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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Awe and pride and disbelief
Last Saturday, Elysha and I drove to New York City. After parking the car, we ate brunch in the world-famous Carnegie Deli before walking down Read More
Be as funny as possible
“The best ideas come as jokes. Make your thinking as funny as possible.” – David Ogilvy Ogilvy was a British advertising tycoon, founder of Ogilvy & Mather, Read More
Why positive feedback is important
I’m working with the vice president of a Fortune 500 company. She’s preparing to deliver the keynote for a product launch. After she’s finished speaking, Read More
A simple solution to terrible problem
Search Engine is an excellent podcast hosted by PJ Vogt. It seeks to “answer the questions that keep you up at night.” It’s one of Read More
Watching Charlie perform on Broadway
Elysha and I were in New York City on Saturday, sitting the mezzanine at the Palace Theater on Broadway, preparing to watch Keiran Culkin, Bob Read More
Pure as the driven snow
There have been 1,826 alleged ethics violations in the US Senate since 2007. More than 107 ethics complaints per year. More than one alleged violation Read More
Substack topic?
Substack contacted me to discuss joining their platform and monetizing some of my writing. Having written a blog post for nearly 20 years without missing Read More
Parents aren’t reading to kids!
A sign of the pending apocalypse: Less than half of parents find it fun to read aloud to their children, new research shows. Only 40% Read More
Wisdom and experience make a difference
College basketball is getting older. In 2019, the average age of a Sweet 16 starter in the men’s tournament was 20.8. In 2021, it rose Read More
Smile. Don’t wallow.
The robb’d that smiles steals something from the thief; He robs himself that spends a bootless grief.” — William Shakespeare (Othello) I’ve always loved this Read More
Microplastics and me
A new study published in Science of the Total Environment examined caddisfly larval casings dating back to the 1970s to determine when microplastics first appeared. Read More
Chocolate chiplesss cookies?
Last year, Bon Appétit published a recipe for a chocolate chipless cookie along with an article about the recipe. The title reads: “What’s a Chocolate Read More
Words matter
My former principal, Plato Karafelis, referred to substitute teachers as “visiting teachers” because he wanted to show them greater respect and appreciation for their work. Read More
Losers are ruining the world
“I knew that one day we might have to watch as capitalism and greed and bigotry led to a world where powerful men, deserving or Read More
Snacks and smoothies and bongs
When I was a kid, marijuana was illegal. Seemingly as illegal as cocaine and heroin. I’ve never used marijuana in any form, but as a Read More
Blanket lobster statements
A woman at an event tells me a story about lobsters. She says that every year or so, lobsters “get uncomfortable” and shed their shells Read More
Notes from the second night of Shovel
A few interesting notes from two nights of my new solo show, Shovel; My second night performance was a much more enjoyable affair for me. Read More
Three thoughts from the first night of “Shovel”
Last night I performed my new solo show, Shovel, at TheaterWorks in Hartford. My second solo show after performing “You’re a Monster, Matthew Dicks” two Read More
Not a story
When it comes to storytelling, I work with people and companies in many ways. Sometimes, oddly and unexpectedly, I work with clients on images, digital Read More
