Words

On October 5, 2021, I had a heart attack. It happened at lunch time, as I stood up from my desk; I work at home. A sudden tension in my chest, tingling in both arms, and quickened breathing like I never felt before. My back seized up, and I mistakenly thought that was the problem. [...]

Shaving. Man, there’s a whole world of options and information out there. For decades, I was a Gillette guy. Easy, does the job, and I don’t have to think about it, like, at all. I learned early on to shave only against the grain, and suffered many years of razor bumps on the left side [...]

Recently, many of my friends on Facebook were "given the task to choose ten albums that have influenced my taste in music. One album per day for 10 consecutive days. No explanations, no reviews, just album covers." I did my part, because I like to contribute to society and make the world a better [...]

I recently finished reading a great book by Marc Myers entitled Anatomy of a Song: The Oral History of 45 Iconic Hits that Changed Rock, R&B, and Pop. Myers interviewed the people involved in historically significant songs from the 1940s to the 1990s. He ended his examination in 1991 because, as he explains it, you [...]

I first discovered Rush towards the end of high school, after borrowing a tape of Presto from the public library on a whim. I expected to hear heavy metal that I wasn't fond of, but instead I was pleasantly surprised to hear a fusion of rock, jazz, progressive, and extraordinarily well composed and performed music; [...]

I was intrigued by the premise of the movie Yesterday; an English singer-songwriter who finds he's the only one in the world who remembers the Beatles music after a freak accident. This is a unique idea and relatively refreshing after a barrage of mediocre musical hero bio-pics in recent memory. Watching the movie, I often [...]

I’m a creative and intellectual guy first and foremost. I’d much rather be writing songs, playing piano, reading, watching great movies, and learning new things than going for a jog or doing a workout. I feel like this is hard wired in me, so I have to hack my way to engaging in physical activity. [...]

Mental health and taking care of your emotions is so essential to everyone. It’s a great feeling to learn about yourself to the point of knowing the things that work for you and give you joy. I’m still on my journey, and have a long way to go, but here are a few things I’ve learned so [...]

Sometimes I have an easier time around women than men. I’d rather talk music, philosophy and health than sports, cars, or tools. Of course, these are just stereotypical interests of the genders, based on conventional views of gender identity. I like to think I’m neither stereotypical nor conventional in my thinking. I’ve been told, only [...]