GRIN & BARE IT

Read (and subscribe to) Grin and Bare It, my daily blog on storytelling, productivity, current events, teaching, my family, and other musings.

I have been posting to this blog every day since 2005.

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Dating differently at Stop & Shop

I was explaining to a client that doing something differently is often the best way to do it. While most people try like hell to Read More

I’ve never liked onions so much

Small victories are still great victories. Momentous victories. Hilarious victories. Case in point: The Onion — the brilliant satirical publication that skewers newsmakers and current Read More

Early morning cravings go unsatisfied

I’m sure this has happened to you. You awaken — bright-eyed and excited about the day — but then you feel the pang deep in Read More

“The compliment sandwich” is stupid.

I was offering feedback on the client’s upcoming keynote. I began by pointing out something she had done well. Before I could make my next Read More

Killing time in the return

Last year, consumers in the United States returned $743 billion worth of merchandise, which amounts to 14.5 percent of all things purchased. That’s an increase Read More

Collect, believe, and wait until the time is right

In just over a month, I’ll celebrate 20 years of posting on my blog without ever missing a day. That’s 7,304 consecutive days of finding Read More

Blue zones are filled with liars and cheats

Perhaps you’ve heard about the so-called “blue zones”—locations where humans are more likely to live longer due to lifestyle, diet, and other factors. Blue zones Read More

“Matt and Jeni Are Unprepared” – Take 3

On Friday night, my friend and fellow storyteller Jeni Bonaldo and I performed our third installment of “Matt and Jeni Are Unprepared” — a storytelling Read More

The only thing I could do

I’m sitting in seat H1 as the lights come up for intermission for “Jekyll and Hyde” at the Hartford Stage. Mr. Hyde has just committed Read More

I found the helpers

Wednesday was a difficult day for me. Difficult for many people, I suspect. I only slept two or three hours before rising around 3:30, having Read More

Embrace optimism

In 1973, a man wrote to E.B. White, lamenting that he had lost faith in humanity. The author was not only a masterful letter writer but Read More

The little things. Today, especially.

Back in the spring of 2017, Elysha decided we needed cats. “I need to pet a cat,” she declared. Given the political climate at the Read More

Ideal keyboard design for the inefficient typist

Since I spend a good portion of my day on a keyboard, its design is important, especially the specific placement of the keys. I have Read More

We forget the terrors of the past

In 1976, three armed men kidnapped 26 California children and their school bus driver. They brought them to the desert and ordered them into what Read More

Disastrous beginning. Otherwise brilliant.

A friend recommended this talk to me, which is admittedly in my wheelhouse because it deals with two things I know well: McDonald’s and existential Read More

Grace seems a little ridiculous

Possible hot take — meaning you might not love this idea: The United Nations estimates that more than 10,000 children die from hunger and related Read More

Resolution update: October 2024

Every month, I report the progress of my yearly goals to monitor progress (or the lack thereof) and hold myself accountable. The following are the Read More

A big, happy, forgotten party

On April 14, 1971, my great-grandparents celebrated their 50th wedding jubilee. I learned this thanks to the newspaper. Someone sent me the article from The Read More