I’d been overseas awhile. When I returned to my condo, it smelled like that nice air freshener the maid service uses to make sure my place isn’t musty when I get home.

I like homecomings, and I like the way everything’s spic and span when I return. It feels… Read full post »

Pat is a good friend. He’s a tech executive, and he flagged an opportunity he thought I might want to pursue. He’d been in contact with some bright students at Auburn-Montgomery, who had developed a very intriguing piece of cybersecurity software that cleverly and quietly le… Read full post »

Pakistan may be a terribly fragile, nuclear-armed state, riddled with terrorism, crime and corruption, featuring a disintegrating economy and horrendous capital flight. But at least they’re cracking down on a top priority social problem: na… Read full post »

“Do you remember me?” asked the sly voice on the phone.

I leaned back and spun my office chair toward the window. Put my feet up on the sill. Yes, I definitely did remember Laurie Sands.

“I remember everything about you, Laurie,” I smiled.

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I was thinking about my friend Jen the other day. I was feeling sorry for her. Jen is reaching the end of her 30s. She’s childless, and not by choice. I know that, on some very deep and ancient level, this hurts her. I can see it in the way… Read full post »

One of the great benefits of being an Open Salon member is the exposure one has to informed medical opinion. I learn a great deal on this site, about various illnesses and conditions and the therapies that treat them. Today was no exception.

Open Salon’s own doc… Read full post »

I’ve been getting to know my own country again. A break from overseas projects has given me the opportunity to travel closer to home. Instead of more exotic places, I’ve been spending time in places that are entire… Read full post »

It’s all the same, in every town. So much of this country has turned into one big sameness. The hotels are chains, built of corporate Lego. The restaurants and the coffee shops and the stores in the malls. They’re all the same, everywhere. We’ve never been… Read full post »

I don’t like lying. It makes me feel… kind of icky. And it stays with me, for some reason. Even years later, my stupid conscience will tap me on the shoulder out of the blue and make sure I don’t forget.

Conscience:  Hey, buddy! Remember that time in Houst… Read full post »

When men gather in social groups, you can often sense the collective IQ falling. Add intoxicating beverages to the mix, and the precipitous drop in atmospheric intelligence could be tracked by the National Hurricane Center.

Meteorologist 1: “My God! We’ve g… Read full post »

Every now and then, I get together with a bunch of college buddies. It usually happens for no particular reason. One of us decides that it’s been too long since we’ve gathered to drink, laugh, boast and lie. So we meet. We eat and imbibe.  We flirt with waitresse… Read full post »

Sometimes, the office gets a little stifling. I find myself drawn into details, immersed in minutiae, heading down a slippery slope toward micro-managing my staff. Which I hate, and I strongly suspect makes my people mutter darkly about me. And nobody needs darkly-muttering emplo… Read full post »

Now, don’t look

Don’t see at all

Don’t hear glass shatter

Don’t feel gray dust

Don’t smell the awful

Don’t taste harsh grit

Just don’t look

Don’t see things fall

Don’t hear the voices

Don’t feel sweat trickle

Don’t smell r… Read full post »

It always happens during the night, and I don’t actually feel any different when I wake up. When I open my eyes, the ceiling looks the same, with the same morning blurriness. The sheets feel the same, and whisper the same entreaties to just reset the alarm and enjoy… Read full post »

As a New Yorker, and as a man, of course I’m excited about the new fall fashions for women. It’s nearly autumn, and I want to know about the things in which the gals will soon be wreathed, wrapped, button… Read full post »

I like Valentina a lot, in spite of the fact that she’s a little too much like me. And by that, I suppose I mean that she’s very focused on her work and career. And that she’s not averse to an occasional noisy evening of nocturnal gymnastics, on a… Read full post »

Dawn peeking fades stars

At lake’s mid, gentle moves hand and foot

In still water treading soft

Buoy a head just, just

Above

Strange place to greet the day

Silent private cool

Far from shore

Head back, eyes

Above

A loss, and not the first

Sad, not bitter… Read full post »

I am a capitalist exploiter. I benefit from the labor of my employees. They are nice people, smart people who work hard. I pay them a salary every month, but they generate more revenue for my company than I pay them. That revenue is large enough to cover all… Read full post »

Part 3 of 3. 

Please read Part 1 "Teaching a Girl to Drive" and Part 2 "A Girl in my Driver's Seat". 

I could tell Beth was close to erupting. She had a scary look on her face, and I’d seen it before. It was a look that spoke of… Read full post »

Part 2 of 3.

Please read Part 1.  

Kayla was examining the exterior of my car, an exquisite beast that proves Detroit can match its German counterparts at every turn. “Looks kind of like a stealth fighter jet,” she said.

“I know,&rd… Read full post »

Part 1 of 3. 

There are lots of things I’m not good at, of course. But I don’t worry too much about those things. Where possible, I try to surround myself with people who are strong where I’m weak. I’ve found this to be a winning life strategy,… Read full post »

If you sat down beside me, we would talk. About lots of things. It would be interesting, because it always is. I’ve never met a person – not a single one – whom I didn’t find fascinating in some way or other. Because every life and every way is singular.

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It’s very nice to be a handsome man. People treat you well, and assume you possess virtues that you don’t. You get to enjoy that subtle once-over appraisal (and sometimes twice-over) from women young and old. You get away with things you shouldn’t. And there&rsq… Read full post »

Everyone who knows me is well aware that I keep a close eye on the latest in research about men and women.

What you may not know is that I also adapt my approaches to women, according to what the… Read full post »

What happened between me and Tracy happened only once, and we never spoke of it after. But I thought about it. I sure did. With a mix of longing and maybe-love and bright shame. The ingredient emotions never melded together, each retaining its own distinct tang and sting down the years.

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