Blog Posts

Something about the quality of light tonight reminded me of summers in Oak Park. Dusk is deceptive. Everything turns deep blue. Shadows and light blend into one. Depth fades. We scramble through backyards blindly, illuminated solely by the flicker of fireflies, and surrounded by the sound of children’s laughter. Oak Park, Illinois, the first suburb…

I shook myself from sleep at 5:42 this morning. I was dreaming about airplanes. Well, not exactly. Not solely. I never made it to the airplane. I was dreaming about airports. It was a two-parter. In the first scene, I am hurrying to some regional airport — say, Syracuse — for a ten o’clock flight.…

I am strong enough, but I am not strong. I’ve long advocated that mental fortitude can carry one any distance: a marathon, triathlon, whatever. And for the last six or seven years, that’s proven true. Yes, I run and ride perodically, every few days even. But do I train? Not a ton. Not really. I…

How do I prepare for a morning of swimming, riding, and running? I eat, drink, and sleep. And then do it again. Tomorrow morning is my fifth New York City Triathlon. Used to be, I spent weeks preparing. I’d do laps at lunch, ride out to Jersey on weekends. Not so of late. I squeeze…

I hear him from ten blocks away. I see him across the river. My cousin, the rock star. Andrew called me twice in two days. That’s unprecedented. “Um, dude, we’re playing a show on Pier 54 at eight o’clock on Thursday.” Did he really think I’d miss it? I trecked out to BK way before…

I trudge up four flights of stairs in my new business casual slacks. I knock on the door, and drop to one knee. Ethan answers, smiling tiny ear to tiny ear. I reach out my arms and say, “Can I have a hug?” He pauses shyly, the dashes into my arms. Later, he is seated…