Ride the Rails

  I first met Michael in a dog park in Philadelphia while on my Off the Leash journey in July of 2011. It was early on. Libby and I were still getting our sea legs under us, a bit tentative. The vibe in each city, each park, every situation felt different. Michael was cool. He’s a soft-spoken guy, cute, young enough to be one of my sons.  He was at the dog park with Frank, his client dog that day. Turns out Michael was a dog walker. We quickly fell in, with … [Read more...]

Three Little Words

He had no idea the maelstrom of emotion that would blow in behind one short, declarative sentence.  On a day when I was supposed to get a make over at the Clinique counter, with a particular interest in the “Dark Circle Corrector” and a new, natural look, which for me is code for “get out of the 80s”, but I cancelled due to too many competing demands for my squeezed-into-two-precious-days life now, I went to the gym instead. The gym was just one entry on my unrealistic … [Read more...]

This One Moment

It was happening with so much frequency, I finally had to Google it. When all else fails, when our hamster brains stumble at the starting block of deciphering some meteoric message from the universe, as we wander through the fog which has created an impenetrable shield like a cosmic condom over our antennae, when we’ve leveraged all the drug or drink and every meditative pose or prayer we know in pursuit of enlightenment and still we come up empty handed, it’s time to … [Read more...]

Never Seen So Many Books

Have you?  Thanks to The Book House for hosting us today. Tony and I talked all about New Mexico, I left and immediately went and bought a taco at Nacho Mama's up the street, home of the drive-through marg.  Note that my foot is firmly planted on Libby's leash. There was a cat in the back room. … [Read more...]

Lure of the mic, uh, I mean “road”

Well... okay, so most people are not tuned in to the radio on Memorial Day Morning, but me and ol' Charlie waxed poetic about the Art of Acceleration. Here's a link if you'd like to give a listen to Off the Leash Behind the Mic on the Charlie Brennan Show.  … [Read more...]

Fresh Picked, Locally Grown, Locally Published

  If you're in the neighborhood, or want to fly in for some strawberries or Kettle Korn, stop by the Webster Groves Farmers Market tomorrow, May 23rd, where my travelin' partner and I will be signing copies of Off the Leash. Well, Libby will be on the leash, otherwise, she'd take off with the first person to offer her a scrap of meat. Look for Libby to be laying on her back, letting people rub her belly. Hell, I might do that if you buy TWO books! Webster Groves … [Read more...]

Coming Soon to a Coffee House Near You

Well, some of you... Remy, the wonderful and pretty gal who owns Abode Coffee House in the hip, happenin' burb of Webster Groves has graciously allowed me to come and do my dog & Jean show, on Friday, March 15th. Folks can get all wound up on coffee, or wind down with a glass of wine. She's got good food too. Now, one of the other good things about being back in the saddle in the freelance (no, it's NOT free...) video business, aside from an occasional check, (as … [Read more...]

Nothing Like Some Funk

I knew it was a good omen when the lead-in to my interview on KTRS, THE BIG 550 A.M. was The Average White Band's, Pick Up the Pieces.  When you get an extra fourteen minutes, (I understand that's a lot)  give a listen to a fun interview, tragic backstory notwithstanding, to the interview I did on Thursday with St. Louis radio host, McGraw Milhaven. After you click on the link, click on the AUDIO tat, and it's the show dated 10-25-12. Just click the right arrow on … [Read more...]

Subterranean News

I'm like shuddering, but in a good way. Not the way you shudder when you see a spider, more like the way you shudder when you think about someone who kisses you and it makes you crazy, but in a good way. Ah, but I digress. I'm shuddering with excitement over my first St. Louis book signing. It will be at Subterranean Books, 6275 Delmar Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63130 on Monday, October 29th, 7:00 to 8:00 PM. Call 314.862.6100 or visit www.subbooks.com for more … [Read more...]

Smiling in the Dark

Summer came and went this year -- I survived The Dog Days of Self-Doubt, after walking away like a big horse from yet a second job inside two years at a time when other people are begging for work. I did it to finish this little thang called a book. The fam and I eeeked by on a dramatically reduced budget and bounty from our victory garden in the backyard. Lots of  bruschetta this summer with the abundant basil and tomatoes. I won’t hold it against the squash for … [Read more...]