A collection of miscellaneous weekly blog posts below!
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Kathryn: “Rocky, Daddy forgot to take the trash to the curb this morning, and we missed the collection. Now the garage is gonna stink all week. Bad Daddy!” Michael: “Rocky, Mom forgot to pick up the dry cleaning, and now Daddy has to pull a pair of pants from the dirty clothes. Mom has really…
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Some people haunt bookstores. Others haunt coffee cafes. I am incapable of walking past a bicycle shop. It was the autumn of 2019. I strolled into Manayunk Bikes in Philadelphia, my wife, Kathyn, by my side. For years, I pedaled a Cannondale Caad 8—a race-red road bike trimmed in black and gray. Kathryn told me,…
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For years, I used to recite the quip, “My dentist recommended that I stop reading The Philadelphia Inquirer because it was causing me to grind my teeth.” Once upon a decade, the media used to be a sense-making apparatus that did its best to call balls and strikes. Then the primetime cable news shows burst…
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For decades, I have had a subscription to the world renown, and local treasure, The Philadelphia Orchestra. From the late 80s to the early aughts, I attended concerts at The Academy of Music; since then, at Marian Andersen Hall inside the Kimmel Center. I began my concert-going experience by bringing along my sister. The middle…
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This coming November, on PBS, documentarian Ken Burns is releasing a six-part series chronicling the Revolutionary War. Ken Burns, as many know, has produced documentaries on the Civil War, Baseball, Jazz, and numerous other subjects. Earlier this summer, Mr. Burns sat with Joe Rogan and discussed his Revolutionary War project. During the interview, Burns explained…
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This past Friday morning, while spending time with a client, something occurred to me. It moved me enough to say, “Jim, if it were thirty-five years ago, before diving into business, we would have discussed last night’s Seinfeld episode.” The exchange that Jim and I would’ve had all those years ago would not have been…
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Why should I pay anything to go to the moon when Alice Kramden got to go for free? I believe there are several entire episodes of The Honeymooners available on YouTube. Often, with the passing of time, sitcoms lose their comedic spice, but somehow, despite the seismic shift in marital roles, The Honeymooners still makes…
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A couple years ago, I crept downstairs, went on YouTube, and blasted The Beatles song, When I’m Sixty-four. My wife was less than appreciative. Come this December, I, too, shall reach that age and will expect some form of antagonism to remind me that I’ve arrived. Moreover, as I traverse a seventh decade, I noticed…
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We have developed instruments and methods to measure inches and miles, nano seconds and centuries, the speed that both light and sound travel. More impressive, astronomers have gauged that the universe is expanding faster than first estimated. It impresses me that we have developed the capability to measure everything under the sun and beyond. But…
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Dark, spellbinding, intense, beautiful, eloquent, and frighteningly virtuosic. And that just describes the first movement of Rachmaninoff’s 2nd Elegiaque Trio. If you’re new to Rachmaninoff, this opus is a good place to start. If you’re familiar with Rachmaninoff but not his second Elegiaque Trio, then you’re in for a real treat, as this piece blends…
Michael's Corner 