The death of Thomas Duncan, the first American to be diagnosed with Ebola, has sparked a contagious conversation about the disease. Yes, Ebola is deadly. Yes, it is in America. Yes, it is contagious. But, no, you will not get it.

This is no time for ridiculous fear over a mysterious disease. Or is it?

Three years ago, I sat on the back of my car, parked off Route 66 in a two-stoplight town called Holbrook, Arizona. The breeze was just enough to warrant a hoodie but air conditioners hummed outside of the cement teepees that surrounded me. The stars were out in full bloom and tinted by the neon green sign that screamed "WIGWAM MOTEL". It was a special kind of calm and bliss I still dream about.

When your kitchen is your bedroom, you need to take out the trash. When your space is limited, you need to take out the trash. And when you want to move forward and be a better person, you need to take out the trash out. Often.

You have zero time to mess around with trash. Do not compromise; just find out what's important and build backwards.

The weekend is not for nothing. 

You're happy it's Friday, you're ready to get down. But you have zero plans. You know there are options. You're hoping your friends will mix with booze and the world will become your oyster. And it is! But what to do, what to do?

My father cried when baseball great Micky Mantle died. He never denied it, he just told me that's what happened. Mickey Mantle made my father's childhood (and really, adulthood) slugging home-runs for the Yankees, and when he passed on, my father felt a part of him leave too.

I just signed up for neuroeconomics to feel smart. It's amazing how often I find myself with the sole intention of being impressive to people around me. This was no exception.