raising the roof

Just back from the East Coast, working for the Center for Student Mission and hanging out at Susan's family home in South-Central Pennsylvania.

While we were in Pennsylvania, an Amish company put a new roof on Susan's brother's home. It was quite an operation, recounted at InsideWork.net (warning to the sqeamish: This is a lurid tale of commercial intercourse between Amish, English and Mennonite half-breeds).

generous feedback

i'm getting a nice response on the first installment of Raising Adults over at westofthe101.com.

I'm posting the chapters free of charge as an eBook -- pretty carefully designed for readability on the computer screen -- alongside the chapters of Ten Things We Should Never Say To Kids.

My favorite endorsement came from the father of eight in an email blast to 30,000 of his closest friends:

FREE eBOOKS!
Exceptional books from Jim Hancock:
- "Raising Adults: How to stop raising children & start raising adults"
- ""Ten Things We Should Never Say To Kids"
- ""Helping Teenagers in Crisis" (excerpt)
From Mikey:
"Hancock's 'Ten Things' book has pushed me more in my parenting skills and views than all other influences combined in 23 years of parenting."

That's nice. Thanks Mikey.

five minutes with the ten commandments

Sarah Vowell put her finger on the bruise yesterday in the New York Times.

I don't imagine it will come as any surprise that the punchline depends on the set up and doesn't come until the end…

afterthought

Steve Jobs delivered a remarkable speech to the graduates at Stanford a few weeks ago.

i wonder if the parents gulped at what he said. i wonder if the graduates did...

whether he meant to or not, Mr. Jobs' speech echoes the wisdom of Ecclesiastes 11 which, when read purposefully, with an entrepreneur's eye, strikes me as a revelation.

irony watch: Tom Tomorrow

SUPPORTING THE TROOPS:
Featuring the 18 to 22-Year-Old
Republican Think Tank Interns

Oh, Tom. You and your cartoonish crap-detection…