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I’m not a spender. When given the opportunity, I’ll squeeze a quarter until George Washington squeaks. However, in the last few years, I’ve discovered several not-so-cheap (and some downright expensive) things that are worth parting with my money for. I don’t think of these things as “splurges” — they have been necessary to preserving my…

Speech 6: Vocal Variety. The sixth speech of the Toastmasters Competent Communicator program is meant to guide me to add life to my voice with variations in pitch, pace, power, and pauses. Good afternoon everyone. I have a secret. I may look all gussied up and citified, but in reality I am the descendent…of rednecks….

I like getting shit done. As the quintessential Type A overachiever, nothing makes me happier than writing a list and mowing through every item so I can mark it complete. On the other hand, I’m so detail-oriented that thinking big-picture is really tough. This year I wanted to be strategic about what ended up on…

“Where are the rest of your clothes?” “Are these all the boxes we’re moving?” “What do you mean you don’t have a junk drawer?” I’ve heard these kinds of questions more and more over the last several years as I’ve dived (spiraled?) further into minimalism. Read the rest at The Financial Diet. Photo by Dan…

Speech 5: Your Body Speaks. The fifth speech of the Toastmasters Competent Communicator program is meant to show me how to complement words with posture, stance, gestures, facial expressions, and eye contact. Can I get a quick show of hands, how many of you have seen a professional pianist play? It could have been as…