In August Jason and I went to the National Speakers Association Convention. While settling in for a session, I found a familiar face in the second row and we started chitchatting. There was a guy in front of us typing away on his Blackberry, looking concerned. He soon turned to us and said, "I think I'm going to have to move to the back, in case I get a phone call. I don't want to have to walk out if I'm sitting in the front row." My new friend and I were on the same wavelength. I replied, "Why don't you just turn your cell phone off and let your voicemail catch your calls for the next hour?" …
General
EA #34: 5 Games to Play with Co-Workers
In this episode, brought to you from studio 315 in Madison, Wisconsin, we talk about Office Olympics, popular fruits, our very first trip to North Dakota, and share 5 fun games you can play with your co-workers. Just click "Play" to listen to the show... …
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Even Rock Stars Can Get Adultitis
You might think that certain professions are immune from outbreaks of Adultitis. Circus performers, perhaps. Candy makers. Rock stars. Au contraire, mon amie. Any job, performed over an extended period of time, can become an effective breeding ground for Adultitis. Even the glamorous lifestyle of a rock star. Lawyers and politicians may be among the first professionals that come to mind when you think of people who have the propensity to take themselves too seriously (a major warning sign of Adultitis). But I've gone to art school and spent a lot of time around creative types, and …
Indulgences From Childhood
Saturday afternoon Jason and I ended up at the grocery store to pick up some ingredients for the recipes for the weekend. (Jason treated me by making three very yummy dinners!) As many couples do in the grocery shopping situation, we split up to divide and conquer our list. I was about done and I went looking for Jason, only to find him walking from the cereal aisle looking like this... Yes, this is the actual picture of him from that exact moment that I took from my new iPhone. I instantly started laughing hysterically- for a couple of reasons. First, because it's just more proof that I am, …
EA #33: 5 Tricks for Fighting Fall Frenzy
In this episode, brought to you from studio 315 in Madison, Wisconsin, we talk about the Olympics, uncover an interesting distinction between coal miners and office workers, and share 5 tricks for fighting fall frenzy. Just click "Play" to listen to the show... …
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Mighty Mustaches
We held an Adultitis Clinic last weekend, and face painting was involved. It was the first time I have ever attempted face painting, and it was not without its challenges. One little seven-year-old girl had a specific request, but held back because she figured I wouldn't know what it was. Well that was all it took to stoke my competitive fires, so I urged her to tell me. Needless to say, I think I became the first face painter in the history of the world to paint a "shuga gliduh" on a little girl's face. A sugar glider, as I came to find out, is a small nocturnal animal from …
Tip of the Week: Different World
This week’s Escape Plan challenge (aka our Tip of the Week) is: #1 Different World: Spend at least 15 minutes immersing yourself in a field you know nothing about. Something I loved about teaching kindergarten was the genuine openness and enthusiasm the kids had for learning something new. I would joke with Jason after school that I was really more like a salesperson than a teacher (good practice for our business, I guess). Working with kids is all about "selling it." Or, as O'Reilly would cringe at "spinning it." For instance, if I had a math lesson to teach them about greater than and …
Tip of the Week: Instaparty
This week’s Escape Plan challenge (aka our Tip of the Week) is: #2 Instaparty: Find a reason to celebrate and do something to celebrate it. This past weekend Jason and I attended the wake of one of my former kindergarten students. She was ten and had battled cancer for the last 3+ years. Wakes are hard no matter what, but this one was probably the hardest one I've been to. With older folks who pass away, you can look back and celebrate their life and all that they were able to experience. In this case, I'm pretty sure everyone in that long line heading into the funeral home felt a sense of …
Be Happy Now
The street upon which our office/shop is located is getting torn up right now. There are gigantic trucks digging holes, dirt everywhere, lots of loud noises and large tubes lying around waiting to be put underground. It's a little boy's dreamland, and Jason and I saw this firsthand. While walking into the office we came upon a young mom and her two-year-old son in a stroller. They were parked on the sidewalk in front of our shop staring at the construction site. I immediately looked in the direction they were looking, to see if something cool was happening, but all I saw was a couple of guys …
The Problem With Next Year
Popular comedian Bernie Mac died last Saturday. He was only 50 years old. I was always impressed by his energy, enthusiasm and passion. I read an article about his passing and was struck by a particular passage: In 2007, Mac told David Letterman on CBS' "Late Show" that he planned to retire soon. "I'm going to still do my producing, my films, but I want to enjoy my life a little bit," Mac told Letterman. "I missed a lot of things, you know. I was a street performer for two years. I went into clubs in 1977." Now I don't know what Bernie meant by "soon" in regards to his retirement, but …