My uncle, a mentor, had been murdered the day before and I was still stunned, but the waves of emotion were beginning to boil up and seep through in that state of shock when I finally went to see Aretha Franklin perform for the first time, in 2009. My wife and I had gotten tickets …
Demonization is natural and can even be enjoyable, particularly in the hands of someone who is sharp-witted, sharp-tongued, a great writer, or rhetorical speaker. Many of us love to throw sharp jabs, flip and cutting remarks, or witty rebuttals to those whose positions seem indefensible to us. Especially in the age of social media, when …
Before all this horrible news, my wife, Laura, took our 8 y.o., Will, to the local pharmacy in town today. He has strep but is fine. She and he were playing around as they waited for the prescription, trying on reading glasses, etc. This is a real old mom-and-pop place with truly excellent, friendly, personal service …
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” came on my daughter’s indie channel on Pandora this evening and, as she was just going to hit the button for the next track, I tried to explain the significance of the song, how it changed so much in so little time. I was left saying that is was more or …
I am 46. Despite most evidence to the contrary, a prolonged adolescence in a rock band, and an overall weakness to let go of my youth (I prefer to think of it as being young at heart), I have to finally admit I am a grown-up. We, the grown-ups must accept responsibility for the …