Skip to content

A man in McDonald’s asks me about Jesus.

I was pouring Diet Coke into a cup at a local McDonald’s – the restaurant I managed for years while putting myself through college – when a man approached and asked if I knew that Jesus was my savior. I was in a hurry. I was teaching a storytelling workshop in less than 30 minutes,…

Read More

Colbert drinks alcohol. The audience cheers.

Every now and then, Stephen Colbert will drink alcohol during his evening monologue. At some appropriate moment, usually in an effort to feign disinterest or finish off a bit, he will step toward the camera so a staffer can pass him a glass of bourbon, whiskey, or similar spirit, and then he drinks. Here’s the…

Read More

Bacon is simple and delicious

In case you missed it, Dunkin Donuts (recently rebranded Dunkin) introduced a new menu item at the end of February: Bacon. They call their new menu item Snackin’ Bacon, but it’s just bacon. A bag of bacon. Eight half-strips of wrapped in “a portable sleeve for on-the-go snacking ease.” Sometime in 2019, in some boardroom…

Read More

Of course cinnamon rolls should not be baked in plastic wrap

Elysha sent this text to me from the comfort of her bed a few minutes ago. Please note the condescension. Take the plastic wrap off first? Does she really think I might be stupid enough to cook cinnamon rolls while covered in the plastic that she stretched over the tray last night? Clara had already…

Read More

Jerks drive expensive cars

A new study has found that drivers of expensive, high-status vehicles are less likely to stop and allow pedestrians to cross the road – with the likelihood they’ll slow down decreasing by 3% for every extra $1,000 that their vehicle is worth. In other words, people whom drive expensive cars are jerks. But we didn’t…

Read More

The bad storyteller and the admiring spouse

Years ago, Elysha Dicks and I were attending a Moth StorySLAM in Boston. The host of the show reached her hand into the bag filled with potential storyteller names, pulled out a slip of paper, and announced the name of the next storyteller. The young man sitting directly in front of us rose, took the…

Read More

Anyone is technically allowed to play in the National Hockey League, and that is dumb

Perhaps you heard about Dave Ayers, the 42-year-old Zamboni driver who came in as the emergency backup goaltender last week for the Carolina Hurricanes and and stopped 8 of 10 shots to get credit for the 6-3 win. An amazing night for Ayers, but it’s not as if tending goal was something new for the…

Read More

Edith Green: 1922-2020

Elysha’s grandmother, Edith Green, passed away last Sunday. She was 97 years-old. On Thursday, we honored her memory at a memorial service in New York City. Family from around the country gathered to laugh, cry, and remember Nana in all her glory. Elysha, her father, and others delivered beautiful, heartfelt eulogies. On Friday morning, Nana…

Read More

Resolution Update: February 2020

PERSONAL FITNESS 1. Don’t die. I was in Manhattan last night, producing and hosting a show for the Yale Alumni Association, and I was nearly hit by a kid on a skateboard in the middle of 8th Avenue, but that’s as close as I came to death in February. 2. Lose 20 pounds. I lost…

Read More

Charlie is funny.

Charlie – age 7 – was arguing that two is a large number. “No, it’s not,” his big sister Clara shot back. I was going to counter with several examples. I’ve actually written a children’s picture book entitled “Two Is A Lot,” and it’s outstanding. In fact, it would be universally beloved IF I COULD…

Read More