Guest Post: Memo to Expecting Parents

This is a guest blog post from Katie, an amazing mother, partner, friend, and scientist: To my expecting friends, Congratulations on this exciting, terrifying, and amazing path you are traversing! Here are a few musings that may be worth exactly what you are paying for them, but they are things I was thankful others preparedContinue reading “Guest Post: Memo to Expecting Parents”

Congratulations on Retirement, Mom!

I had the great honor yesterday to deliver some brief remarks at my mother’s retirement from the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. As a curator of post-Apollo human spaceflight, Mom has had one of the coolest jobs in the world and I am incredibly proud of her. The party was a lot of funContinue reading “Congratulations on Retirement, Mom!”

Enchanted By Ireland 6: Dublin

We spent the last few days of our Ireland trip in Dublin. Upon our arrival we had afternoon tea at House Dublin (where we would be staying the night) and then went for a run along the nearby Grand Canal. Even though we were in the most urban Irish environment yet, everything was still soContinue reading “Enchanted By Ireland 6: Dublin”

Why My Toddler and I Participated in Today’s Climate Strike

Today I took our toddler out of daycare (with his mom’s permission!) and participated in the Climate Strike in downtown Chapel Hill. It was a youth-organized, peaceful protest against climate inaction, featuring student and faculty speakers. The gathering started at Peace and Justice Plaza, where there was music, chanting, and some speakers. We then processedContinue reading “Why My Toddler and I Participated in Today’s Climate Strike”

My Entrepreneurship Principles: Leadership

In my first piece on Mindful Entrepreneurship, I laid out several principles to optimize the entrepreneurial process.  In my second piece, I argued that culture is extremely important to startups. In this final (?) piece, I will now examine how leadership can create an optimal startup culture and help others execute the entrepreneurial process. EntrepreneurialContinue reading “My Entrepreneurship Principles: Leadership”

Rocky Mountain High Colorado

Katie had a conference at Copper Mountain in Colorado, so our toddler and I tagged along. Copper Mountain is where I learned to ski when I was four years old, so it was a fun “homecoming” of sorts for me. We arrived in Denver Friday morning and spent the day in Boulder, where I hadContinue reading “Rocky Mountain High Colorado”

Is Vinyl Better Than Modern Media?

A friend recently asked what was going on with the recent popularity of vinyl records. Is vinyl “better” than more modern music media? Or is it just a hipster fad with no base? I am far from an expert but, as I have a fair bit of experience with vinyl (~100 LPs and a jukeboxContinue reading “Is Vinyl Better Than Modern Media?”

Parenting Recommendations 3: Parenting Books

My final post on parenting for the moment: here’s a list of postpartum parenting books I’ve read so far, again sorted by my rating, descending. The Science of Mom (another evidence-based book for the first year postpartum) is the only top ranked of these for which I have notes: Good review of scientific method, publication DelayedContinue reading “Parenting Recommendations 3: Parenting Books”