Want to stay in a space hotel?
Humanity’s fascination with space has been a constant throughout history. From ancient civilizations that studied the stars to modern science fiction that envisions interstellar travel, space has always captivated our imagination. Here we are in 2024, a year in which space tourism, once relegated to the realm of TV and movies, is now rapidly becoming a tangible […]
My First Time
I was almost 17, working as a water ski instructor at a boys and girls’ camp on Walloon Lake in Michigan. One memorable ‘first time’ event that summer forever shaped my view of how I wanted to live my life. One summer night I was having a burger at the close-by Big Boy restaurant in Petoskey. I […]
The 72 Hour Napkin
It was a beautiful Memorial Day in 2018. Teresa and I decided to meet for lunch at Rancho Mañana golf club. I was excited to share an idea I had been thinking about for weeks. After we sat down, I grabbed a napkin and sketched it out for Teresa to see. We tested my napkin […]
Point Magnifiers
I was lenient on many things as my three sons were growing up, but grades weren’t one of them. A’s were expected, B’s were average, and C’s were failing. I taught them this rule at a very early age. So when my son, Corey, was in seventh grade and came home with a C on his report […]
Perfect Friendships
It’s 3 AM when Kate is awakened by a loud knock at her door. She quickly throws on a robe and stumbles downstairs. With dreary eyes she peers through the peephole and sees her best friend, Jane, with tears streaming down her face. When Kate opens the door, Jane gasps a sigh of relief and hugs her tightly. Alarmed and […]
A Very Quiet Place
At the age of 12 I had become an incessant chatterbox, often to the irritation of my dad, Chubby. One Sunday afternoon I was in Dad’s home office fumbling with some of the gadgets on his desk, rambling on about my Heathkit Ham radio. Chubby was quiet and focused, pensively writing real estate ads. Suddenly, with an absence […]
Those Who Need It Most
In 1952 a young Detroit police officer was tragically shot and killed in the line of duty. William Packer was a prominent member of the community and a close friend of the police commissioner. Packer was moved by the situation and wanted to do something to help. He was also a successful businessman…the biggest Pontiac dealer in […]
Eat Lunch With The New Kid
My son, Brian, and I were talking about the wisdom I learned from Chubby (my dad). Brian told me he’d recently seen an article called “Rules For Sons” with an array of excellent (but not obvious) life lessons parents should teach their sons. I checked them out and thought it would be a fun topic […]
Lady Mondegreen
“O say can you see by the donzerly light. What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming…” When I was in elementary school, we sang the national anthem before games and assemblies. I kept my voice low because I wasn’t a very good singer. But that didn’t stop me from singing along to my favorite songs […]
One Really Effective Weapon
The word “humor” (humour in Commonwealth English) dates back to the ancient Greeks. The term comes from “humoral medicine,” founded on the idea that “the balance of fluids in the human body, known as humours, controls human health and emotion.” “Funny” can manifest in different forms, one being how we perceive each other. Here’s an example relating […]