To drive to Provincetown, you take Highway 6 out to near the end of Cape Cod, and then cut over to a beachside road for the final approach. The road takes you over a rise, and then suddenly the town appears laid out in front of you, curving off to the left. It’s a...
A New Look
Discerning readers will notice that this blog has a new look, and a new name, today. I want to again thank Joe S. for his design work and help in creating the old look, but I felt it was time to move on to something a little quieter, at least for now. Undoubtedly, this...
Marathon Dreams
There are three iconic big-city marathons in the United States: New York, Chicago and, of course, Boston. Chicago is annually one of the biggest marathons in the world, with something like 40,000-45,000 runners a year on its flat, fast course. World records have been set there in recent years. The New York City...
9/11
On September 11, 2001, I was hunkering down for work on a special issue of our magazine, when I got an e-mail from Bill, our New Orleans reporter. He mentioned almost off-handedly that one story he was working on might be in jeopardy because the company’s headquarters were at the World Trade Center in...
My Friday Treat
This is my regular Friday treat to myself. It’s just a couple of blocks from my office to Jimmy John’s, and with their typically speedy service I can usually get over there and back — and buy weekend lottery tickets on the way — in 15 minutes or so. Every good sandwich starts with...
One More Saturday Night: The Dead At MRF
I liked the Grateful Dead, but never anywhere near enough to earn the title “Deadhead.” Those folks followed the band all over the country, seeing multiple shows on a given tour, trading tapes back and forth, and generally living their lives for the Dead. Some would keep track of how many concerts they’d been...
Scorcher Four – Part 2
Note: this is the second part of a two-part series; part one is here. It was raining when I left the house. By the time the race started, the sun was out. The perfect St. Louis recipe for … humidity! But no one ever said the weather conditions for today’s Scorcher Four race in...
Scorcher Four – Part 1
One year ago, I entered the Scorcher Four running race; it was my first race in three or four years after a long layoff due primarily to knee problems. The Scorcher Four is a four-mile (natch) race that circles through the streets in University City, Mo. It is sponsored by Ghisallo Running, and it...
Driving A Formula 1 Car
Since May 1970, when my dad took me to the first day of Time Trials for that year’s Indianapolis 500, I’ve been a fan of automobile racing. Back then it was all the American varieties, of course—USAC, NHRA, even NASCAR. I even rooted for Lloyd Ruby at Indy in the 70s, because I was...
The Early Adventures Of Mr. Fish
It’s my birthday today, so I’m going to indulge myself a little… The first dream I can remember having was animated. And when I say animated, it’s the 1950s-1960-style Disney animation, not the more-lifelike-than-reality animation we have today. It was also the only animated dream I can ever remember having. Anyway, in the dream,...