Discover More from This Category: Columns
Of powder days and a broken spine
February 22, 2017
What a week of skiing, and what a terrible time to be out with a back injury! Fresh powder every day for a week! I would never, ever be the kind of guy who would ski injured. But to get first tracks in Growler, Devils Den, Pins, Low Rider, Outer Limits, Devil’s Fiddle, or the…
Rockin’ the region with The Heavily Brothers
February 22, 2017
I'm fortunate to be able to call Duane Carleton and Rick Redington good friends. We've shared many a stage and many good times together. I've written articles on each of them but this one is special. Why? Most of my interviews are one-on-one, but the three of us shared a conference call that was filled…
Getting the good word
February 22, 2017
By Dom Cioffi Just about seven months ago, an ear, nose and throat specialist slid a tiny camera down my esophagus to investigate a persistent sore throat. Within less than a minute he pulled it out and began the one conversation that no one wants to have. “I’m 95 percent sure that you have a…
The power of love, and chocolate
February 15, 2017
By Cal Garrison, a.k.a. Mother of the Skye This week’s Horoscopes are coming out under the light of Virgo Moon. Starting at 7:30 a.m. (EST), it will turn Void-of-Course and remain in that mode until it enters Libra, at 3:30 p.m. (EST). With Valentine’s Day at hand, instead of dwelling too much on the aspects,…
The curious case of the “cute face” crane fly
February 15, 2017
By Declan McCabe An email chirped in my inbox, “Check out the cute face on this insect we found.” I opened the attachment (yes, from a reliable source). My colleague Professor Peter Hope had taken a spectacular photograph through his microscope. The larva in question had fallen into a pit trap set by our first-year…
An alternate American reality
February 15, 2017
By Marguerite Jill Dye “This is not reality TV we’re watching,” a homemade sign from the Women’s March read. “Men of quality do not fear equality,” another sign said. We were duped, though some of us were wary from the start. We’ve been on a fast, bumpy rollercoaster ride since the inauguration. It isn’t the…
Stay calm and open a Health Savings Account
February 15, 2017
By Kevin Theissen Healthcare. Retirement. Those may be two of the most stressful words in the English language today. Especially when you include them both in the same sentence. For instance, a married couple that saves $326,000 has a 90 percent chance of having enough money to pay healthcare expenses in retirement. A single man…
The only thing between me and a powder day? Injury…
February 15, 2017
Well, campers, the skiing has been outrageously good. With a series of Nor-Inchers, we continue to get nearly nightly refreshers in the woods and on the trails, and the skiing is delightful. That is the good news. Here is the bad news: I am not able to take much advantage of it, because it turns…
Popular diets over the decades
February 15, 2017
Well, we are now into the second month of a new year. Did you make any resolutions? If so, how are they going? It’s no surprise that weight loss and fitness are the goals that many of us hope to achieve. I am among those who are motivated as the calendar flips each year. Unfortunately,…
First tracks
February 15, 2017
I’ve written here before about the uneasy relationship between my passion for skiing and my longstanding tendency toward early-morning sluggishness. Simply put, skiing is not the sport for lazy people (I think that title may belong to bowling, no offense intended to bowlers)—it is not the sport for those whose bodies, on days off from…
Lost in La La Land
February 15, 2017
By Dom Cioffi Back in the late 1950s, Dr. Paul Janssen and his team of scientists at Janssen Pharmaceuticals first started synthesizing a new drug for pain management. The extremely potent, synthetic opioid they developed was known for its rapid onset and short duration of action. They eventually realized it was also 100 times more…
Rockin’ the region with Men of Horses
February 15, 2017
Make sure you head to the Wobbly Barn this Friday night for an awesome new band, Men of Horses. It’s one night only, but they’ll be back there March 10-11. They are so good that you’ll want to see them all three nights. Expect something different, said drummer/singer Eric Pensa. “We’re not going to play…
Opposite week
February 8, 2017
By Cal Garrison, a.k.a. Mother of the Skye This week's Horoscopes are coming out under the light of a Gemini Moon with the Sun stationed at the 18th Degree of Aquarius. This is what they call the “Dead of Winter.” But in this dimension everything is the opposite of what it appears to be—so what…
Hello! Hey, it’s been a while
February 8, 2017
By Dom Cioffi My last column was nearly four months ago. That was October and at the time, I could barely focus enough to write a single sentence. While the powerful drugs I was taking were alleviating the excruciating pain that was growing inside of me, they were also making reality a bit harder to…
Choosing authenticity and love over hate
February 8, 2017
Vermonters have an advantage. Many Vermonters have built their lives from the ground up evaluating and cherishing what matters most along the way. Those who have chosen to move to Vermont see it as a beacon of freedom and authenticity. “You are not alone.” “We are stronger together” signs at the Women’s March stated. I’ve…