Have you traveled internationally much? I’ve done a little bit. One thing I’ve noticed is that no matter where you go, when you meet someone whose first language is not English, and no matter how technically fluent they may be, they almost always speak with an accent. And, of course, it’s not just any accent. Italians speak with an Italian accent. Germans speak with a German accent. Costa Ricans speak with a Costa Rican accent. So here’s my question for you: How do they know? How does each person, from […] Click to read more…

(Listen to this post, here.) We were up in Maine last week, cat-sitting for my wife’s friend Lori. I have to confess, the sudden switch to “pet care” was a bit of an adjustment. It’s not like I haven’t done it before; we had a dog for more than ten years. But having to suddenly deal with food, hair, vomit, and poop again … well, it was like having someone hand you a toddler and say, “Feed her twice a day; I’ll be back on Thursday.” Fortunately, it went pretty […] Click to read more…