When terrorists struck the North and South Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Northern Virginia., and a third jet that crashed in a small field in Somerset County on September 11, 2001, first responders, firemen, and police rushed to help the survivors. In the days that followed, we …
Coronavirus: Relearning good manners
You've heard the message. We've heard it so much over the past three weeks, you can probably repeat it in your sleep: Wash your hands. Cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough. Stay inside if you’re sick. Be kind to others. The medical doctor on TV talked animatedly with her hands to the reporters …
Coronavirus: A bittersweet drive
I pushed hard down on the gas pedal and raced up the highway. I’ve made the drive to Washington D.C. hundreds of times over the years and I smiled thinking of the great time I was making, I would be there in no-time. I left late at night, but I still figured I’d run into …
Surviving social distancing!
We've all had crazy weeks. Everyone across the globe, from Australia to Hungary, Ireland to Mongolia, Norway to Zambia, and a million other places in between, has been trying to deal with the Coronavirus the best they can. Here's how I've survived in my little neck of the woods: --I tried to write a new …
We have options
I missed the cut. I could cry my eyes out or to steal a cliché, I could get back up on the horse and try again. I was in my mid 20s and I was applying for a newspaper reporter position back in Pennsylvania. My fiancé, now my wife, and I were in Northern Virginia …
Long live the queen
This isn’t the blog I meant to post today. I had another blog planned, poking fun of my youngest son and his plans to hit the road driving when he turns 16 in a few months. I was minutes away from publishing, but the more I thought about it, the more I felt something more …
Missing the family! When technology crosses the miles, but still comes up short
I see my daughter's face on the laptop screen. I focus on her smile. I can even see that she’s doing well and enjoying herself. It kills me though knowing that I can’t hug her or hold her by the shoulders and tell her that I’m proud of her for giving her best. I try …
Continue reading Missing the family! When technology crosses the miles, but still comes up short
The sound of silence
I took the train home from work recently and I looked to be the lone person on the car without headphones. I noticed it first on the platform: everyone was head-down, headphones in place, looking at their phones. Later on the train, I sat up at one point to stretch my neck and looked in …
Feeling like an imposter
I hit the restart button. My laptop screen quickly dimmed to black and started the process of rebooting. I turned my smartphone over to see the time and reflexively looked at my watch, as if the two actions combined would miraculously speed up the laptop reboot. I was going to be late to my 9 …
Keeping track of life’s unwritten rules
In Major League Baseball, when you hit a homerun, you keep your head down and take your base. No showboating. No “look at me, look how special I am” bat flips. No showing up the pitcher or the other team or you’re likely to get a 95-mph fastball aimed at your ear the next time …
