I’m starting the year with a beard, or at least the makings of one. I stopped shaving my face almost two weeks ago, while in New York for the first time in years. I had planned to be cleanshaven for my visit to my daughter’s grave and especially my mother’s and grandparents’ graves. It made… Continue reading

When do the lights go out? Driving around tonight, I wondered why there are so many holiday lights still out. It’s Jan. 5, for pete’s sake. This year it felt like the holiday lights were out earlier than usual — early November — and even just about two weeks after Christmas, at least half my… Continue reading

Call me whatever you want, but I have used two movies as a litmus test for picking friends: Wim Wenders’ “Wings of Desire” and Whit Stillman’a “Last Days of Disco.” We can still be friends if you don’t like these two movies, but it’s gonna be harder. I have been a fan of “The Last… Continue reading