Author Archives: mprest13

We have all been there. You are driving down the highway, and a car zooms past you, going at least 100 miles per hour. Or maybe you are like me, and you drive a smaller car, and you have a giant Ford F-250 rolled up on you just inches from your bumper, and they areContinue reading “500 (or so) words on Home and Car Inflation”

Sometimes you get lucky enough to find a book you last read years ago. This week I revisited a few books I read back in college that profoundly affected my life and how I see the world, primarily through an education lens. In 1995 I was an English Major at East Carolina University. I graduatedContinue reading “500 (or so) words on Neil Postman”

It is 5:35 PM on a Friday, and I am sitting on a barstool at Oviedo Brewing Company in Oviedo, Florida, and I am thinking about the recent death of Sinead O’Connor. Sinead died this week; she was 56 years old. I grew up a big fan of hers. She stretched the boundaries of songwritingContinue reading “500 Words on Sinead Connor and Time”

When I was a junior at East Carolina University, I enrolled in an English Grammar course. Honestly, I had always considered myself a good writer but not a technical one, so I knew I would struggle. And struggle, I did. From the first week, I fell further and further behind. By the end of theContinue reading “500 Words on Disruptive Innovation”

Okay, let’s give ourselves up, Gen X. We do this ALL of the time. Me: “Shirley you must be kidding, and don’t call me Shirley.” My Daughter: “What are you talking about?” Me: “You know – Airplane! The 1980 movie starring Robert Hayes?” My Daughter: “No Dad, I have never seen that movie.” Me: “WhyContinue reading “500 Words on Forced Nostalgia”

The news seemed to come and go with a bit of a whimper. Like the storm warning you were told would bring tornados and hail but only ended up getting some rain and a few thunderclaps. Last week Gallup reported that public confidence in higher education was at its lowest in some time. Since theContinue reading “500 words on Public Trust in Higher Education”

I am pro-Union, pro-Labor, and I hope the actors and writers in Hollywood get every dime they seek. I support the strike because it concerns the average working actor, the working writer, and those who support their work. Like professional sports, the studio system is known for “champagne wishes and caviar dreams.” Still, most ofContinue reading “My 500 words on the Writers and Actors Strike”

I love a good walk. Walking is one of the most primal and core-centering activities one can engage in. As long as you have the ability and mobility to do so, I believe in walking for pleasure and health every day. I will be the first to admit I am not an athlete. I amContinue reading “My 500 Words: Time to Join the Volksmarch”