Author Archives: Dan Bain

About Dan Bain

Dan is an award-winning humorist, features writer, emcee and entertainer from Raleigh, NC. His collection of humor essays, A Nay for Effort, has earned him fans from one end of his couch to the other. Why not join them and buy one? (You won't have to sit on his couch.) Dan will donate 10 percent of the book's proceeds to education. You can check it out at www.danbain.net; thanks!

The soloist

Posted on November 1, 2022 by Dan Bain

He came down the driveway at the tail end of one of the few large groups we saw last night. We were sitting in folding chairs just inside the open garage, staying out of the drizzle and issuing warnings to … Continue reading →

Posted in Life and how to live it | Leave a comment

I zing the body eclectic

Posted on August 29, 2022 by Dan Bain

I wanted to tell you about something grossly funny that happened to me four years ago. The delay could mean I’ve been waiting for an excuse to write about it, I’ve been afraid to write about it, or I’m lazy. … Continue reading →

Posted in Hassles, Health, Theatre | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Dadchotomies, papadoxes, and octomorons

Posted on September 19, 2021 by Dan Bain

One week ago, I had the great honor of delivering this eulogy to my family: Lately, I’ve been listening over and over to a Foo Fighters song. I would have suggested it as one of the tracks for today’s background … Continue reading →

Posted in Family | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Cancel vultures

Posted on March 6, 2021 by Dan Bain

I’ve been seeing the phrase “cancel culture” thrown around a lot lately on politicians’ social media posts; one of them even wants to hold Senate Judiciary hearings on the subject. Can we all just calm down, please? “Cancel culture” is … Continue reading →

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Dannotated history

Posted on January 2, 2021 by Dan Bain

In 2020, I did my best to capture — and sometimes mock — historical highlights of each day. I am by no means a historian, but here’s a recap, for anyone interested: On January 1, 404: A Christian monk named … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Holidays, Nostalgia, Politics, Religion, Sports, Technology, Theatre, Weather, Writing | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Sliding the trails

Posted on August 16, 2020 by Dan Bain

We live right next to one of Raleigh’s Greenway trails, which I’ve enjoyed. I used to ride my bike on it regularly. During the two years prior to Memorial Day Weekend, I rode it exactly three times. Each outing ended … Continue reading →

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Super Bowl halftime woe

Posted on February 3, 2020 by Dan Bain

Like a whole lot of other people who subsequently made their opinions known, I watched last night’s fiery halftime show. Unlike many of those shared opinions, I found nothing offensive about it. Nor did I lose control of myself. Nor … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Sports, Theatre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Air drag deployed (part 6: Sold)

Posted on December 26, 2019 by Dan Bain

While my insurance adjuster was looking for my old car, I was looking at a new one. Kim, Matthew, and I spent that Saturday at nearby dealership, test-driving multiple models and evaluating colors. We finally settled on one that afternoon … Continue reading →

Posted in Hassles, Technology, The Kids, The Wife, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Air drag deployed (part 5: Stalled)

Posted on December 24, 2019 by Dan Bain

That weekend, I left a message for my claim contact, between her bankers’ hours. Her message had said she had a few questions about the accident, so I recapped it as best I could in a voicemail message – not … Continue reading →

Posted in Hassles, The Kids, The Wife, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Air drag deployed (part 4: Scrutiny)

Posted on December 23, 2019 by Dan Bain

Back home, I had the first message from my claim contact. She had called while I was still dealing with the accident, and I thought she must really be on top of things. That was the last time I thought … Continue reading →

Posted in Hassles, Health, The Wife, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment