February 14, 2019
I don’t like dancing. Don’t get me wrong, I got rhythm. When a song comes on with a good beat, I can tap my foot just as good as the next guy. Just don’t ask me to dance. Unless, that is, you’re my daughter. I don’t know when it all started, but whenever the radio…
January 16, 2019
I remember when we actually used to dine at this dining room table. Sweet mid-January! Oh, how I adore you! Your, bleak, gray, frigid days notwithstanding. It’s a small price to pay for not having to worry about any more BLEEP-ing presents. From the day after Thanksgiving until my son’s birthday in early January, it seems…
January 7, 2019
My garage is a heavily armed military base for repelling an attacking enemy-droid army. My parked pickup truck is a troop transport on some days, on others it’s an inter-galactic spaceship. My entire yard, in fact, is a battleground for Nerf-gun-armed zombie killers and light-saber wielding Jedi. Such is life when your property is…
December 5, 2018
When your kids are still pretty young, it’s easy to convince them of crazy things. Things like fairies exist. Or that an enormous bunny sneaks into their house overnight and leaves them plastic eggs filled with candy. Or that an overly jolly and slightly rotund old man with a long white beard can somehow squeeze down the way-too…
October 31, 2018
It’s hard to believe, but I actually did it. Thirty-one days without Facebook and Twitter. Thirty-one days without reading, watching, or listening to the news. Thirty-one days (well, almost) of meditating and writing every day. Thirty-one days of trying to be more mindful and present in the moment. Needless to say, it’s been a…
October 30, 2018
Tomorrow is Halloween. And in my house, that means one thing: all out panic! Even though a month back I suggested we start preparing, as of just a few days ago, neither Boogieface nor The Animal had any idea what they were going to be. My son, who is much more decisive than his big sis, decided pretty quickly that…
October 29, 2018
Love Thy Neighbor… …Thy Homeless Neighbor, …Thy Muslim Neighbor, …Thy Black Neighbor, …Thy Gay Neighbor, …Thy Immigrant Neighbor, …Thy Jewish Neighbor, …Thy Christian Neighbor, …Thy Atheist Neighbor, …Thy Addicted Neighbor. No more hate. No exceptions. #PittsburghStrong…
October 28, 2018
Today the Pittsburgh Steelers played the Cleveland Browns (and won, big time). Ten years ago — heck, even five years ago — that would’ve meant one thing: I’d be going somewhere to hang out with my friends to drink oh-so-many beers and watch every single play. It was just a given. But today was different. Today, as my…
October 27, 2018
I gotta be honest, I really wasn’t looking forward to today. The plan was to wake up at 6:45, drag the kiddos out of bed, and then get them dressed and fed before rushing out into the rain and cold for The Animal’s soccer tournament 45 minutes away in Wexford. Then, after the games had all wrapped…
October 26, 2018
My heart pounded as I crouched in the corner of the field, carefully scanning for any sign of movement. I knew they were near, hunting me. I could hear them moving through the dried stalks in the distance. Just when I thought I was safe, I heard footsteps to my right. Turning toward the noise, I saw him coming straight…
