Jessie Newburn – Page 32 – Jessie Newburn Writer

On elephants and anthropomorphism

NatureMarch 20, 2011312Views 0Likes 2Comments

A tweeted @NPRnews article headline caught my eye the other day. Gotchya! Elephant Caught Cheating. It was meant “to catch” me, and it was successful. As I read the story about a young female elephant who figured out how to get the result (food) that she wanted without having to do the work (the learning and collaborative…

Groundhog Day

Things I PonderFebruary 2, 2011217Views 0Likes 0Comments

Groundhog Day is one of my favorite movies ever. For me, it has been one of the greatest messages from God/Mr. Everything/The Absoluteness That Is that I’ve ever received. Let me explain what I mean, in 500 words or less. Here goes — The story line, most of you know: Bill Murray’s character gets stuck in…

She sold me on the details

ExperiencesJuly 23, 2010448Views 1Like 0Comments

I've been in San Francisco bunches this year, and as such, have been around quite a few panhandlers. Earlier today, I was approached by a maybe-homeless-definitely-panhandling woman. She was friendly. She nodded at my friend and I as we passed her in a sure-feels-like-the-suburbs-large-strip-shopping area. We had a cart full of groceries. She looked as…

Knowing your customer

NatureMay 18, 2010330Views 0Likes 0Comments

I’ve always loved marketing and communications. Even as a kid, I was fascinated by messaging, by what worked and didn’t. And, over the years, I’ve come to understand and believe that the profession is one of respect and efficiency. Really, why bother communicating (marketing, pr, social media, media buys in advertising … whatever your tools),…

My favorite beet recipe

Little BitsMay 13, 2010215Views 0Likes 0Comments

Simple from the outside. And relatively simple to make, this beet recipe has been my favorite way to eat beets ever since I was turned on to it. I’ve even brought this dish to potluck parties a number of times, and I always come home with an empty bowl. Here’s what I do — Roast…

The Facebook Thing

Stories big and smallMay 9, 2010201Views 0Likes 0Comments

Last year, when I asked my mother what she wanted for Mother’s Day, she told me she wanted “the Facebook thing.” And so it was. I helped her set up “the Facebook thing.” For me, it was a moment where I could take a deep breath and relax a bit. My world view has Facebook…

Arrest me now

Things I PonderApril 12, 2010161Views 0Likes 0Comments

If I understand things correctly, the State of Maryland is well on its way to joining the ranks of Hands-free Cel Phone Use While Driving states. Yeah, I get it. Lots of stats. Accidents from cel phone use, from texting. It’s dangerous. Et cetera. Whatever. But so is putting on make-up while driving, and I don’t…

The importance of sitting next to Earnest

ExperiencesFebruary 19, 2010322Views 0Likes 0Comments

My iPhone was snatched out of my hands. Stolen yesterday. I was on a MUNI train in San Francisco. I was helping an older gentleman next to me find some information online and was using my iPhone to do so when bam! The bus door opened, a “youth” grabbed the phone out of my hand…

Cold turkey

ExperiencesJanuary 3, 2010314Views 0Likes 0Comments

As much as I’m not a practitioner of new year’s resolutions, I can understand them. And, I’m betting, a ton of folk have added to their list of resolutions for 2010, “Quit Smoking.” I’d like to tell my story about how I quit smoking. I smoked since I was a teenager. Always was a chipper (learned that term from Malcolm Gladwell’s…

Carpe Photo Opp

ExperiencesDecember 14, 2009157Views 0Likes 0Comments

It was a moment I couldn’t pass up. Traipsing through DC with a few hundred Santas, we’d just left the Lincoln Memorial and were en route to the White House when I saw it: THE photo opp of the day. Or century! See, as part of SantarchyDC, I’d done my best at interpretive Santa with a haute couture vintage…

I didn’t expect to be so taken

ExperiencesDecember 7, 2009202Views 0Likes 0Comments

I didn’t expect to be so taken. I didn’t expect to have such a deep response. I didn’t expect much of anything, really. See, I volunteered recently to help make yarn wigs for kids at — what was previously named — The Children’s Hospital. These particular kids who will get the yarn wigs are kids…

Dancing with Light

ExperiencesNovember 8, 2009194Views 0Likes 0Comments

Few words I have for this right now. Dancing with light via Lorne’s Electric Heliotrope Theater was one of the most … well, watch the video and imagine how exquisite the experience probably was. The video can be a bit slow to load. Electric Heliotrope Theater – Dance 2 – JessieX from MediaDog on Vimeo.