Relationship Troubles? Work on Your Game

With chapter titles like “Illegal Motion,” “Unnecessary Roughness,” and “Five-Yard Facemask,” you might think that Steven Shiendling, Ph.D. ’85, has written a book about football. But the real subject of Fumbles, Field Goals, and the Myth of the Hail Mary (Brown Books Publishing Group) is relationships. Written to help men “learn more about thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, as well as football terms and concepts,” the book gives examples of common relationship fumbles from actual counseling sessions in Shiendling’s practice. “I suspect that most, if not all, players committing unsportsmanlike conduct penalties wish they could take the behavior back,” Shiendling writes in a chapter on being intentionally hurtful to your relationship partner. “Not surprisingly, those who commit unsportsmanlike conduct penalties in their relationship also usually wish to erase the behavior.” Shiendling is a licensed mental health counselor who works with individuals, couples, and families.

A Furry Talented Artist

Brinks Amelchenko is a 4-year-old yellow Labrador retriever and an accomplished artist. The Da Vinci Dog (Willow Creek Press) is a vivid showcase of his stunning works accompanied by his personal musings on his life as an artist. From slobber on glass to toilet paper on tile, Brinks employs a wide range of multimedia techniques. His owner, Paul Amelchenko, B.S.C. ’98, the creative director at bfw Advertising in Boca Raton, has documented Brinks’s creations in this remarkable display of talent.