2 hours agoThe Dogs' Honest TruthTwo years ago, checking out condos before returning to live in Philadelphia, we became especially interested in one having many features...
May 3An Aquatic HypocriteI won’t define my sense of what hypocrisy is here, but I’ll end the piece with a prime example of it. The road to that unseemly quality...
Apr 18Wordle as AggressionA few months ago, when somebody introduced me to the word game called Wordle, I embraced it the way many Republicans fall head over heels...
Mar 30Spring Garden Street is a Garden of Urban LifeAmong its features, Philadelphia has cultivated awareness of nature by naming major streets “Chestnut,” “Walnut,” “Spruce,” and “Pine.”...
Mar 24PocketologySports jackets are meant to be worn, not exiled permanently to the bleak interior of an unexplored closet. In those more social,...
Jan 13Nostalgia for Less Grouchy DaysIn stressful times, we tend to recall fondly the “old days.” Those reminiscences are meant to contrast placid then with troubled now....
Dec 27, 2021Super Market Shopping: The Aisles of ExplorationFor as long as I can remember, I’ve tried to invent distractions to spice up some of the boring, repetitive activities of life. Usually,...
Dec 11, 2021Check Your Fortune, Cookie?Performing rituals, particularly harmless and generally unimportant ones, has the power to assure us of life’s continuity. When we repeat...
Dec 1, 2021School Board (Never Bored)We had a little ritual. Sometimes, when meetings got contentious, my colleague would lean over and whisper, “This is a thankless job!”...
Nov 16, 2021Wise (and Why’s) GrandparentingGrandparenting provides an endless series of satisfying experiences exceeding anything I could have anticipated. I scrum around with a...
Oct 22, 2021Planning: Habit or Necessity?My wife’s retirement has confirmed what my high school science teachers taught me, that nature really does abhor a vacuum. This...
Oct 10, 2021Philly’s Washington SquareAs a kid, I stopped in at my grandparents’ house at 704 Pine St. about twice a month. Besides the pleasant family re-connection, there...
Oct 2, 2021What Ever Happened to…?Lately, when I awaken briefly in the middle of the night, it’s become common to find myself in “whatever happened to?” land. Names that...
Sep 14, 2021Lessons LearnedGripped by Covid overload, what the disease has revealed about our society is the last thing I want to write about. But sometimes the...
Aug 31, 2021Baseball and FamiliesWatching the Phillies on TV the other night, I focused on a close-up that demanded my attention. A dad (or some insensitive version of...
Aug 21, 2021Truth Really Is Stranger Than FictionEven though we completed our move to Philadelphia a year ago, I’m still coming across relics from different times and different places....
Aug 16, 2021Write!I marvel sometimes about how fragments of the past suddenly re-appear after years of being ignored by their negligent guardian, me. In...
Jul 21, 2021Saying Thank-YouHer reaction surprised me. She looked at me doubtfully, eyes narrowed, but then, a tentative smile began to lighten her face. “Me?” she...
Jul 1, 2021Ingredients for an Ideal RetirementIn this ever-competitive country, everything must be ordered and evaluated––even our retirement plans. Today in Inside Higher Ed, I...
May 30, 2021A Vehicle for ReminiscenceBEFORE––Tomorrow, I’m going to take care of one more complication that stems from moving. In case you’re worried, I’m in no danger of...