writing
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I’m a basic man, a conservationalist in my accepted wisdoms, who practices the art of minimalism. I am also a salt-of-the-earth Italian who believes in attacking matters one at a time and correctly. Some call it OCD; I call it focus. If I’m doing something, rest assured, it is not a frivolous whim but a…
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A brainstorm, an open pasture, a few good friends, and whatever became of Alexander Joy Cartwright? Baseball is not a fast-paced game, but it is sudden. Often, we can’t see baseball coming; it just happens—the game’s defining moments come and go like a flicker of light, bringing instantaneous and unexpected joy and crushing heartbreak without…
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I am a blogger. I am also a novelist. More importantly, I am a devoted husband, loving father, and a recent grandfather. But I couldn’t be a, b, c, d, or e, with any measure of effectiveness, if not for f: Being a friend of physical fitness. Thus far, in my life and times, I’ve…
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Recently, my publisher reached out and alerted me to a blog contest they thought I should enter. The theme was anything Christmas-related, be it holiday traditions or an original story. I chose to write an original story. It’s short, somewhat poignant, but ends well. I hope you enjoy it. The Roadside Oasis by Michael DeStefano…
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For years, I wanted to write a short story in the vein of Robert Lawson’s Rabbit Hill, but with a Fielding theme and a Dickensian vibe. It was one of those projects I thought would remain a wish—an ambition to stimulate my mind on long car trips and sleepless nights, but would never come to…
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Often, inspiration can hide in plain sight. Our minds take in thousands of images per day, and our ears pick up clusters of words, whole thoughts, and fragments. Amid such a mishmash, it’s difficult to determine our true influences: that which stands at the forefront of our minds or what lurks in the depths of…
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If you haven’t already seen the video, you’ve at least heard about AI’s latest shtick: Keeping grandmothers alive. Give it a watch. It will only take a minute. My thoughts are below. We’ve finally made it! A generation ago, thanks to medical science, what used to require major surgery is solved with an in-and-out procedure.…
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Many years ago, alone, I drove from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, to meet my wife, who had flown there days earlier. In Delaware, I merged from I95 onto 495 (Veteran’s Highway), a spur that subtracts several miles from the trip. It was a Saturday night at twilight. I had churned up many…
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A fool’s paradise There is a proverbial bridge that leads to a proverbial place. The place is commonly referred to as “Too Far,” accessible by the abovementioned bridge we just mindlessly crossed. And presently, we appear to be standing on Too Far’s threshold, preparing to get drawn into its vortex. Once in its grip, the…
Michael's Corner 