I know I live in southern California, but Sonja hates feeling chilly so we have radiant heat going in the house. The problem with the radiant heat in our place is that it cranks up really high and starts cooking us like we’re living in a sauna. So the guy who fixes the heat came by the other day and finally looked at the thermostat. He said that the problem is that the thermostat is not communicating with the heat, i.e., that there is a communication breakdown between the two.

As most of you know, I spent a few weeks in Europe back in October. That trip made me realize that traveling to a foreign country is something everyone needs to do. Of course there are amazing and beautiful things to see, but that is not the reason I am suggesting this. I think everyone needs to go to a foreign country to learn one of the most important skills to becoming a better communicator: