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Author: James Snyder

The World of Work: When Technology Fails

The World of Work: When Technology Fails

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It’s been a soul crushing week at work.  As many of you may know, I’m currently employed as an RTM (Return to Manufacturer) Clerk at one of those big-box home improvement stores (the blue one).  My days are spent working with various vendors, trying to get credit for returned and/or damaged items from customers. Yes, that’s right – whenever you return those broken light bulbs, extra screws, or that can of paint you didn’t want (but conveniently used half of),…

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Brooke’s House: A Project Worthy of Your Support

Brooke’s House: A Project Worthy of Your Support

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It’s no secret that the opioid epidemic is sweeping through all levels of society in the United States.  Like a raging brush fire, it scorches the earth – leaving loss, pain, and misery as its calling card to every family it touches.  Even if you don’t have an immediate family member who is suffering from addiction, odds are very good that you know someone who does.  This is not an isolated problem or one that attacks only one segment of…

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Cookbook Review: “The Dinner Plan”

Cookbook Review: “The Dinner Plan”

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I’m always on the lookout for recipes and ideas that are quick, easy, and delicious.  Being a busy family of four with two teenagers means that we’re often going in several different directions on weeknights – and it’s often more the rule than the exception.  Whether it’s band practice, poetry readings, or piano lessons, it can be a challenge to find the time to sit down and have a meal together – but we try our best.  We recently checked…

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The Spring Yard Clean-Up: My Annual Nemesis

The Spring Yard Clean-Up: My Annual Nemesis

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Ahhhh – the American dream.  For most people, it consists of a family of four, two cars, a comfortable house, and a yard.  Three of these things I like and enjoy, while one brings week after week of frustration, dread, and annoyance. Yes, I’m talking about the yard. With the unseasonable warm weather over the past weekend, I was reminded that it is once again time to undertake my weekly chore that is lawn care and maintenance.  I got out…

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The Importance of the Arts in Schools

The Importance of the Arts in Schools

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As time marches towards the end of another school year, the calendar is being filled with not only various spring sports (such as baseball, softball, and tennis), but also plays, recitals, musicals, and concerts.  All over the country, teens are diligently rehearsing and preparing to perform their musical pieces, showcase their art, or present their dramatic monologues to audiences of proud parents and friends. I would argue that even if you don’t have a son or daughter participating in these…

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Spring is in the Air – Hallelujah!

Spring is in the Air – Hallelujah!

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One of the many nice things about living in a temperate weather zone is the yearly change of seasons.  Believe me, I spent many years living in Florida, and there is nothing more boring than a subtropical climate.  The joke in the “Sunshine State” was that there were only three seasons – early summer, late summer, and next summer.  That wasn’t far from the truth.  There was nothing more uninspiring than dressing your kids up for Halloween in some sort…

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The “March For Our Lives” Protest Event: A Father’s Perspective

The “March For Our Lives” Protest Event: A Father’s Perspective

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My wife and I have always tried to raise our daughters (one now seventeen and one fourteen) to be strong, independent women – critical thinkers who don’t just believe what they are told, but who are eager to dive into a subject, whatever it is, research the facts, and develop their own opinions. It is with this mindset that I was approached by my eldest a few weeks ago with the question – “can we go to the ‘March For…

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Guinness Stout: A Taste of Heaven

Guinness Stout: A Taste of Heaven

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As we move past the St. Patrick’s Day holiday (which I’m sure was a boon to many a pub and tavern this year since it fell on a Saturday), I’d like to take a moment to talk about beer.  Not just any beer, mind you, but a drink that is so much more than just the sum of its ingredients. I’m talking, of course, about Guinness. Dark, rich, and hearty, it’s the beverage that literally fuels Ireland.  I’ve been lucky…

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The Home Garden: A Rising Tide

The Home Garden: A Rising Tide

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Spring is in the air.  The March winds will soon give way to April showers.  The nights will grow warmer, the birds will fill the trees with their morning songs, and the local area will once again come alive with the colors of the season.  That means that it is also the time of year to start thinking about planting a garden. It doesn’t have to be much.  A few windowsill containers can qualify, just the same as a half-acre…

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A Small Town School Comes Up Big

A Small Town School Comes Up Big

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I’ve written previously about how hard it is for a small-town, rural school to compete in athletics and other extra-curricular activities against larger, more populous institutions – where there is a larger pool of talent to choose from and use each and every year (click here to link to that article). But every now and then, lightning strikes – even in a small school. The town where I live (Clear Spring, MD) is a tiny hamlet (only 350 residents, according…

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