Imagine a mundane, post-war America obsessed with conformity. In this world of mean definitions of perfection, everyone secretly felt their own families were peculiar, if not downright eerie.
Enter Charles Addams, a middle class guy, toiling away in a nameless drab office from an unremarkable little town in New Jersey. Little did he know, within the confines of his mind, he was dreaming up a masterpiece of madness, campiness and dark humor.
If you’ve been around here awhile, you might be under the impression that I am an expert at something, but without a clue as to what that might be. That's okay. I have similar suspicions of my expertise.
Read MoreIf you’re reading this, you already know I have a little problem keeping my big mouth shut.
Read MoreThis is about Shark Tank- the TV show. Lots of people equate starting and investing in businesses to Shark Tank. It's the gold standard. The north star. The bee's knees. Any other superlatives you can think of.
Read MoreI'm not talking about reduced fruit preserves here. I’m talking about how we define who we are and what we are into—what makes us feel alive. It’s our jam. And oh, how we love to protect it.
Read MoreThere’s a reason "if it bleeds it leads" works. Coined in the 1890s by William Randolph Hearst during a period when yellow journalism (a reporting style that stooped to new lows) was at an all-time high, the phrase meant sensational, violent stories got prioritized in the evening news.
And it holds true today.
Read MoreOops...I may have just lost half of my readers. Who am I referring to? Everyone wrapped up in “hustle culture,” of course.
Read MoreMany opportunities and visions we decide to pursue are less about the decision itself, and more about changing the narrative surrounding how we view that decision.
Read MoreThis is the time of year when we think a lot about time: its passage, how much we have left, what have we done with it, how much we let get away, and what comes next.
Read MoreThe first leg of what would become a life of many wonderful journeys, both mentally and physically, started here. Right where you are now: The University of Texas at Austin.
Read MoreLast week, I was on a business trip visiting one of my old haunts—the Marylebone district of London. It was a place that became the center of my business operations for a while. It’s also where I learned that there’s an art to failing.
Read MoreThis summer, I discovered that I have way too much stuff. I first found this out after we sold our house; seventeen years of accumulated junk—er…stuff—gone.
Read MoreSome say we are living in the “post-truth” world—an age in which people are making things up right and left. Allow me, dear readers to be brazen; I am tired of all of the nonsense being labeled as “real.”
Read MoreDon't we all have “singing frogs” in our lives? Not literally, of course. What I mean are…great things that seem so clearly incredible to us, but are invisible to everyone else.
Read MoreWhat’s it like to be a refugee? What exactly is a refugee? What are the struggles associated with immigrating to the United States, and what does it take to help the people who do so to thrive?
Read MoreThere is a special place in my heart for Love Field—and not only because of its name. I love Love Field because it was my point of departure from which I set off to see the rest of this wide world.
Read MoreI have to admit… I’ve gotten to see a lot of spectacular things while doing various gigs around town—and around the world. However, the event I attended last Friday at Elon Musk’s Gigafactory was more extravagant than anything I have ever seen.
Read MoreMeet Austin urban artist, J Muzacz. His story should be told, not just for his own benefit, but for the benefit of dozens of artists around Austin who have learned from him, worked with him, and been inspired by him.
Read MoreGreatness knows no gender, no sexual preference, no color, no nationality, no balance in a bank account, no region, no religion. I have been greatly influenced by many women in my life; women I could easily call my heroes. And I believe that my next two heroes, Margaret Mead, and Lucille Ball certainly live up to that spirit of greatness.
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