Marilynne Robinson wrote about it. Motley Crue penned lyrics about it, and Ozzy crooned to mama that he’d be returning to it. Many people want to buy it, fill it and be able to pass it down someday. There are sections of department stores devoted …

Whenever I’ve written something, the hardest part for me has always been coming up with a suitable title. During my high school years, I remember turning in stories when it came time to pass our homework forward. Time after time, I’d get my papers…

I was talking with my cousin today about how I occasionally question my career. Not so much advertising, but automotive advertising. I’ve always considered myself a car person, and while I love advertising, those two words together make me suspect…

One afternoon a few months ago, I was minding my own business and driving down a relatively busy street when I noticed a man lying on the sidewalk. It was an odd scene. The same way you’d see a few leaves, a discarded soda can, a crumpled piece of…

Sometimes we look at life in totality and it can seem so daunting. Other times we break it down into more digestible chunks, but ones which still have the potential to cause weariness. So many months till this, so many weeks till that, only a few …

Six focus groups, six people in each. While there were often people who agreed with others in their own group, at times my head was spinning from the different perspectives. Sometimes it felt like there were far more than 36 total viewpoints over …

The thing about staying in a high-rise hotel in downtown Chicago is that, without seeming creepy or voyeuristic, you get these interesting glimpses into the lives of others. I took a break from my primping routine this morning and opened my blinds…

I consumed more Cooking Channel goodness on the plane today. En route to Chicago from Orange County, I caught some of chef Michael Symon’s show where he was making a Nutella Espresso Mousse. !!! It looked as good during its preparation as it did w…

A year ago, I was rear-ended by a woman who spoke no English, had an expired license and out-of-date insurance info. My deductible was waived because although I was able to give her info to my insurance company, they had nothing current on her. In…

There’s a house that I like to drive past when I’m on my way home from the grocery store. It’s in a quiet neighborhood, lush with trees and well-established foliage, and it sits on a large corner lot tucked away from the only slightly more busy st…