pride with a capital j
I marched in my very first Pride parade this year. Yes, it was back in June, but it’s taken me a day or 60 to process all my feelings around the event. Or maybe it’s 75 days. Either way, it’s more than I wanted it to be.
a disturbance in the force
I have to admit, I felt some butterflies stepping onto the ice with gear for the first time in eight years. I had been on skates exactly twice since my orthopedic surgeon told me to find a new hobby.
a new age of life
Amanda Morgan asked me to write a feature article for Older Americans Month. So, I guess that makes me an older American. But, if I may borrow a retort from the Dread Pirate Roberts... “only compared to some.”
I agreed to write this because I like Mandy. Plus, it’s rare I get to write something for work that I can also republish on my personal site. And, well, I’ve encountered some very cool seniors in my life, and it feels good to tell a story or two about a few of them.
farewell, old girl.
I remember the day we got her from Happy Tails. We met a handful of dogs that day. We walked with a few. And they all seemed nice. Then Jake noticed this smallish girl just laying in her crate. People walked by as though she were invisible. Young Jake pointed, and asked “What about that one?”
a generation lost in space
fond memories of one of the strongest influences from my childhood. i’ll miss you.
breakin’ the law
I have to say I was genuinely excited as I drove down the hill into downtown Fredonia, especially when I saw the familiar sign for Mary’s Deli. Now back in my day, there was a raging debate about who had the better pizza and wings. I was in Camp Mary’s, but lots of people were on the Gina’s Pizza, Wings, and Things bandwagon.
the morning after pill
Full disclosure. I waited a few days before starting this sequel to my pre-reunion musings. If it were a real “morning after” situation, I might be more nervous. Especially at my age. But thanks to a couple precision snips and what I like to imagine as a soldering gun for doctors, that hasn’t been a concern since before there was a real “morning after pill.”
thirty years can give you such a crick in the neck!
Has it been that long? Most days I don’t feel as old as I must be to have a 30-year high school reunion coming up in a month. But if I’m being honest, the other days I feel considerably older. So, I guess it all balances out. Three decades ago I was one of a few hundred kids who assembled at the Kenan Center in Lockport, New York for our graduation ceremony. Let me pause for a minute to reminisce about the Kenan Center…
memories and inspirations
… inspirations can be everywhere—sometimes much closer to home than you notice. Much like Rik, my cousin Mike Gagliardi was an inspiration to me. He is probably the most talented person I know. He’s easily the best hockey player Lockport, New York has ever produced. And that’s as much a fact as green olives being the best pizza topping and blue cheese over ranch on wings. So please don’t even try to argue. It makes you look silly.
not my disney world
I’m going to catch a lot of shit for this but I find it’s best to just come out with these things. I’m not the world’s biggest fan of DisneyWorld. I liked it better when I was a kid. When I could watch The Wonderful World of Disney on TV. Escape from Witch Mountain. Herbie the Love Bug. The Incredible Mr. Limpett. That was my Disney.
boy inside the man
As a boy, Tim had the world at his fingertips. I especially remember those days in Lockport Little League. Tim and I alternated at shortstop and pitcher. When I was on the mound, I wished with every crack of the bat for a grounder to short. To say Tim was like a vacuum there doesn’t cut it—even the best vacuums leave some dirt behind, and I can’t remember a ball not ending up in Tim’s glove.
life on the ridge
Now that I’m an adult, I realize how different my childhood really was—at least for the 1970s. Back then, I thought everyone lived next door to their aunts & uncles and that life was all about baseball in the backyard in the summers, and freezing the ball field for pick-up hockey in the winters. It’s funny how the past doesn’t really change, but your perspectives on the past are shaped by present-day events.