The Luck of the Irish Every year or two my wife and I rent a villa, chateaux or manor house for two weeks. These have been mostly in Europe or Mexico and are intended as a way to offer our extended family and friends a way to enjoy some time in foreign lands at minimal cost. I figure we can do this for two weeks more or less for the price of a high-end suite…
Ooooklahoma! I am going tonight to see the new Broadway production of Oklahoma! that is getting rave reviews. It reminds me of the importance of recognizing and counting my blessings. I am very focused on doing that in my life because I think it is the basis for happiness. If you can see the good things you have going for you in life, I think you have a better chance of getting enjoyment from them…
Sally & Jane Human tragedy takes all forms. Every time you hear a sad story you hear an even sadder one. My old pal Dave is such a story. Dave was not a regular guy in college, he was a superstar. Everything about him screamed success. He had his pick of the girls on campus and he went on to have his pick of the companies he could go work for. We all wanted to…
Porca Miseria Corado is our doorman. I am always friendly to doormen, but generally not too friendly or chatty, because it tends to slow me down as I try to breeze past on the way to my day or on the way in to my sofa. But things have taken a different turn with Corado. He is about my age and of Italian descent (first generation immigrant). He has a thick Italian accent. Six months…
Family Business Like most people, Tony had a quirky family. He wasn’t sure it was any more dysfunctional than others, but it sure was in the running for most whacky. Let’s start with his cousin Dean and his wife Lois. Over the years, Tony and his wife Elvira had grown very close Dean and Lois. Dean took care of Tony’s summer house and the four of them vacationed in various exotic places together almost every…
The Bank of Dad I have a friend named Tad. Tad has had both an easy and difficult life all at once. I wish I was giving you a made-up name, but I’m not. The name Tad sort of reeks of privilege doesn’t it? It’s not quite Bootsy, but it’s right up there screaming White, Anglo-Saxon and Protestant all at once. I’ve known Tad for thirty-five years now. Since he was twenty-five when we met,…
Car Conundrum All the current literature tells us that the century of American heavy metal has come to an end. With 47% fewer 16-year-olds getting their driver’s licenses over the past three decades and autonomous vehicles coming on strong, the right of passage is quickly shifting off of getting a car and its respective independence. I’m not sure what marks the passage now, but whatever it is, I hope my kids handle it better with…
My Happiest Child I once heard the expression that you are as happy as your unhappiest child. I even wrote a story titled My Unhappiest Child. It is about my oldest son and I have never published it because I do not want to risk offending him in any way. I have worked with him for the past twenty years to get him on a good track and I feel he is on such a…
The Calm of the Cruise In the Fall of 1963, when the world was reeling from the assassination of John F. Kennedy, a little girl in kindergarten in the Miami Elementary School in Wabash, Indiana was scheduled for afternoon nap time. When her teacher wondered why she had not come back to her mat after her excused visit to the Girls’ Room, she went to the bathroom to find her. When she opened the door,…