Archive for February 2014
I love my job when I don’t hate it.
I don’t hate my job. I kind of love it. But there are moments, when things like this are going on at home and I am at work, that I kind of hate it, too.
Read MoreWhy I use “Warmly”
My friend, Tony, was included in a recent email that I signed with the valediction: Warmly, Matt Tony’s response: I must say the “Warmly, Matt” doesn’t seem like you. He’s right. Joan Acocella of The New Yorker recently wrote a piece on the various valedictions and said she never uses “Warmly” because it sounds too…
Read MoreUpcoming speaking events
In case you’re interested in hearing me blather, here are a few of my upcoming storytelling and speaking engagements: February 18: Literary Death Match at Laugh Boston (7:30 PM) I’ll be competing against three other authors for the title of Literary Death Match Champion. Ticketing info here. February 20: The Moth StorySLAM at Housing Works…
Read MoreMy daughter used a hammer and built a car. She’s already more competent than her dad.
I didn’t even touch a hammer until I was ten years-old. I can barely use one today. I can barely change a light bulb. In fact, I’ve had a friend look at two lighting fixtures in my home over the last year, thinking that the wiring was bad both times when all it needed was…
Read MoreThe Spiderman Principle of Meetings and Presentations
Kevin Smith’s approach to addressing any audience is the same as mine. He writes in his recent memoir that anytime a person is speaking to a group of people, in any context, the speaker has a duty to be entertaining. I couldn’t agree more. I have attended hundreds (and perhaps thousands) of meetings over the…
Read MoreIf Dennis is a dentist, what is a Dicks?
You may have heard about this research, which seems to suggest that your name can influence your future career choice. If your name is Dennis, you are more likely to become a dentist. This works with other names, too. Lauras and Larrys are also more likely to become lawyers, for example. The effect is attributed…
Read MoreFriends should not be allowed to retire if they’re going to have this much fun.
Friday morning. 7:48 AM. I’m pulling into the parking lot at work. It’s 14 degrees. Slush and puddles fill the parking lot. The ground is covered with snow. I have a long day of teaching ahead of me. I receive this text from my friend and former boss who is now retired. It reads: Teeing…
Read MoreI am stupid and sensual
A female reader in Spain referred to me as “Estúpido y sensual.” Stupid and sensual. I’m not entirely sure how she arrived at these descriptors, but I’ll choose to look at the glass half full and take this as a compliment.
Read MoreQuite possibly the single greatest parenting moment ever
The video is grainy, and it doesn’t look like much, but when five year-old and 20 month-old are cleaning up their toys together, singing a clean up song and rejecting parental assistance, you can feel good about your parenting prowess, at least for a day.
Read MoreSheryl Sandberg made me feel like a misfit
I’ve watched Sheryl Sandberg’s TED Talk which inspired her book, Lean In, but I have yet to read the actual book, so it would be foolish of me to criticize any of the arguments that she makes therein. I suspect that I will agree with a lot of what she argues in the book (which…
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