Eric Stephenson
Over the Ridge
He pulled his rifle and rucksack from the trunk of his Buick, then stepped out of the abandoned cattle shed and into the sunlight. To the south, a rusty barbed-wire fence separated ranch land from public domain. He scanned the hills beyond the fence. A local rancher had told him mule deer grazed just a
Future Perfect and the Art of Perception
So much depends on perception. Perceiving identity as static results in static behavior where little is gained or learned, with minimal emotional reward. “This is who I am,” someone might think, “so this is the way things will always be.” Granted, disorders like schizophrenia and depression control behavior in certain immutable ways, as can things
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Malcolm Gladwell, Happy Assumptions, and the True Nature of Work
In Outliers: The Story of Success, Malcolm Gladwell offers a curious definition of what most people consider to be satisfying work: “Those three things — autonomy, complexity, and a connection between effort and reward—are, most people agree, the three qualities that work has to have if it is to be satisfying. It is not how
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To the West
Alan finished the last of his smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, turned to Monica, and said, “Let’s take a walk on the beach.” “The open air would be nice,” she said. The waitress arrived with the bill, and Alan said, “Wonderful service. Our compliments to the chef.” “And thank you for visiting Cuchulainn’s Pub, sir,”
Of Ladies Most Deject and Wretched
The petals on the water drifted away with the message revealed in the depths of madness, a missing presence ruined by entitled indifference.
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