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Matt and Elysha on television!

Elysha and I were interviewed last night by John Lyons and Ronni Newton of We.Ha.com for their television show from the comfort of our own kitchen. The show was also streamed on Facebook, Youtube, and several other platforms. We talk about teaching in a pandemic, Speak Up, and my books. Charlie even makes a surprise…

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Snowballs in September

On Sunday, I told Clara and Charlie that I would take them to a magical place. Then I did. We drove up Alumni Road in our hometown of Newington, parked beside a gate that blocks off the road, and exited the vehicle. Then we walked past the gate, turned left around a hedgerow, and found…

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Who should we admire?

I have a friend who shall remain nameless for reasons you will see in a moment. I introduced my friend to golf seven years ago after securing permission from his wife. Golf can be a time consuming game and my friend can be obsessive compulsive, so best to ensure that his spouse in onboard with…

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Matty. At least to some.

I was walking up the fairway yesterday with my friend, Dan, when he turned to me and said, “So I didn’t know people call you Matty?” It’s true. Not everyone, of course. Dan has known me for about ten years, and he’s never heard me called Matty even once. Exceptionally close friends and people who…

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Text and emails say a lot

Over the past week: A friend texted me about his opinions of Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road” (not good) A friend sent me a poem that he had written, then he sent me a revision of the same poem with commentary Half a dozen friends texted me about golf Two friends texted me about issues and…

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Bugs better than bears

My new favorite animal: Termites Why? They never sleep. While almost all animals sleep, termites do not. In fact, not only are they able to avoid the stupidity of sleep, but they can constantly work without rest. While other animals, like bullfrogs, don’t sleep, they also spend enormous portions of every day doing nothing. Termites…

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Old school TV

When I was growing up, channel 56 in Boston ran a contest between afternoon cartoons wherein one lucky viewer could play an on-the-air video game over the phone for cash and prizes. Cross-hairs were broadcast on the screen overlaying a field of stars. Flying saucers would speed by the screen, and when one of these…

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Shortcomings and Flaws 2020

Years ago a reader accused me of being materialistic after I wrote about my lack of a single favorite number, specifically criticizing me for saying that when it comes to my salary, my favorite number is the largest number possible. After properly refuting the charges of materialism, I acknowledged that I had plenty of other shortcomings…

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Poisoned as a baby

When I was about sixteen months old, my stomach was pumped after having swallowed an entire bottle of paregoric. Oddly enough, for years, I never bothered to inquire about what paregoric actually was. It was just one of those family stories that was retold from time to time without much thought. I never bother to…

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Cheer camp!

My daughter and our neighbor are launching a cheer camp. Elysha and I found a sign taped to the door last week. Brilliant. Right? Seeing “Social distancing will happen” and “Masks are required” on their sign were good reminders of how simple and easily understandable these pandemic mitigation strategies are. Even little girls designing pretend…

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