Trout Pond Lane

I’ve been thinking a lot about military life lately, probably because my nephew has decided to pursue a career in the service. It’s a brave, noble choice, and I couldn’t be prouder of him. But, at the same time, I’ve found myself worrying about some of the less glamorous aspects of military life—things that don’t make it into recruitment ads or get discussed around the dinner table. One of the biggest concerns on my mind right now is housing, especially with how the cost of living Read more [...]

Of course, the first thing I think of when I think of someone being a count is Count Dracula. But that doesn't mean a count is a vampire; it's actually a title that designates a specific class of nobility. In this post, I want to look at the noble status of a count and how it compares with other nobility designations. What Is a Count? Being a count means that you're a nobleman. What that means specifically varies by country. In the United States, for example, we don't have nobility, so being a Read more [...]

Willie Nelson is a country music legend and has released many albums throughout his career. Here are 7 of his best albums of all time, in no particular order: 1- "Red Headed Stranger" (1975) -  Willie Nelson's "Red Headed Stranger" is a classic country album released in 1975. The album features a mix of original songs and covers, including the hit single "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain." The album is a concept album and tells the story of a vengeful outlaw on the run. It's one of Willie's greatest Read more [...]

I'm going to start posting occasional album reviews here, and I'm starting with a Frank Sinatra album I'd never heard before yesterday -- Watertown. Like many Sinatra albums, Watertown is a concept album about broken hearts, but this 1970 treat has a lot of differences from some of his more well-known works like 1955's In the Wee Small Hours, which I contend is the greatest album every made by anyone. On earlier albums, Sinatra sang on a microphone surround by an orchestra playing specifically Read more [...]

If you’re not learning, you’re dying. Supposedly, Albert Einstein said that. And it sounds true. If it is true, how can you never stop learning? I recently read an article, and one of the lines simply stated that learning doesn’t stop. And it really hit me hard. Not only are we always learning, but I also want to learn more. The more I learn, the better my life is. But many days I don’t actively try learning anything. I just take what life throws at me. So, I put together a few ways Read more [...]

You might be wondering why I wrote a post about books for stoic living and beyond. I admit it’s a little strange, but I have a decent reason. I’ll explain why I came up with this title shortly. But the important thing to get here is that books can change your life. In fact, a single book can change your life. The secret is finding the book that does change your life. I’m not a practicing stoic, but I do use some of the things I’ve learned about stoicism. I’ve also included a few book Read more [...]

Do you need a business plan before you start a business? Not always, but there are times when you do. Here are three reasons you need a business plan. Some people start businesses without a plan. And some of them make money. But a lot of them fail. So, the first reason why you need a business plan is to improve your chance of business success. The three main reasons why you need a business plan are if you need outside funding, to find possible problems with your business, and to plan for growth. Read more [...]

Marcus Aurelius is best known as one of the many Emperors of Rome. But he’s also well known by people who practice stoicism. While his anger issues aren’t what people remember about Aurelius, much of what we know about him touches on the possibility that he had anger issues. And he left some good information about how he dealt with anger for us. Here’s some more information about Marcus Aurelius and how we can use what he left for us to help us deal with anger. Who Was Marcus Aurelius? Marcus Read more [...]

Reading the right books is one of the best ways to improve your business. But how do you know which books are worth reading, and which books are a waste of time? Many business owners shop for business and marketing books on Amazon, and Amazon has the largest selection of books in the world. But having too many choices is often worse than not having enough choices. I buy a lot of the books I read to improve my business online, but it’s not the only place I find good books. Here are three ways Read more [...]

One of my earliest mentors, Nick Bredimus, insisted that a good businessperson is prepared for anything. I'm not sure he intended for me to take that lesson to heart so well in my personal life. I've used that line of thinking to focus on how to survive. In this post, I explain the basics of what I think you should know about how to survive, too. The Survivalist Movement Since the 1980s and before, a group of people have started actively prepping for emergencies and natural disasters. They've Read more [...]