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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The Shakers are booming
This may come as a surprise to many, but the fastest-growing religion in America is the Shakers. Have you heard of them? Know anything about Read More
Speak Up: Stuck on Stuff
Speak Up Storytelling’s next show is Saturday, October 11, at 7:00 PM EST at the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History. The title of the Read More
Shortcomings and Flaws 2025
More than a decade ago, a reader accused me of being materialistic after I wrote about my lack of a favorite number. The reader specifically Read More
Small stories are the best stories
Artist Rene Magritte once said his goal was to “breathe new life into the way we look at ordinary things around us.” Photographer Sally Mann Read More
Chased by dogs
When I was a kid, my brothers, sisters, and friends rode our bikes all over town. Miles and miles and miles a day. Parents never Read More
The disaster of Frankie Focus
I fully support New York’s new statewide ban on cellphones during school hours. Phones are not necessary in school. I know that many students and Read More
I was the deer.
From 1994 through 1999, I attended college full-time. First, I attended Manchester Community College, followed by Trinity College and St. Joshpeph’s University simultaneously, where I Read More
Why I write letters
I’m in the letter-writing business. From 2018 through 2023, I attempted (and succeeded) in writing at least 100 physical letters every year. Since 2023, I’ve Read More
Single restroom nonsense
I’m in a single-use restroom. The door is locked. Someone on the outside jiggles the handle to see if it’s locked. It’s locked. Then comes Read More
Nostalgia incarnate
I’m a fan of nostalgia. The closer the past remains to me, the more my life seems to be connected from beginning to end. I Read More
The vinculum
I’m teaching about the vinculum. “What is the line that separates the numerator and denominator?” I ask my class. No one knows. Most people don’t Read More
Pasta playlists
Someone at Barilla pasta is my hero. A clever marketing genius. For zero dollars, Barilla pasta has created nine Spotify playlists that match the cook Read More
Getting through the day
Being one who suffered from a relentless, existential crisis, constantly thinking about death, my only means of getting through the day is by convincing myself Read More
The upside-down model of management
When I managed McDonald’s restaurants — for nearly a decade — one thing always struck me as foolish: The goal for most store managers — Read More
Delight your customers
It doesn’t take much for a business to delight its customers, and whenever it does, it ensures that customers remember that business for a long Read More
Fried chicken in bed isn’t as silly as I thought
I would never even consider purchasing pajamas adorned with chickens. Not in a million years. But stick them in a bucket that looks a lot Read More
A lot of Purple Hearts
Dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki will likely be a decision debated as long as human beings walk this Earth. But if you’re wondering Read More
Anonymous: Parts 1 and 2 published
In 2007, a small group of anonymous individuals attempted to destroy my teaching career, along with the careers of my wife, who was teaching with Read More
