Young blood and I attended an NFL game recently. Prior to the kickoff, an assemblage of players kneeled in one of the end zones in unison prayer. I looked and looked, but I couldn't spot an offensive lineman who I know has Catholic roots and is furthermore a practicing one. There could be a perfect … Continue reading Happy birthday

I told young blood periodically during his first semester of college to do good in school and to do even better at rubbing elbows. I don't think it ever dawned on me when I was in college that it was all about the schmoozing and the relationships, the networking, the getting and being in the … Continue reading In the club

It was just last year at this very time that I was balls deep in unemployment. It's impossible to forget the embarrassment of filing for weekly unemployment benefits. I fortunately landed a few short-term contracts to make up the difference between what I was pulling in (unemployment-wise) and my expenses.  Ask any professional salt, though, … Continue reading In thanksgiving

It begins with a very beautiful teenaged girl. I'm at the grocery store one day. She's walking straight towards me in the parking lot. Maybe it was how she filled out her sundress, maybe her impeccable taste in sundresses, or it could have been her smile too, so genuine and caring, aimed now right at … Continue reading Epstein

Johnny Lipp was a year older than me in grade school and furthermore this kind-of male counterpart to Ms. Piggy. He was loud and influential and porky in aspect. Johnny Lipp, which of course wasn't his real last name but damn near close, was all that, plus he was the school bully. Nobody tried tackling … Continue reading Initiation

Dear __, There's a guy on the Facebook who pops up once in a while. It's an older clip, looks like, and he looks kind of like a creepy version of the old Verizon commercial guy, the can-you-hear-me-now guy. Which is why he seems like a rather unlikely guy to be asked the question, Do … Continue reading Rough draft

When I think of young, I think of a few things: no responsibilities beyond just taking care of yourself. And if you're young and bit by the idealism bug, which many are, you've got a ton of time to be idealistic and thus maybe even suicidal for your cause. You'll at least sleep on strangers' … Continue reading Anatomy of a civil war

There are the suicides we understand. The terminally ill, the obvious addict, the flagrantly depressed, the murderer or criminal. Even the overdramatic teenager. But there are others that throw our whole perception of reality off axis. The singer Chris Cornell, comedian Robin Williams before him. Both enormously successful and widely adored. Why would Williams, who smiled so much and elicited even more … Continue reading Lie down in darkness

I remember that one night when my dad was stabbing his new girlfriend with his romance. He was around the same age I am now. I was downstairs watching tv or something. The bed creaked and squeaked. I was an odd mix of cheerleader and grossed-out kid and anxious seeker of an ages-old answer I … Continue reading A wish