Archive for January 2019
Speak Up Storytelling #33: Bobbi Klau
On episode #33 of the Speak Up Storytelling podcast, Matthew and Elysha Dicks talk storytelling! In our followup segment, we thank our listeners, including American military personnel from around the world who have been reaching out to us this week, as well as those listeners kind enough to rate and review Speak Up Storytelling during…
Read MorePatriots playoff presumptions
As a Patriots season ticket holder, I am sent playoff tickets with the rest of my season tickets every year. This always includes a ticket to the AFC championship game, which is unfortunately being played today in Kansas City, which makes this ticket null and void and make me very sad. Had the Patriots made…
Read MoreSnoop Dog thanked Snoop Dog.
Snoop Dog took recently some heat for his Hollywood Walk of Fame acceptance speech. He thanked the Walk of Fame committee, his collaborators and mentors, his family and friends, his competitors, and his fans. Then he thanked himself. “I want to thank me,” he said. He thanked himself for believing in himself, for working tirelessly,…
Read More14 “safe” changes I’d make if I could travel back in time
Time travel is a dangerous piece of business. I have argued that the greatest super power – without question – would be the ability to travel in time. That said, I have also argued that I would prefer that this power only send our time-traveling hero forward in time, in order to see the disasters…
Read MoreThree commercials. Five minutes. Many, many laughs and perhaps a little inspiration, too.
I offer you three commercials today, each less than two minutes long that will absolutely, positively brighten your day. The first is a commercial for Aviation Gin which features Ryan Reynolds, who owns part of the company. It’s a hilarious spot that brilliantly mocks pretentiousness and is further enhanced by Ryan Reynolds’ willingness to make…
Read MoreKaren Pence is a bigot, but this is not news.
Karen Pence, wife of Vice President Mike Pence, is going back to work. The second lady will be teaching art at a Christian school in northern Virginia that bans gay and transgender students, faculty, and parents. The school also forbids faculty members from cohabitation prior to marriage. This decision has caused a bit of an…
Read MoreKids get mad at “Bohemian Rhapsody”
Our kids love music. Much of this is thanks to Elysha. As much as I love music, she loves it even more. But it’s also in large part the result to hours of Spotify playlists playing in the car, the music playing often in our home, the endless conversations about music, and our before-bed ritual…
Read More7 bits of parenting advice that I stand by without reservation
Oddly, I am often asked for parenting advice. I say oddly because I’m hardly an expert, but I suspect that two decades of teaching and two relatively well adjusted children have caused some folks to think I know something about how to raise kids. I often refrain from offering parenting advice on a public scale…
Read MoreSpeak Up Storytelling #32: Tom Reed Swale
On episode #32 of the Speak Up Storytelling podcast, Elysha Dicks and I talk storytelling! In our followup segment, we talk about new workshop dates and links, a surprising email from a merchant marine, and a girl crush on Elysha. In our Homework for Life segment, we talk about finding and collecting stories while visiting…
Read MoreHurting children because you are stupid
Elysha bought me a new Quip toothbrush. I am very excited. If you don’t have a Quip or don’t know what a Quip toothbrush is, find out. It’s fantastic. While I’m thinking about how clean my teeth are going to be, consider this: In 2013, the city council of Windsor, Ontario voted 8-3 to stop…
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