Crafting Your World with Bullet Journals
A Comprehensive Guide for BUJO Beginners My desk drawers and closets contain many notepads, notebooks, and journals. It’s how I’ve always collected my thoughts. I consume a lot of paper, and my notepads are mostly random, disjointed, and illegible. I take a lot of notes in meetings—the brain dump of a technical writer. I
Protective Magic: Say ‘Abracadabra’
Is there a defense against something you can’t see? Today, we're struggling through a pandemic, a deadly scourge that hasn't been seen in the United States, or Europe, since the 1915 Spanish Flu. With a promising vaccine on the horizon, billions of people are relieved, excited, and eager to resume life. We're so lucky
Sailing to Alcatraz Island
I found this historic postcard of Alcatraz Island on the Library of Congress while researching it for a recent project in California. I also sailed to the island located in San Francisco Bay one sunny day, enjoying a similar experience and perspective of the island as the crew on this boat (but getting there
Protective Magic: Incantation Bowls
How Incantation Bowls Protect from Demonic Forces Believing that malevolent forces caused tumors and other illnesses, Jewish communities in Mesopotamia created incantation bowls (c. 300–700 CE) to trap demons and protect the family. Inscribed in Aramaic with spiraling spells and magical symbols, and placed upside down at the entrances of their homes,
Ireland: Land of the People that Sorrow
When planning a trip to Ireland, don't forget destinations that honor the torn country's history. Why "torn country," you ask? Ireland is a country that's been struggling with its identity – one separate from Great Britain – for more than a century.
The Road to Williamsport
The road to Williamsport is heavily traveled, despite the fact that this small city in northcentral Pennsylvania is home to only 29,000 people. That's because Williamsport is home to the annual Little League Baseball World Series, which attracts more than 40,000 people to its final game, and millions of viewers to all 32 of
The History of Writing with Robin Van Auken
My husband, Lance, enjoys giving gifts. He finds brilliant gifts, imaginative presents with meaning and symbolism. For example, when we purchased our lovely house on the river, he knew we had traded in our dream to live on a boat and sail far away. Okay, it was my dream. He mounted our ship's bell—one
Honoring the Story with Janice Ogurcak
Janice Ogurcak is the Director of Public Programming and Outreach at the World of Little League Museum. This museum is to Little League what the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown is to Major League Baseball. It's filled with significant artifacts that range from serious to frivolous. There is a piece torn from
Reading the News with Publisher Kathy Kolb
Kathy Kolb is the (former) publisher of NorthcentralPA.com, a news outlet that’s been online since 2009, which she steadily grew by personally connecting with her readers. I know, this sounds impossible — how do you connect with thousands of people? She accomplished this by building an amazingly loyal Facebook following, which total tops out
Let’s Play Ball with Lance Van Auken
Lance Van Auken is probably the world’s foremost expert on the history of Little League Baseball. There’s only a handful of people who may know more, or as much, as Lance. He earned this honor by being a Little League volunteer, and then an employee, for most of his life. He shares this knowledge as
Get ‘On the Bus’ with Wendy Dean
Wendy Butler Dean is the owner of The Omnibus Publishing, a boutique publishing company that specializes in children’s books, Young Adult novels, and some non-fiction. The Omnibus is a hybrid company, combining a unique blend of older, traditional book publishing and new, digital publishing. She produces ebooks and print on demand paperbacks. Wendy’s a
A Guide to Being Alone
Today I try out a new software platform for recording podcasts, Anchor, and experiment with recording smaller audio clips, and transitions, and putting together a show on the fly. I also discuss an amazing book, "How to Be Alone," by Sara Maitland, a handbook on solitude and why it's important for people, particularly those