The title says it all- working on the speech for this Saturday’s commencement at the alma mater…
Sorry, not much to report right now- but I plan to share the speech here after Saturday! Good stuff!
Monthly Archives: June 2012
More Thoughts About Speaking
Quick update on this. (Are you with me? If not, here’s what happened last time…)
So my brother Chris and I had a great conversation tonight about our upcoming speech to our alma mater’s graduating class. He and I are on the same page- his thoughts about the speech’s theme line right up with mine. This is going to be great!
This is an interesting process- collaborating on our speech. Along with my joining another blog as a contributor, I’m really feeling connected to this writing process. It is truly an amazing feeling to start connecting with something so important to me. (Have you checked out 20 LINES A DAY yet? No? Take a quick peek. Some good stuff going on there…)
If you, my dear reader, are pursuing (or have pursued) something fulfilling, are you (did you) reach a point where you could engage someone else in it? This collaboration feels really good- and I can see how surrounding yourself with people that support or even join you in pursuing a dream makes sense. Hey, that sounds like a great idea for a blog post…
Interact with people. Connect. Immerse yourself in the world around you. We’re all in this together…
(Thanks to Chris for inspiring those words!)
Filed under Open Notebook
Sharing
Hey- exciting development here!
In reviewing my blog stats yesterday, I noticed that a link to one of my posts, OK Dad- Live Your Convictions, was added to a blog that I was not familiar with. Curious, I went to the blog and starting reading some of the posts. I was interested right away- it’s a collection of writers and photographers challenging themselves to make the creative process a daily routine. After some email correspondence with the blog’s creator, Melissa Hassard, I am now a contributor to 20 LINES A DAY – an exercise in discipline!
This is really exciting for me. I’ve had one piece- the above linked “OK Dad…” about my 3 year old son’s predilection for “girl stuff”- that went viral and resulted in the single most read piece I’ve ever written. The vulnerability of writing pieces that are genuine and then sharing them is absolutely something that resonates with me. I’m not one for false modesty- I’m not some stoic author writing in a shack and shunning outside attention (that actually sounds like the Unabomber). I want my stuff to be read. I want to widen my audience. Being able to contribute to another blog helps me continue this process of cultivating my creativity.
So I’m thrilled to start sharing my work with new readers. I’ve still got lots to write about and plenty of work that needs to be done. I have to figure out how to best incorporate this new channel into my routine. I think some, but not all, of the pieces I’ve written will work well there.
So if you’ve been with me so far, please join me with my new friends over at 20 LINES A DAY- and thanks for coming along on the trip!
Filed under Open Notebook
A Little Place Called Papatown
My boys are pretty lucky. They, unlike most American families, live in an extended family home. We just barely qualify for that classification as my father lives with us. And my boys love it.
My father ended up with us through a particular set of circumstances that found him living a bachelor life as a man in his early 60’s. When we were looking to buy a bigger house 4 years ago, we decided to look for something with room for Papa. My wife and her close friend, our realtor, found our current home. The house was big enough for our growing family (my wife was pregnant with the Goon at the time) and the basement was 90% finished with a space that would be perfect for my father. So it was that Papatown was founded.
Filed under Funny- ha ha
First World Problems?
Am I the only person that enjoys the absurd?
I traveled this past Tuesday from Syracuse to Minneapolis to visit one of my organization’s field offices. Syracuse is not exactly the travel hub of the country so usually any flight out of SYR entails connections. Today’s trip was no exception- SYR to O’Hare in Chicago then on to Minneapolis after a 90 minute layover. I got lucky with the airport logistics today. Usually connections through O’Hare feel like you are landing in Wisconsin and leaving from Indiana but today my arrival and departure gates were only a short stroll from each other.
I grabbed a sandwich on my way to my connecting gate and, once finding where I needed to be, sat down for a leisurely lunch and some people watching. The Gods of Humor did not disappoint as I was barely into my sandwich when a whole lot of crazy sat down three seats away from me. Sit back and enjoy the show…
***
A well-accessorized woman in her mid-60’s sits down with a bundle of exasperation and irritation. Her hair is perfectly coiffed. She’s got about as much gold as Mr. T. Her cell phone is already out and ready to do some damage. The woman (let’s call her Goldie) unloads on the person unfortunate enough to be on the phone with her. Her statement to the effect of, “And it’s coach!” is what really grabs my attention.
Filed under Funny- ha ha
TMPinSYR 