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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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
The power of math
Car seats are not required on planes because doing so would reduce the number of available seats, which would raise fares and cause more families Read More
Resolution update: April 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
Walking speed
Walking speed on the streets of New York, Boston, and Philadelphia has increased 15% since 1979. This makes me very happy. I believe in stopping Read More
Religious switcheroo
A new global survey from the Pew Research Center aimed to determine the percentage of respondents in a given country who said they had switched Read More
Just a failure
Many things boggle my mind when it comes to Americans who voted for and support Donald Trump, but I’m sure many Americans (though far fewer, Read More
First man in space. Sort of.
What I learned this week: The first human object launched into space wasn’t Sputnik 1. Sputnik 1 was the first human-made object intentionally launched into Read More
Puppets punched me in the face
While visiting the Museum of Moving Inages in Queens, New York last week, we spent time in an exhibit on Jim Henson, which included lots Read More
ChatGPT knows me
While speaking to entrepreneurs in Toronto last week, I met someone who told me that to explore his strengths and weaknesses for the goal of Read More
One thing is certain about the next Pope
The Pope, as you probably know, passed away on Monday. I was born into the Catholic religion but left the church after my first CCD Read More
Awful and evil but also liars and cowards
The rights of transgender people, and in some cases, their physical safety, have eroded over the past few years, and today, legislators across America are Read More
