Author Archives: Matthew Callan

The Secrets of My Success

Posted on May 17, 2012 by

“Sir, you do have decent credit, but if we’re going to offer you this loan, you’ll need to put some collateral against it. Do you have anything of value to offer?” “Why yes, I do” *lays a dozen fake Twitter … Read on! —->

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True Parenting Terror

Posted on May 16, 2012 by

I keep seeing ads for the impending movie What to Expect When You’re Expecting. (Movies like that aren’t “upcoming;” they’re “impending,” like doom.) As with any other Jennifer Lopez vehicle, this shouldn’t warrant mentioning. And yet, I bristle each time … Read on! —->

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Embracing the Audience of One

Posted on April 26, 2012 by

Years ago, I worked on a biography of Jean Shepherd, performing research and doing interviews with people who worked with him. As I’ve written on this site many times, Shepherd is one of my artistic heroes, someone whose craft I … Read on! —->

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Me, Talkin Bout the Mets at Hofstra

Posted on April 25, 2012 by

So, there is a Mets 50th Anniversary Conference this weekend at which a whole bunch of awesome people will be presenting a wide range of papers, presentations, and discussions about the team from Queens. It will include ex-Mets like Buddy … Read on! —->

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Posted in Baseball, Shameless Self Promotion | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

A Sample

Posted on April 20, 2012 by

My roommate had an odd look on his face. It was an unsettling mixture of trepidation and something close to embarrassment. I thought either someone was dead or I’d won a lottery I didn’t know I’d entered. “You have a … Read on! —->

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Capital

Posted on April 17, 2012 by

Last week, I took a trip to Washington DC for the first time in over a decade. The last time I went there, it was to see Fugazi play a show on the National Mall as part of a Washington … Read on! —->

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Baby’s First Brooklyn Moment

Posted on April 16, 2012 by

On Sunday morning, me and the family took a brief trip into Greenpoint to pick up some gardening supplies and to stroll. I lived in Greenpoint for six pre-kid years and I still love it there, though I don’t find … Read on! —->

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Recycling Bad Ideas

Posted on April 6, 2012 by

Last night, I ran across an ad that infuriated me for multiple reasons. It was a commercial for Verizon in which several middle aged dudes play basketball while casually discussing things they’ve done that are clearly poor decisions, the mention … Read on! —->

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Posted in Adtacular | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Mad Men and the Excuse of Truth

Posted on March 30, 2012 by

The Times‘s City Room blog had a post earlier this week that I found fascinating, from a writer’s perspective. It concerned the season debut of Mad Men; specifically, a scene in which ad execs from Young & Rubicam dump water … Read on! —->

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Pledging

Posted on March 27, 2012 by

I experienced an awkward moment at a PTA meeting I attended recently. This was something above and beyond the normal awkwardness I feel in a room full of people I do not know and whose only connection to me is … Read on! —->

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