Suprise Me

"And what good news:  a new Tom Stoppard play, “Leopoldstadt”, is opening at Broadway’s Longacre Theater this fall..." Read More

I have no control over the holidaze. The only thing I can control is how I respond to it. Read More

I have done a lot of volunteer work in the last 32 years, since retiring from paid employment. I divide that work into two categories: working on behalf of places that benefit my children and giving back to places that helped me become the person I am. I grew up in a household where my… Read More

It was the summer of 1963, and as a 10-year-old, I couldn't wait to go to Beach Haven for an entire month. Read More

"It's really a blast," I wrote in my travel diary. That was high praise in 1966. Read More

I perused my small, kid-targeted weather book (maybe even a Golden Book?) ‘til I cracked its spine. Read More

In 1953 I would have been five. Gas was something like, 19.9 cents a gallon. It smelled good wafting in the window while the attendant washed the windows. The attendant I remember was giving a lecture into our Plymouth. My mom, a recent war bride from England sat beside my father. My little sister and I… Read More

Recently, a flurry of studies, books, anecdotes, and urban legends claim that swearing is a sign of authenticity, honesty, and even intelligence. I don’t know. In most instances, I find that swearwords, used judiciously and with the all-important element of timing can be expressive and effective. I don’t recall when I began swearing, but it… Read More

Once past the gate, I lit a cigarette and noticed that my hand was trembling. Read More

The book pretends to be about Philippe Petit. But its hidden subject is about how those who listen are supposed to act in the face of fear. What if there are winds swirling, and what if material objects—even the most massive ones imaginable--turn out to be anything but fixed and permanent? Read More