Archive for July 2014
Boy learns the alphabet on his own. Father takes credit.
So apparently the combination of the letters on the refrigerator and an amazing iPad app have taught my two year-old son to identify almost all of the capital and lower case letters of the alphabet. While getting him ready for bed, he began randomly calling out the letters on a pillow in his room. My…
Read MoreFuture Futurist. Actually, current futurist, looking for his first paycheck.
In the program for my most recent Moth GrandSLAM performance, my bio mentioned that I am a Lord of Sealand, which is true and garnered many comments from friends and audience members. It also mentioned that I am a teacher, writer, minister, life coach, professional public speaker, and wedding DJ. I collect jobs. In addition…
Read MoreWhat were the three most important decisions of your life?
A recent Quora question asked, “What were the three most important decisions of your life?” I’ve been debating this question for almost a month, and I have finally settled on three. While many decisions could have occupied these three spots, I decided to favor the toughest and most unlikely decisions of my life rather than…
Read MoreOwn your crazy
People are weird. People are crazy. People obsess over things, worry about things and develop rituals around things that baffle and confuse the people around them. It’s okay. As long as you’re not hurting anyone, it’s really okay. But here’s my advice: Own your crazy. Don’t deny it. Don’t defend it. Don’t attempt to mitigate…
Read MoreI live in a country where Janet Jackson’s boob receives more attention than net neutrality.
I just learned that the FCC received 1.4 million comments on their website regarding Janet Jackson’s wardrobe malfunction during the 2004 Super Bowl. This is the most comments that they have ever received about an issue. I’m not saying that the world needed to see Janet Jackson’s nipple-covered breast at halftime of a Super Bowl,…
Read MoreIt’s just a table with some crayons and paints and paper, but in a surprising way, it’s changed the course of my children’s lives.
It’s rare that a simple change can alter the course of an entire household, but our recent decision to turn an otherwise unused table in our home into an art table for our children has made all the difference. Almost instantly, the table pulled our children into its sphere of influence like a Russian dictator…
Read MoreDeclare your parental pride. Make the world better for the parent of a newborn.
I saw a friend last week who recently had a baby. She told me that of all the advice she received prior to giving birth, my warning about all the parents who will attempt to make parenting sound miserable and ruin her day was the most helpful. “I can’t believe it, but you were right.…
Read MoreContrary to popular belief, parents and teachers are well aware of the existence of Sparknotes.
was sitting inside Barnes & Noble last week with seven teenagers who are participating in our writing camp. We were discussing book titles when one of the students pointed at a rack of Sparknotes and gasped. Heads turned. Jaws dropped. One student asked, “What are they doing here?” Another whispered, “Why are they just sitting…
Read MoreMy daughter, the old lady.
In the last three days, the following words have come out of my five year-old daughter’s mouth: “Mom, just remember: the doctor knows best.” “Dad, you know I don’t like wet feet in the house!” “It’s a shame that my bed isn’t made. Let’s get that done.” She’s also asked to see a knee specialist…
Read MoreA visit from Mom
It’s grainy, and the color is bad, but this photograph means the world to me. I grew up in a time before digital photography, and as a family, we took shockingly few pictures. Two divorces and a foreclosure reduced that number even further. Scattered the family photos to the wind. As a result, there are…
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