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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Cheerfulness is a wise state of being
“The most certain sign of wisdom is cheerfulness.” I love this quote by sixteenth-century writer and philosopher Michel de Montaigne. I couldn’t agree more. While Read More
I like my first name. Most people do.
A new YouGov survey of 2,567 U.S. adults found: 42 percent of people “love” their first name 31 percent of people “like” it 19 percent Read More
We are so smart.
The amount of information that a person learns in their lifetime can fit on a flash drive with lots of room to spare. This depresses Read More
Another school year in the books
I’ve completed my 26th year of teaching this week. Twenty-six years in the same school. Twenty-three of those years in the same classroom. What a Read More
Harvey Milk deserves better
The Pentagon — and specifically Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — plans to rename the USNS Harvey Milk, which is named after the late gay rights Read More
When does a kid become an adult?
Jonathan Santo, Professor of Psychology at the University of Nebraska Omaha, answers the question: When does a kid become an adult? – Avery, age 8, Read More
Answer with a story
“I can swim like a duck.” Trinculo from Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” Once performed by the great Esteban Pazmino, a former fifth-grade student and hilarious actor Read More
The tyrrany of initiative salad
Here’s a clear sign that the leadership in an organization lacks vision and purpose: They launch initiatives. A lot of them. Leaders with vision and Read More
Broadway and Hollywood: Sometimes it works. Sometimes not.
Hollywood and Broadway have been intermingling quite a bit in recent years, and since we see a lot of shows on Broadway, I’ve had a Read More
Own your critics. Win the day.
Liquid Death is a canned water company with a fantastic name, an ingenious marketing campaign, and a product that is so much better for the Read More
A sign of not-so-good things
A survey of US adults found that 30 percent of respondents consult a fortune teller, tarot cards, astrology, or a horoscope at least twice a Read More
James Clear’s excellent, bad advice
A quote from author James Clear: “Worrying about the future is like watching a leaf fall and trying to predict where it will land. Stop Read More
Global Entry achieved
About a year ago, I applied for Global Entry, which would allow me to skip passport control lines and expedite entry into U.S airports. I’m Read More
Joni is an unfunny jerk
If you didn’t hear: Iowa Senator held a Town Hall meeting on Saturday to address constituent concerns about the Republican agenda in Washington, DC. She Read More
Patriots pride
The Patriots tweeted a photo of Gillette Stadium on June 1, highlighting the Pride flag in celebration of Pride month. I had two thoughts: It Read More
Charlie is an interesting human being
My son, Charlie, turned 13 this weekend. It’s hard to remember exactly what I was doing when I was his age, but in a lot Read More
Resolution update: May 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
House and couch
People decide whether or not to buy a house in an average of just 27 minutes. But it takes those same people an average of Read More
Beautiful but inaccurate
Poet Maggie Smith has written a poem entitled “Good Bones” that I both love and despise. I love it because it’s a brilliant idea that Read More
Romantic entanglements by the numbers
A new survey of Americans’ romantic experiences found that: 70 percent of participants have had an unrequited crush 53 percent have been cheated on 47 Read More
