Some posts from way, way back. Like, pre-kids way, way back. The Dark Ages, basically.
Today was the first day of the Fall semester at UCF…which meant ridiculous traffic and crowds everywhere. I hear they are estimating the enrollment at 56,000 for this year! I hope we can hit 100K soon…that would be sweet! And if they would just replace football with a whole university tug of war competition…we’d dominate everyone!
Read MoreAnother book excerpt to improve your hipness quotient…
Coolness Tip #37: Fellas, never wear a cell phone clipped to your belt or waist…that’s what pockets are for!
Read MoreAs BTB mentioned in his comment on my earlier post, sport has historically been an integral part of human society. It should come as no surprise then that the use of sport as a tool for international development is gaining in legitimacy and is the focus of increasing interest. In short, the goal of most international development programs is to foster opportunities for individual and societal growth and prosperity for people in every corner of the world. Thus, utilizing sport, which is an entrenched and shared aspect of the human experience, to help empower individuals and societies seems like a no-brainer.
Read MoreA few totally random thoughts for your Wednesday reading pleasure...
Read MoreNew article on the progress of ABK Consultants...
One Year and Nineteen Days In, ABK Keeps On Keeping On
Maverick Founder Touts Companies Continued “Awesomeness”
At last. I could practically hear the clamoring out there in the blogosphere. “I’ve been following this blog for weeks…when is he going to explore some freakin’ ambiguity?!?” Your patience has now been justly rewarded…
Read MoreOk, so I’m sure you all remember my food rut post from a while back. Here’s a quick update…let’s just say I feel slightly (or entirely) disillusioned…
Read MoreNow that I’ve sufficiently pontificated on the relative merits and causes of sports fanaticism…I’ll continue my sports theme with a useful (probably not) guide to identifying the sports fanatics in your life.
Read MoreMy attempt at psychoanalysis...kind of got off track about halfway through and took a different direction than what I originally planned...oh well.
Being a sports fan is such a strange phenomenon. Now, I’m not talking about those that have a casual interest in sports….who like to catch a game on TV or even in person every once in a while for the entertainment and the opportunity to socialize.
Read MoreSo, I know you're all wondering...what does a super chill guy like me do on a typical Saturday night? If you've read my post "How to deal with agreeable people..." you know answering that question would clearly break rule #4. But, just this once and only because I know how much it would mean to my loyal readers, I'm willing to put my air of inapproachability at risk...
Read MoreAn excerpt from my unreleased book with the working title, Cool Like Me: 100 Tips for Increasing Your Awesomeness…
Coolness Tip #74: When talking, texting, or otherwise messaging with friends and significant others, directly cite pop music lyrics and artists in unexpected and preferably obscure ways.
Read MoreAnd now, a little self-help from the self-anointed guru...
We’ve all encountered them…the overzealous cashier, the painfully upbeat guy sitting next to you in class, the friendly girl in the next cubicle. What I like to call “agreeable people.” Those people who are never content to leave well enough alone and let a person revel in their own solitude. Those people who feel it is their duty to strike up a conversation with total strangers. Those people who find silences awkward. Whether you’re out running errands or going about your daily business, you are never safe from them.
Read MoreI’m sure you’ve heard it said, mainly to ease people’s nerves when starting up at a new gym, that people working out are too busy doing their own thing to waste time judging others. I believe I’ve actually passed this nugget of wisdom along as fact myself. However, recent observations at my local family gym have made me rethink things…
Read MorePut yourself in the following situation...
Today I reached a new level of what I like to call "food rut." Went to my traditional lunch spot (Qdoba in the Student Union) today between 11:30 and 11:52...as is customary.
Read MoreSo...I created a blog. Not sure how I should feel about this at the moment, but there you go. My reasons for this new endeavor...mainly boredom and the fact that I like to write, love to hear myself talk (in print), and feel I can provide hilarious and insightful takes on pretty much anything. (Note: For those that don't know me well, one of my favorite devices is sarcasm...particularly sarcasm that makes me seem completely egotistical and self-important. I guess it's up to you to judge whether I am either of those, but just a fair warning).
I’m going to keep this one casual because I feel like our relationship is strong enough to handle a little unfiltered, old-school blogging! My kids were on Spring Break last week. It’s hard to believe we’re three-quarters of the way through another school year. Time sure does fly, and empires sure do crumble right before our eyes, etc.
My children have had many long, elaborate, and often incomprehensible bedtime routines. I’ve written about these rituals several times because this nightly production has been a pillar of my existence for over a decade. It takes up a lot of space in my head and sometimes causes a fair amount of stiffness in my lower back.
I was sitting by myself in my car in a shopping plaza parking lot, scrolling my phone for a moment before heading to my next destination when a mom and her two little kids took me back in time.
The tattoo artist worked meticulously but quickly on my knuckle tattoos as I sat hunched over in a straight-backed chair, my arm resting on a paint-splattered wooden table. It was one of those fuzzy days between Christmas and New Year’s when time ceases to have any meaning and our actions have zero consequences.
I was sitting by myself in my car in a shopping plaza parking lot, scrolling my phone for a moment before heading to my next destination when a mom and her two little kids took me back in time.
My three children stood together in the open space between the doors of a mostly empty subway car with bright eyes and big smiles.
My family discovered a new outdoor activity that helped us ward off the mid-summer malaise but after just a few days, bruises, bumps, and a broken-down car ended our fun.
My debut novel LOVE’S A DISASTER is out NOW and I have created a playlist of songs to accompany the book!
It’s the last day of school before Spring Break starts. You’ve just attended your child’s Field Day or Picnic Day or It’s Not Break Yet But It Kind Of Is Day and all that time spent under the blazing sun surrounded by 800 screaming children has made you a little punchy.
In the spring of 2019, less than a year before the world shut down, my wife, three kids, and I took a spring break trip from our home in Florida to the UK. Michelle and I traveled quite a bit before we had kids, including a 10-month stay in Cambridge, where I completed a one-year master’s program. Since having kids, we’ve rarely left the house, let alone the country.