I know you mean well... but you're making it SO much worse. Image: @TheHappyTalent

During a recent trip to Cape Cod, I put on my swimsuit and frolicked in the gorgeous Provincetown water. The water was surprisingly warm — maybe 68 degrees or more! — and even though the air temp was dropping, the setting sun felt incredible on my body. 

I was completely immersed in this wonderful, magical moment, when my former buddy Glen jerked me from my bliss with an obnoxious question:

​"Aren't you cold?"

A while back, I wrote that there are no bad essay topics — there are only bad essays. 

Similarly, there is no such thing as small talk — only small minds. The good news is, if you're one of those people who "hates small talk" or thinks small talk is "boring" or "meaningless" or "shallow," you are not doomed to be boring and meaningless and shallow. 

"Small talk," like any social skill, is a skill. And this one is really easy to learn.

​All you have to do...

Through my work in marketing at a daily deal site, ghostwriting for SMB tech companies, and running my own small business, I've developed a passion for supporting small businesses.

And small business owners. 

Small business owners are the people Andrew Yang wrote about in Smart People Should Build Things -- people who were bold, determined, and strategic to "make the jump" and work on something that truly makes them happy.

Running a small business is tough, though — and that's why I'm a huge fan of Harvest Hosts.

Hello, today's teenagers. I know you don't remember this, but back when you were three months old, you likely began showing self-soothing behaviors — that is, you began learning how to calm down, relax and go to sleep again in your bed.

By the time you were six months old, your parents were actively encouraging you to self-soothe, as this is around the time you could make it through the night without needing to be fed. 

And I'll bet you were crushing it!

Last October, I overcame my fear of towing and started on a two-ish year full-time RVing adventure!

Some people do this to save money, but while RVing definitely beats paying California rent, it isn't cheap. Buying an RV isn't an "investment," as your vehicle depreciates every year, whereas a home would appreciate. While RVing, things constantly break. And, of course, there's the matter of where to camp.

Harvest Hosts is one of the best ways to save money while you camp, since joining this website lets you camp for free at over 2,010 wineries, breweries, museums, farms, and attractions across the US.

But it's not just good for RVers... it's also become a lifeline for businesses that are struggling through the COVID shutdown (on top of ALLL the other struggles small businesses face).

This stupid comic! Three different people posted this on my social media this morning in  unrelated discussions about "unfair double standards."

Which is why I feel morally obligated to inform you: if you actually look at it, this comic means the opposite of what you think it does. 

Am I a leggings expert?

Well — yes.

My spirit animal. Image: @TheHappyTalent

Humans evolved to be extremely sensitive to loneliness — we couldn't survive or successfully reproduce while alone, so there was a strong evolutionary pressure to be lonely.

That is why loneliness causes tremendous physical and emotional agony — and why I've spent time writing posts to help the lonely find companionship.

It's also why my replies to the incels who criticize posts like What Men Don't Understand When They Complain, "It's Only Creepy If The Guy Isn't Hot" and "Creepy" Isn't About Attractiveness. It's About Reciprocity are curt, direct, and arguably "vicious."

Easily one of the most life-changing moments of my life. Image: @TheHappyTalent

I didn't get a single mosquito bite during my trip to the Everglades. Image: @TheHappyTalent

It is known.

Leggings aren't merely acceptable as pants — leggings are the best pants. 

They beat all other pants in terms of comfort, mobility, and their amazing ability to flatter every body. (With the obvious exception being bad leggings, which flatter no​ body.)