The American Dream

The American Dream

What does it mean, this American Dream? It’s been so rainy for so long now, that I thought we might lighten things up with a fun chat about tropical vacation destinations…but nooo! The crew at Coffee Social is always eager to discuss bigger, broader, more important issues, like what is the ethos that defines America? […]

Can we kick into action now?

Can we kick into action now?

“Nowhere to go, nothing to do; just be.” I want to slow down and relax, but try as I might to ignore the state of our country (I’ve given up listening to NPR, reading the New Yorker, and even watching John Oliver and Stephen Colbert), I’m afraid relaxation is a luxury we cannot afford at this moment. […]

Can we slow down now? (Apparently not)

Can we slow down now? (Apparently not)

Does anyone else out there feel like hibernating? Perhaps we can read a good book while snuggled under a fuzzy blanket with a hot cup of tea in hand and a crackling fire in the background. There is a natural rhythm to the Earth and almost all living creatures, both plant and animal, pay attention […]

coWORKer of the Month: Firuze Gokce – January 2017

coWORKer of the Month: Firuze Gokce – January 2017

Written by coWORKer Linda Jay Talented in online marketing, networking, technology, and product positioning, Firuze Gokce is an enthusiastic new resident of Petaluma and coWORKer at Work Petaluma.  Firuze, her husband and business partner Fethi, and their 13-year-old son John moved to the U.S. from Turkey in the fall of 2015. “I love Petaluma!  It’s […]

What the Fact?!

What the Fact?!

fact – noun – the quality of existing or of being real; actuality; truth. I feel like we’ve been sliding further and further into a multi-dimensional reality with no mutually agreed upon truth. I don’t ever remember people questioning Walter Cronkite’s ability to honestly and correctly report the news. Signing off with his signature “And […]

Show, don’t tell

Show, don’t tell

I don’t remember my teacher’s name from my 7th grade English class; but I do remember an important concept that she drilled into us that year. “Show, don’t tell,” she called it. Show me your character is sad in your writing; don’t tell me. She was sad. or She rushed to the backyard and collapsed […]

CoWORKing Coffee Talk: Snake Oil or Lemon Juice?

CoWORKing Coffee Talk: Snake Oil or Lemon Juice?

I was listening to a story about scurvy recently. Back in the days of long-distance oceanic exploration, ships would need to set sail with double the necessary crew, since half the men were expected to die along the way. Scurvy was a painful and grotesque affliction, marked by oozing wounds, lost teeth, yellowed skin, and […]

coWORKing Coffee Talk: Why Beauty?

coWORKing Coffee Talk: Why Beauty?

Bear with me…I’m a little rusty. It’s been 12 months since my last blog post! Not sure how I went from turning out one a week to none, but I’m determined to start writing again and the anniversary of the last entry seemed like a good time to start. Coffee Social this week was bound […]

coWORKing Coffee Talk: Brainstorming Retirement

coWORKing Coffee Talk: Brainstorming Retirement

What do you get when you sit a dozen free-thinking, creative, entrepreneurial coWORKers around a big white table and apply coffee? A lot of brainstorming! Last week I gave the group a challenge: invent a way to monetize the 40 years of hard-earned knowledge my back-to-the-land parents have accumulated so that they can support themselves […]

Real Life Skills

Real Life Skills

School gets out at 12:45 this week for parent-teacher conferences – as if the work days aren’t short enough already. Of all of my classes throughout high school and college, not a single teacher covered the mechanics of simultaneously maintaining your professional life and your family life. In fact, I don’t even remember thinking much […]