I’ve been married long enough to know there are mysteries in this world a man is never going to solve. The Bermuda Triangle, why socks disappear in the dryer, and why, despite every effort, my wife’s mission in life is to keep the kitchen island clear of stuff—so she can stack her own things on…

Now, I’ve ain’t ever been accused of being the sharpest hoe in the shed, but I’ll say this much: when you go nearly two weeks without the medication that’s supposed to keep your brain wired together, life starts looking like one of those psychedelic light shows from the sixties. That’s where I found myself this…

Had to make a quick run down to Las Vegas the other day. Nothing glamorous about it—no poker chips, no sequined showgirls, no Elvis impersonators waiting with a guitar. Just me, an empty stomach, and the promise of some heavy equipment that needed hauling back north. Now, it’s one thing to go to Vegas in…

It was around 2010 when Bryan Samudio and I lost touch. Social media was the Wild West back then, too, before people knew what a “block” or “unfriend” could do to a fellow’s feelings. Bryan decided my Conservatism wasn’t his flavor of conversation, and—poof—our digital friendship got benched. He even had “liberal” on his profile,…

Now, I’ve always said the best family stories aren’t the ones that come from big, planned adventures—they’re the little moments that sneak up on you while you’re just sittin’ around talking. That’s what happened the other weekend up at Lake Tahoe. My wife’s brother, Steve, and part of his family were in town visiting the…

Back in 1967, in our living room with green shag carpet and a rabbit-eared RCA the size of a washing machine, we didn’t have a television remote control. We had me, and I was state-of-the-art. Whenever Dad wanted to watch something different—and mind you, there were only three channels and half the time one was…

I met Dave Mencarelli years ago. Back then, we orbited each other like two mismatched moons, each circling our own little radio station planet. I was over on my patch of airwaves, he was on his, and we didn’t cross paths until KUEZ happened. Now, radio people are like cats—most of us prefer our corners,…

Some things in life make you stop, shake your head, and whisper a thank-you under your breath. For me, it was reading about the man who died out at Burning Man this past Saturday. Now, I’ve been to that dustbowl gathering a handful of times, mostly out of curiosity and partly because I enjoy volunteering.…

I once heard someone say that everybody has one bad month that rolls around each year like clockwork. The idea is, no matter how you try, that month gets you—old hurts, hard memories, or things that keep going wrong. For me, if I ever believed such a thing, it would be September. It starts with…

There are some things in life you can prepare for, and some things you just can’t. A high school reunion is one of those you try to prepare for. You think about what shirt doesn’t show your belly too much, whether your old letterman jacket still fits, mine doesn’t, and which stories you’ll tell without…