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Tag Archives: writing
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 25 Years Later, 9/11, 9/11 Memorial, American history, American politics, culture, family, First Responders, grief, Ground Zero, life, love, MAGA, Memory, National Unity, New York City, Patriotism, Remembrance, September 11, September 11 Anniversary, Terrorism, travel, World Trade Center, writing
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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 After the Gold Rush, Aging, American culture, brazil, country-music, democracy, Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Happiness, life, Linda Ronstadt, music, Neil Young, personal essay, politics, travel, writing
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The Powerball Presidency
I didn’t win the Powerball, but somewhere around the twentieth virtual floor of the Empire State Building, I realized America may be running a different lottery. The prizes increasingly flow upward, the ladders below keep disappearing, and the biggest jackpot may now come with an oath of office in Washington. Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged $TRUMP, Affordable Care Act, American Dream, American politics, billionaire class, crypto, Donald Trump, economic inequality, history, income inequality, life, political commentary, political satire, politics, Powerball, SNAP, student loans, tax cuts, Trump presidency, Wealth Gap, wealth inequality, World Liberty Financial, writing
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The Ted Lasso Way
Six years ago, when everything felt broken, a fictional football coach showed up with a yellow sign that said BELIEVE.
This week, watching Washington turn grievance into theater yet again, I found myself thinking about Ted Lasso, Anthony Fauci, optimism, and one line that feels especially useful right now:
“Don’t fight back. Fight forward.”
New piece: The Ted Lasso Way Continue reading
Posted in covid, Humor / satire, opinion, personal essay, Politics and Society, Trump cuts, Trump Opposition
Tagged American politics, Anthony Fauci, covid, democracy, Hope, life, Midterm Elections, politics, Rand Paul, Ted Lasso, writing
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What We Do In The Shadows: The White House Edition
I wasn’t looking for vampires. They found me—first while I was trapped in Staten Island traffic, then in Washington, where one especially needy specimen has turned the entire country into his emotional-support animal.
A little tale about What We Do in the Shadows, Truth Social, and the exhausting experience of being governed by a man who feeds on grievance, attention and whatever joy America still has left. Continue reading
Cheeto Dust
Went for a walk to clear my head. Came back with a eulogy for my cat, some inherited wisdom about fairy dust, and a working theory that Cheeto dust is its evil twin. New essay is up. 🧡🪄 Continue reading
Posted in Humor / satire, personal essay, Trump Opposition
Tagged Donald Trump, fantasy, fiction, life, political commentary, politics, short-story, trump, writing
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How The World Cup Defeated The Orange News Cycle
I thought marriage meant love, compromise, and pretending decorative pillows serve a purpose.
Turns out it also meant swearing lifelong loyalty to Brazilian soccer.
This one is about the World Cup, marriage, Brazil, and the blessed miracle of replacing the orange news cycle with a month of yellow jerseys, questionable officiating, and emotional damage in Portuguese.
Give it a read. Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged brazil, Brazilian Soccer, football, Political Exhaustion, soccer, Sports, World Cup, writing
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Additions to the Highlight Reel, Before the Nation Gets Relegated
Sports gives us highlight reels. Politics gives us blooper reels with subpoenas.
This week, the Knicks added one to the good reel. Now I’m hoping for two more: Brazil’s sixth star and a Blue Tsunami big enough to remind Team USA that the coach is supposed to lead the team, not admire himself during the timeout. Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged baseball, Donald Trump, mlb, nba, political satire, politics, Sports, writing
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Blame it on Rio 
Not America’s Mayor
Rudy Giuliani was once called “America’s Mayor.”
It was a fine title. Grand, flattering, patriotic—and, as it turned out, issued before anyone bothered to read the fine print.
On September 11, 2001, he was my mayor, and in that terrible moment he gave New Yorkers something we desperately needed: steadiness, visibility and hope.
Twenty-five years later, history has had time to clear the smoke.
My latest: Not America’s Mayor. Continue reading →