Crack open the champagne bottles. Let the confetti and balloons fly. Ring the bells, it’s time to celebrate. September marks the five-year anniversary of my blog. Five years and some 520 posts later, I’m still writing. When I first started this blog, I summarized the site as a place to put a few thoughts, a …
Category: Work
Looking forward to a crowded stadium
I grew up loving Major League Baseball. My wife isn't as big of fan as me, but she still likes to go to a game or two each year. As a treat to ourselves, we bought tickets to the Philadelphia Phillies game in late August against the Cincinnati Reds. We were excited about the game …
Listen closely
I should have listened. Before we even left the house, I saw the weather report calling for the possibility of passing snow squalls. In the car, I heard the radio announcer caution listeners about how the snow was coming down West of us in big, large buckets and was expected to last the rest of …
Can you feel the love tonight
The young woman rang up my grocery order. I had the exact number of items to fit the express line, but she still gave me a cold stare like I was a rule breaker. She threw my groceries down the conveyor, paying little attention how they landed. In this COVID-19 environment, I rarely go to …
Getting a pink slip
For the first time in more than 30 years, I have nowhere to go when I get up tomorrow morning. I don’t have to jump in the shower, rush out the door with a piece of toast or muffin in my mouth, and race the car up the highway. I don’t have to stop at …
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 …
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 …
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 …
And a child shall lead them
My daughter loves hanging out with her friends. She also enjoys reading or relaxing with our dog Nittany. Likewise, my oldest son loves to lift weights and watch action movies. Over the past twelve months, I’ve watched as both have given up things they love and stepped out of their comfort zones to tackle new …
A perfect day
The coffee was weak, my toast was burnt, and my omelet tasted bland. My wife’s breakfast wasn’t much better—her crêpes looked soggy and lumpy. That’s not all. The restaurant was loud and had a strange echo and a cold breeze shook me every time a customer opened the door. Despite the food and the surroundings, …
