The Japanese Way is Better

American literary critic and author Lionel Trilling once noted that American culture "peculiarly honors the act of blaming, which it takes as the sign of virtue and intellect.” In the movie based on Michael Crichton’s book Rising Sun, Sean Connery’s character said that, by contrast, the Japanese confront a problem by focusing on the solution, not the blame, suggesting “their way is better.” The Japanese response to the devastating 2011 earthquake and resulting tsunami and nuclear disaster at Fukushima certainly support that claim. You will recall that on March 11 a magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck just off the coast of Tōhoku, sending massive waves as high as 133 feet ... [Read More]

LIFE UNFOLDING

  I developed the concept with my younger daughter Kenna a number of years ago while waiting an eternity for my older daughter Kristen to swim her fifty meter freestyle. The old indoor pool was hot and humid, there was a lot of cheering (read screaming) and Kenna was getting pretty antsy. I had my camera in hand, at the ready for Kristen’s big race, so I snapped a close-up photo of the crease in Kenna’s crossed legs. I was quite pleased with myself as the lines, the shading and the contrast proved to be quite interesting. When I showed it to her, she found it ... [Read More]

Put me in Coach!

Last week, I spoke at a southern California high school “success club.” I’ve been so busy with projects of late, including gearing-up for my debut podcast, that I waited till the last moment to prep for my talk on how to “make it,” which was ironic, considering how scattered their respected speaker was on that particular day. Here I am driving 90 miles with a legal pad on my passenger seat, scribbling notes regarding how to organize one’s life for a successful career. I’m going back to a high school with nothing learned. Three decades later, I’m still cramming. And I did feel a little creepy too, ... [Read More]

Mormons on Broadway

I'm annoyed with Mormons. Not just because the church claims to issue followers magic underpants that protect them from knives and gunshots. And not just because they keep baptizing dead people into the faith who didn't want to be Mormons while alive. (The Church of Latter Day Saints has posthumously baptized Anne Frank, who seemed quite pleased to be Jewish while living, Adolf Hitler, Genghis Khan and Mitt Romney's dad, to name a few.) No, my annoyance with the Mormons stems from the splendid musical about their religion currently playing on Broadway to rave reviews and sold out crowds. After seeing it my sides hurt so much ... [Read More]

A STROLL ALONG THE RIVER

Well, we were back doing the lacrosse thing last weekend. After a week-long trip to the east coast for business, a return flight that had me back in my bed Friday morning at 4:30am ET and a very memorable retirement party Friday night for a colleague, mentor and dear friend who was departing Weyerhaeuser after a 35 year career, Sue and I were back at the airport Saturday morning for the 7:15am puddle jumper to Boise (I feel compelled to digress for one moment - Incredibly, my retiring friend is the last of the Marshall clan who have collectively provided 110 years of continuous service ... [Read More]

Sandestin Report, Day Two: Baytowne’s Like an Old Friend

Baytowne 16

After our welcome by Sandestin’s beaches on Saturday, it was time to tee it up on Sunday morning. After all, you can’t have surf without some turf. The Baytowne Golf Club at Sandestin was designed by Tom Jackson and then renovated by him in 2005, not long after resort developer and operator Intrawest acquired the resort and invested in a $400-million makeover. Just last week the course was selected to host the NCAA Division III Men's and Women's Golf Championships in May 2013. So it ought to be quite a mountain to climb for people who barely have time to pick up a club anymore, right? Wrong. ... [Read More]

Super Saturday at Sandestin

Sandestin Beach

"It's more beautiful than I thought it would be." "I love it here." "Listen to those waves. Look at that moon." Those comments from my wife Carrie, our nearly nine-year-old daughter Audrey and me, respectively, sum up our first 24 hours at Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort in Destin, Fla. (The last were said to myself before dawn, my favorite time of day whether on vacation or not.) Now is the time for sun seekers from Canada to the Carolinas to begin their journeys toward the Sunshine State. As a public service my family has trekked through L.A. (Lower Alabama) in order to deliver a resort report from "Florida's ... [Read More]

Galileo Galilei

Josh Merryman in Spain

Prior to graduating from college I had the desire for another practical experience abroad that I could add to my resume. I love a challenge and will do whatever is necessary to accomplish my goals, but for this experience I needed a more accessible destination. I am paraplegic and use a manual wheelchair for mobility. Since I have an interest in international business, and Spanish is such a common language in the world, I decided to participate in an intensive Spanish language program abroad. I took advantage of the considerable information available on the Internet and did a large amount of research and correspondence regarding prospective language ... [Read More]

AT PEACE WITH THE DEAD

On a recent trip to New Bern, NC, I had the opportunity to spend about an hour wandering through the forest of headstones in the Cedar Grove Cemetery, one of the oldest in all of North Carolina. While many people are spooked or uncomfortable in cemeteries, I am captivated by the history, the sense wonder and the peace and spirituality they offer me. I do not spend a lot of time in church, preferring to find my “god” in the mountains, the trees, the winds and yes, even in the cemeteries of the world.     I guess some might call it macabre, but I find myself very ... [Read More]

A LITTLE BIT OF SWITZERLAND IN DIXIE

This past week, business took me to New Bern, North Carolina. Weyerhaeuser operates two large mills in nearby Vanceboro and owns just under 550,000 acres of timberlands in North Carolina (or approximately 148,165,568 trees for those of you who really love details). After five previous visits over the years and for a variety of reasons, I finally had a little time to explore a little of this sleepy Southern gem.  As a first time visitor to New Bern you will surely be struck by the number of bear sightings. Wonderfully decorated, big plastic bears standing on street corners, carved bears, bears on signs and lots of bears on ... [Read More]