Want to laugh at Ben Gran in public? Here’s your chance: Friday, March 9 at 7:30 p.m. Drawing by David Anderson, Houston, TX WHAT: Ben Gran! (Performing stand-up comedy) WHERE: The Des Moines Social Club! WHO: Ben Gran! Also: A funny guy from Omaha named Zach Peterson will be on hand to deliver devastating witticisms! (You might say Zach puts the “Ha!” in “Omaha!”) HOW: Ticket Info and Juicy, Scandalous Details are here – BUY TICKETS NOW! (no pressure) WHY: Because we need something special to get through the gray slog of our daily lives, but drugs are illegal. Love, Ben Gran (Amateur...

My wife and I recently decided to host a foreign exchange student from Brazil. He’ll be living at our house for the spring semester of 2012 – January through June. We had talked before about wanting to host an exchange student, but we always thought it would be on our “someday” list – someday when our kids are older, when we have more money, when we have more time, etc. We’re very busy right now taking care of two young children under the age of 4, and we live on one income, so we weren’t 100% sure if we were “ready” to take in an exchange student...

As a freelance writer, I often work with clients to help write, edit and polish their corporate Case Studies – the “success stories” of specific situations that help illustrate their value and explain how they work. Here is a standard format that I like to use when writing Case Studies, along with some questions that I pose to my clients to help generate the details. Client Background: Give a short description of the client’s business and industry. Who was the client? Who are the client’s key customers? How many employees do they have? How much annual revenue do they...

There’s so much to worry about when you’re a freelancer. The hierarchy goes like this: Will there be enough work? I have plenty of work – but do I have time to get it all done? I have plenty of work, and I’m getting it all done – but am I charging enough? I’m making more money than I’ve ever made in my life – but am I setting aside enough for taxes? I’ve set aside a bunch of money for taxes – but will I have to pay all of it to the government, or will I have some left over? Maybe the answer is: stop worrying. Focus on what is in your...

I lived in Japan from 2001-2002, working in Saitama prefecture, Hidaka City as an Assistant English Teacher on the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program. Although I was only in the country for one year, my year in Japan was one of the most influential of my life. I cannot imagine a better way to spend the first year out of college, and I’d recommend it to anyone who is interested in living abroad and experiencing a unique adventure. I’ve been quite preoccupied by the news from Japan since the March 11 earthquake, the tsunami that followed, and now the frightening nuclear crisis. I’m hoping...

I am part of the cast of “The Beebo Brinker Chronicles,” a play being produced by StageWest Theatre Company in Des Moines, Iowa. Opening night is February 18, 2011. It’s been a long time since I’ve acted in a play. The last time was when I was a junior at Rice University in spring of 2000, and I was in a Rice Players production of “A Man For All Seasons.” I’ve been thinking off and on about trying out for another play during the past few years, but I never got around to it. Finally last November I decided to audition for “Beebo Brinker Chronicles,”...