Archive for the ‘Communication’ Category

Marriage Crushing

Friday, May 23rd, 2008

Crushes get a lot of attention among girlfriends but what about by couples? Are crushes okay for people who are married? I think so, but why?Crushes are generally fun, lighthearted, and rarely a source of contention for Mary and me. I used to have a crush on Natalie Portman because ...

My Favorite Facebook Apps Part 2: MyType

Tuesday, April 29th, 2008

In part 1 of this 2 part series of posts, I talked about a cool Facebook app called The Political Compass. In this post I wanted to give props to the excellent app called MyType. MyType is a Meyers-Briggs/Jung personality type questionnaire, but unlike other free personality type tests on ...

RETHINK Your Anger

Wednesday, April 16th, 2008

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends using what it calls the RETHINK method to bring your feelings under control. RETHINK stands for: Recognize your feelings. Empathize with your child. Think of the situation differently. (Try using humor.) Hear what your child is saying. Integrate your love with your angry thoughts. Notice your body’s reactions to feeling ...

“Me Time” Survey: How Much Personal Time Do You Get?

Tuesday, February 19th, 2008

So I’m trying to be a better husband and father. Mary and I were talking about this tonight and we came upon an interesting question: How much personal time–”Me Time”–is acceptable. I’m an introvert so I could spend all day and all night in the house, preferably in front of ...

Communication Cultivation

Friday, February 1st, 2008

My communication sux. In fact, it’s mostly mis-communication. This is helping me out a bit.Debating (PDF)“Debating is all around us; on the television, in the newspapers, and in our own homes. As a society, we debate about almost everything - from tax reform to mowing the lawn. Debating is everywhere, ...

Debate School Part 1: What am I Doing? I Think I Should Just Shut Up.

Thursday, January 31st, 2008

I come up with these crazy ideas all the time. Some flash of light will hit my brain and before you know it my passions are running rampant down some winding path of self-discovery or philosophical experimentation. It’s these meandering muses that get me in trouble. It’s not because I’m ...

Watch Out! Hasty Criticism Can Hurt, Ouch

Wednesday, January 16th, 2008

I’ve got to admit I didn’t really understand this until yesterday, and I am absolutely guilty. Last night Mary and I were talking about her recent foray into the finances. She basically ended up saying something like, “The finances are a mess and you’re to blame. You suck.” (Just kidding ...

Scary Christmas II: It Just Keeps Getting Worse

Tuesday, December 25th, 2007

Based on photography by Catface3 and Seamoor

I Like to Spend My Christmas Holiday Fighting

Tuesday, December 25th, 2007



Never Say I Can’t, And Don’t Say No

Monday, May 22nd, 2006

Have you ever been in a situation when your boss asked to do something that you just couldn’t do? For example: staying at work late when it happens to be your wife’s birthday, or being less than truthful with the outcome of some tests, or doing a sloppy job to ...

Creative Communication in Misunderstanding

Wednesday, December 28th, 2005

We’re human. We have misunderstandings, and we often end up in tense situations, arguments or even fights because of them. If you find yourself in one of those situations, it may be time to get get creative. Here are a nine tips to wade the murky waters of misunderstanding: Stay calm. ...