Tag Archives: travel

Kitten Karma

My wife is a cat person. I am a dog guy. Somehow, three kittens, one airport encounter, and a little “kitten karma” turned that difference into a lesson in love, politics, and keeping your blood pressure under control. Continue reading →

Posted in opinion, Politics and Society, Trump cuts, Trump Opposition | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

9/11 Plus 25

Twenty-five years ago, I watched the second plane hit the World Trade Center from my office window.

What I remember most is not only the horror, but the strange quiet that followed—the empty streets, the smoke over the city, and the way people instinctively looked out for one another.

A quarter-century later, I find myself thinking less about what happened that day than about what we learned from it—and how much of that lesson we seem to have forgotten.

I wrote about that morning, the days that followed, and why September 11 still matters. Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Trump Canal

Donald Trump’s proposal to rename Lake Ontario “Lake America” gets the history backward and the geography sideways. Ontario was named after the lake, while “America” comes from an Italian explorer who never saw the Great Lakes. If Trump is determined to rename something in upstate New York, though, Love Canal is waiting.

Welcome to Trump Canal. Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Dolly Would

A long layover, a Dolly Parton rabbit hole, Linda Ronstadt, Neil Young, and one uncomfortable question: how much of our happiness are we willing to hand over to politics?

Dolly had a pretty good answer Continue reading →

Posted in Humor / satire, opinion, personal essay, Politics and Society, Trump Opposition | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Six Years Ago, Today

Six years ago I flew home from pandemic lockdown in Brazil believing America still knew the difference between leadership and a late-stage infomercial host with a persecution complex.

I was wrong.

A little jet lag, a little heartbreak, a little rage, and just enough dark humor to survive reading the headlines. If you’ve ever looked at the news and thought “how did we get HERE?” — this one’s for you. 🇺🇸🔥

Read before they replace the Statue of Liberty with a gold-plated grievance monument. Continue reading →

Posted in covid, Humor / satire, institutional poverty, opinion, personal essay, Politics and Society, Social Media, Trump cuts | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The Absolut Worst

This week I had lunch with the guy who literally wrote the book on Absolut advertising. And it got me thinking: what if I pitched Absolut today?
So I did. With a little help from AI.
The results are… something. 🍸 Continue reading →

Posted in culture, Humor / satire, opinion, personal essay, Politics and Society, Trump cuts, Trump Opposition | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Making Airport Lines Great Again

After 3.3 million miles, airports once meant escape and possibility. Now they feel like a monument to Trump’s ego—longer TSA lines, performative fixes, and policy driven less by competence than by the refusal to ever admit being wrong. The magic didn’t fade. It was suffocated. Continue reading →

Posted in opinion, Politics and Society, Trump cuts, Trump Opposition | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

There is Something to Be Said for Hanging Out on a Sunny Summer Friday Morning In Montclair with Your Sister

There is something to be said for spending a sunny summer Friday morning in Montclair with your sister. First, per a long-standing and ironclad agreement with said sister, I must note that she is much, much younger than me. Exactly … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Salvador, A First Date, Michael Jackson and Brazil’s History of Slavery

Brazil’s history with slavery is shameful. Brazil imported more than 4.8 million Africans as slaves—almost eleven times more than the American colonies and the U.S. during its own shameful past. Even more shocking is that 50% of those who arrived … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The Green Flash:

Day 1: 8pm . Chapter 1: Well the first days are the hardest days, don’t you worry any more‘Cause when life looks like easy street, there is danger at your doorThink this through with me, let me know your mindWoah-oh, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment