Faceless Facebook Friends Will Meet at Podcamp
I awoke to the sound of a 5-horsepower motor whirring in the driveway across the street. It has snowed and Kate next door was using her snowthrower to clean the white. It’s early February and I can only say I’m glad that January is gone. As I lay back in […]
Pond Hockey Makes Everyone Happy in Ashfield
Patrick Falla and Ben Crosby understand what is really truly important in winter. Pond hockey. They seized the day by organizing ‘The Frozen Faceoff,’ a 16-team round robin hockey tournament held on Ashfield Lake over the weekend. The 64 players got to enjoy one of the funnest pleasures of winter, […]
Yi Yi: A Long, Complicated Taiwanese Tale
We watched a nearly 3-hour movie set in Taiwan yesterday, and as the sun set we found ourselves still a bit confused and no end to the lengthy tale called Yi Yi. Whoever set up two hours or less as the maximum allowable viewing time for a movie must know […]
Try this Triggerfish…It’s Abundant and It’s Good!
In South and North Carolina, Georgia and Eastern Florida, January brought new restrictions to what fishermen can catch and sell out of the local waters. That’s because some popular species like grouper, red snapper, black sea bass and red porgy are becoming too rare–and need time to increase their numbers. […]
"Honey, They Shrank the Newspaper!"
A chill went through me this morning when the oil company called, telling me that if I wanted a heating oil delivery today it would cost me an extra $100, since it was Saturday. These are the same people who I made famous when I signed a ‘budget plan’ and […]
He Didn’t Listen to His Woman…and She Didn’t Let Him Forget!
I got a call yesterday from a reporter named Agnes Pawlowski from CNN.com. They were doing a feature on dirty hotels and wanted some quotes. I was happy to pull out this old chestnut, a classic case of a man who should have trusted the wiser instincts of his better […]
He Teaches Physics…and Can Explain It
Last night I attended a meeting of the local cable TV station. A sort of goofy guy my age sat down next to me, and said he was there because his son was attending the meeting. “I’m the driver,” he explained. But later as we sat together eating pizza, he […]
High Speed Rail in Western Mass: Yes, We Can!
Train service is one of the things that travelers know is much better in Europe and Asia than in the US. Who hasn’t traveled to say, Switzerland or England, and marveled at the speed and the efficiency of their rail transport? I took a train across Austria a few years […]
Obama Thinks He Can Sell Us Anything
I voted for Obama, like everyone I know. But it’s been hard for me to put into words why I’m disappointed in how his presidency has worked out. Despite the virulent naysayers who can’t find anything amiss, I found a writer, Bret Stephens of the WSJ, who put it into […]
In the Slums of Naples, Bosses are Challenged
In the gloom that we called Sunday afternoon, we watched a movie filmed in contemporary Naples called Gomorrah. Like its Biblical namesake, this southern Italian city is indeed a place full of vices and the portrayal of life in the tenements was gritty and grim. It was one of those […]
When Times Are Tough, Give and You Get
January is a tough month, as anyone with a payroll and hungry vendors can attest. But it is wise to consider that every year, we survive and thrive and make it to February and beyond. I called up my sister this morning and she gave me some interesting advice. Counter-intuitive, […]
It’s the Time of Year When We Hate It Here
Now is the time that every one of us here in New England settles into our winter funk. We ask ourselves why we do this, why we live in a place that for so much of the year is unfriendly because people are so cold. Slipping around on ice, trying […]
At the Neighborhood Watch, We Share Our Stories
Last night a meeting was held in a Holyoke elementary school, gathering people together who live in Ward 7. It was about forming a neighborhood watch, after many of us had been burglarized. When the official from the Sheriff’s office asked who had been broken into, a majority of people’s […]
Chris Hartshorne, We Already Miss You
A great big light has gone out in our family. Our gregarious, hilarious, fun-loving and smiling cousin Chris, known to most as Tucker, has passed away. It’s damn hard to believe that he won’t be around to smile and charm us, and bring us back so many memories just by […]
‘Hoarders’ Makes Me Want to Throw More Stuff Out
Christina and Janet are two middle aged women with the same terrible problem. They were profiled on a chilling television program on A&E called ‘Hoarders,’ which showed their jam-packed houses where piles upon piles of clothing, boxes and thousands of other things lie in disgusting piles. There are narrow trails […]
If You Get Pulled Over, Don’t Flash a Bogus Badge
“Do you know who I am?” is the well-worn phrase that people who think they’re important use when confronted with hurdles like being pulled over by a cop, or a big long line. In today’s Gazette, I read about a former selectman who tried the same thing when he was […]
If We Can Imagine It…It Can Be Done
I drove down to Costco for supplies, and as I often do, took the longer slower way through the flats of Holyoke up to Cindy’s. I stopped by this bridge and got a good look at the former Parson’s Paper factory, burned up and wreckage. This might someday be the […]