Nicholas

Photo of a May 2002 New York Times article by Stacey Kravetz with an illustration by Lars Leetaru. Shared under fair use principle.

Carrot and Stick and Caffeine

How a short lifestyle column, about the pleasures of completing early-morning errands, got lodged in my brain for two decades… If actions speak louder than words, then the actions that we take routinely and automatically can seem to speak loudest of all. People’s lives are defined by routines. When they try to change their habits

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Two hands reach out to grab the twin handles of a mug bearing the legend THE BOSS, symboling the problems of success and of the transition of power from one president to another. Illustration by Nicholas Blackmore.

Just who is in charge here?

We all want clear lines of succession and shared rules for the peaceful transfer of power. But focusing on protocol can make us lose sight of the job at hand… Joe Biden’s inauguration as President of the United States took place under extraordinary circumstances. One of many idiosyncrasies that day: he took the oath of

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A faceless woman stands in front of a Japanese folding screen showing, an illustration that suggests the qualities and strangeness of a dream. Hand-drawn illustration by Nicholas Blackmore to accompany a dream diary entry. Illustration by Nicholas Blackmore.

Dream: wife redecorates

I awoke to discover both my home and my spouse undergoing an unnerving renewal… It’s around 7am. I walk into the back bedroom of my house to find it in complete disarray. There are trails of mortar and dust on every surface and a general disorder to the contents of the room.  It’s the kind

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