Jul 4Writing Our Way to IndependenceThose around me grow tired and roll their eyes at my unrelenting refrain: Words matter. Well, they can just flip their burgers this Fourth of July and tuck in for the picnic — because the fireworks and parades, concerts and flag-waving we enjoy today began with well-chosen, gracefully crafted words. …Indepence Day4 min read
May 26The Chicken, The Egg & Our Gun-Scrambled BrainsWe’ve had a couple of days to process the massacre of 19 children and two adults in Uvalde, Texas. …4 min read
Mar 24Why this Tar Heel is Going to Miss Coach KNo need to adjust your readers or check the calendar. April Fool’s Day hasn’t come early. We are still in the midst of the happiest, hoop-iest of seasons — March Madness. And what a raucous good time it’s been! Full of bracket-busting upsets, stadiums filled to rafters once again, sudden-death…4 min read
Mar 11Pow! Bam!! Captain UkraineThe Superhero Producer Pitch Letter Salutations, Marty! Hope you’re doing well and have finally gotten over that Bouchon lunch check already. It’s been 11 months now and I did offer. You’re just too fast on the draw, buddy. Because you’re so on top of things — covering tabs with your Amex Platinum and zeroing in…Satire Ahead3 min read
Feb 24Slava Ukraini!Long-ago Reflections and Thoughts for Today — Slava Ukraini! translates to Glory to Ukraine! It is a familiar salute in the country, and a wish being sent by millions across the globe today. The proud, exultant phrase stands in stark contrast to the alarming scenes broadcast from Ukraine: Plumes of black smoke. Bombed-out buildings. Air raid sirens…Ukraine5 min read
Feb 16What NOT to Say in a Post-Pandemic WorldThere are certain things that may never return post-pandemic: Salad bars. Mosh pits. Public drinking fountains. Handshakes and 40 hour in-office work weeks. Some we’ll miss, others not so much. There’s also a whole lexicon of business vernacular that must be quarantined indefinitely. For starters: 1. CROWDSOURCE. We get it…Satire2 min read
Nov 27, 2021The Year Mom Served Cornish Hens for ThanksgivingWe had moved over the summer from upstate New York to North Carolina. It was a big change, to a small town, and we all — me, my two younger brothers, even my parents — were feeling a bit unmoored. We were far from loved ones, hadn’t yet fallen in…Thanksgiving4 min read
Aug 18, 2021YOLO, FOMO & Taking Chances with COVIDAren’t we sick and tired of it all? Tired of the coverage and daily counts? The buzz-kill precautions? Being housebound and unwound from the fun and freedom of before? We thought we had a bit of a reprieve with a vaccine that promised to end the madness and isolation. But…Covid5 min read
Apr 20, 2021Anglo-Saxon Traditions — and the Flying of a Cracker Jack FlagBlimey, blokes — what a weekend it was! We watched the royal funeral procession and pageantry of His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. It was a somber, surreal spectacle: Reality T.V. with just enough spit and shine to ease our lurid fascination. Hushed, posh-sounding commentary by British pundits…4 min read
Apr 9, 2021Heal, Hazel!This morning we delivered a loved one to the hospital for surgery. We drove slowly, spoke quietly, and carried a bag of essentials — a worn stuffed monkey and a sweaty t-shirt of mine. Hazelnut, our four-year black lab is having her cranial cruciate ligament — akin to a human’s…Dog Lover6 min read
