We’ve all heard the expression “forgive and forget.” I remember seeing a fictionalized version of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt’s life, in which Eleanor mused that the two words are often...
This has been my lyric-writing mantra for decades now. The idea is, if you get stuck, ignore everything—rhythm, rhyme, syllables, “voice”—and just say the truest thing...
Last year at this time, I talked about an alternative to resolutions: A rubric of personal accountability. This year I want to go in the opposite...
I got my first “happy holidays” of the year today, and that means you get to hear my yearly exhortation on the matter, which is this:...
Let’s talk about time. First, so we’re all clear: time is made up. To be sure, we experience life in sequence, with memories that separate past...
NOTE: This is a reprint of a blog post I made four years ago. I get asked about it each year at this time, so I...
I started this column by typing this exact sentence, as you are reading it, without any idea of what the topic would be this month. In...
I initially thought of calling this monthly column “A New Yorker in California.” There are multiple differences in communication style between the country’s two farthest edges,...
I am writing this on Easter Sunday. I don’t celebrate this holiday, or any religious observance, but the spirit of the day has me thinking about...
