Archive for September 2016
Twenty-five years spent standing in a parking lot
I’ll be tailgating in the parking lot at the Patriots game on Sunday. I have seen many things in the decades I have spent tailgating at Gillette Stadium. Public intoxication. Nudity. Fist fights. Fender benders. Lobster shell distance throws. A Christmas tree labeled “Treebow” that was set afire and nearly burned several dummies to death in…
Read MoreDoes the dog die? We need to know.
I Am Legend is a post-apocalyptic science fiction film loosely based upon Richard Matheson’s novel of the same name. It stars Will Smith as one of the few survivors of a plague that has killed most of humankind and left many in a zombie/vampire-like state. It opened to the largest ever box office for a non-Christmas…
Read MoreAn important lesson for all public speakers, storytellers, and the poor souls who must conduct meetings
I love this church sign. I love it because it’s emblematic of one of the most important lessons for all public speakers and storytellers: Say less.Shorter is better.Fewer words rule. The 20 minute commencement address is almost always better than the 40 minute address. The 30 minute meeting is almost always more effective than the…
Read MoreFour pieces of debate advice for Hillary Clinton. Someone please pass this post onto her people.
It demonstrates Trump-level hubris to suppose that I might have something to say about Hillary Clinton’s performance during the debate last night, but at the risk of sounding a little too certain of myself, I have a few notes for Clinton that I think would help a lot. And while I’m sure that she has…
Read MoreVerbal Sparring: If you don’t like it, leave.
“If you don’t like it, leave,” in all its variations, is a coward’s argument. It’s an argument made by people who are afraid of debate, don’t understand logic, and want to escape the fray as quickly as possible. “If you don’t like, leave,” implies that arguing for change is not permissible. “If you don’t like,…
Read MoreUnfair assumption: The more you have on your business card, the less I think about your professional ability
When you hand me your business card, I expect to see your name and your contact information. That’s it. That is the purpose of a business card. It serves as a reminder of your name and a means by which to contact you. If your business card is glossy and contains an image of you…
Read MoreComplimenting an item of clothing is the lowest form of compliment
I love the message that this cartoon conveys, but I just wish it wasn’t all about the hat. Complimenting an item of clothing is the lowest form of compliment, which is why it’s so easily applied to strangers. If you don’t know the person, it’s easy to comment on their relatively irrelevant exterior since their…
Read MoreThe first person to listen to my nonsense and predict that I would be a writer has passed away
My former high school vice principal and Toll Gate principal Stephen Chrabaszcz passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday. I am so saddened over this news. From the Providence Journal: “Those who knew him said Chrabaszcz, who became a principal in 2006, shared his cellphone number with students, parents and staff, and would work weekends to meet…
Read MoreWrite the thing that only you can write
A bit of writing advice: If you hope to be published someday (or even write something good), write the thing that only you can write. There are better writers than you in this world. Writers better than you at crafting sentences and capturing moments and making readers laugh and cry and emote. Writers capable of…
Read MoreIf you want to have a say in education, become an educator
Attention politicians, policy wonks, educational advocates, professors of education, and anyone else who wants to have a say in education: “Every human being who wants to have an opinion of American education ought to spend some time as a substitute teacher.” – Nicholson Baker, the author of Substitute, who served as a substitute teacher for…
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