Archives for April 2014

- - - | written by Jason on 4/12/2014 | - - -

Saturday Morning Sprinkles: Drunken Baby Edition

• You guys! This video is the funniest I've seen in a long time. If you've ever thought toddlers resembled tiny drunk people -- and seriously, who hasn't? -- you will love it. (via Kottke) • I am in LOVE with these itty bitty letters from the World's Smallest Post Service. They're made by hand with love by the amazing Lea Redmond at Leaf Cutter Designs. • As if those tiny letters weren't cute enough, what about using them as official correspondence from the Tooth Fairy? • As Kim and I venture deeper and deeper into the adventure of homeschooling, we find ourselves increasingly more …

- - - | written by Jason on 4/10/2014 | - - -

Behind The Scenes: Studio Tour

When Kim was little and in Catholic school, she was one of two children who were selected to answer a question from a priest during an all-school mass. The answer would be recorded for posterity in the city newspaper. The priest asked them, "If you could change anything in the world, what would it be?" In front of hundreds of students and parents, including her own, Kim confidently declared that she would change her room around. She was quickly upstaged by the jerky classmate who wished that no one in the world would be sick anymore. Kim immediately regretted her answer. But it was …

- - - | written by Jason on 4/8/2014 | - - -

Dude Transforms Deck Into Pirate Ship

In January, I did a program for a big healthcare company and afterwards I met a guy named Randy who said he had a deck in his backyard that looked like a pirate ship. Naturally, my curiosity was stoked. Did it come with the house? Was it seaworthy? Was talking like a pirate required for entry? Happily for all of us, I was able to get the full story -- plus pictures! Randy and his wife bought the house in 1999 and have been throwing summer theme parties ever since. (The first one was a Hawaiian style luau, complete with pork roasts wrapped in banana leaves, placed on really hot rocks, …

- - - | written by Jason on 4/5/2014 | - - -

The Edge of Expectation

I often refer to myself as a professional reminder-er. Sometimes I need to be reminded of things, too. Here is a letter I wrote to myself after being in the audience for an inspiring talk by the amazing Hall of Fame speaker, Glenna Salsbury. Perhaps it will serve as a useful reminder to you, too. Dear Jason, When you started this business, anything was possible. You had big dreams and high hopes. Sure, some things took much longer to materialize than you thought, and other things crashed and burned. Don't let those things define you, or blind you to the fact that anything still is …

- - - | written by Jason on 4/5/2014 | - - -

Saturday Morning Sprinkles

Hello friends! This is the first in a new series I thought would be fun, where I'll be sharing a few of the favorite things I've discovered around the web. They might be humorous, helpful, inspiring, or just downright silly. I imagine it as the perfect companion to your morning bowl of cereal or favorite donut. • First up is a step-by-step primer on how to make rainbow pancakes. Then there's this guy who I am convinced is a certifiable pancake genius. • Next time I'm in L.A. I definitely want to stop by Sweet! It's an epic candy amusement park with 12 theme rooms. You guys! According to …

- - - | written by Jason on 4/3/2014 | - - -

Behind The Scenes: Our Speaking Trailer Video

It had been on my list for an agonizingly long time: Create a new speaking video. The old one served us well, but was getting long in the tooth. (Most of the footage was from over five years ago.) It was a task I dreaded. I knew what I didn't want: A demo reel with cheesy spinning graphics and an announcer extolling the virtues of a speaker who sounds like he got lost in 1990. We have enough cheese here in Wisconsin, thank you very much. What did I want? Something fresh, fun, and simple. Something that looked professional but had the charm of something homemade, like the best kinds …

- - - | written by Jason on 4/1/2014 | - - -

Adultitis Antidote #1: Sticky Cup

This is a wonderful April Fool's Day prank that's fun to do all year long. Just be aware of the national emergency you will cause for everyone around you. Well, some people will not even notice. But the ones who do are likely to drive miles -- I mean MILES, people -- out of their way to let you know that you have Taco Bell on the top of your car. Of course, you and the people driving with you have the task of acting clueless. That's part of the fun (and a challenge). One guy reported to me that it's the perfect way to occupy kids on long road trips. They love watching the reactions of …

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