Posts by Ron
Griddlesode S15-002: The Comet of the Century

Some stories happen in the matter of seconds. Others take a lifetime. Here’s personal story that’s almost 50 years in the making–Ron’s quest to photograph a comet.
The music on this Griddlesode was licensed from Audiio.com:
In order of appearance are:
- We Got Tonight by Tiger Run
- Lifeline by Justin Morgan
- Make it Happen by Talkbox
If you’ve already listened to the show and would like to see Ron’s photographs, here are a few links:
- Ron’s 1997 photo of Comet Hale-Bopp
- The Prince of Peace Cemetery (2020)
- Ron’s 2020 Photo of Comet NEOWISE
Lastly, if you’d like to learn how to tell your own stories, please visit storyhow.com.
Read MoreGriddlesode S15-001: The Buntling Ball Prize
Sometimes I stumble onto one story while researching another. An advertisement caught my eye a few years ago while I was reading an article in an 1870s magazine. I filed it away, forgot about it, then came across it again a couple of months ago. Subsequent research led me to buy two first-edition books. The first is an 1884 novel about the country’s burgeoning economy. The second, published the following year in 1885, is a satirical play about New York City’s Bourgeoisie. The first was a bestseller. The second was not only a flop, but a nineteenth century public relations disaster. Today we’re going back 135 years to tell the story of these two books. It’s a story that I call, The Buntling Ball Prize.
The music on this Griddlesode was licensed from Audiio.com:
In order of appearance are:
- Winter by Long for the Coast
- Everything or Nothing by WilleyEcho
- It’s Gonna Rain by Firework Festival
- and Cut Throat by Dorian Robin
Fool Me Once: Learning to Play the Game
Have you ever been taken advantage of? Have you ever been cheated, lied to, or deceived? At some point in our lives, someone uses our trust against us and were disappointed, hurt, and left somewhat jaded. In this Griddlesode, Ron describes being scammed and the lessons that he learned through the experiences.
The Music in this Griddlesode came from two artists:
- Covert Affair
Derek Clegg (on Free Music Archive)
- Answer
- C’Est La Vie
- Annalise
Read More
Griddlesode S14-001: Who Knew Storytelling Could be so Dangerous?
In 2008, on Griddlesode S4-001, I told the story of my unfortunate road to surgery after breaking my finger playing basketball. I called that story, Paperclip Pinky.
Eleven years later, I have another injury story for you, but rather than hurting it while playing sports, I suffered it while…storytelling. How did I do that, you ask? Well, sit back and listen to a story that I call, “Who Knew Storytelling could be so dangerous?”
The Music in this Griddlesode came from the Kevin MacLeod of incompetech.com. In order of appearance art:
- Loopster
- Ossuary 6
- Exotic Battle
I just want to thank all my longtime listeners. You are the reason that I keep producing this podcast…albeit infrequently. If you need a dose of me, though, checkout my work at storyhow.com, where I teach the techniques that I use to tell stories. I’ve also published a new book called The Proverb Effect. And yes, it too is written as a story.
Read MoreGriddlesode S13-002: The Most Important Storytelling Trait
I’ve been a storyteller as long as I can remember. In 1990, I told the story or the Battle of Lexington & Concord in two hour audio cassette. In 1995, I wrote a business fable called The Edison Effect, that told the story about a manager who lost his job to technology and the lessons that he learned along the way back into the job market. In 2005, I started this storytelling podcast. And so it only made sense that ten years later, I started teaching the art of storytelling to business folks.
Griddlecakes Radio has blessed me with the opportunity to meet many listeners who’ve reached out to tell how my stories have affected them. Others have express their hopes to become better storytellers themselves. I’ve never talked about the act of storytelling on this podcast, and thought that we could use this end-of-the-year Griddlesode to peel back the storytelling curtain. So, for those listeners who want to become better storytellers, this Griddlesode is for you because I’m going to teach you the most important trait that any storyteller must have. And of course I’m going to do so through storytelling…three of them actually.
So sit back and get comfortable while I tell three little stories that share a common theme, the single most important trait that a storyteller must have.
The Music in this Griddlesode came from the Free Music Archive. In order of appearance are:
- Warm Duck Shuffle by Arne Huseby
- Has-been Blues by the Cantonement Jazz Band
- Stormy Blues by Arne Huseby
- Bessemer Blues by the Cantonement Jazz Band