DISC A: VACATIONS
During the years when I wrote these pieces -- mainly the early '80s, about 30 to 35 years ago -- i was working long hours. So the occasional respites from the pressures of the office were welcome indeed -- plus which, the prospect of vacations conjured up some fertile ideas for playful essays.
- The Tenth Reunion -- a father's weekend excursion with his teenage son, featuring some memorable moments on the tennis court.
- Preparing for the Worst -- the precautions a prudent lawyer takes before hitting the slopes on a ski trip.
- Take a Deep Breath -- a health-oriented vacation at a fitness spa -- and what happens when you return to civilization
- Where's that Rainy Day? -- some ruminations from a house at the seashore -- especially when the sun fails to shine.
- On the Road: Shampoo and Such -- a guide to what's worth snatching from the bathrooms of upscale hotels; and
- Pilgrimage -- sightseeing in distant lands -- but with an unexpected revelation that creates an indelible impression on jaded wayfarers.
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DISC B: NEGOTIATING
Negotiating deals ws what I did for a living back in the '80s and has proved to be my favorite subject for writing, lecturing, teaching, and creating instructional videos.
- Who Wants the Deal More -- examining a basic motivational key that often determines how the bargaining eventually comes out.
- The Vegas Resolution -- an imaginative approach to getting the parties to shake off rigidity and walk that difficult last mile.
- The Outer Limits of Principled Bargaining -- for both positional bargainers and mutual problem-solvers, a case study that suggests preferences in approach may differ according to your side of the dispute.
- Negotiating with Nikita -- envisioning yourself in the worst spot a negotiator could find himself in -- as a prisoner trying to bargain his way out of the clutches of the KGB.
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DISC C: THE REASONING MIND
Law school and legal practice honed my ability to reason and think analytically about the professional matters I found myself dealing with. But in my secondary career as an essayist, I became fascinated by questions as to whether we're using our brains to the maximum extent in other areas that don't pay the rent.
- Eating and Having Cake -- the escape route from being trapped in an "either/or" world that forces you to elect between undesirable alternatives while preferable paths lie undetected.
- The Skip or Switch Gambit -- solving troublesome problems by rejecting implicit assumptions, in order to discover fresh vistas and workable solutions.
- Decision-Making -- examining the anatomy of a simple decision in order to extract crucial considerations applicable to seizing an opportunity, resolving a problem, or charting a course of action.
- The Consequences of Inaction -- exploring a second layer of decisional analysis that's often ignored or treated subliminally -- an initial assessment as to the results of not taking a certain contemplated action.
- Balls in the Air -- deciding how to address the plethora of demands on your attention, in terms of accomplishment, enjoyment and setting priorities.
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DISC D: INTERACTING WITH OTHERS
Much of our energies are devoted to dealing with other people. But although this was a subject at the forefront of legal practice, I found that many lawyers became so involved in substantive problems that they often short-changed the communication. The five essays examine various aspects of inter-personal dealings.
- Gaining Perspective -- both on ourselves (because we first have to understand what we're up to) and then on others with whom we deal.
- On Being Misunderstood -- something we permit to happen when our words or actions are unclear, which results in ambiguity, from which unintended inferences are drawn.
- Everyday Dilemmas -- facing up to some of the unappetizing alternatives in our everyday relations with friends and acquaintances.
- Ode to Embelishment -- which attempts to draw the line between taking a few liberties with the literal truth and crossing over into forbidden territory.
- Bores -- scrutinizing those omnipresent tiresome individuals, while posing the troubling question: Are we part of the problem?
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DISC E: PIGGYBACKING ON MEMORABLE ADVICE
I've assembled a half-dozen essays where I extrapolated on advice, theories, and shtick emanating from others -- trying to put to good use in our world what was being displayed or touted in theirs.
- Some Good Advice -- is a collection of aphorisms worth heeding, culled from a book by William Safire and his brother, with a number of my own exhortations sprinkled in along the way.
- Through the Looking Glass -- is dedicated to that virtuoso of whimsy, Lewis Carroll, whose magical words can serve as epigraphs for any number of familiar situations.
- One-Upmanship -- is a tribute to Stephen Potter, whose unique observations from another time are as relevant as ever today for those looking to gain an advantage.
- Silent Standards -- is designed to help us become aware of the unvoiced expectations that affect our perceptions and work, as neatly distilled in Ogden Nash's classic poem on sins of omission.
- Never Assume a Damn Thing! -- is my attempt to illustrate the truth of that maxim by analyzing in detail one of the funniest Abbott and Castello routines.
- Save Me a Good Spot -- is an unconventional look at memory, sparked by the singular theory of my late friend Sherwin Kamin.
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