Interests

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens . . .
These are a few of my favorite things

Interests

  • Philosophy, epistemology, and perception
  • Politics, leadership, and how we want to be led
  • Culture and the ‘personality’ of large organizations
  • Global economics
  • Logistics and complex systems
  • Technology and electronics
  • Movie and television production
  • Wine, and craft cocktails
  • Travel, especially by train
  • Nature, grandeur, beauty, majesty, and being outside
  • The Oxford comma

Books

I read a lot. Check out my profile on Goodreads for what I am currently reading and what I think about the books that I finish. Here are a few of the books that stimulated ideas that were truly transformational for me over the course of my life.

  • The Brother’s Karamazov – Fyodor Dostoyevski
  • The Cider House Rules – John Irving
  • Never Eat Alone – Keith Ferazzi
  • The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich – William L. Shirer
  • Enders Game Quintet – Orson Scott Card
  • The Discoverers & The Creators – Daniel J. Boorstin
  • Managing with Power – Jeffrey Pfeffer
  • The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galazy – Douglas Adams
  • The Elephant and the Flea – Charles Handey
  • The Five Dysfunctions of a Team – Patrick Lencioni
  • Million Dollar Consulting – Alan Weiss
  • Thinking, Fast and Slow – Daniel Kahneman
  • The Warmth of Other Suns – Isabel Wilkerson
  • Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance – Robert Prisig
  • Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah – Richard Bach

Podcasts

I have been a devotee to podcast listening since their inception back in the early 2000’s — back when it was possible to listen to every podcast ever produced (well, except for The Dawn and Drew Show. I never got that one). I have listened to more than 20,000 hours in the 17 years that I have been an avid fan and still manage to ingest 20-30 hours of truly great and stimulating content every week. Here are a few of my current favorites.

News and Information

Music

A Few Favorite Movies

  • Benny & Joon — Johnny Depp, Aidan Quinn , Mary Stuart Masterson, Julianne Moore and Oliver Platt –  Great cast and a wonderful story on the theme of “who’s really the crazy one?”
  • Shawshank Redemption — Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman – moving and inspirational.
  • Fisher King — Robin Williams and Jeff Bridges – another great film on the fine line between sanity and insanity. Very moving.
  • Leaving Normal — Christine Lahti and Meg Tilly – a road trip movie with two great actresses and a couple of very memorable scenes.
  • The Milagro Beanfield War — Christopher Walken, Sonia Braga, et. al. – The movie that made me believe in magic … and fall in love with New Mexico.
  • Fearless — Jeff Bridges survives a plane crash. Intriguing.
  • What’s Eating Gilbert Grape — early Johhny Depp and a very young Leonardo DiCaprio.
  • Se7en — Brad Pitt, Kevin Spacey, Morgan Freeman – tense, psychological thriller.
  • Copy Cat — Sigorney Weaver and Harry Connick Jr. – another psychological thriller, this one set in San Francisco.
  • Primal Fear — Ed Norton and Richard Gere – Wonderful acting debut for Ed Norton. Great plot twists.
  • Toy Story — Voices by Tom Hanks and Tim Allen – Delightful plot and the voiceovers are astounding every time.
  • The Station Agent — Patricia Clarkson and Peter Dinklange – A nice “little” movie with great acting.
  • Die Hard — Bruce Willis — my annual Christmas Eve movie.
  • Dave — Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver – As simple as politics should be.
  • Pump up the Volume — I love Christian Slater and I love movies about outcasts. This movie has both!
  • A Fish Called Wanda — John Clease, Kevin Kline, Jamie Lee Curtis – Brilliant on so many levels.
  • Hands on a Hardbody — A documentary about a contest to win a truck. Never gets old.
  • Hoosiers — Gene Hackman and Barbara Hershey – I got turned on to basketball while teaching in Indiana in the early 80’s. One of my students was an extra on a few of the opposing teams.
  • Contact — Jody Foster rocks … as does the plot. Could happen.
  • Dead Poets Society —It’s hard to pick, but probably my favorite Robin Williams movie.

Television Shows

  • M*A*S*H
  • The West Wing
  • Mr Robot
  • Halt & Catch Fire
  • Boston Legal
  • The Practice
  • Extreme Engineering
  • Nashville
  • Homeland
  • Glee
  • Fixer Upper
  • Justified
  • Six Feet Under
  • The Americans

Musicians

  • Lyle Lovett
  • Bruce Cockburn
  • Neil Diamond
  • Queen
  • The Subdudes
  • Simon & Garfunkle
  • U2
  • Van Morrison
  • Chris Stapleton
  • Josh Ritter
  • Madison Violet