Remembering Arvilla Manning (a.k.a. “mom), March 26, 1928- August 17, 2013. With an afterward by my daughter Dylan, who actually gets stuff published. On August 17, 2013, Father Burns began my mother’s memorial service with the words, “Arvilla died a good death.” While I remain a passionate proponent of the adage that the best death […]
My epiphany during a recent call with Sears Customer Service was breathtaking and chilling in its clarity. We had only one hope as a nation and that was to immediately move to New Zealand. Over 100 years ago, Sears was the Amazon of its time – innovative, disruptive, a blueprint for modern American business. Its […]
I interrupt my irregularly scheduled monthly post to offer two quick “thank you’s.” First, though the passing of my mom, Godfather, and father-in-law over the last several years cut my subscriber base by nearly 70%, thank you to those of you who continue reading my posts. And my thanks to your tech teams for being […]
Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. Ronald Reagan This Memorial Day, I am reminded of something my father used to say to honor this weekend. “Don’t take your freedom lightly.” If I wasn’t completely tuned-in, he would add, “It was more expensive than you can ever imagine.” While the only action […]
“Have we been paid?” To a musician, this question can mean one of two things. Prior to the gig, it translates to a simple financial inquiry. If asked by a band member during the gig, however, especially if casually whispered mid tune, its connotations become exponentially more ominous. The query is a musician’s equivalent to […]
From what I could gather at age 8, the cause of my grandfather’s death was sleep. As people gathered at our home to remember him, everyone who offered condolences emphasized that he had died “in his sleep.” They said it with a reassuring smile and often in a whisper as if to avoid waking anyone […]
I entered Lowe’s a few Sundays back bristling with manliness, as men do the moment they drive into the lot of any mega home improvement store. With a demeanor not unlike Clint Eastwood manning up to the bar, I approached the customer service desk and spread out my collection of returns – a four pack […]
Winter is coming. The mornings have a little bite to them. The shadows are getting longer earlier. A few days ago the elm over the driveway dumped half of its leaves in the time it took me to get from the car door to the side door of the house. Tuesday it rained 8 inches […]
In 1990, I had a falling out with Christianity, a rift caused by an epiphany I experienced in the very throes of trying to see the Light. In today’s rising tide of evangelicals and our neighborhood flood of Hasidim, I am reminded of that falling out, a turning point at which I became fundamentally opposed […]
My wife, with mild trepidation, approved this missive. Mirage A Trois Marinating in the afterglow of my 40th birthday weekend, with the yard cleaned and the dishwasher on its fifth cycle, my wife and I shut out the lights and nestled together in bed. She had orchestrated an epic two days which had involved months […]
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