Matthew Arnold Stern's Blog, page 35
June 12, 2018
Why I’m not nostalgic for the 80s
This post is inspired by a typo. When someone talked about being nostalgic for the 1980s even though she didn’t grow up during that time, I replied: As someone who spent my 20s in the 80s, they all that great. — Matthew Arnold Stern (@maswriter) June 11, 2018 Oops. So am I or am I …
June 6, 2018
Shame on you, El Toro, if you didn’t vote
El Toro High School, I have a bone to pick with you. Actually, I have several, but I want to talk about one that is important – voting. I went to your campus yesterday because it is where my polling place is located. I asked a student at the office where to vote. He had …
May 29, 2018
How to answer questions
On May 24, I gave my presentation at the Muzeo in Anaheim based on my book Mastering Table Topics. My subject, “How to Answer Questions,” may seem basic at first. We’ve been answering questions since we were old enough to speak. But think of all the times you’ve encountered people who can’t give a simple answer. …
May 13, 2018
My first speech
My first public speech was at my bar mitzvah. I was decked out in my new green suit and tie (remember, this was the 1970s) with my talit and a kipah my mom embroidered for me. Although I was shy, I felt comfortable standing on the bimah in front of family and friends. I had …
May 1, 2018
See me at the Muzeo
This month, I will be speaking about my book Mastering Table Topics. On May 24 at 6:00 p.m., I will be at the Muzeo Museum and Cultural Center in Anaheim, California. In my presentation, I will provide tips on public speaking, show how to answer questions in different situations, and give audience members the chance to …
April 12, 2018
The joy of primary sources
If you’ve done research, you’re familiar with primary sources. Reading first-hand accounts, viewing artifacts, and visiting the places you write about can help you bring a story to life. As I cleaned out our garage recently, I came across some of my old Amiga stuff. One was an issue of Amiga World magazine that published a …
April 5, 2018
Getting out of your own way
I started going to the gym for the first time in years. I go in the morning before work. Some adjustments needed to be made. I gave up on recording the late night talk shows and watching them the next morning. And there are the public showers, something I haven’t used since high school. I’m …
April 2, 2018
The story behind the tweet
My tweet didn’t break the Internet, but it may have left a scratch. Like any tweet, there’s more to be said than what fits in 280 characters. There’s a history behind it, and it goes back to the late 1970s when I was the same age as today’s Stoneman Douglas students. This was when the …
March 20, 2018
Moving forward
One more thing to say about anger (or frustration or worry). At some point, you’ll decide to move forward. You’ll seek to overcome powerlessness by finding areas where you have power. For me, moving forward meant joining a gym. I needed to do something about my weight, but I had been struggling with inertia. I …
March 17, 2018
You have the right to be angry
I got into a discussion on Twitter about the value of social media. It included the issue of anger. We feel uncomfortable about anger. It makes us feel out of control. It causes us to say and do things we regret. It can also be addictive. We can find ourselves trapped in a cycle of …
