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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Some Uber rides are different than others
I’m riding in an Uber in Long Beach, California, from the airport to my hotel. I’m in Long Beach to work with an aerospace company. Read More
The Matthew Dicks Doctrine on Humility
When it comes to humility, I try to abide by these six rules: The Matthew Dicks Doctrine on Humility Be confident in what you know Read More
Shep’s big news
My friend, Shep — Matthew Shepard — got engaged this week. I thought it might be a bittersweet moment for me. Shep has found love Read More
Beauty tips
Mental Floss lists 11 Really Terrible 19th-Century Beauty Tips. They include: Bathe in ammonia. Don’t wash your face, hands, or hair. Dash soap suds into Read More
Worth Keeping: Episode #1
For more than a year (and maybe two?), I’ve worked with Alex Kirby and his company, Total Family, for more than a year (maybe two?). It’s a marriage made Read More
Wheelbarrow Sundae no more
Mortensen’s is an ice cream shop located on the Berlin Turnpike in Newington, CT. Years ago, Elysha and I brought the kids to Mortensen’s for Read More
Almost naked and perfectly okay
I went to a dermatologist yesterday. Elysha sent me. Apparently, you should (if you can) see a dermatologist every year or two to have your Read More
Bombing in Montreal
I ended my two-week road trip through Arkansas, London, and Amsterdam in Montreal, where I had the honor of speaking with and working alongside folks Read More
“You don’t drink like I do.”
I was speaking with a nurse on the phone on Tuesday, reviewing the requirements for my angiogram the next day. Hydrate. No caffeine 12 hours Read More
Be a meeting superhero
If you schedule an hour for a meeting and your meeting lasts for an hour, you have failed for three reasons: An efficient person completes Read More
Don’t applaud
Speak Up on Saturday night was a brilliant show. If you stayed home to watch another true crime movie on Netflix or take a bath, Read More
Penises and vaginas are everything
I can’t help but think that if certain people would just stop obsessing over penises and vaginas, the world would be a much better place. Read More
Eton Porny
I took a walk from Windsor Castle down Eton’s High Street, across the Thames, to iconic Eton College. It was a beautiful walk across the Read More
Ten seconds of brilliance (along with lots of other brilliance)
I had the pleasure of sharing an Uber ride with Simone Giertz last summer while traveling from the airport to a conference in Victoria, and Read More
A Tale of Five Bathrooms
I’ve traveled to four countries in two weeks. I’ve stayed in four different hotels and used five different bathrooms. I changed rooms in the UK Read More
Notes from Amsterdam
I’ve been in Amsterdam for three days now, working with The Speech Republic, a communications coaching company that trains speakers, executives, and others in the Read More
Own your past, dummy
When I started consulting with companies like Slack, Microsoft, Johnson & Johnson, I never mentioned that I was an elementary school teacher, a wedding DJ, Read More
The journey of music for Gen X
The fact that in one lifetime, I’ve listened to songs: On vinyl Then on cassette Then on CD Then burned them to a CD Then Read More
Three photos. One made sense.
I’m sitting in the Eurostar train station in London, waiting to board a train to Amsterdam, when I hear a man say, “Are you Matthew Read More
David is wrong. I care. But I’m not nice.
My friend David, who is an outstanding writer, once sent me this text message regarding notes on my latest manuscript: “You’re the best person to Read More