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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Make it shine
Crazy fact: All the gold ever mined from the Earth would fit into a cube with edges 22 meters long — small enough to fit Read More
Why I love my students so much
One of my clients sent me a fascinating survey called the Culture Index Report. Answer a billion questions, and the results are remarkable. Not only Read More
The machines are coming for us
Elysha received an Ember mug for Christmas. An Ember mug is a temperature-controlled, battery-powered mug designed to keep your beverage at your preferred temperature for Read More
Coincidentalism: Want to join?
Looking for something new to embrace in 2025? How about this? On December 23, 1988, I was in a head-on collision in my mother’s 1976 Read More
Don’t be provoked
“When someone tries to provoke you, don’t be provoked. When someone isn’t even trying to provoke you, but you feel provoked anyway, don’t be provoked. When Read More
Fragile, frail, and frightened
A group of Costco shareholders, likely emboldened by the Supreme Court’s continued assault on the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment, called on the Read More
It’s Elysha’s birthday today!
Today is Elysha’s birthday! She’s my wife, if you didn’t know. I’m honestly still astounded — at least from time to time — that she’s Read More
How to pull off a surprise birthday party for your wife
Last night, I pulled off a surprise birthday party for Elysha at Peppercorn’s in downtown Hartford. Everything was remarkably, unbelievably perfect. After months of planning, Read More
I re-wrote the Ten Commandments. My list is much better than God’s list.
Utah is seeing a brisk business for models with long hair and a beard who can passably pull off a Jesus look for family portraits Read More
My foundational texts
Writer Karen Attiah recently wrote about the pleasure of perusing other people’s personal libraries and then asked her followers about their “personal foundational texts.” — books Read More
New Year’s Resolutions 2025
At the beginning of every year, I establish a list of goals (or New Year’s resolutions) for the coming calendar year. I post this list Read More
Resolution Update: 2024 in review
At the end of each month, and now at the end of the year, I report on the progress of my New Year’s resolutions (or Read More
Infinite content isn’t a good thing
Animator and filmmaker Don Hertzfeldt on the difference between crate digging & streaming from a recent interview: Not to sound like a curmudgeon, but when Read More
A very gory Christmas Carol
The family and I went to see “A Christmas Carol” at the Hartford Stage on the day after Christmas. The timing was ideal. I highly Read More
Footwear and foliage
Behold! And look carefully, lest you miss it… The Sock Shrub — a rare, unappreciated indoor plant only found in the homes of boys incapable Read More
My 2024 Christmas haul
Every Christmas, I take inventory of the holiday gifts that my wife, Elysha, gives me. Some people wish for cashmere sweaters, the latest gadgets, stylish Read More
You are such a loser
If you’re not familiar with Garfunkle and Oats, I can’t recommend this comedic singing duo enough. They are almost never safe for work, but if Read More
Things that annoy me
I have many pet peeves. Most people do, I think. Most are also smart enough not to publish them for the world to see, but Read More
A Christmas memory for the ages
As we prepare to make new Christmas memories this morning, I am reminded of one from 12 years ago, when Clara was three years old Read More
Matt’s 2024 Holiday Gift Guide
In the event you have some last-minute shopping to do for a loved one, allow me to offer my annual gift-giving guide to the four Read More
