A hairy relationship between the siblings, or, keep your chin up

Originally posted on Mark Bialczak:
My sister Fran and I in 1979. For eight years, I was an only child. Darn that Frank and Dolores. Can’t we get somebody else in this family to take some of the attention off me? When Francine came along, I was the happiest big brother in the land. Two…

A hairy relationship between the siblings, or, keep your chin up

For eight years, I was an only child. Darn that Frank and Dolores. Can’t we get somebody else in this family to take some of the attention off me? When Francine came along, I was the happiest big brother in the land. Two years later, Dory arrived. That made me even happier. Mom loved her…

A dozen brand new houses, all dressed up and open for you

Hello, up there. There. There. There. I could imagine the echo. Yes, my mind sometimes got away from me a bit as my dear wife Karen and I walked through the dozen houses opened up this year during the annual Syracuse Parade of Homes. It was the best one ever. What a gorgeous neighborhood. Come…

I’ll walk you to your car, dear

With working downtown comes parking downtown. A year ago, the company that followed the big daily changed locations, and my dear wife Karen decided after a few months of parking in the old surface lot behind the former building to switch to a new multi-leveled garage blocks closer to the new office. It was good…

For awhile, I was swearin’ at Clint Eastwood about ‘Jersey Boys’

Sure, I knew it wasn’t the coolest thing in the world to be caught humming the catchy melody of Frankie Valli’s “My Eyes Adored You” or “Swearin’ to God” as I was getting out of high school and staring my first year of college back in 1975, but what the heck. My father surely had…

I agree, young man, live in the present

My dear wife Karen and I arrived with festivities under way Saturday to celebrate the third birthday of our little friend Evan at a pretty local park. We put our birthday bag on a table stacked full with similar goodies for the happy little man. Greetings came from mom Julie and dad Aaron, with the…

It’s time to name our teasing backyard gopher

The saga of the backyard gopher, Ellie B aka Dogamous Pyle and I continues. Call it Chapter Too Many. When my dear wife Karen and I returned from a full and satisfying day of activities on the first day of summer yesterday — a 3-year-old’s birthday party, our annual trip to the Parade of Homes…

On June 21, a full day for the sun

The summer solstice puts an extra bounce in my step. Really, the first official day of the season doesn’t mean much in Syracuse, N.Y. It’s been warm awhile. It’s staying warm awhile. (Knock on wood.) But that’s the cynical way of thinking, and I’m no cynic when it comes to June 21. So this year,…

Searching for a Solution: How Two Dads are Making a Big Difference

Originally posted on I didn't have my glasses on….:
my brother, scott, who is also the father of my nephew, hazen, who i miss every single day. on aljazeera america. once again, trying to spread the word and not giving up the fight. https://www.facebook.com/SolvingKidsCancer In case you missed the segment Solving Kids’ Cancer which…

You have to try the Polish beer, the guy said

My dear wife Karen and I enjoyed the sights, sounds and tastes of the 60th Polish Festival last night in downtown Syracuse’s Clinton Square. No, contrary to a rumor circling the square, I have not been to all of them. Ed, a city firefighter I’ve known for more than two decades, asked me if I…