum… The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century. I mentioned it in yesterday’s email, and I shared the description for the exhibition’s section on Brand. This is the thing playing over and…
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“Turkey tail” mushroom on fallen tree trunk (Huzzah Creek flood plain; Crawford County, MO; 2023.12.27)#allthisusefulbeauty Happy New Year Welcome to 2024. I hope you had a wonderful, restful, rejuvenating holiday season. I did. Lots of great family time with Melissa, our twins (Maddie and Jake), and our Crazy-Doodle, Moose. Long hours in front of the…
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When I was a kid, you couldn’t move through a big-city airport without being pestered by people pitching their religion and begging for money. The “Hare Krishnas” were the most notorious. With their shaved heads and orange robes, the Krishnas would approach travelers and offer a small gift. The Krishnas hoped travelers would return the…
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On this day (Dec. 28) in 1732, Ben Franklin published the first edition of Poor Richard’s Almanack. For 25 years, he published the Almanack annually — 10,000 copies per year. To celebrate the Almanack’s birthday, I’ll share a favorite quote from each edition, starting with the first “1733” edition. Maybe these can inspire some new year’s…
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I estimate I’ve eaten 37,238 cookies this month — give or take. Chocolate chip cookies like Granny used to make. Peanut butter cookies topped with Hershey’s Kisses. Santa-shaped sugar cookies with red sprinkles. Reindeer-shaped shortbread cookies with green icing. I’m sick of cookies. So, of course… …I spent a chunk of yesterday reading about… …cookies.…
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December 26, 2023 TO: Santa ClausFROM: Tom RuwitchRE: Next Time I don’t mean to sound ungrateful… …but next time… …I sure would appreciate it if you could stuff one of those new fangled Wearable Beanbags in my stocking. Don’t get me wrong. The new socks are great. I’ll wear them often. But socks is socks.…
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