Fall used to be my favorite season. The leaves turning, football, all that crap. The loss of my baby brother some Novembers ago and his September birthday have changed my feeling about this time of year, significantly. The youngest of four boys, he was absolutely fearless in everything he did, right or wrong. Ryder spent … Continue reading Wake Me Up When September Ends
Come, gather round and listen to the holiday tale of the east german rose that grew during a coldwar and would one day stop traffic in a small Michigan town. Long before Spiranac, Sharpova or Alex Morgan, the undisputed reigning world champion of smokeshows when discussing female athletes was Katarina Witt. Even now at 57 … Continue reading Random Anecdotes of Insomnia: Vol. #2 – “Casualty of Witt”
Lately the world has become quite bleak. The daily barrage of ugly includes war, political corruption, blatant ignorance on every perceivable level and frequent, well-earned natural disasters. I watch old episodes of No Reservations to remind myself that beauty still exists and what is offered on this planet, as expertly navigated and explained through the … Continue reading A Life Like Bourdain
Vol. #1 “The Westside Connection” Our subconscious is a bizarre thing. What we absorb and retain then unwittingly regurgitate not realizing the influence of those thoughts and actions until sometimes years later, fascinates me. One of my few gifts is the ability to immediately recognize the reference or source of where I probably heard that … Continue reading Random Anecdotes of Insomnia
The above photo is of my Uncle Mark and The Police front-man Sting in Florida. A soon to be U.S. Navy SEAL, at 22 he was a working as a hooker. Even though it seemed entirely possible that he was Magic Mike before his time, he was not in fact a gigolo. As a “hooker” … Continue reading The Synchronicity of My Family
My baby brother Ryder loved music and movies as much as I do, if not more. The memories that will never leave me are of us laughing at goofy shit, and criticizing each other’s musical taste as much as appreciating the other’s similarities. He was an incredible human being that made more of an impact … Continue reading Ryder’s Infinite Playlist
When I was 14 years old, I left Michigan 2 months into my freshman year of high school. I was an exceptional alpine skier, and had loved racing since I was 7 years old. I was lucky enough to have been raised within 15 miles of Nubs Nob, Boyne Mountain and Boyne Highlands. Literally, only … Continue reading THE GREEN MOUNTAIN ORIGINATION
In the summer of 2018 I was at a crossroad in my life. My mom was selling our family home of thirty-odd years, the place I had spent the majority of my life. I was lucky enough to have grown up on Walloon Lake, we moved there in 1987, and even though I ventured out … Continue reading Any Given Summer
The Modern Renaissance Man 