Archive for August 2021

Standing in line at 7-11 yesterday with a gallon of milk in hand, I noticed a display of Paqui tortilla chips. Affixed to the side of the display was this warning. It’s kind of amazing. The fact that a tortilla chip requires this much in terms of a warning but is still being sold is…

Today is my first day back to work for the 2021-2022 school year. I know some teachers have already returned to work, and others don’t return until after Labor Day, but this tends to be the time of year when my brethren put aside their summer delights and return to the classroom. I wish them…

While we waited for Elysha to finish up in CVS, Charlie stepped away and began pounding on a mailbox. I ignored him at first, assuming he would stop after a second, but when he didn’t, I called over, asking him what he was doing. “Trying to make some money!” he said. “You know… those people…

Behold a few of Helga Stentzel’s many images of Household Surrealism. You can see many more on her website or her Instagram feed. What I love about this is how simple, original, and brilliant this is. Not only did she make incredible art, but she also invented an incredibly new kind of art. It’s something…

Tigers color analyst Jack Morris has been suspended indefinitely from Detroit’s TV broadcasts after he spoke in an offensive accent when talking about Angels star Shohei Ohtani on Tuesday night. In the top of the ninth inning of Tuesday’s game with the Angels’ Juan Lagares at-bat, Morris and Tigers play-by-play announcer Matt Shepard were discussing…

The end of August has arrived. My children head back to school today. Elysha and I return on Monday. It seems like forever ago when Elysha, the kids, and I wandered onto the beach at Winding Trails on our first glorious summer day. June 18th to be exact. Forever ago. The end of summer is…

The folk singer at the Coventry Farmer’s Market began playing Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire.” As I listened, I found myself remembering the moment I learned about Cash’s death, back in September of 2003. I was sitting on a fence at Camp Jewell in Colebrook, CT, surrounded by a bunch of hungry fifth graders. We…

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the mantra, given to me by a teacher in middle school, that rings in my mind most often: “A positive mental attitude is your key to success.” I mentioned that I had other mantras that ring in my head quite often, and a reader asked me to list…

As Charlie and I made our way from the second hole to the third at Buena Vista, the golf course where we play, I looked right and noticed a tire sitting in a small clearing in the woods, far away from any road. “How did that tire end up there?” I wondered, which is something…

Hurricane Gloria was the last hurricane to make landfall in Connecticut, back in September of 1985. I was living in Massachusetts, but our region was also hit hard by the storm. I was 14 years-old at the time, just the right age to be excited over a hurricane without any of the adult concerns attached…