How NOT to pursue a PhD

With a son in college and a daughter applying this fall, it’s time to share my advice on how NOT to pursue a PhD because I’m an expert. Before jumping into self-criticism, I did two things well in grad school: I spent eight years in grad school and earned three degrees without paying one penny because I held a fellowship every year. I studied hard – inside and outside the classroom – and learned a ton....

March 7, 2025

Honest news sources covering China (and Youtube's apparent suppression of them)

In my September 2023 post “Xi Jinping has ruined China”, I wrote: Since Xi expelled foreign journalists for doing their jobs, I’ve been struggling to find quality, unbiased coverage of China, since much English-language coverage of China comes directly from the Chinese government, its paid Western shills (“white monkeys”) who are some of the few foreigners remaining in China, or Falun Gong-owned media. I recently discovered a pair of westerners (one American; one South African) who each lived in China for over a decade, motorcycled all across the country, and married Chinese women....

February 17, 2025

Holiday letter: Lavin family best of 2024

Reading (your?) holiday letters inspired me to speed-write this. Given how late this is and the cat-herding-esque nature of getting other family members to write and/or approve an official family letter, this is a solo effort / personal letter. Here are my (very unofficial) 2024 Lavin family awards… Most stressful process 2024 began in the middle of college application season. The stress and exhaustion is real. While taking a full slate of high school classes and extracurriculars, Daryl was simultaneously writing and editing a bazillion school-specific essays asking him to explain why University XYZ should admit him (and traveling to audition for trombone studios)....

January 2, 2025

Books I Read in 2024

In 2024, I “read” – mostly listened to – far fewer books than in 2023. (Here’s last year’s list) Reasons include: Youtube addiction Listened to more podcasts Watched more TV (It’s Apple TV+’s fault for producing too many great shows… “Silo,” “Slow Horses,” “Lessons in Chemistry,” “Mythic Quest,” “Shrinking,” “Severance,” “The Morning Show,” “Masters of the Air,” “Dark Matter,” For All Mankind," “Ted Lasso,” “Prehistoric Planet,” “Foundation,” etc.!) Fewer long, solo outdoor walks Listened to even more jazz I took fewer long, solo walks outdoors because:...

December 21, 2024

UAPs

After watching a flood of reports about “drones” flying over New Jersey and – increasingly – other neighboring states, I stepped into the cold night air Friday, December 13th – yes, Friday the 13th! – not expecting to see anything flying around my house but curious whether I might. I almost immediately started filming quite a few things in the air around my home. It felt bizarre in light of countless media reports of unidentified “drones” across much of the US East Coast and beyond....

December 14, 2024

The lonely, helpless angst of post-high school parenting

2024-09-28 update: I still remember how stressed my dad was the morning he drove me to college 37 years ago. He must have been experiencing the same insane mix of pride, joy, loneliness, and sadness I described in this post. The day I posted this, an interesting article – titled “Lighthouse Parents Have More Confident Kids: Sometimes, the best thing a parent can do is nothing at all” – appeared in The Atlantic by Russell Shaw....

September 22, 2024

Hernia Surgery and Recovery Advice

About two years ago, I experienced intense pain in my lower right abdomen during a walk. I feared appendicitis, but the pain eventually went away. Six months later, I noticed a lump in my groin and realized I had a hernia, something more than 25% of men will eventually experience. (I’ve seen some estimates as high as nearly 50%!) “露馅儿” (lou4 xian4 er) is one of my favorite Chinese phrases. It literally means “to leak/expose the stuffing/filling....

August 12, 2024

Stop Snoring. Sleep Soundly

A few updates: I normally sleep on my side, and a single piece of tape sufficed. But following hernia surgery in August, I needed to sleep on my back. I found I needed two pieces of tape when sleeping on my back. When I haven’t shaved, the tape I use sticks poorly. The longer my facial hair grows, the more likely the tape is to come loose during the night....

July 29, 2024

Jazz I Love: Trombone Edition

My first four “Jazz I Love"s – #1, #2, #3, and #4 – were assorted jazz recordings from the past few decades. #5 focused on 1960s jazz and #6 on piano jazz. I’ll now share a trombone-focused edition. I’ve tried to include at least one performance by many great trombonists. Please treat this as a starting point for discovering more amazing performances by these incredible artists. Enjoy! Nils Wogram & Harry Watters Cherokee - Slide Factory European Trombone Festival 2009 Delfeayo Marsalis, Nick Finzer, Steve Davis, & Michael Dease International Trombone Festival Live J....

May 28, 2024

Jazz I Love: Piano Edition

My first four “Jazz I Love"s – #1, #2, #3, and #4 – were assorted jazz recordings from the past few decades. #5 focused on 1960s jazz. I’ll now share a piano-focused edition, which I hope to follow up with additional instrument-focused editions. I’ve tried to include a performance by many of the greats. Please treat this as a starting point for discovering more amazing performances by these incredible artists....

May 26, 2024