On January 27th, 2019, Howard Schultz appeared on the television news program 60 Minutes, announcing his potential candidacy for the presidency. The Seattle based former CEO of Starbucks said he would run as an Independent, professing his centrist leanings. Considering the response from some Democratic politicians and operatives I'd have to say he struck a … Continue reading Howard Schultz’s Brief Non-Campaign and What it Might Mean
Better Than the Headlines: What Henry Aaron Taught Me
Forty-six years ago last night, Hank Aaron turned on an Al Downing fastball and stepped into the record books. At the athletically geriatric age of forty, he hit his 715th home run, moving past Babe Ruth, becoming baseball's career home run leader. I remember it vividly. I had been a fan of the sport since … Continue reading Better Than the Headlines: What Henry Aaron Taught Me
Hello There
The holiday season has finally come to an end, taking with it all the attendant sights and sounds we experience on an annual basis. A smattering of snow, an inescapable barrage of Christmas music, a shopping public with behavioral tendencies that put one more in mind of a Venezuelan food riot than the birth of … Continue reading Hello There
The Moon and New York City
I'm writing this on November 27th, 2019. It is thirty-seven years to the day since Steve Gordon died. If you are not around my age (fifty-six), and/or a bit of a movie buff then his name is unlikely to ring a bell, but to me he represents the most agonizing instance of "what if?" I've … Continue reading The Moon and New York City
Blown Away
Back in July I came across an obituary in The Economist that resonated for me, and has continued to drift in and out of my mind in the ensuing months. Part of that, I'm sure, is a function of the way in which I enjoy the magazine. I have a 110-mile round trip commute and … Continue reading Blown Away
Know What I Mean?
In the last two, or so, years I have written just over 74,000 words. At a standard rate of conversion that runs to about 296 pages. While I have included the subject of language policing in other work on more than one occasion (Intolerant Me, The End Of Days), I've never specifically dedicated a post … Continue reading Know What I Mean?
Pretty As A Picture
I spent a fair amount of time this past summer reflecting on my days as a film student. Which would be unremarkable if I had been spending my days reviewing movies or even absorbed in still photography. I was writing a one act play. And yet, there was an underlying rationale to the way my … Continue reading Pretty As A Picture
Not a Cloud in the Sky
I have been posting at this space for just short of the last two years, and had been working in long hand for a few months before that. In all that time I have written not more than a few tangential words (You Had To Be There) about the events of September 11th, 2001. No … Continue reading Not a Cloud in the Sky
Speaking Volumes
As a child, I spent a great deal of time at the movies. When I was very young and my family still functioned as one, it was an inexpensive night out. When things began to slowly erode at home I was fortunate enough to have a maiden aunt living with us who combined a tendency … Continue reading Speaking Volumes
In The Wee Small Hours Of The Bottom Of The Ninth
One year ago my step-son, M____, and I stood in the seats behind home plate at Growden Memorial Park, in Fairbanks, Alaska. It was just after ten P.M. and the park was lit in shifting series of hues, ranging from a fading gold to a subdued gray as the threat of rain remained as much … Continue reading In The Wee Small Hours Of The Bottom Of The Ninth
