On Sunday, I told Clara and Charlie that I would take them to a magical place. Then I did. We drove up Alumni Road in our hometown of Newington, parked beside a gate that blocks…

I have a friend who shall remain nameless for reasons you will see in a moment. I introduced my friend to golf seven years ago after securing permission from his wife. Golf can be a…

I was walking up the fairway yesterday with my friend, Dan, when he turned to me and said, “So I didn’t know people call you Matty?” It’s true. Not everyone, of course. Dan has known…

Over the past week: A friend texted me about his opinions of Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road” (not good) A friend sent me a poem that he had written, then he sent me a revision of…

My new favorite animal: Termites Why? They never sleep. While almost all animals sleep, termites do not. In fact, not only are they able to avoid the stupidity of sleep, but they can constantly work…

When I was growing up, channel 56 in Boston ran a contest between afternoon cartoons wherein one lucky viewer could play an on-the-air video game over the phone for cash and prizes. Cross-hairs were broadcast…

Years ago a reader accused me of being materialistic after I wrote about my lack of a single favorite number, specifically criticizing me for saying that when it comes to my salary, my favorite number is…

When I was about sixteen months old, my stomach was pumped after having swallowed an entire bottle of paregoric. Oddly enough, for years, I never bothered to inquire about what paregoric actually was. It was…

My daughter and our neighbor are launching a cheer camp. Elysha and I found a sign taped to the door last week. Brilliant. Right? Seeing “Social distancing will happen” and “Masks are required” on their…

Ten years ago, our friends’ daughter was born. A couple hours after the baby’s delivery, Elysha and I sent the happy couple a bouquet of flowers. While on the phone with the gift shop manager,…