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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
“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 […]
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 […]
It’s a whirlwind of a day and finally, the cafe is chugging on all eight cylinders, shaking off a lousy few weeks of post-holiday doldrums. With my most excellent staff handing all of the soup and pannini making, I had time to do what I should be doing, publishing stories […]