I wore a lot of hats in 2020. This is neither euphemism nor metaphor. It’s a fact. I also sported a large variety of shorts, T-shirts, sweatshirts and sweatpants – lots and lots of sweatpants. Coats and ties became a thing of the past. Button-down shirts, optional. Sneakers, flip-flops and slippers replaced work shoes. Yes, … Continue reading Looking for a comfort zone in 2021
Strictly personal
Things I’ve dropped like a bad habit
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is another column from my Burlington Times-News days, published on May 17, 2015. It starts with some thoughts I had about boxing, a sport I used to love, and wound into a list of the things I once enjoyed or engaged in that I don't seem to do anymore. And in the … Continue reading Things I’ve dropped like a bad habit
My old man and Ralphie’s old man shared a common language
This is a column from deep in the archives. It was published on Father's Day --June 19, 1994 -- by the Jacksonville Daily News. At the time my dad was almost two years past a heart transplant and he would live another 14 years before passing away in June of 2008. I doubt he ever … Continue reading My old man and Ralphie’s old man shared a common language
An Easter tradition still endures despite . . .
Three years ago I wrote about the only long-standing Easter tradition in my immediate family -- placing flowers at the Danbury Town Cemetery on graves in the area marked of for the Taylors. The headline back in March of 2018, "An Enduring Easter Tradition." Today I am happy to report that it still endures, even … Continue reading An Easter tradition still endures despite . . .
Adjusting to our new abnormal normal
Sunday morning was the first time I woke up unsure of what day it might be. Saturday, perhaps? Didn't seem like Saturday. Then again, what does Saturday feel like anymore? Monday? Nah, it was too late in the day to be Monday -- 9 a.m. is past my normal 8:30 a.m. weekday telephone meeting with … Continue reading Adjusting to our new abnormal normal
Dishing it out at the office
The front page of today's Wall Street Journal (March 11, 2020) features a story about a rebound in the stock market (good news), two stories involving the COVID-19 outbreak (it is what it is), another item about a plan by Vladimir Putin to remain president of Russia (shocking!), and something about the removal of U.S. … Continue reading Dishing it out at the office
Life at Elon: Heading into year four of this experiment
Today I enter my fourth year of working as a development writer at Elon University. To say leaving newspapers for higher education radically changed my life for the better is still a massive understatement. In fact my first day on the job was a clear indicator of just how different life would be. On the … Continue reading Life at Elon: Heading into year four of this experiment
It was a newspaper marriage, right down to the invitation
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I first wrote this in 2007, on the 10th anniversary of my marriage to the former Roselee Papandrea. I'm sharing it again today on our 22nd anniversary. And this time I was able to include the unusual wedding invitation referenced in the story. --- It was a newspaper marriage right down to the … Continue reading It was a newspaper marriage, right down to the invitation
Still standing by my tips for a successful marriage after five years
Five years ago our friend and former newspaper colleague Molly McGowan married her college sweetheart Jamie Gorsuch. Both are Elon University grads who met as first-year students. At the time I wrote a column with my own tips for success in marriage -- not that I'm an expert or anything, just very fortunate to have … Continue reading Still standing by my tips for a successful marriage after five years
By the numbers: The journey continues into year three on Madison’s Avenue
A little more than two years ago I posed a question to my friends on Facebook. I stated that I planned to begin a writing project online via a wordpress blog. What should I call it? Quickly the folks who responded rallied around a particular name. I provided a suitable photo befitting an alleged writer … Continue reading By the numbers: The journey continues into year three on Madison’s Avenue
Madison's Avenue 