– stage 2

in stephen king’s book, On Writing, he said that one of the keys to writing is to find a comfortable place to work.  this is my comfortable place.  it’s time to start using it.  for those of you who wouldn’t know, and for those few of you who might know, i like to write. over the past 10 or…

– role models

I’m almost 50, and it wasn’t until about a year ago that I realized something very important:  I have a role model.  I have someone I’ve been emulating for, I don’t know, maybe about 35 years.  As I look back on most of my 49+ years, it should have been obvious all along.  And I…

– kid younger

Although some of the other 13-year olds are trying to wear heels, she’s still running around in Uggs and Chuck Taylors. She tried softball and soccer, possibly because she knows that sports are important to me.  She didn’t last more than one season, but I’m thrilled she at least tried.  I used to pitch to her…

– kid older

when my kid went to pre-school, she screamed for two weeks. they said she’d never get through kindergarten.when she got to 1st grade, they wanted to move her up to 3rd grade. i said, “no. i just want her to get the regular stuff. i’ll handle the extras.” all i wanted was for her to have friends…

– easy and cheap hot breakfast

About ten years ago when I first became a single/divorced dad, I was not in such a position to take my kids out to breakfast on my weekend mornings when I would pick them up.  Instead, we’d go to our apartment where I’d make pancakes, waffles, or oatmeal.  They would have been happy to settle…

– cool

see this hi-def picture of a beagle?  it isn’t a hi-def picture of a beagle.  it’s actually made of thousands upon thousands of tiny, colored pieces of candy.  it’s also why i have trouble taking photography the same way i used to.  of the many part-time jobs i had in college, one was in a book warehouse.  there…

– ice ice baby

  It’s called “icing the kicker.”  No, it has nothing to do with a short, European athlete having Betty Crocker frosting pasted on his body.  It’s a common practice in the NFL that at first glance seems like a good idea, a no-brainer because there’s nothing to lose but a time-out, but a close examination…

– on dashana, on dancerina, on…who?

according to the alaska department of fish and game, both male and female reindeer have antlers, the only species of pointy-headed mammal to have accomplished that on both sides of the gender.  however, male reindeer usually lose their antlers in late november/early december.  also however, the female doesn’t lose its antlers until after giving birth.  so…

– philly sucks

I grew up five minutes from New York City.  In literally five minutes, you could be through the Lincoln Tunnel and into Manhattan.  It took us a little longer as kids because we had to take the NJ transit train from the Ridge Road station in Lyndhurst to Hoboken for $1.35, then a 50 cent PATH train…