The Miracle of Showing Up, Part II

Sometimes, when I’m traveling somewhere distinct from my normal routine — say, Nantucket, or Bray’s Island — I find it difficult to imagine anywhere else. I think I even remember when it started. I was sixteen-years-old snapping a photo from the double-yellow lines of a traffic-strewn Champs Elysées when I thought, “I can’t believe this…

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At Least We’ll Leave Before We Have To Go

“New York is all about what could be,” says David Cloyd, a 34-year-old musician who moved to the city from Austin ten years ago. “You know: The potential. The possibilities.” New York Magazine is the source of Mr. Cloyd’s quote, at least partially responsible for my sense of urban, upwardly-mobile aspiration. The Intelligencer’s cocktail party…

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Eighteen (More) Reasons To Love Her

I figure it takes a special kind of someone to wake up at 5:30 on a perfectly good Saturday morning, lace up the Asics, and run around the city for three hours. The really special someone, though, is the teammate who runs it with you. Yup, that was Abbi and me this weekend. Increasingly bored…

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Remembering The Crash Site

“Mister Rogers Talks To Parents About Divorce” premiered on Sunday February 15, 1981, just as my parents’ marriage was falling apart. Unfortunately, it took twenty-five years to learn of the show’s existence, and until this afternoon to see it myself for the very first time. All I knew of Susan Stamberg’s relationship to Fred Rogers…

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Fall On Me (Or, Q4 In A Nutshell)

Despite these challenging economic, political and existential times, the first three quarters of 2008 found Benjamin Wagner Deluxe, LLC, on solid ground thanks to a technological innovation, new product development, and the recent merger will Keller Industries. Q4 looks to be similarly stable and rewarding for shareholders. Here’s a preview from Chairman and CEO, Benjamin…

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The Thrill Of Victory (And The Agony Of Defeat)

Listen, I’m the guy who tears up during Gatorade commercials. Still, I gotta’ say, I don’t remember ever being moved by the Olympics. Until now. Sure, that the opening ceremonies were lip-synched and CGI-enhanced is weird, telling, and a bummer. And that NBC’s coverage is chocked-full of hyped-drama, political softballs and integrated marketing. Still, it…

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Benjamin Wagner’s Photoshop 101

Every few weeks or so, I get an email asking about what type of digital camera I use, what sort of settings I employ, and/or how, in general I take such nice photos. Which is sweet, and appreciated, and inspired me to (humbly and tongue-in-cheek) offer you, Dear Reader, a crash-course in Benjamin Wagner Dot…

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The Miracle Of Showing Up

We rarely do much of anything in Nantucket, and I like it that way. A typical day might involve a good run, a real breakfast (eggs, pancakes, etc), a trip to the beach, magazines, books, puzzles, and the ever-essential mid-day nap. We rarely leave our little corner of the island save for trip to Cisco…

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Lightning In A Bottle

If life is a collection of moments, all strung together and played back in contrast and context to one another, then the defining moment from last summer’s trip to Nantucket was that of a lone cottage against a wide, evening sky. The photo was taken from a narrow, wooden bridge on the western edge of…

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