Suprise Me

The princess lost her startled expression, nodded, and looked deeper. I could see her think, Is this guy for real? How does he know about German expressionism? He’s a musician, for chrissake! Read More

As much as my family loved Christmas, we loved Christmas Eve more. Read More

There was no Facebook or Instagram in 1970. I sent a postcard to Brandeis with my preferences: neat, non-smoker. Over the summer I received one back: Carol from Brooklyn. She received a similar one with my name and address. I later learned that she thought I would arrive in over-alls (the East Coast kids called… Read More

By Walter Nicklin Are they hiding, like stars no longer visible in the light-polluted sky? Or are they simply no longer here, gone forever, like the passenger pigeon or Good Lord Bird? What I hope to spot is another elusive species, rare and endangered, maybe even extinct. I feel like a frustrated sky-watcher or avid… Read More

Dorothy Hamill had the best hair in the 1976 Winter Olympic Games. Maybe of all time. It was shiny, it was silky, it fanned out during her “Hamill-Camel” signature move, it bounced back into place, all pert and sassy. Confident. Strong. And, though it was not yet a common word, that hair was just flat-out… Read More

They were all cute, a mix of golden retriever and German shepherd, but she was the cutest, a fluffy round ball of fur. Read More

 Aunt Ruth used to chide me when I complained about being exhausted after chasing my young children around. “In my day,” she said, “we’d put the kids to bed—and then figure out how to save the world!” Saving the world meant throwing herself into the fray: she’d hoist a sign, march and demonstrate in the… Read More

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"send cash" … or "send ash" Read More

Back in those days, young couples didn’t get dogs first so they could practice their future parenting skills. So my baby son was my proverbial first pancake. Read More