Archive for February 2014
Big news does not mean big numbers when it comes to same sex marriage.
Arizona, Idaho and Kansas are the three most recent states to attempt to legalize discrimination based upon sexual orientation. Arizona’s law passed through the House and Senate before the governor vetoed the bill. The Kansas bill passed the House on a clear majority before dying in the House. The decision on the Idaho bill, which…
Read MoreGinger was a ginger
A ginger, in case you didn’t know, is a word used (oftentimes in a derogatory manner) to describe a red-headed person. Ginger from Gilligan’s Island was a red head, thus making Ginger a ginger. Does anyone else find this odd and possibly disconcerting?
Read MoreTeaching is not quite a minimum wage job, despite what my students may think.
My students were reading an article about the proposed increase in the minimum wage in their Time for Kids magazine. I was secretly listening to their conversation. Student #1: “If they increase the minimum wage, at least Mr. Dicks will get a raise.” Student #2: Mr. Dicks doesn’t make minimum wage. Student #1: I thought…
Read MoreThe Reverse Nap: Mounting evidence that I am not a crazy person
I’ve been reversing napping for more than a year now. I go to sleep at my regularly appointed hour, usually somewhere between 11:30 PM and midnight. Then I wake up at some point in the middle of the night, usually around 2:00 AM. I climb out of bed. go downstairs and work for about 90…
Read MoreIgnorance is bliss
Three words that my daughter continues to use incorrectly: “Last day” in place of any day before today “Oh” in place of “Or” “That wise” in place of “That’s why” She also thinks that the person who is “It” in a game of tag is the person being chased rather than the chaser. I’ve never…
Read MoreThe Moth: Shoe Thief
The following is a story that I told at a Moth StorySLAM at The Bell House in Brooklyn in March of 2012. The theme of the night was Theft. I told a story about the theft of shoes from a local show store. I finished in first place.
Read MoreWhat kind of food is this?
I was visiting the pretend diner at Kid City, a local children’s museum. I was sitting at a Formica table, waiting for my daughter to serve me some plastic food on a plastic plate. These are the two items she placed in front of me. I honestly have no idea what either of these things…
Read MoreJoining the war against nonplussed is flammable/inflammable
Since launching my war against the word “nonplussed” last week, the campaign has been proceeding surprisingly well. In addition to my own use of the word “nonplussed” at least half a dozen times last week, I’ve received reports from several recruits who have also been aggressively using this ridiculous word in an effort to confuse…
Read MoreI’m launching an email newsletter. What should be included?
The publishing Gods (Jane Friedman and many others) have declared that the most important tool that an author has for building a platform and marketing a book is a strong mailing list and a regular newsletter. Having used a mailing list as the sole means of promoting Speak Up, our Hartford-based storytelling organization, I have…
Read MoreFor my daughter. And all daughters.
Advice To Young Girls: If you have a choice between being the thin one or the pretty one, choose to be the funny one. Megan Sass posted this to Twitter on Saturday. I don’t know Megan Sass, but I love Megan Sass. In a platonic sense, of course. Megan is a writer and a performer…
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