Tour de Force I drove my family into the Blue Ridge Mountains this past weekend for a little rest and relaxation before the holiday season officially kicks off. We stayed at a beautiful establishment called the Grove Park Inn, which has been around since 1913 and has hosted everyone from presidents to sports heroes to…

Band on the run This past weekend while I was sitting in our living room watching a football game, my son came bouncing down the stairs and then flopped onto the couch. He glanced over at me and in an upbeat voice asked, “How’s it going, dad? How’s your day?” Now, as most parents know,…

If I were a rich man We should all look at jury duty as an honorable civic exercise that plays an integral role in our nation’s democratic process. However, it almost always feels like an insufferable burden. That was the case for me last week when I was required to show up bright and early…

By Dom Cioffi My son is playing in a couple of spring basketball leagues over the next few months. He has games on Tuesday and Thursday nights and two on Saturday afternoons. It’s nothing serious, but it gets him playing and helps keep his skills fresh. He’s always loved to play basketball and would easily…

By Dom Cioffi In the last year, my son has grown an astonishing amount. This is evident not only in the aches and pains he’s experiencing from rapid growth, but also from the surprised looks of friends and family that haven’t seen him in a while. I don’t notice because I’m with him every day,…

By Dom Cioffi I’ve just returned from a week vacation in the mountains of Colorado. My wife, son and I journeyed to Aspen where we stayed at a beautiful hotel at the base of the main mountain. In fact, the gondola that takes you to the top of the hill was literally a few steps…

By Dom Cioffi My family and I are currently on a ski trip in Aspen, Colorado. It’s funny, just writing those words sounds entitled. Saying you’re on a ski trip to Killington is one thing, but a ski trip to Aspen is a whole different animal. The fact is, I could never afford a vacation…

By Dom Cioffi There is a small plaza exactly one mile from my home. It has a grocery store, a pizza joint, a donut shop, a dry cleaner, and a few other typical neighborhood establishments. It’s a very convenient location, not just for me, but for the hundreds of other people who live around the…

By Dom Cioffi Testosterone is an interesting thing. The hormone, found in all humans, plays an important role in the body. In men, it’s thought to regulate sex drive (libido), bone mass, fat distribution, muscle mass and strength, and the production of red blood cells and sperm. It also has a profound effect on an individual’s mood.…

By Dom Cioffi I know it’s a little early to be thinking about golf, but Tiger Woods was playing in his first tournament of 2019 this weekend and that got me watching. Tiger had a so-so outing at the Farmers Insurance Open (tied for 20th; so-so for him). He looked to be in early season…

By Dom Cioffi Not long ago, my son had a few neighborhood friends over to hang out. For years the kids have been congregating at our home so I generally don’t pay much attention to their activities. I’m just happy when they’re within earshot and outside playing. A little while into this particular romp, my…

By Dom Cioffi A new year is upon us! The holiday stress has waned (except for the tearing down of all those Christmas decorations) and with it comes an opportunity to reset our psychological clocks to better focus on what lies ahead. For me, the holiday season offers a wonderful chance to embrace the celebratory…

By Dom Cioffi The New Year is upon us and with it comes the inevitable pressure to make an annual resolution. This is the time of year when smokers vow to quit (or at least cut back), foodies resolve to lose weight (or at least eat healthier), and couch potatoes decide to get in shape…

By Dom Cioffi So, here we are in the home stretch of the holiday season. With only days to go, the intensity of this glorious annual event is heating up. As I mentioned a few columns ago, this is the part of the holiday rush that I love. Not because I inherently like chaos in…

By Dom Cioffi A couple weeks ago I sat down at my computer, cup of coffee in hand, and pulled up the morning’s email. I rifled through the prerequisite offers for discount drugs, quickly deleting them as fast as I could read their suggestive subject lines. There were also a few pertinent emails about work,…