The other day, I was working out at the YMCA when I ran into a successful fiction writer who lives in town. This fellow is a legit author, having published a shelf-full of books, won prestigious awards, and earned a substantial Wikipedia entry. We got to chatting, and he very politely asked how my writing … Continue reading For the Love of the Work
At any given point in my father’s life, he owned a poodle. Not necessarily because he chose to, but because life, with its infinite array of surprises, kept presenting him one. In all, I believe, he owned six: Nicole, Taffy, Buffy, Duffy, Nefertiti, and Poppycock. The last of them, Poppy, outlived both my parents and … Continue reading Why We Have Pets
How does one even begin to write about the storming of the U. S. Capitol on January 6? Even as the riots were unfolding on television, I asked myself how to address the chaos—whether it was worth attempting a blog post in such an unsettled and unforgiving atmosphere. My initial reaction to the insurrection has … Continue reading Finding Our Way Back From the Brink
My father was some kind of sandwich genius. In fact, he was remarkably intelligent in many ways, even brilliant, some would say. A Presbyterian minister by training, he was a ruthless and determined chess player. He read more books in a month than I read in a year—and he remembered them in uncanny detail. And when … Continue reading The Power of Peanut Butter
It’s embarrassing to realize I haven’t written a blog post for months now. I blame the pandemic. It’s ironic that I should even think to blame COVID-19 for my writer's block because a global pandemic is certainly worth a few whiny blog posts. And I’ve experienced many of the de rigueur indignities that fill blogging … Continue reading The Rise and Fall of the Pandemic Introvert
Leave it to an ex-literature major to read his annual Social Security statement as a life narrative. But that’s exactly what I did. You see, my driver’s license expired just after the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, and I’m only now able to schedule an appointment at the DMV to renew it. New York State is … Continue reading In It for the Money
There’s just something about incense. I realize that may sound strange from a middle-age man who is neither a Reiki practitioner, nor a musician, nor a Tarot card reader. I’m not even sure when I started appreciating a thick haze of aloeswood in my study. Incense, with its evocative fragrances, has the power to call … Continue reading What Life Smells Like These Days
It’s been a while since I posted anything new on my blog. That fact is particularly ironic given that I am, like most everyone in the country, in lockdown with a ton of time on my hands. Strangely, I have found time to wipe down my door knobs and countertops like every 20 minutes. Now … Continue reading America Can Handle the Truth—As Scary As It Is
I had spent most of the morning working on my novel, living inside the bell jar of my own, strange imagination. At some point, I went to fetch my phone from the family room. As I did, I spotted an airy tuft of cat fur on the hardwood floor, just lallygagging there like a tiny … Continue reading Glitter Glue and Just Slowing Down
A few weeks ago, I did an interview with sports anchor and overall great guy Vic Lombardi at Denver's Altitude Sports. Vic is a 50 year-old prostate cancer survivor who is using his celebrity to raise awareness of this nasty disease. Don Sims, an ultra-marathoner from Denver, joined us—incredibly—the same morning he had his catheter … Continue reading Talking Prostate Cancer With Vic Lombardi at Altitude Sports
