• Mar 13, 2008

    Two eyeglass inquiries

    I got two eyeglass-related inquiries over the past week, and thought I’d answer them here. The first comes from from a (potentially crazy) man on the street outside my house last week:

    You look like Woody Allen.

    Are you related to Woody Allen?

    You have the same geek face.

    No, (potentially crazy) man. As far as I know, I am not related to Woody Allen.

    The second inquiry comes from my email inbox. It’s a note about this post about my (then) new glasses:

    I saw you wearing these glasses and those are exactly what I am looking for. They look like something you could find everywhere but in fact I have found it difficult. Could you tell me where you have bought them? And are they possible to get online. If not could you recommend a website. Thanks. By the way I am from London.

    Looking at the inside of my eyeglasses, I see that they are Paul Smith glasses, style PS-236 CU/SG. Further web research indicates that they are made my Oliver Peoples, and (see page 46 of their 2008 catalog), and the CU/SG stands for Cubano/Sage. I bought my pair from the fine folks at Spectacle at 752 Queen Street West. I have no idea where to get them in London.



  • Mar 11, 2008

    GRTTWaK4 post-mortem

    The fourth installment of Grownups Read Things They Wrote as Kids was, like each of the previous events, a lot of fun.

    This time around, we moved to a new venue: The Gladstone Hotel Ballroom. It turned out to be a great room for the event, with (almost) enough seating.

    It’s my constant fear that I’ll put one of these events on, and a whole bunch of people will show up to listen, and no one will read. Luckily, that didn’t happen. We had 26 readers, a nice crowd of spectators (150+ said the bartender), and the whole thing was done in just under two hours. Jenna and I took a handful of photos, and some are in this Flickr set.

    Also, for the first time, I asked readers’ permission to put their readings on the web. Most said yes. So once I get all the audio sliced up, I plan to start releasing Grownups Read Things They Wrote as Kids: The Podcast. Stay tuned for that.

    A big thanks to everyone who came out to read, everyone who came out to listen, and to the fine folks at the Gladstone who helped make it happen (especially Penny and Connie).

    The next event will likely be in late May/early June.



  • Mar 7, 2008

    Grownups Read Things They Wrote as Kids FAQ

    A message from Mara in my inbox tonight:

    I’m very interested in attending the Grownups Read event on Monday, but the start time isn’t mentioned on the website. It would probably help if I knew when to show up.

    I’ve had a couple of very valid questions like this over the past little while, so here’s a little FAQ about the next reading event, which happens at the Gladstone Hotel Ballroom this Monday, March 10, 2008.

    1. When should I show up?

    Doors open at 8:00. We’ll get started as soon as possible after that.

    2. Where do I get tickets?

    You don’t. It’s free. Just show up before we run out of space.

    3. Can I bring something to read?

    Yes, please. This is an open-mic event, and it only works when people actually bring things to read in front of other. Too many spectators makes for a short and boring night. Sign-up is on a first-come, first-served basis, but I’d really appreciate an email if you plan on bringing something, just so I can gauge the numbers.

    4. What does “kid” mean?

    Kid = whatever you consider kid to mean. One of the best things about GRTTWaK is the wide variety of things people bring to read. We’ve had stuff from early elementary school all the way up to college age writing. Bring whatever you want.

    5. How long should my piece be?

    Short. See the third rule of GRTTWaK:

    1. You have to be the one who wrote it, as a kid
    2. You have to be the one who reads it, as an adult
    3. It has to be short (<5 minutes-ish)

    That should cover most of the frequently asked questions. If you have another one, email me. Hope to see you out on Monday night. Here’s the official blurb:

    GROWNUPS READ THINGS THEY WROTE AS KIDS is an open-mic evening of adults reading things they wrote as children — poems, book reports, and diary entries. Monday, March 10 at 8:00pm. Free. The Gladstone Hotel Ballroom. http://read.danmisener.com



  • Mar 7, 2008

    Jim Dupree: Magic Enthusiast

    We’re releasing episodes of Jim Dupree: Enthusiast Season 4 according to the Fibonacci sequence. The seventh and most recent one is Jim Dupree: Magic Enthusiast. We shot it a few months ago in the Distillery District. Here you go:



  • Mar 6, 2008

    Personal recaps

    I promised a few people that I’d send them copies of my recent appearances on GO. But instead, I’m putting them online for anyone who’s interested. Yesterday I posted a piece on slowing down time.

    From March 1, 2008, here’s a piece I did on what would happen if my life had recaps like TV shows do: [audio:http://blip.tv/file/get/Dmisener-dm_personalrecaps381.mp3]