Archive for July 2017
Donald Trump has blocked me on Twitter
After almost a year of tweeting at Donald Trump, he finally blocked me from access to his Twitter feed yesterday. This is mostly bad news. Admittedly, it has become a badge of honor to get blocked by Trump. Since he has stated unequivocally that he is the only person with access to his personal Twitter…
Read MoreFill your life with young people
Yesterday I mentioned that someone on Facebook recently asked his friends when they knew that they were old. It was an annoying answer, I know, but I responded by saying that I still feel young. As young as I felt 20 years ago. Truly. I wrote yesterday about the importance of aggressively trying new things…
Read MoreWhat are you doing that scares you?
Next month I’ll be performing stand-up for the first time. I’m terrified. I tell stories. Many of them are funny, but they don’t have to be funny. If an audience doesn’t laugh at something that was meant to be funny in one of my stories, I’m still telling a story, which is my real job.…
Read MoreSharing your vacation photos is lovely, but how about some wisdom and insight to go along with it?
On Thursday night I had one of those nights at a Moth StorySLAM where two sets of judges thought I did quite well and awarded me high scores, but the third judging team disagreed severely (earning a rarely heard chorus of boos from the audience), thus ruining my chances at winning. Always frustrating. I’ve been…
Read MoreProductivity: Attach this to that.
A fellow storyteller recently told me that he hasn’t had the time to work on a new story. He described his hectic life, filled with legitimately meaningful activities. Still, he wished that he had time to work on a story. If you tell me that you’re too busy to do something that you want to…
Read More“They call me Matt.”
“Light My Candle,” a song in the Broadway show Rent, ends with Mimi introducing herself to Roger by singing, “They call me Mimi.” I’ve always loved this line. I’ve always wanted to introduce myself by saying, “They call me Matt.” Here’s the thing: I think it’s a terrible idea. I don’t think I could pull…
Read MoreRick Perry didn’t understand the Department that he now runs, but he REALLY doesn’t understand basic economic theory
Department of Energy Secretary Rick Perry was at a coal plant in West Virginia yesterday. He said this: “Here’s a little economics lesson: supply and demand. You put the supply out there and the demand will follow.” Just so we’re clear. THIS IS THE OPPOSITE OF HOW ECONOMICS WORKS. Supply does not produce demand, especially…
Read MoreYou have to admire a church willing to take this kind of literary stand
Also, I don’t disagree.
Read MoreI stand opposed to applauding when the people responsible for the source of the applause are not present.
We watched the fireworks on the front lawn at Central Connecticut State University last night. We had a lovely time. The night was clear and cool. The kids were silly. The fireworks were spectacular. When the final booms sounded and the finale was at last over, people across the lawn applauded. I don’t support this.…
Read MoreThe NRA: Important facts to remember before their crazy attack ads scare the hell out of you.
The NRA is apparently angry about something, if the recent NRA ad is to be believed. No one is entirely sure what has caused this sudden burst of anger, but they certainly sound angry. If anything, the NRA should be happy. For eight years, they claimed that President Obama was coming for the guns, and…
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