So yes, you should find the nearest journalist and give her a great big bear hug and say “thanks for fighting the good fight.” And then go out and buy a newspaper – one of those harbingers of aged news still sold in every convenience store.

 C’mon now. Thank… Read full post »

Esquire magazine is rather brilliant and I make it a point to not only subscribe, but get its e-newletters and Tweets. (And they get my Tweets, which really makes me feel rather cool.)

My subscription to Esquire has puzzled some people, because it is, after all, a magazine for… Read full post »

When I read about the new iPhone app that tracks the swine flu, I thought it was a joke. But it’s not. The free app was developed by Childrens Hospital Boston and the MIT Media Lab. Reports are sourced from both the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control… Read full post »

His long ponytail hit my shoulder as he leaned to yell into my ear, “Can you believe this? I can’t believe it. Fuck, man!”

He punched the air in a hi-five, victorious way and I stepped back to eyeball him.… Read full post »

New York Times editor Frank LaForge retweeted a link to an article that posed a question I never thought I’d ponder: Who owns my Twitter identity?

 Of course a mere three years ago, twitter was a verb, not a proper noun, and it certainly didn’t have an… Read full post »

At first, news of the big FBI round-up of corrupt politico types didn't interest me a lot, except to see if I knew anyone on the list, and what local news angle could be uncovered.

Though he’ll always be remembered as the Pulitzer Prize winning author, whose memoir Angela’s Ashes spent over 100 weeks on the bestseller list, Frank McCourt, was primarily, a teacher. For over 30 years, he taught in the New York City school district, and though I first came to know him… Read full post »

This is the 3rd, maybe the 4th -- I’m losing track -- layoff in the past year at my newspaper. The layoff gods have been good to me, and were again once more. I’m happy to say I still have a job, I remain among the employed, still a working journalist.… Read full post »

They took the back roads in a Chevy Impala, arriving mid-weekend for what would turnout to be one of the most memorable music festivals in history.

Little did they know they too would become a part of that history, lovers huddled standing under a blanket in a sea of mud, sleeping bodies… Read full post »

I don’t do conflict. In fact, I do everything to avoid it and that might perhaps be why I have a lot of friends and few enemies – maybe no enemies. I’ve never raised a fist, rarely raise my voice and when I’m angry I might sigh or grunt, but in… Read full post »

It’s kind of sad when the start of a quarter signals a memo from corporate. No need for a rumor mill – though it’s there nonetheless – history’s been the indicator, and the numbers don’t lie. And just as Tuesday always follows Wednesday and July follows June, the 3… Read full post »

There’s not a subject I ponder more than relationships. Not just between men and women – though that’s been my area of obsession since I first read “Betsy and the Boys” at age 6 or so -- but all relationships.

I think about the confused dynamic between parents and childr… Read full post »

They’re all older than me. Walter by many years (like, almost 50 years-- who's not dead but dying), Michael a handful, and Farrah in between.

Farrah’s death today at 62, is the hardest hitting, since it’s she whose hair and body had the biggest impact on my way-younger self. It&rsq… Read full post »

Wanda Oughton lived with about 150 cats in a 12 room mansion at the end of a cul-de-sac, the kind of upscale neighborhood where people know each other only if they go out of their way.

The houses are spread far apart by rolling green lawns, and it’s a long walk… Read full post »

The deadline is May 30 -- so act now! All it takes is an opening sentence to an imagined sequel to any book of your choosing.

 That's it. The site is bookthesequel.com and it's free, fun and challenging. In addition to your opening sentence, you have to provide what you… Read full post »

Last night I had to fend myself from an attacker. Right in my bedroom. Luckily, I was smarter that than he was – maybe she, it was hard to tell. And bigger too. I had the advantage.

Ultimately I overcame my assailant before any bloodshed. He/she is dead now; I didn’t… Read full post »

There's really nothing worse than working Memorial Day weekend. Well, yes, of course there is. But let's pretend there's nothing worse.

So you're stuck working. Your work will consist of editing stories about  -- you guessed it -- Memorial Day parades! What fun! I know. I’m grateful to our… Read full post »

Sure, it looks like an ordinary frog. But this one is the about 2-pounds, the size of a frying pan, tastes like chicken, sounds like a howling dog and has a roundtrip plane ticket to Sweden.

No kidding. Scientists are airlifting dozens of these chicken frogs off the Montserrat… Read full post »

Dr. Ruth Westheimer does. Remember her? The German sex psychologist who said the words “penis” and “vagina” all over the airways in the 80s? I dug up a column of hers from April 18, 1987 in the Chicago-Sun Times. She told a reader there is “absolutely such a thing as lov… Read full post »

Truth be told … I never dated a NJ Congressman! Flirted with a few … but really, who wants to date a politician? Buffy nailed it -- who would admit to it, especially in NJ? Fireeyes got it right too.

I did at one time have 107 pen pals. I… Read full post »

I'm so glad OE gave us all a fun writing assignment since I haven't posted anything in ages!

So, here are 3 statements about me -- one is a lie. Which one is it?

I'll cough-up the answer tomorrow night (May 1) around 9:30 p.m. or so.

1.… Read full post »

AAA North Jersey just invited me to go on a Magical Disney Tour! Of course they want some money or something. But no matter; I quickly hit “reply” to respectfully decline.

It wasn’t just the money (as in, I have none!) or my irrational fear of all things Disney (notice how… Read full post »

What’s to be done with boxes of memories, of death and failure that scream so loud when lids are opened? (When were we this happy?)

There I am in white, a ring of flowers in my hair, nestled in my long curls, each one having been twirled into place by my… Read full post »

(hahahahahahaha)

segue into ….

There was a small girl with cropped hair in kindergarten who shared her cheese doodles with me everyday. Doesn’t sound monumental. But it was. cheese doodles was, and remain my favorite snack. And my mother, for whatever reason (maybe because I never though… Read full post »

The hardest part was seeing the big yellow truck parked out front. I knew he was going; it was time. We discussed it; this wasn’t a surprise.

But the sight of the truck, knowing it was for my house, would be filled with his things…it was only then I understood he was… Read full post »