Check out my review of Fritz Leiber’s Conjure Wife. It’s a horror classic, so I wanted/needed to read it. Fritz Leiber’s Conjure Wife is listed on every “Masterpieces of Classic Horror” list out there, so I was eager to experience it myself for the first time. But this tale of witchcraft in the world of academia left me with… Continue reading Book Review: Conjure Wife by Fritz Leiber
Both of my kids had a delayed opening today due to two inches of slush. Wimpy! This was first published in June 2008 ,but it works just as well in March 2013. My cell phone rang just after 9:30 on Sunday night, as I was putting my son to bed. It was an automated message… Continue reading Wimpy School Closings A Sign Of The Times
When my wife gets into something, she really gets into it. Sometimes she immerses herself in a new writer, or a musical artist, or a television show. I was thrilled when she got into Breaking Bad and crock-pot cooking. Her love of Carol King, Nancy Grace, and Auntie Mame…not so much. My wife’s latest obsession is… Continue reading Zumba Class Transforms From The Inside Out
Good for Canada! Pennies suck! You’re next, Nickel! A bloated deficit. An unbalanced budget. Enormous debt. It’s an election year, and these are the buzzwords in the air. The United States is $15 trillion dollars in debt, and the hole is getting deeper all the time. We’ve all heard stories of wasteful government spending. The… Continue reading Time To Change — And Take The Wooden Nickels
My last column was about the demise of cursive writing, how many school districts are phasing out longhand in favor of teaching kids how to type on keyboards. I’ll begrudging admit it makes sense – everybody needs to know computer basics these days. But it got me thinking about other changes that are needed in… Continue reading 5 Things They Should Teach In High School
Hey, I wrote a novel. It’s called Hangman’s Jam, and it’s awesome, probably the best book ever written, and definitely the best book you will ever read. It’s packed with love, sex, death, murder, music, mayhem, and cosmic monsters. Check it out for yourself. But first, let me tell you what blows about my debut… Continue reading Sex, Drugs, Rock ‘n Roll, and Tentacles! or Why My Debut Novel Sucks
I published this feel-good, self improvement piece in January 2009. I thought it was pretty schmaltzy, but people seemed to like it, so here it is. The advice is still sound, and will work just as well for you in 2013 as it did in 2009…probably even better! (Your results may vary.) Happy New Year… Continue reading A New Year, A New Attitude, A New You — 5 Easy Steps
This column was published in December 2006, but my feelings haven’t changed —you gotta hang your own Christmas lights. What is it about holiday home decorations that I find so appealing? Maybe it’s that for a month or so out of every year, a month when trees and foliage are at their most dull, a… Continue reading Holiday Home Decorating: Say No To Pros
My son unearthed a bunch of my old newspaper clippings recently, so I used an ImageToText app on my iPhone to scan this one from February 28, 1996. The app worked pretty well, and idea of the government selling your mailing address (not to mention email) to marketers is as frightening and relevant today as… Continue reading “Big Sister” Is Selling Your Name
Just in time for Turkey Day comes this cheerful little ditty from November 2005. Happy Thanksgiving! Feeling bloated with turkey and burnt-out on football? Well, sit back, relax, and allow me to acquaint you with the real story of Thanksgiving, the one you probably weren’t taught in grade school. The traditional history of Thanksgiving goes… Continue reading True History of Thanksgiving Will Turn Your Stomach
