“Silly Bandz Invasion” in Main Line Today (November 2010). The little critters started appearing in our house one at a time. Before long, they began to multiply. Fearing an infestation was imminent, I called the exterminator: “Hello. I think I have any infestation in the …
Read MoreThe Invasion Part 1: Stinkbugs
“Invasion of the Stinkbugs” in the Philadelphia Inquirer (October 19, 2010). Drifting off to sleep, I’m roused by a faint buzzing from across the room. It quiets, and I start to drift off again. But it resumes, and this time it sounds like a helicopter …
Read MoreLife lessons for the superhero apprentice
“Superhero in Training” in Main Line Today (August 2010). At 4 years old, my son has just one problem in life, and it plagues him night after night. Lying in bed, a never-ending debate runs through his mind over which superhero he should be when …
Read MoreOne stamp at a time
“The Great Letter Revival Movement” in the Harrisburg Patriot-News (July 3, 2010). An unspoken, hopeful moment in my day, and I daresay in most people’s, occurs with the simple act of reaching into the mailbox. Somewhere deep in our subconscious is a deep longing for …
Read MoreUnearth Day: Digging in the Dirt
“The case for ‘Unearth Day’” in the Philadelphia Inquirer (April 21, 2010). This week, as folks around the globe celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, I propose that we establish an offshoot movement to be known as “Unearth Day.” Earth Day, which is Thursday, …
Read MoreBonusgate: The suffix scandal
“Scandalously unoriginal” in the Philadelphia Inquirer (March 24, 2010). Here’s another verdict that should come out of the continuing Bonusgate corruption trials in Harrisburg: a cease-and-desist order against future use of the suffix “-gate.” Here’s what I would like to see in the courtroom: The jury …
Read MoreA Twittering Resolution
“A Twittering New Year’s Resolution” in Main Line Today.
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For the Love of the Ball
Fathers, sons, and lessons learned… “For the Love of the Ball” (Main Line Today, October 2009) Early on in my eldest son’s life, Michael decided he wanted to be a ballplayer when he grew up. Signs of his intended vocation came from the start. Instead …
Read MoreForty feet and friendship
“Forty feet and friendship” in Main Line Today (June 2008). “Clink! Clank! Thump. Clank!” Followed by cheers, jeers or groans. “Clink! Clank! Thump. Clank!” Back and forth the sounds echoed, the metal-on-metal music of men playing horseshoes. Listening and watching from afar taught me much. …
Read MoreThe addiction
Dedicated to the pursuit of “stuff” in the Philadelphia Inquirer (May 23, 2008). Any day now my mailman, Bob, will be delivering a hefty check to my mailbox courtesy of the U.S. Treasury. With two kids worth $300 a pop, my wife and I are …
Read MoreOkefenokee Swamp: Land of the Trembling Knees
“Two guys not so okey-dokey in Okefenokee” in the Philadelphia Inquirer (January 13, 2008). The Seminoles certainly had it right when they called the eerie expanse of cypress and snake-infested land on the Georgia-Florida border the Okefenokee Swamp – “land of the trembling earth.” Though …
Read MoreThanksgiving: An Eagle’s-Eye View
“Thanks for the memories” in the Philadelphia Inquirer (November 22, 2007). Thousands crowded the Ben Franklin Parkway to cheer the floats, bands and enormous balloons as they rolled, marched and floated past. I watched the scene unfold far below me, the mob miniature and the …
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Painted rocks
“Painting a landscape is not always a good thing” in the Philadelphia Inquirer (August 14, 2007). The rocks have stood there virtually unchanged for 20,000 years, giving visitors a present-day glimpse of a long-ago past. It’s known as Boulder Field, and its nearly 17 acres …
Read MoreA little Bling
“A little Bling can go a long way in Nicaragua” in the Denver Post (August 12, 2007). Twenty percent of the world’s population does not have enough water. The United Nations expects that number to rise to 30 percent by 2025, with possibly 2.3 billion …
Read MoreFaith, freedom, and riding a bike
“Lessons of fatherhood, learned at play” in the Philadelphia Inquirer (June 15, 2007). It’s as cliched as they come, but my earliest memory of my father is when he taught me to ride a bike. The memory is a fitting one for a son, for …
Read MoreThanksgiving Movies and 8mm Memories
“Movie moments, at home” in the Philadelphia Inquirer (November 23, 2006). Thanksgiving weekend is regarded as one of the more important holiday weekends for the Hollywood studios. They send new films to the big screen when friends and family have the time to spend together …
Read MoreJoin the Madness of Mad Hatter Day
“Let your silliness triumph all day long” in the Philadelphia Inquirer (October 6, 2006). Thanks to the devil that is marketing, there is now a day, week and month for everything. Companies and organizations looking to push a product, agenda or cause simply hijack a …
Read MoreI Grew Up in a Cemetery
I grew up in a cemetery. Apart from the house I grew up in, the cemetery just four doors down from that house is home to the fondest memories of my childhood, my adolescence, my teenage years, and the pseudo angst-ridden years of early adulthood. …
Read MoreBodysurfing
“Starting Point” in the National Catholic Reporter (August 11, 2006). I walk the beach with my toddler daughter, a bucket of ocean in tow. Looking to the waves, a man is teaching his son to bodysurf, and I catch of glimpse of my past and …
Read MoreA Mother’s Garden Tools: Patience and impatiens
“A Mother’s Garden Tools” in the Philadelphia Inquirer (March 10, 2006). The Philadelphia Flower Show, which runs through Sunday at the Convention Center, is an inspiration to some gardeners, a glimpse of things to come for others, and to mothers of sons everywhere, a depressing …
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