Today’s Rant No. 25: Random Edition

Summary

The author celebrates the 25th installment of their "Today's Rant" series on Medium by reflecting on the evolution of their humorous and heartfelt writing, which has grown from personal Facebook posts to a popular and profitable venture, influenced by Andy Rooney and the music of LFO.

Abstract

In the 25th edition of "Today's Rant," the author takes a moment to acknowledge the milestone and the unique approach of this particular piece, which involves writing about whatever thoughts come to mind. The series began as a single humor article in December and has since become the author's most successful work on Medium. The rants originated in 2014 with shorter, less refined versions on Facebook, but the idea of monetizing them was not initially considered. The author draws inspiration from Andy Rooney's segments on "60 Minutes" and the eclectic lyrics of LFO's "Summer Girls." The content of the rants is entirely original, with the author acting as the sole writer and producer. The tone of the rants has shifted from dark and snarky to lighter and more conversational over time. The author emphasizes the importance of keeping the rants fun and inoffensive, acknowledging past mistakes and the need for apologies. Looking forward, the author is uncertain about the series' future but hopes it will continue to grow and adapt, welcoming reader suggestions for new topics.

Opinions

The author values the organic evolution of their writing style and the "Today's Rant" series, allowing it to change naturally over time.
They credit Andy Rooney's television segments and the song "Summer Girls" by LFO as influences on the format and versatility of their rants.
The author takes full ownership of their work, emphasizing that the content is 100% original and comes from the heart.
They have reflected on their past tone and content, recognizing the need to avoid crossing lines with racism, sexism, and homophobia.
The author is open to feedback and topic suggestions from readers, with the caveat that topics must not be offensive and should have enough depth for a full-length article.
They express gratitude to their audience for their support and readership, aiming to provide content that is both engaging and respectful.

Today’s Rant No. 25: Random Edition

To celebrate my milestone 25th “Today’s Rant” article, I think we should do something a little different today. In my previous 24 rants, I had chosen a random topic and then discussed my thoughts about it in a humorous way. My retail career. My honeymoon in Hawaii. Even my shirts and jackets. However, for this particular rant, I plan to write about the first thoughts that pop into my mind. Simply allow my brain to wander and let my fingers do the typing on the keyboard. Sounds fun, right?

I had started on Medium last summer as solely a sportswriter. But then, I posted a humor article called “Today’s Rant” in December, which was an immediate success — and the rest was history! That single piece has since transformed into an entire series, by far my most popular and monetarily profitable work on this platform.

Ironically, the idea of writing humorous rants had started around 2014. At the time, I had posted shorter, less polished rants on my personal Facebook account. Although I received positive feedback from family and friends, the idea of making money and ultimately a career from the rants were far from my mind. I worked in retail at the time and the rants were meant to keep my writing talent and creativity burning bright.

While the concept of the rants had come from my own brain, I have to credit one famous journalist and one famous boy band for helping me develop the format of the rants. As a kid, I loved watching the late Andy Rooney’s humorous and witty segment, “A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney,” on CBS’s weekly news program “60 Minutes.” For those of you unfamiliar with his spiel, he would pick a topic and express his opinions about it. He would often gripe about issues with a mixture of humor and seriousness. With both a lighthearted, but also snarky, matter-of-fact tone. With approval and vexation. And I absolutely loved it!

As a teenager in the 90’s, my radio was of course filled with boy band music. One of my favorite songs at the time was “Summer Girls” by LFO. Not a great song by any means, but easily the catchiest one I know, even to this day. The trio from Massachusetts manage to rap about seemingly every subject in the song, from “The Wizard of Oz” to Larry Bird to Michael J. Fox. It is literally about everybody and everything. I have always appreciated its witty lyrics and unforgettable rhythm. Although it has been 23 years since its original release, I sometimes still listen to it on Spotify while I drive.

The content of my “Today’s Rant” articles are 100 percent original and come from my heart. Although my wife, Kay, and I co-produce my other series on Medium, “The Parenting Tales of Teo,” I am my own writer and producer for this series. Developing topics can be challenging. After all, I need to fill an entire article with words about a given topic without running out of steam. I always try to pick interesting topics (or I hope you at least find them interesting).

I had written the first several “Today’s Rant” articles with a darker, snarkier voice, but the tone has since become lighter and more conversational. The change was not intentional as I had instead allowed the series to evolve on its own. But, no matter what, I want my rants to be fun without crossing lines. Racism, sexism, and homophobia are never acceptable — period. Have I ever written something I have later regretted? Yes, absolutely. I have been called out (and with good reason) several times for making overly pointed comments. All I can do is apologize and not make the same mistakes again.

What is the future of the “Today’s Rant” series? Not sure, honestly. I hope it continues to organically evolve, blaze its own path, and accept whatever fate comes its way. If you have topic suggestions, feel free to send them my way. I only publish 1–2 articles a week so it might take a while for me to get to your recommendations. The topic cannot be offensive, and it must have enough depth to become a full-length piece. So, give it your best shot! As always, thank you for reading my articles and supporting my work. Keep reading, take care, and be well!