R.I.P., Steve Jobs
Sean MurphyWhile I'm congenitally disinclined to join the choruses of hagiographers anointing this outstanding marketer, salesman and genius as some type of saint, I'll certainly throw my hat in the very…
Lighting The Night: For Herbie, My Brother and Someone You Love (Revisited)
First of all, just stop and listen to this: Maybe you're hearing that for the first time and thinking, like I did about a decade or so when I was…
The Death of an Indestructible Dog: What Quinzy Taught Me
Portrait of the artist as a young pup. Wait, did I say artist? I meant barbarian. No, that's neither fair nor accurate. It's difficult with Quinzy-- he was many…
August 26, 2002: Nine Ways of Looking at Nine Years
I had the opportunity to deliver the eulogy at my mother’s funeral (which, incredibly, occurred only a few months after this photo was taken, at my cousin’s wedding in June 2002).…
Fifteen Songs For My Mother, on Her Birthday
Happy birthday, mama. Thelonious Monk (with John Coltrane), "Ruby, My Dear": Paul Simon, "Mother and Child Reunion": Booker Little, "Victory and Sorrow" (plus bonus tracks): Janis Ian, "Light A Light":…
You’re My Best Friend
Another post about death and dying. Another post about the wonder of dogs. Hat tip to my old friend Anthony for bringing this article to my attention (warning: even the…
With You There To Help Me: Cheerio To An Old Teacher
Shortly after 2011 began, I noted the unhappy occasion of Gerry Rafferty's passing and did my best to articulate (and celebrate) what his work meant to me (original post here). In…
Mothers and Sons*
The room was dim and cool, a shadowy contrast to the searing humidity outside. Her son had left his car running while he took her upstairs. In the elevator she…
Machinery*
2002 During the summer of 2002 if the phone rang while I was getting ready for work, that meant my mother was calling. If the phone rang while I was…
Machinery*
2001 The sights and smells, never welcome, quickly become recurring, then established. Once you’ve patrolled the hallways of a recovery ward, or helped your mother to and from the bathroom…