Until this year, my 42nd on Earth, I never felt the desire to trade places with any other human.Shortly before our vacation to the Bruce Peninsula, I finally knew that I would rather be someone else than who I am right now.  The life I am leading is so far from what I could ever have dreamed...  read more

The movie Wall-E had a profound effect on me, possibly far more profound than the folks at Pixar intended. Because of the stress of my personal life – my carpal tunnel syndrome, my worries about being able to get work done in a cube farm, and my “dream job” which turned out to b...  read more

On Friday mornings I often tear up and get a lump in my throat just before 8:30 a.m.  That is when StoryCorps is broadcast on NPR.  The stories are usually poignant, and I almost always wind up teary-eyed.  I’ve begun to wonder whether Pavlovian conditioning is at work. ...  read more

A special friend is someone who doesn't tell you you're too old to do things like laugh, and when you cry, he hands you a tissue because, he tells you, it's okay to cry.

I don't remember when this happened exactly. But I can remember it like it was yesterday. I was over at Eric's house on a summer afternoon, goofing around like so many summer afternoons before and after. At the time we used to play kickball in the street where the pitcher's mound would be on on...  read more