I approached the bandana-wearing barista and bared my soul. “I have a confession to make,” I started. "I am a coffee virgin. I’ve never had more than a sip my whole life.” “Uh oh,” she said. “And you came here, of all places?” The "here" she was speaking of was Anodyne Coffee. I was in Milwaukee working on the first draft for my next book. I'd heard good things about the place, and figured it would be a good spot to work. I love coffee shops, from the exotic smells to the hipster vibe. The only thing is, I don’t drink coffee. Well, I didn’t. On the twenty-minute walk from my …
Archives for May 2014
Saturday Morning Sprinkles: Missing Mice Edition
• A pest control company has come up with a creative way to build buzz about their services using some pretty amusing videos and these priceless missing mice posters. • So I'm sure this hotel costs an arm and a leg, but I so want to stay here. It's called Giraffe Manor, and they have giraffes, people! Disney's Animal Kingdom, eat your heart out. • Speaking of Disney World, here are 35 secrets from Disney Parks that you probably never noticed, including a secret off-menu dessert at the Beauty & The Beast "Be Our Guest" restaurant. Hint: ask for the grey stuff. • Here's a neat camera …
[Read more...] about Saturday Morning Sprinkles: Missing Mice Edition
Behind the Scenes of My Book Writing Retreat, Part 2
You guys! I am thrilled to report that today I completed drafts for all 40 rules that will be in the book! I ended up including 6 of the top 7 rules voted on by you, so thank you to all who voted! (I decided the rule "Thou shalt take yourself seriously" was a theme that ran throughout many of the ones I already had, so that didn't make it.) Almost all of my writing took place outside near Lake Michigan today, as it was finally sunny and beautiful :) Tomorrow I will be hitting the sketchbook hard. I have plans to use much of my existing art in the final book, but I need to create a lot more …
[Read more...] about Behind the Scenes of My Book Writing Retreat, Part 2
Behind the Scenes of My Book Writing Retreat
Pretty productive writing day yesterday! I have drafts of 28 of the 40 chapters for the book done, a feat I attribute 50% to focus & freedom from distraction and 50% to me drinking coffee for the first time :) Here are 10 things I wrote that I'm pretty proud of... “No one ever died at the age of 100 looking like a 19-year-old.” “And if you don’t want to make the bed, no evil will befall you. Sure, the ghost of your mother may haunt you, but it’s not like she wouldn’t have anything else to hound you about, right?” “The tuxedo I wore was a rental, but if it were still in my possession …
[Read more...] about Behind the Scenes of My Book Writing Retreat
Help Write My Book (a Poll)
As you may have heard, we have a new book in the works with St. Martin's Press about the "Rules That Don't Exist." There are approximately 1,385,984 of these so-called rules, although most of them have yet to be discovered. I have uncovered no less than 118 so far, but alas, the forthcoming book can only hold 40. (I smell a sequel. And maybe even some prequels starring the cousin of Jar Jar Binks!) Anyhoo, I am on a writing retreat in Milwaukee this very moment, trying to decide which rules should be included in this particular book. So far, I've got over 30 of the rules nailed down. …
When to Let Your Inner Child Romp All Over the Place
I love the book Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. And I especially love this passage, where she's talking about writing first drafts: Just get it all down on paper, because there may be something great in those six crazy pages that you would have never gotten by more rational, grown-up means. The child's draft, where you let it all pour out and then let it romp all over the place, knowing that no one is going to see it and that you can shape it later. We may look silly in the process, but sometimes the best way to solve nagging problems is to let our inner child romp all over the place. …
[Read more...] about When to Let Your Inner Child Romp All Over the Place
What I Did Instead of Painting My Deck
This is what my deck looks like right now. This is the worst of it, but there's little bits of chipped paint everywhere. I was hoping to touch it all up before our Annual Summer Framily Cookout. Which is today. I'm pretty particular about keeping things tidy and taking care of my stuff, and it really bothers me that it's not done. Alas, it's been a busy week, and there were too many other things of higher priority. I could have snuck it in last night, but that would have meant not being able to go to the park with my kids on such a beautiful day. I figured that was more important than …
Saturday Morning Sprinkles: Playing with the Moon Edition
• I love these photos by Laurent Lavender from his ongoing series called Moon Games. Such fun! • I have never seen sandcastles quite like this. The cool thing is that Sandcastle Matt demonstrates the unique drip method he uses right here. • You know what's boring? Stairs. If only there was a way to turn all the stairs in your home into slides...believe it. • I met a super cool lady named Betty in Washington D.C. last week. On January 1st, she began a challenge of doing something new every day. It's her Year of Firsts. Although she has done some super cool things, I love how she has …
[Read more...] about Saturday Morning Sprinkles: Playing with the Moon Edition
Show & Tell Winner: Lego Maniac
A while back we asked you to send us a photo of something from your childhood that you still have. Our winning entry comes from Joel Conley, who wrote: I saved all my Legos from when I was a kid, for my kids, right? We play with them often spending hours sitting on the floor surrounded by the colorful building blocks of imagination. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in my awesome Lego creation that I look around and realize the children have gone off to pursue other interests. I shrug, and build on. P.S. I married a woman who also kept her awesome Lego collection... For her kids... …
The Biggest News Since the Birth of Our Kids
As of today, Kim and I have been married for 14 years. So it seems like a good time to share some super exciting news with you guys... We recently finalized a book deal with a major New York publisher!!! St. Martin’s Press, which is owned by Macmillan Publishers, is headquartered in the Flatiron Building in New York City and is considered one of the largest English-language publishers. They loved the concept for my next book, “Penguins Can’t Fly and 39 Other Adultitis-Ridden Rules That Don’t Exist” (tentative cover above), and so we'll be working together to bring it to life! An Itty …
[Read more...] about The Biggest News Since the Birth of Our Kids