Archive for September 2010
My name affords exponentially more options
Lynyrd Skynyrd was named after their PE teacher named Leonard Skinner. The band chose the name in mocking tribute to Skinner’s enforcement of the hair length policy at their high school. I wonder what band name my former students might create in mocking tribute to my own name.
Read MoreToo clever for its own good
I know a lot of kids who would love this book, and I know even more parents who would never, ever buy it for their child. See the disconnect?
Read MoreAssigning personal belief at birth
In light of a recent post on my loss of faith comes this intriguing quote from Richard Dawkins which I have a hard time imagining anyone disagreeing with on a sensible and logical level. Thoughts? “I feel very strongly that it’s wrong to label children with the opinions of their parents. Nobody minds labeling a…
Read MoreRaise your hand if you think that lush eyelashes have anything to do with beauty.
There was a segment on the Today Show recently about products that women can apply to this eyelashes in order to grow them “longer, thicker and more lush.” Lush? Since when are eye lashes supposed to be lush? The problem with the female beauty industry, which includes but is not limited to women’s fashion, skin care,…
Read MoreSave the planet. Sit your ass down.
My good friend, Charles, has often argued about the dangers of over-populating on the planet. He believes in a two child per couple limit, reasoning that human beings should only seek to replace themselves. Of course, Charles has three children, so his credibility is now shot. Apparently he was right. It appears that just walking…
Read MoreMeanest comments of the year
Occasionally, while on book tour, I find myself saying mean things to audience members. I know. Probably not a good idea, but sometimes I can’t help it. My two meanest comments from this year: Mean Comment #1 While speaking to an 82-year old woman, she informed me that she had a great story to tell,…
Read MoreHouse tours
I promise to never, ever force a house tour upon any of you. If you would like to see my house, I’d be more than happy to show you around. But the need for people to show me their bedrooms, their second floor bathrooms, and their finished basements baffles me. If you designed and built…
Read MoreIs there a reason to cater to adults?
My daughter has started watching Sesame Street in the morning while my wife is taking a shower and getting ready for work. As a result, we’ve been catching a few minutes here and there, and I’ve been shocked at the number of parodies and spoofs that the makers of Sesame Street use as a framework…
Read MoreRead that book at your own risk
I was speaking to a good and wise friend about religion and faith. Unknown to me, she was under the impression that I had been raised outside any formal or organized religious faith. When I corrected her, explaining that I was born a Catholic and later converted to Protestant Congregationalism with my mother’s approval, she…
Read MoreHiding from me
Over the past month, three different people have told me that they had kept a secret from me, fearing that if I discovered their secret, I would have made fun of them. These were not big secrets. One person had begun teaching a class and hadn’t shared the details with me, assuming that I would…
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