Archive for November 2021

You’ve probably heard of Christopher Nolan. Acclaimed writer and director of films like Memento, Interstellar, Inception, and the three Dark Knight films. You may know that Christopher Nolan has a brother named Jonathan who is a writer too. Jonathan Nolan has co-written the films Memento, The Prestige, The Dark Knight Rises, and Interstellar, and he is the…

After writing about the impact my assistant basketball coach had on me last week, I heard from many, many people with similar stories. A teacher told a student that she had excellent handwriting. Suddenly, she started writing more. A swimming coach said a boy was faster than he thought. Then he swam faster. A high…

Texas News Today listed its top 10 Books Every Student Should Read: Fiction and Nonfiction First on the list: Storyworthy: Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life Through the Power of Storytelling I’m thrilled. While I never envisioned Storyworthy for students, it’s now used in high schools, colleges, and corporate training workshops throughout the country…

I was standing outside my school yesterday, listening as students talked about being vaccinated or preparing to be vaccinated. Based upon the chatter amongst students and the parents who have spoken to me, the vast majority of students at my school are getting vaccinated now that kids under the age of 12 are eligible. I’m…

I quite enjoy the 1997 film The Edge, starring Anthony Hopkins and Alex Baldwin. Written by the great David Mamet, it contains many excellent lines of dialogue, including these: “A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow.” I wrote a whole chapter in my next book about this very idea. “What one…

Back in 1992, the now defunct Bradlees department store called me, hoping that I might consider a move from managing McDonald’s restaurants to launching eateries inside their Boston area stores. Someone had apparently recommended me to them. I took a meeting in their Braintree office, which went well. Being just 21 years old at the…

In ninth grade, I would buy ice cream from the school cafeteria for the girl who I liked in hopes of garnering her affection. In tenth grade, I broke a water pipe, destroyed a portable eye wash, and placed cafeteria buns – complete with poetry and props – on the desk of a biology teacher…

Two Fridays ago, I had surgery to repair an umbilical hernia at Hartford Hospital. Can I take a minute to talk about the nurses and related staff who took care of me that day? The first was a gentleman who checked me in at admitting. It was 5:20 AM when I approached his desk and…

If you find yourself wondering things like: Why a small but annoying (and thankfully shrinking) segment of Americans refuse to get vaccinated for all of their stupid reasons Why anyone would suddenly question the spherical nature of the Earth How seemingly reasonable people can spend so much time crushing digital facsimiles of candy on their…

Back in June, Charlie and I visited the local cemetery to wander the headstones, read the engravings, and piece together bits of history. It’s something we enjoy doing, even though doing so always enflames my ongoing existential crisis and brings great sadness to my heart.    Earlier this week, we returned to the same cemetery…