My dad come home one night when I first started high school in an atypically upbeat mood. Apparently he had had a private moment with his union shop steward who he would occasionally tag along with to bust bars for illegally serving minors alcohol and his colleague told him that they had been in meetings … Read more
For me, ever since 1992 Mother’s Day has been Mourners’ Day. My mom passed a mere three weekends after the last time I was able to speak to her and actually wish her well. Not that she always merited such feelings; in a nutshell, we had a complicated relationship and she had a particularly unsatisfying … Read more
MEMO TO: HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XIV FR: STEVE LEBLANG, MEDIA CONSULTANT/NERVOUS JEW RE: ONE OF A FEW MILLION REQUESTS FOR HELP Your Holiness, Years ago you served the city of Chicago as a respected Cardinal during a trying era–after all, your tenure began after Michael Jordan played his last game for the Bulls. Now, … Read more
His name is Maurizo Grazzi, and I suppose I owe him a sincere apology. My bad, good sir. It’s the end of a month, and as regular readers of these musings pro’ly know by now, I tend to get a bit surlier than usual ’round these times. Something about when one’s net worth drops to … Read more
I’m hardly the most distraught person on Earth today in the wake of yesterday’s death of Pope Francis. I never saw the man in person; in fact, I’ve never seen any leader of the Church in person to date. When John Paul II embarked on his groundbreaking U.S. tour shortly after he ascended to what … Read more
Passover began last night for those who celebrate with a festive meal of storytelling and imbibing called a Seder. For decades, the list of those celebrated included me. That wasn’t the case last night, nor has it been since this decade began. You see, a Passover Seder is traditionally a ceremony celebrated in a family … Read more
Apparently today’s a really big day for some of my more politically active friends, and supposedly quite a number of strangers. Here’s how THE HILL’s Jared Gans spelled it out yesterday: Nationwide protests are set to take place Saturday in opposition to the Trump administration and its allies, with leaders vowing to stand up to … Read more
I’m genuinely concerned about several friends of mine who are apparently becoming increasingly unhinged about whatever executive order or antic eminates from The White House. Some have taken to keeping an ongoing tally of the actions, reactions and overreactions that have once again become the fodder for social media engagement and distraction, perhaps not fully … Read more
I’m sure for those of you not proactive enough to completely avoid your social media accounts were as unable as I was to avoid the degree of aghast and abhorrence that was turned on Elon Musk in the wake of what TIME’s Chad De Guzman described in his account of the events of Monday in … Read more
Depending upon when you’re reading this, we are either a scant few hours away from or a scant few hours into the second coming of President Donald J. Trump. No, I’m not thrilled about it either. When he defiantly removed his mask after battling COVID in the fall of 2020 at a time when more … Read more