In Search of Ramps Somewhere in Franklin County
It was a blustery day but sunny. It was a good day to go for a walk. As we strolled through one of the projects on the Jail-side of Greenfield, we headed downhill to a bike trail that lead to the Green River Recreation area by the Green River. Wild […]
Pulled Over in Turners Falls, Cory the Cop Tries for DWI # 102
“Take your hands out of your pockets! Stand back up there, on the curb sir!” It was a nightmare scene but one in which thankfully, I wasn’t going to regret for years and years. I felt last night great empathy for black men in America, all of whom would be […]
Two Women Travel to China in 1986 to Find It’s Not About Them
I’ve been enjoying a book that some might call “chick trip lit. ” What I like about Susan Jane Gilman’s Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven is how cleverly she describes her traveling companion, Claire, when they are facing duress in 1986 communist China. The pair have known each […]
A Map Tells the Tale of a Heartland that’s Emptying Out
The map is what caught my eye. It was the familar shape of the United States, but down the middle were red checks, next to pink ones, and on the far edges, light green and dark green checks. It showed population decreases and increases for every county in the country, […]
How Full Is Your Jar?
Here is a parable I found on the web from a site called “Oceancityfools.com” Is Your Jar Full? When things in your life seem almost to much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar……and the beer. A Professor stood before his philosophy […]
A Little Snake Held its Head Up, Feigning Sleep
We took a walk on Sunday down a road off Rte 122 that lead to water. It was a road that once connected one of the submerged towns: Dana, Enfield, and Prescott, that now lie beneath the mighty Quabbin reservoir. It was a fitful spring day, with gusty breezes blowing […]
Viewing Art by the Diva of Detritus in Northampton
Last night was spent in the big city. Big city, of course, to a rural guy like me being Northampton. I called my pal Jack up, who doesn’t get out of Greenfield much, and he whisked me away in his Lincoln to the Center for the Arts. There I had […]
Tiger’s Streak Ends and Golf Courses Revert Back to Nature
The front cover of the NY Times business section had a ghastly aerial photo of a large patch of green, being overtaken by the desert that surrounded it. It was an abandoned golf course in Dubai, which was originally designed by Tiger Woods, just before the events of November 2009, […]
Matzoh and Mistletoe: The American Jew’s Identity Crisis
There are about six million Jews in the United States, but to many people with this heritage, their religion means little. To other Jews, it’s how they identify themselves. Some Jews are religious but many more enjoy celebrating Christmas. The topic is fascinating to Kate Feiffer, herself a Jew who […]
Having Lunch with Interesting People is Tonic for the Soul
Having lunch with interesting people is a tonic for the soul. I learned this from my father, who was always known for his lunches with pals. He was a very regular lunch-goer, the traditions would last decades. I am carrying on this tradition at the cafe, and today I enjoyed lunch […]
Charlie Sheen to his Audience: “I’ve already Got Your Money!”
“I’ve already got your money!” cried fired comedian and druggie loser Charlie Sheen, to an audience member who demanded a refund in Detroit’s Fox theater on Saturday night. It went downhill from there, according to an AP story in today’s paper. Who deserves to be called out as a fraud […]
Breakfast with 3 Members of the Greatest Generation
I had breakfast today with three members of what some have called the Greatest Generation. It was my father, Nathaniel, and his two longtime friends, Sandy and Philip. All three men are in their mid-eighties and I felt honored to join them at their regular Saturday morning ritual, dining at […]
Forget Returning Bottles, Cardboard is the New Hot Commodity
A few years ago, the price of recycled paper was so low that municipalities were no longer getting any money from the tons of waste they brought down to the Springfield Materials Handling facility off I-91 in Springfield. The market had tanked, we were drowning in an oversupply, and things […]
Speaking at UMass: It’s Always a Crapshoot
I’m heading back to UMass today for another opportunity to speak with students about writing. This is an old tradition, dating back 7-8 years, and it’s unpredictable whether the students will be interested in what I say or completely distracted. I remember one time when I came to this same […]
“Tell me the name of your company!”
“Tell me the name of your company,” coaxed architect Edward Roche, UMass Class of ’72, as we sat on a panel tonight in the campus center. We were here for the Distinguished Speaker Series, and on my right and left sat three accomplished men with stories to share and ideas […]
WRSI’s Meltdown: overwhelming, in a good way.
I joined what felt like everyone else in the Valley who has ever had children today at WRSI’s annual family fest, called The Meltdown. As I listened to a mom talking into her cell, I agreed…the word to describe the whole extravaganza is…overwhelming. But in a good way. The throngs […]
Hal Blaine and the Wrecking Crew: The Men Behind the Music
If you pulled back the curtain on rock and roll over the past four decades, there, hiding, would be Hal Blaine. I read a portrait of this man behind the famous “Wrecking Crew,” in the WSJ yesterday, and discovered that much of the music people think was performed by famous […]
Donald Sutherland: What I’ve Learned
At age 76, Donald Sutherland has earned all the cred he needs. He’s been in so many movies, he’s one of the icons; we would use his image if we were making a backdrop of what Hollywood looks like in 2011. He answered questions posed by Cal Fussman in this […]