My wife and were out shopping recently when we stumbled upon a small concert taking place in a nearby park. It was one of those early evening performances that most cities sponsor throughout the summer months. There were people sitting on blankets in the grass while others had brought beach chairs. A few daring folks…

Vesna Vulovic is a name etched in the annals of miraculous survival — perhaps the most unlikely survival story of all time. She was thrust into the spotlight on Jan. 26, 1972, when she unwittingly became a symbol of human resilience.  A native of Belgrade, Yugoslavia, Vesna’s journey to that fateful day began like that…

I never dreamed of being a writer, I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. It was an early morning in 1994, and I was standing in the composition department of the Mountain Times, having been hired the prior year as a part-time graphic artist. Computers were just coming onto…

  I don’t know when it first happened, but one day many years ago, after indulging in a donut, I experienced some odd discomfort in my chest; it was a burning sensation that felt like I had burped up acid. I didn’t initially attribute the feeling to the donut, but after having it occur multiple…

When I was playing basketball in high school, there was a strict rule that no team member was allowed on the ski slopes during the season. Apparently, too many athletes had fallen prey to freak injuries while skiing and cost the school state championships.  I had been involved with basketball since grade school, so I…

When I was in college, my friends and I decided to vacation to Florida during spring break week. One of the guy’s parents lived near Ft. Lauderdale, so we made a plan to drive down in one 24-hour stretch, hang out for a few days, and then drive back. MTV was at its apex at…

The Masters ended this past weekend, and like so many other golf fans, I was glued to my phone and television for four days as the pageantry and competition unfolded. The event did not disappoint as the world’s No. 1 Scottie Scheffler struck precision golf shots for four days, outlasting any challenges his competitors made.…

Growing up, I was never the kid who caused a lot of trouble. I did my homework, played sports, and did my best to endear myself to girls. I suppose you could call me boring, but I looked at it as the easiest way to navigate childhood.  Not surprisingly, I had an older brother who…

Parents and children, if they’re lucky, will find a multitude of ways to bond. My son and I have been fortunate in this respect because we’ve always found common activities that have brought us closer together.  Early on, we bonded over Legos. I grew up enthralled with the plastic building blocks and subsequently passed this…

When I was growing up, my father loved to watch boxing on the weekends. I don’t remember him ever attending any in-person matches, but he would spend hours scrutinizing fights on television.  Since he controlled the dial, I watched a lot of boxing by default. I got to know the major fighters and their stats…

In life, inevitably, you will accumulate a group of people who traverse major milestones with you. You may not necessarily pick these people as much as haphazard circumstances bring you together. This certainly has been the case for me. After college, I moved back to my hometown; my college sweetheart followed soon after. We found…

The only light was coming from the street lamp, giving my car an almost ethereal glow. Snow was falling from the sky, as it had been for the past few hours while I worked my final shift at Liquid Art. It was one of those nights where so much snow was falling, the plow trucks…

 During college, a friend and I got into a bit of a predicament after a long night of partying. We were highly compromised and foolishly thought it might be fun to break into the school’s gymnasium to shoot baskets. At the time, I was in charge of the men’s intramural basketball program and therefore had…

 I love the United States. I feel lucky to live in this country and be afforded the liberties and opportunities made available to me here. We’re not perfect, by any measure, but I think we’ve done far more good in the world than bad. But I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I’m a…

There are several families who live in my neighborhood. Most are either retirees or younger couples with adolescent children. I know all of them somewhat but none of them deeply, meaning, I’ve had wonderful conversations and interactions with many of them over the years, but very few are coming over for drinks.  One neighbor who…