boyhood memories

Hockey and the tapestry of our lives

I would be a Leafs fan, I suppose, but when I was seven years old someone put a woolly Montreal Canadiens sweater on me, with the rest of my hockey gear, skates and all, before snapping a Polaroid of me standing in the living room. My allegiance was somehow set. Paul, my best friend, was a Leafs fan. His mother made sandwiches and cookies

Hockey and the tapestry of our lives Read More »

There’s bound to be some blood along the way

Today we’re going to talk about the boy. Child #2. My son.

You may have a boy also. And if he hasn’t yet put his head inside the open mouth of an alligator, then, well, congratulations.

My boy announced recently that he’s going to jump from a plane.

There’s bound to be some blood along the way Read More »

On dogs, dreams and getting robbed … again

Healing can come in any number of ways, of course, even through a dog. Our dog, Zak – he’s laying a few feet from me right now – has been this for me. If you’ve never met Zak, you can do so here, through these simple pleasures. Yes, Zak has been many things: guard dog,

On dogs, dreams and getting robbed … again Read More »

Time travel, perspective, and $10 billion

Past, Present, and Future walk into a bar. It was tense. + There’s no such thing as a self-made man (or woman), no, not even those of us who have a net worth of $10 billion (Mr. Trump) have made it without some help on the way. It’s easy to think otherwise but travel is

Time travel, perspective, and $10 billion Read More »

‘Hey, you’re on TV!’

It’s the other day in Pittsburgh and a friend emails with the news … “Hey, you’re on TV!” A couple of nights later I got around to watching online. I wanted to see this brief interview, quite honestly, by myself. TV is not my thing. I felt somewhat embarrassed about it all. My Bride, some

‘Hey, you’re on TV!’ Read More »

Big dogs, trouble, and the Balm of Gilead

It was last evening. “Dad,” she said. “Can I hold the leash?” “No.” “Please,” she said. “No.” Zack, our big-as-a house German Shepherd, has been a little disobedient on his walks lately, chasing the monkeys and whatnot. Liz wouldn’t be able to hold him. “Zack has given even Mum a hard time lately,” I said. “You

Big dogs, trouble, and the Balm of Gilead Read More »

So what’s your story?

The highlight of the week was seeing a buddy from ye olde boyhood years. I hadn’t seen him for more than three decades. He and his wife came the other evening for dinner. “This is my son, Jon,” I said, at one moment. “And this is my friend …” “Yeah, yeah, I know,” said Jon. “This is your friend

So what’s your story? Read More »

A Canadian boy and his game. (And by the way, I’m going to @#$%^& kill you.)

This is about a boy who loved to play hockey. He played in rinks, sure, when he could, even outdoor rinks, but more so just on the road, hour after hour, with or without his buddies, often until dark, calling the play-by-play, shooting, scoring, winning with the crowd going wild, of course, at least until

A Canadian boy and his game. (And by the way, I’m going to @#$%^& kill you.) Read More »

Scroll to Top