WGN: You’ve heard this commercial on our radio station many times. We kind of like it here. Maybe you do too. SARAH: Thanks for calling 1-800-GOT-JUNK. This is Sarah. How can I help? CUSTOMER: If we toss our junk out the door, can you pick it up from wherever it lands? SARAH: Sure, we can […]

What kind of people attend Wizard Academy? What is our brand of crazy?Email your answer to indy@WizardOfAds.com

The Genius of What Isn’t There Three friends, who have never met each other, all sent me the same advice last week.  What makes this convergence particularly interesting is that there was no common trigger. Each of the three messages I received was prompted by something different. The essence of those messages? You’ve got to […]

IndyCan you ask the Wizard a question for me?You know how the Wizard says to become a better writer you should read really well written books.  I stubbled across another idea along these lines.  I have the version of Zoom where it records the meeting and creates a transcript.  Reading transcripts of actual real life […]

The Bangor, Maine Police Department has a marvelous Facebook page. I think Lieutenant Tim Cotton is our brand of crazy. – Indy Beagle Here’s a posting from last week: I appreciate the notes, questions, inquiries, and, to some degree, I do enjoy reading your complaints.  Again, if you saw someone speeding—yesterday—you don’t need to message […]

Jambalaya Girl Jambalaya Rice Mix Poultry Magic by Chef Paul Prudhomme

Indy and Roy, John Marklin from Richmond, Virginia checking in with you with some rather big news. I have decided to retire. There, I said it. Other than my wife and business partner, you are the third and fourth persons to hear it. I turn 65 this Oct. The daily phone calls about Medicare made […]

You’ll have to watch a 15-second ad at the beginning, but this Broadway Zoom conference is worth it. We’re talking the original cast! And be sure to click the full screen icon in the bottom-right corner. – Indy Beagle

That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. […]

Michele’s bio page at WizardOfAds.org

Click for the sign-up page. This class has been $3,500 for the past 20 years, but due to “unlimited seating,” this livestream will be only $1,000 and ALUMNI get a 50% discount, as always. And everyone who signs up will get a second access code to give to a friend at no extra charge. This […]

Once upon a time there was a tavernWhere we used to raise a glass or two.Remember how we laughed away the hoursAnd think of all the great things we would do. Those were the days my friend.We thought they’d never end.We’d sing and dance forever and a day.We’d live the life we choose.We’d fight and […]

When Water Falls from the Sky What if we had no word for rain? What if, generation after generation, we simply called it water-falling-from-the-sky? “Words. I’m surrounded by thousands of words. Maybe millions. Words have swirled around me like snowflakes – each one delicate and different, each one melting untouched in my hands. Deep within me, […]

Jesus and the Tooth Fairy Q: What do Jesus and the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus have in common? A: Grown-ups told us stories about them when we were children. And then one day we realized the grown-ups had been lying.  Yes, they did it because they loved us and they wanted us […]

You might agree with John Pavlovitz or violently disagree.That’s not the point. But regardless of whether or not you agree with his position, you have to admit that he writes powerfully and clearly. Pavlovitz posted this essay on May 4, 2020. He is a pastor in North Carolina. Freedom is an unearned privilege—and you have […]

Brad says, “Unlike the millennials, I don’t use filters to make my photos cool. The only filter I used was shooting through a rainy windshield.”