My Local Bank Wants to Find the Cutest Pet…I like That
My bank is having a contest to see who has the cutest pet. Of course who doesn’t think that their own cat, dog or gerbil is the cutest of anyone’s? I like this bank, for things like this…home town, fun things that are old school yet make people smile. I […]
Nickel and Dimed: it’s the Answer to the Question: What do They Want?
About 15 minutes into New Century Theatre’s adaptation of Barbara Ehrenreich’s Nickel and Dimed, its real meaning hit me right between the eyes. Watching this poignant, funny and sometimes wacky interpretation of her seminal book on the working poor’s struggle to survive in America gave me the answer to why there […]
Travel Writers Get Gifts–Topics–Every Time We Hit the Road
Steampunk? A ride in a flight simulator? YEAH, sign me up! I’m just off the phone with Juan Flores, who handles the press for the city of Anaheim/Orange County Visitor and Convention Bureau. I’ll stop by the city en route to New Zealand in late November, and I’ll have some […]
Nantucket Memories: Visiting as a Writer is More Fun than as a Salesman
We are heading out to a place 29 miles at sea this weekend. The faraway island of Nantucket. I once traveled to this place ten times every year, pursuing sales from companies who made their fortunes during a slender window of commerce–from July 4 til Columbus Day. I’d fly there […]
A Town Potluck Dinner Brings Out Wendellites–Of Course!
We drove by and saw all of the cars, and then we saw couples, holding dishes, walking toward the Wendell Town Hall. We must have missed the email, but for sure, something big was going on last night. It was the town’s Harvest Supper, an annual event that brings hundreds […]
Around a Fire, a Fruitless Pursuit of Another Facebook Friend
I celebrated my birthday over the weekend. This isn’t usually a cause for that much celebration on my part, yet since it fell on a Saturday, this 53rd edition was a bit more festive than previous years. At a cocktail and dance party held at my home, I spent some […]
Entry into the Era of Smart Phones is Fraught with Peril and Complexity
For days and days, she anticipated the phone, it was coming any day now. UPS would bring it to door, like Santa bringing a Christmas present. She was giddy with excitement, she wanted to be able to get on the web and easily send text messages and photos. She was […]
I Hear a Pleasant Mix of Languages in My Upper Manhattan Hotel
At the elevator, two woman spoke in a strange language, it might have been Dutch, or perhaps even Latvian. I was coming downstairs after staying the night here on 101st street, in the Broadway Hotel, which is actually a hostel and a hotel. It’s about half and half, so I […]