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.
- All
- Books
- Family
- Gratitude
- Uncategorized
Good news that could’ve been so much better
More than 40% of the world’s electrical demand in 2024 was met via clean sources — solar and wind. A report by the energy think Read More
The Moth again
I was honored to have another story on The Moth Radio Hour and podcast last week — aired all over the country on NPR. It’s Read More
Delighting customers is not difficult. 110 Grill would seem to disagree.
Elysha, Clara, and I had lunch at 110 Grill in Canton, Connecticut, this week. I experienced a moment of frustration with this restaurant last year. Read More
A silver lining but mostly disappointment
Nine years ago, I attended a Guns N’ Roses concert with my friend, Heather, at Gillette Stadium. At the time, I had pneumonia. Elysha and Read More
AI versus A.1.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon was speaking last week at the 2025 ASU+GSV Summit, an annual gathering of education and learning leaders when she mistakenly referred to Read More
A little more brilliance from Robin Williams
The producers of “Mork and Mindy” — a television show starring Robin Williams and Pam Dauber from 1978-1981 — needed censors who spoke four languages Read More
They call me Matt
At the end of “Light My Candle” in the musical “Rent,” Mimi and Roger introduce themselves to each other. Roger sings, “I’m Roger.” Mimi responds, Read More
It was a lot of things, but it was sacrifice, too
I’m often asked how I forged my storytelling and consulting career. It turns out a lot of people would like to do the same. My Read More
Reverse engineering boy
Charlie was required to reverse engineer an electronic item as part of his work at his Aerospace Academy. After completing his project, his desire to Read More
Wax beans? Anybody?
I told my students how much I despised wax beans when I was growing up. They had no idea what I was talking about. So Read More
I talk to Elysha
I spend a lot of time staring into a camera lens, recording courses, YouTube videos, promos, and more. My ingenious production manager, Kaia, realized that Read More
Who didn’t Trump tariff?
In case you missed this, Trump imposed tariffs on nearly every nation on the planet, including islands around Antarctica that are only populated by penguins. Read More
Someone thinks like me
Sadly, but also realistically, this thought occurs to me constantly. More often than you could ever imagine. I’m happy to see I’m not the only Read More
Terrible laws by terrible people
Flouride has been banned in Utah. Legitimately banned. The new law bans cities and communities from deciding whether to add the mineral to their water Read More
Nostalgia and an old friend at The Moth
I competed (and won) a Moth StorySLAM in Boston last week — my 62nd victory. It was my 111th performance in a Moth StorySLAM, alongside Read More
I could see the future, excpet it turned out to be the past
I awoke feeling refreshed and happy this morning, as I almost always do. I set my alarm every day for 4:30 AM, but because I Read More
Samuel Ullman and “Youth”
In 1840, an 11-year-old Samuel Ullman left his home in Germany to move to America with his parents. They settled in Port Gibson, Mississippi, and Read More
Phone advice for parents and kids
A parent and teacher recently asked me, “How have you managed to avoid giving your children phones?” My answer was admittedly snarky but accurate: “We Read More
Resolution update: March 2025
Every month, I record my progress on my yearly goals to hold myself accountable and occasionally seek help and advice from readers willing to offer Read More
Man in the Arena
One of my clients recently forwarded me half a dozen reviews of my book “Storyworthy” from Amazon and other places online. They were exceedingly kind Read More
