Author Archives

INFP. Voted Most Responsible in 8th Grade. Opinions are mine.

Career Break

I left CNN near the end of last year, about 8 months ago. I’ve never had more than a week off between jobs and this break has been glorious. I didn’t sell all my possessions and move to Fiji. No, my dramatic escapes have been more targeted, due to my inability to get free from […]

Putting Herbietown Back Out There

Herbietown is back! It’s been 8 years since this thing was active. I used to post here a few times a week from about 2007-2016, but when I joined CNN, I was forced to go dark. CNN has strict rules in place to avoid bias or even the appearance of bias, so even though I’m […]

R.I.P. Dad

My father, Mickey Herbert, died on May 31, 2022. I’m still not quite ready to write about it, but I thought I’d post a few things. Here’s the obituary that appeared in the Connecticut Post. Here’s a story the Post ran a few days later. Some really nice quotes in there from people that knew […]

Scary Tornado Warning and data from my PWS

Tornado warning issued in Cobb County this morning. Here’s the last 24 hours of weather data from my Personal Weather Station. Interesting to watch the pressure drop and the wind gusts and rain pick up. No worries, everyone is safe! Thanks to my neighbor Laurie for calling and waking us up this morning – we […]

World Cup, You Suck

Here are 4 simple changes that will make soccer into a real sport.

Free Puppies!

The boys and I were gleeful when we made the signs.

Some Clarifications

Tons of reactions to my recent post about Obamacare in the Deep South. I’d like to clarify a few things. First, not everyone in the South is racist. Not even close. One of the things I’ve been surprised by is just how cosmopolitan and worldly Atlanta is. Most of the people I’ve met, both at […]

Obamacare in the Deep South

I talked about Obamacare with some real Southerners last night. I mostly listened, figuring this would be a good chance to get inside the heads of some real conservatives. These were intelligent, well-educated people, the type who I thought would be least likely to just repeat what they heard on Fox News. The overriding sentiment […]

CHOP ON, CHIKIN LUVERZ, CHOP ON

I caught a Braves game last week with a large group from my company. Good times. I always enjoy the American pastime. I especially love seeing how the locals customize their ballpark. For example, Turner Field has mist stations to keep everyone cool in the hot Atlanta summers. What I wasn’t prepared for was The […]

Peepee on the Beach

“I have to go peepee, Daddy!” Those can be the 6 most annoying words in the English language, when said at the right time. It’s usually when you’re out at a restaurant and the food has just arrived. Or when you’re driving in the car and home is about 15 minutes away. Good parents are […]

Pirate’s Booty

“I’m hungy for beakfast, Daddy.” “Ok, buddy, what would you like?” “Pirate’s Booty, pease.” “Well, we don’t eat Pirate’s Booty for breakfast. How about some Cheerios?” “No! I’m ONLY hungy for Pirate’s Booty. I will NOT eat ANYthing else!” And so my day begins with a Pirate’s Booty inspired temper tantrum. Not that I blame […]

Homesick

Sometimes I get a little homesick. I’m probably not supposed to admit that.  Schoolgirls get homesick.  But it’s true. When I come home from work at night, I don’t really feel like I’m home. At first I thought it was because I was accustomed to a 90 minute train ride to decompress, and my 20 […]

The Renaissance on Sewell Mill Road

Most of the homes around here in Marietta, Georgia are in subdivisions.  Most of the subdivisions have names.  Like Heritage Oaks, Beverly Hills Estates, Brownmoore Manor, Stoneoak Pointe or Chastain Enclave. I live in “The Preserve at Lost Mill Trace.” But there are places that are worse. Exhibit A: “The Renaissance.”  Here’s what the houses […]

The Regular Guys

I live in Atlanta now. It’s surreal.  I still feel like I live in Connecticut and am just here for a short trip.  But I’m not.  All my stuff is here, I’m a homeowner, and I even waited in line 3 hours for a Georgia driver’s license. But it doesn’t feel like home yet. I […]

Infinity & Beyond!

“Daddy how many stars do you have?” Jack asked. “3,” I replied. “I have 9 zillion thousand infinity and beyonds!” Charlie rode his scooter next to Jack’s big wheel.  “And I have ten thousand!”  His eyes opened really wide like I had never heard a number that big. We were racing in circles around the cul-de-sac […]

Do Real Leaders Always Want the Ball?

I had 3 assists at my hockey game tonight.  Glory! Those assists got me thinking about things.  I’ve always valued a beautiful pass more than a beautiful shot.  There’s something so inspiring about doing the unselfish thing and looking to help your teammates succeed.  When I watch basketball, soccer or hockey – I always love the pass. What about in business?  Can […]

Downsides to Exercise

This just happened. I’m running 10 minute miles and I’m chafing like Chris Farley.  It’s embarrassing but I’m addicted to Nike+.  I’m competing for Most Distance Ran against 4 other people.  Every time I run, I add miles to the tally and I watch myself move up the rankings.  It’s incredibly motivating.  I cannot bear to fall […]

Lotto

Brutal. I just had a dream that I won the lottery.  $700 million.  I gave $10M each to my family and some of my friends.  Most of them tried to refuse it but my largesse eventually prevailed. I quit my job, started working on writing a book, and bought a 5BR townhouse in Greenwich Village. […]

The South After 10 Days

A lot of people have asked me for my general impression of living in the South so far. After 10 days, I can’t say that I have anything too exciting to report.  People are super nice and welcoming, the traffic isn’t as bad as I feared, and money goes a lot further. But there are […]

The Mounting

Big props to my brother-in-law, Lance.  The man not only put me up in his home for the last 5 months, but he dropped everything and came over yesterday to help me mount my television on the wall.  Check it: You can’t see any wires because they snake through the wall and into the cabinet. […]