“Why do you pretend to talk like Deefer?” Oliver asked.
Turns out ventriloquating (a technical term) for your dog is very common. Linguist Deborah Tannen calls it “talking dog.”
We think of it as translating the thoughts you’re having, Deef. Adding color to the commentary we see running in that head of yours:
Today I’m going to show you how to get buy-in from your employer to move abroad and work remotely.
Moving your family and living abroad is an adventure.
But finding (and keeping) a job open to the idea is a key factor to make the move.
Today, I’m going to show you 5 steps to move your family abroad while working remotely.
These are the exact steps I took when moving my family to Ireland in 2021. And I’m executing them right now to move again.
An international move is a large endeavor. You need to solve for:
By knowing the exact steps (and the sequence) you’ll increase your odds of success.
My first thought when hearing about the 1000 Hours Outside Challenge? Sounds great, but that’s impossible for us.
Both Amy and I worked — a lot. Our kids spent the entire day in creche (daycare). We lived in an apartment in a city. There was no backyard we could chuck the kids into to leave to their own devices.
But moving to Dublin, Ireland had an unintended consequence: more time outside. We had no choice. With no car, we either walked or took public transportation. Instead of driving everywhere like we did in Albany:
At the end of 2021, Amy started talking about the 1000 Hours Outside Challenge. Despite my initial skepticism (1,000 hours?! 3 hours a day?) we started tracking our time outside. We realized with existing habits, we were already tracking close to that goal.
And we loved the lifestyle.
This article is Part 1 in a three-part series on building a sustainable life.
In 2002, late on Christmas night, the numbers to the Powerball lottery were announced — a jackpot of $314 million up for grabs. Jewell Whitaker shook awake her husband, John Whittaker. You got 4 out of the 5 numbers! she told him.
Every year I write a letter to my dog Deefer on his birthday. This year he turns four years old.
Let’s not waste any time.
Improving your ability to network is not about becoming more charismatic. It’s not learning to smooze, and it’s really not about introverts vs. extroverts.
I’m the first to admit that the idea of a baby moon seemed like an odd bit of millennial silliness, like taking Frisbee too seriously. But after-the-fact, I’m 100% baby moon on board, and highly recommend it.
When I was in middle school I had three key beliefs about my future:
1. I wouldn’t buy a house. Instead, I’d live in a RV. I’d drive around the United States and park on residential sidewalks and in Walmart parking lots. My cousins teased they’d let me park my RV in their four-car garages in the winter so I wouldn’t freeze.
The first musical I remember listening to was Miss Saigon. My mother played the cassette on weekends, and we listened to it dozens of times. As a boy, I tried assembling the story by the songs alone: Why did Chris leave Kim so suddenly? Why did he marry Ellen? For years, for some reason, I thought she was stuck in a Vietnamese jail with her son Tam, not hiding in a village.
A couple weeks ago, I saw the musical for the first time, and songs like Why God Why? and I Still Believe transported me back to those weekends, that cassette, those moments wondering what transpired between Chris and Kim.