It was another column in The Daily Beast from a whiny individual—someone I’ve never heard of who claims to have multifaceted talents as an actor, comedian, and writer. In other words, a so-called “famous” individual who thinks we care about what he has to say. In this case, his column…

I notice that as I have gotten older, my body has become very vocal. My bladder and I, especially, carry on nightly discussions. They go something like this: Bladder: “Wake up, wake up, wake up!” Me: “What?” Bladder: “You heard me. Get up. Dangle your feet over the edge of…

About ten days ago, shortly after I started the Eli Lilly drug Zepbound to help me lose weight, I got an email from a friend. “I have been waiting 2 weeks for my Zepbound from CVS. They have ordered it but it’s not in yet. I got on a Facebook…

Let me take a moment to thank the six people and the bookstore owner who showed up at my “book signing” yesterday. We had a good time, and I’m grateful for the support they gave me and my new, as yet unpublished mystery/thriller, Under the Sand. The reason my new…

I remember where I was when I ate my first Krispy Kreme donut. My teenage son brought a box home from the new bakery on 86th Street in Indianapolis and put them on the kitchen counter. They were warm. Fresh out of the oven, he said. I was skeptical until…

Full stop may be the English language’s most annoying term these days. For centuries, a period at the end of the sentence or the dropping of one’s voice has signaled the same thing: the thought ends here. It’s over. But today, many seem inclined to toss in the term “full…

It’s the little things that people say to you that linger. Sometimes forever. Recently, I found my man in the closet staring at a row of long-sleeve shirts as though he wasn’t sure what to wear. “Got a problem?” I asked. “I haven’t worn that blue and white shirt for…

My prized orchid plant bloomed for the first time in over a year today. It was a tribute to overcoming adversity—mostly man-made and some spawned by nature. The story of the orchid, which is not award-winning but special to me, dates back to last spring. On a whim, I spent…

I called my financial advisor to ask if I should diversify my portfolio. Translation: Should I sell some of my Eli Lilly stock, which I’ve had for at least twenty years and is now a big chunk of my holdings? Nope, she said. Lilly is doing great, thanks in part…

Amy Cloughly, Warren Frazier, and Dan Lazar are literary agents that I don’t know and have never met. But I respect them and here’s why. I sent them a query letter about representing my new book Under the Sand. They responded and said no thanks but nice of you to…