Archive for 2020

At the end of each month, I report on the progress of my New Year’s resolutions (or lack thereof). Here are the result through the end of May. PERSONAL FITNESS 1. Don’t die. I managed to avoid COVID-19 and two jerks who ignored stop signs and nearly ran me down on my bike during the…

Today is Charlie’s eighth birthday. For the first time, we will not be celebrating with a traditional party. Friends and loved ones have been invited to stop by the house for a socially distant birthday greeting tomorrow (when the weather will be better), but there will be far fewer fun and games this year. Somehow,…

Tragic news! As you may know, Donald Trump blocked me on Twitter back in July of 2017 in response to my criticism over his attempts to strip more than 23 million Americans of their healthcare by ending Obamacare. That fight seems even more important these day. Huh? In response, I sued Donald Trump by joining…

Leaders require an enormous number of qualities in order to be successful, but confidence has always struck me as essential. Confidence allows for many things, but one that I always admire is the ability to communicate directly and succinctly, saying what needs to be said absent any fear of repercussion. The principal of my daughter’s…

Writer, storyteller, and friend Dan Kennedy tweeted this back in December of last year: “You have to find something that explains yourself to you.” As is almost always the case, the man is correct. For me, that “something” has been many things. I was caught in a downpour two days ago while riding my bike,…

On this Memorial Day, in addition to honoring the fallen servicemen and women who gave their lives for this country, I will also be thinking about the men in my family who came before me to fight for our country. My great grandfather, who served in the US Navy and fought during World War 1.…

I teach storytellers that the way we order our words, sentences, and scenes makes all the difference when it comes to telling a story well. Reveal something too soon or wait too long to provide an important detail and the story can fall apart.   Case in point:   Yesterday I told Charlie that maybe…

Ben Sasse, Senator from Nebraska, delivered a shockingly terrible and exceptionally offensive commencement address to the students of Fremont Public School last week. In the span of just seven minutes, he managed to disparage teachers, attack the entire mental health profession, imply that graduating students are fat and lazy, and criticize China’s management of the…

A bit of unsolicited advice on helping friends, colleagues, students, and family members who are struggling in this pandemic world: Avoid, “Yes, but…” Embrace, “Yes, so…” “Yes, but…” is an attempt to remind someone of how fortunate they are despite the losses they have suffered. It’s a reminder to be grateful for all that you…

As a slightly public figure who routinely criticizes Donald Trump, writes about his racism, sexism, narcissism, and complete incompetence, has participated in a successful lawsuit against him, and uses Twitter to make my feeling known to both Trump and anyone else who will listen, I receive my fair share of angry retorts from his supporters.…