H. Jackson Brown, Jr. wrote these and for many years, they were on a poster on my office wall. As we celebrated our 31st wedding anniversary, I was reminded, again, of how important his first “suggestion for success” truly is. 1. Marry the right person. This one decision will determine…

By Scott Westerman Once upon a time, there was a place where poets and composers gathered to create true magic. If you stepped inside the Brill Building during the 60s, you were likely to hear a half dozen pianos playing at once. If you were a time traveler from the…

By Scott Westerman That’s a true story. I had a terrific director on my team who, in addition to her many leadership gifts, had a distinct fashion sense. The sheer dimensions of her wardrobe must have required a closet the size of our master bedroom. I discovered the extent of…

By Scott Westerman July in Michigan represents all that’s appealing about the Great Lakes State. The 7th Month is the zenith of organized Summer activities. As the decade rolled from the 70s to the 80s in Ann Arbor, baseball, swim team, camp and summer band kept us focused and out…

Andy Warhol says that we all get our 15 minutes of fame. You never know when or where it will come. Being a good doggie mom, Colleen and Tanna exercise regularly with a couple of circles around our neighborhood. That’s what was happening when the Google Street Level camera car…

I’ve had the good fortune to give a number of talks about social media lately. Being a beta geek since the days when I got my Internet through a dial-up SLIP connection at Pipeline (coupled with my current gig at Comcast) seems to attract attention. A common question is “When…

By Scott Westerman From the time I first saw Buddy Rich behind a trap set, I wanted to be a drummer. I paid my dues with the required piano lessons, God’s way of weeding out the un-worthy, and even did a year on the trumpet when my Eberwhite band director…

By Scott Westerman The big, scary question that confronts anybody who’s lost a job is: What do I do now? If you’ve been paying any attention to the economic news, you’ve probably already developed a Plan-B. How do I live more frugally? How big is my rainy day fund? What’s…

By Scott Westerman One of my favorite exchanges in The Big Lebowski is where Walter comments on Donnie’s strike with the statement “If you will it, it is no dream.” The interaction spirals out of control from there but Theodor Herzl’s quotation is never far from my mind whenever I’m…