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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Worth Keeping: Episode #1
For more than a year (and maybe two?), I’ve worked with Alex Kirby and his company, Total Family, for more than a year (maybe two?). It’s a marriage made Read More
Wheelbarrow sundae no more
Mortensen’s is an ice cream shop located on the Berlin Turnpike in Newington, CT. Years ago, Elysha and I brought the kids to Mortensen’s for Read More
Almost naked and perfectly okay
I went to a dermatologist yesterday. Elysha sent me. Apparently, you should (if you can) see a dermatologist every year or two to have your Read More
Bombing in Montreal
I ended my two-week road trip through Arkansas, London, and Amsterdam in Montreal, where I had the honor of speaking with and working alongside folks Read More
“You don’t drink like I do.”
I was speaking with a nurse on the phone on Tuesday, reviewing the requirements for my angiogram the next day. Hydrate. No caffeine 12 hours Read More
Be a meeting superhero
If you schedule an hour for a meeting and your meeting lasts for an hour, you have failed for three reasons: An efficient person completes Read More
Don’t applaud
Speak Up on Saturday night was a brilliant show. If you stayed home to watch another true crime movie on Netflix or take a bath, Read More
Penises and vaginas are everything
I can’t help but think that if certain people would just stop obsessing over penises and vaginas, the world would be a much better place. Read More
Eton Porny
I took a walk from Windsor Castle down Eton’s High Street, across the Thames, to iconic Eton College. It was a beautiful walk across the Read More
Ten seconds of brilliance (along with lots of other brilliance)
I had the pleasure of sharing an Uber ride with Simone Giertz last summer while traveling from the airport to a conference in Victoria, and Read More
A Tale of Five Bathrooms
I’ve traveled to four countries in two weeks. I’ve stayed in four different hotels and used five different bathrooms. I changed rooms in the UK Read More
Notes from Amsterdam
I’ve been in Amsterdam for three days now, working with The Speech Republic, a communications coaching company that trains speakers, executives, and others in the Read More
Own your past, dummy
When I started consulting with companies like Slack, Microsoft, Johnson & Johnson, I never mentioned that I was an elementary school teacher, a wedding DJ, Read More
The journey of music for Gen X
The fact that in one lifetime, I’ve listened to songs: On vinyl Then on cassette Then on CD Then burned them to a CD Then Read More
Three photos. One made sense.
I’m sitting in the Eurostar train station in London, waiting to board a train to Amsterdam, when I hear a man say, “Are you Matthew Read More
Notes from an American in Windsor, UK
Some notes from my recent trip to Windsor in the UK, where I was speaking at a financial planning conference: _________________________________________ The first day of Read More
Casual Fridays?
A new survey found a significant difference in the perception of appropriate office attire between people aged 18 to 45 and those 45 and older. Read More
My seatmate to London was interesting
I flew overnight to London after a two-day engagement at Hendrix College in Arkansas. Looking ahead to an eight-hour, trans-Atlantic flight, I hoped my seatmate Read More
Future predictions predicted
In July 2014, I declared my desire to become a futurist. A futurist studies trends, emerging technologies, social changes, and other forces to explore possible Read More
David is wrong. I care. But I’m not nice.
My friend David, who is an outstanding writer, once sent me this text message regarding notes on my latest manuscript: “You’re the best person to Read More