To be poor means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. Whereas some are perpetually dissatisfied because their car isn’t shiny enough, or they didn’t get to vacation in Italy, I find myself, all these years later, thankful for cupboards full of food, cable television and an abundance of toilet paper. … Continue reading Poverty simulations play at being poor

I survived my first week (May 2005) on the Charlevoix Courier staff and I must say things are a bit different from when I was a freelancer. The dress code for one: I used to work out of my home office so I spent most of my time in pajamas. My new editor frowns on … Continue reading Goodbye modeling career, hello journalism

What do David Letterman, my marriage and the Boyne City Gazette have in common? They all constitute noteworthy occurrences in my little mustard jar of life. LETTERMAN – Late Night with David Letterman ended after 33 years on the air and he will be missed. The host's influence on me and my brother Adam's sense … Continue reading Milestones for Letterman, newspaper, my marriage

By pure coincidence, maybe, I was reading Sinclair Lewis' It Can't Happen Here (ICHH) during the 2016 campaign season. I picked it up mainly because I'm a fan of dystopian adventures, having previously read Alas Babylon, (Pat Frank) which quickly became one of my top 10 favorite books. Yes, ICHH is heavy handed and a … Continue reading From Buzz Windrip to Trump … it can happen here

Daylight Saving Time (yes, there's no "s" at the end of "Saving") recently ended for the season but now is as good a time as any to complain about it and other odd observances. And we all know how much I likes to gets my complain on. That's a thing, right? The kids say that? … Continue reading Celebrating egg salad? We have a day for that!