All Posts

  • My Ulterior Motive, Revealed

    You might be wondering if I have any nefarious plans for the Daily Dave. The answer is no.1 I’ve started blogging again for two perfectly cromulent reasons. I want to … If nothing else, the Daily Dave allows me to…

    Read More …

  • The Benefits of Benefits

    If I can summarize my approach to marketing in just three words, it would be this: Benefits beat features. It doesn’t matter if you’re trying to sell water or change the world. Focus on the benefits of your product, service,…

    Read More …

  • Articles I Enjoyed About Yesterday’s News

    Yesterday was a momentous day for the United States, and I’ve been reading all the news and analysis I can about it. Here are a few articles that stand out. Heather Cox Richardson: “Letters From an American: January 20, 2021”…

    Read More …

  • Four Lives. Four Tragedies.

    Two New York Times stories about suicide recently caught my attention. The first has to do with the Vessel, the 16-story staircase sculpture at Hudson Yards. Britt and I went there in June 2019, the day before WorldPride. It was…

    Read More …

  • “When Day Comes, We Step out of the Shade Aflame and Unafraid”

    I studied poetry as an undergrad, but I haven’t given it much thought since graduation.1 I think the last book of poetry I bought was by Walt Whitman at a museum in 2005. It’s probably yellowing now in storage next…

    Read More …

  • Remembering Our Last Trip to D.C.

    All the news out of Washington, D.C., reminds me of the last trip the Complimentary Spouse and I took to the nation’s capital. We participated in the National Pride March and caught up with some friends and family members. Here’s…

    Read More …

  • “Where Words Fail, Music Speaks.”

    I’m struggling to find the words to describe how happy I am to be an American today. This passionate rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner reflects my newly restored pride. My mom texted me to say she loved Lady Gaga’s performance…

    Read More …

  • Five Hours Till the Inauguration

    A haiku: Please, please, please, please, please.Please let nothing bad happen.Please, please, please, please, please.

    Read More …

  • 2020: The Year in Doggos

    This has been an exciting year for Lucy the Wonderpup and Linus the Quarantine Canine. In January, we rescued Linus from a shelter in Ruskin. Lucy has proven herself to be a loving and patient big sister. Linus is a…

    Read More …

  • Reflecting on MLK’s Words

    It is Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, and it’s impossible to overstate how much this social activist did to advance equality and human rights in the United States. As an English major, one of the things I admire most about…

    Read More …

  • The Birdcage: Some Thoughts 25 Years Later

    I have been thinking about The Birdcage, the 1996 film starring Robin Williams and Nathan Lane, since someone mentioned it at work a few days ago. I hadn’t reflected on the film since it came out 25 years ago, and…

    Read More …

  • On Your Marks …

    “The miracle isn’t that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.” — John “The Penguin” Bingham Since the last iteration of the Daily Dave, I have lost quite a bit of weight and taken up…

    Read More …