After hearing it come up for the millionth time today in conversation, I finally read your letter. Plenty of people have rushed to defend you. Plenty more have said some ugly things to and about you.
I'm not here to say you're right or wrong. I know being an adult is super hard -- believe me! I know the Bay Area is extremely, stupidly expensive -- I live here, too, and I'm secretly afraid that someday, I won't be able to afford it anymore. Nevertheless, I'm going to go ahead and commit one of the biggest sins known to man: offering my unsolicited advice. Do what you want with it.
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The future is now. Literally. It's 2015 -- the year that Marty McFly and Doc Brown famously visited in a time-traveling DeLorean. To celebrate one (err... three) of the best movies EVER made, I read We Don't Need Roads: The Making of the Back to the Future Trilogy by Caseen Gains. It was fascinating -- and I've either endlessly amused or endlessly annoyed my friends by continuously sharing my behind-the-scenes knowledge (and, obviously, pausing the movies every two minutes to explain something cool).
But it turns out, Gains' book wasn't just full of lessons about Back to the Future -- it was full of lessons about entrepreneurship, writing, and LIFE. I wanted to share a few of them with my readers. If I missed any, please share in the comments! ***
The Economist recently published The model minority is losing patience, which shared the story of Michael Wang:
MICHAEL WANG, a young Californian, came second in his class of 1,002 students; his ACT score was 36, the maximum possible; he sang at Barack Obama’s inauguration; he got third place in a national piano contest; he was in the top 150 of a national maths competition; he was in several national debating-competition finals. But when it came to his university application he faced a serious disappointment for the first time in his glittering career. He was rejected by six of the seven Ivy League colleges to which he applied. My heart broke today when I learned about yet another teen suicide in Palo Alto. Looking through the comments on the article, as well as notes from recent community forums, it's clear that many parents and students in the PAUSD want to cap the number of APs a student can take -- or even eliminate APs altogether.
I haven't decided if that's a good idea or not. But, through my experience working and studying with admissions officers at Stanford, as well as working as a college admissions counselor, I have decided one thing:
Kim Kardashian did not break the internet -- though #TheDress came pretty close. What really broke the internet recently... was Cuddle Clones.
What is Cuddle Clones? So glad you asked!
Cuddle Clones are stuffed animal versions of your real life pet. You send in a few photos, and they send you back the unmistakable simulacrum of your beloved.
Let me start out by saying, in the words of MacArthur Genius and UPenn Professor Angela Ducksworth: People differ from one another on innumerable dimensions. Many traits follow a bell-shaped, or normal, distribution. Height, for instance. There are outliers, yes, but, even the very tallest man in the world is – at 8 foot 5 inches - only 1/3 taller than the average man. I'm not posting this to disparage your child's chances of success (though a little expectation management never hurt anyone). I'm posting it to help you help them maximize their chances for achievement and success.
The Palo Alto Unified School District is reeling after yet another student suicide. This tragedy has triggered conversations about academic pressure and mental health in this ruthlessly high-achieving area.
Suicide and mental health are incredibly complex issues. But let's be honest: the culture at Gunn and many surrounding schools is toxic. During my work as a college counselor and life coach, I heard some pretty depressing stories that were in no way reminiscent of my high school experience.
Olivia Fox Cabane, author of The Charisma Myth: How Anyone Can Master the Art and Science of Personal Magnetism, recently gave a talk at Stanford University. Admittedly, I was a little dubious about her whole "teaching charisma" thing... but her presentation had a great hook.
Have you read about my Patreon campaign yet? I wrote a little blurb about it last week. In it, I talk about the Old Economy Steve Jobs meme, and how, yeah, the "new economy" does suck in some ways. But wouldn't you rather see the world like this?
Some opportunities of the past have disappeared. You can't necessarily buy a house and get a great job out of school anymore. But the digital age has ushered in some of the most exciting new opportunities ever.
For the last few years, I've lived a very fun and adventure-filled life -- and I haven't held a full-time job since 2011. It is easier than ever to work remotely -- and the sharing economy has enabled people like me to make and save money in a way that is social, environmental, or just plain smart. In this post, I discuss eight companies I've used (or will use) to make my lifestyle possible.
Scottie Pippen is trending on Facebook. In a new Footlocker commercial, he and Charles Barkley give James Harden advice for starting fresh: have a short memory. Pippen then declares, "I'm the greatest Chicago Bull of all time."
Pippen is obviously joking -- but the idea of having a short memory and reframing past mistakes is one that could really help women, both on the court and in the workplace.
A great basketball coach once told me, "On average, men think about the mistakes they make on the court for ten seconds. Do you know how long a women thinks about her mistakes? Ten minutes." |
About the Author
Eva is a content specialist with a passion for play, travel... and a little bit of girl power. Read more >
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