Diary for 1 June 2021: Constructive criticism is seldom tolerated at the grassroots
If there is any one surefire takeaway that springs to mind from my lengthy period of civic engagement — the grassroots era, those "localism"...
The wild, wild Right Bank of the Ohio
Not so long ago, one of the downtown bars within extended staggering distance of our place of residence posted a social media notice in...
The Weekly Wad lives on in the minds of malcontents everywhere
(updated for the 50th anniversary in 2025)
In the past I've expended quite a few words to explain why I try to keep high school...
On Memorial Day, I’d prefer DRINKING beer
A few year ago at a bar I frequented, one of the younger 30-something employees was pushing hard for a Memorial Day promotion to...
Make your own fun, but I will not carry a gun
I will not carry a gun, Frank. When I got thrown into this war I had a clear understanding with the Pentagon: no guns....
Battered, bruised, and crawling back onto the non-band wagon
"The Dutch blueprint for urban vitality isn’t about bicycles. It’s about refusing to sacrifice vast amounts of the public realm to the private car;...
Them ominous vultures
Last week we went for a walk to the pharmacy on a day with clear skies and warmth in the air, too early for...
ON THE AVENUES: A design for life
Originally written in 2016, lightly edited here.
Throughout my decidedly mediocre high school basketball career, members of the coaching staff often administered what they surely...
Out and about, in America, in Europe — and in my cups
This one was written in 2009 and revised in 2014. It hasn't appeared anywhere since, which makes it ripe for a rerun. The biggest...
The house painting job
My dentist practices in a rural community a good forty-minute drive from where I live near Louisville. The route passes through the town where...
Latest article
Euro Pilgrimage ’85, Ch. 2: Crawling across the borderline into Luxembourg
Previously: Euro Pilgrimage ’85, Ch. 1: Three months that shook my world.
Madonna's “Borderline” reached #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in June 1984. It...
40 Years in Beer (Book II), Part 78: We just had to get to...
Previously: 40 Years in Beer (Book II), Part 77: A “tight” 1998 European summer (San Fermin & the French Alps).
The whole point of convening in...
Euro Pilgrimage ’85, Ch. 1: Three months that shook my world
Introduction to the 2025 Edition
1984 gets all the ink, but it was the year 1985 that changed me forever. There was no keeping me...
