Archive for January 2009
Come On Up For The Rising
It took less than an hour for my inaugural cynicism to fade. It wasn’t the bunting, the banners, or the red, white and blue. It wasn’t The Mall, the monuments, or the museums. It wasn’t even hope, change, or unity. It was Bruce. My colleague, Gil, and I were walking off lunch with a long…
Read MoreYes We Can (But Do We Have To?)
The clock reads 5:56. The sky is purplish-black behind the blinds. I blink the sleep out of my eyes, climb out of bed, stumble into the living room, and turn on the television. NY1 reads eight degrees. I shave my head, shower, jam five days worth of dress shirts, underwear and aspirin into my bag.…
Read MoreI’m Just Thirsty
It was 2:44 p.m., just shy of an hour before USAir flight 1549 slid into the Hudson River a few blocks west of my office. I was sitting at my desk, celebrating the few minutes I had between meetings by blowing email out of my inbox like Missile Command. “Attached are the last eight days…
Read MoreCompany Book
For weeks, I was dreading my first day back to work. From from Christmas to New Years, there was just one thing on my mind: work. When I ran, I thought about work. When I ate dinner, I talked about work. When I lay in bed at night, I worried about work. Work, work, work.…
Read MoreGolden Globes! Golden Globes! Golden Globes!
Just watching the red carpet of the 66th Annual Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s Golden Globe Awards stressed me out. T-minus four months until we’re all up in the MTV Movie Awards, and seven until the Video Music Awards. Tonight, though, I’m on the couch keeping on eye on MTV News’ terrific online coverage, and NBC’s…
Read MoreForever & Always
You may recall that one of the “A Holiday Benefit, Vol. II” silent auction items was a “Custom Benjamin Wagner Song.” This was the pitch: “Singer/songwriter will collaborate with YOU on a song. At the end of the process, you’ll get two (2) signed CDs with YOUR song plus original album art. Minimum Bid: $75.”…
Read MorePlanned Parenthood
On the street, Edward refused to take my hand, issuing a long, withdrawn, “Nooooooooooo!” So I carried him. On the subway platform, the roar of the trains scared him. So I held him, whispering, “I won’t let anything happen to you, I promise.” Abbi and I took Ethan and Edward for a few, long hours…
Read MoreOur Own Devices
Left to my own devices, I would spend my time off in one of two ways: sitting on a beach drinking local beer after a three-dive day, or sitting on my couch watching movies, reading Esquire, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair or a good rock bio. And in fact, I’ve done a fair dose of…
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