This piece originally appeared as part of the Tribune Content Agency ‘Humor Hotel’ series Three years ago I moved back to the city of Chicago after spending 29 years in the suburbs. Newly divorced, I was eager to return to…
Last week I had the pleasure of helping organize a large-scale rummage sale, also known as a “yard sale” or “garage sale,” depending on your location and the amount of space set aside to unload items the proprietor no longer…
Now that summer is in full swing, a flood of memories, spanning 40 years, returns each time I pass a community pool. As a kid growing up in suburban Chicago, the community pool tripled as playground, athletic facility and babysitter.…
In my time on Earth, I have lost one parent, four grandparents, a few close friends and one child. OK, the last one occurred at Target and I found her after a few panicked runs through the aisles but it…
I slid my check across the counter to the Chicago bank teller. The amount was nothing special; thirty dollars for a 10-minute set at a comedy club the previous evening. “Deposit or cash back?” the teller asked. “Just cash it,”…
Imagine sitting silently on a stage while your friend, sibling, or co-worker, armed with a microphone and PowerPoint slides, reveals your life’s details to a roomful of strangers. Within five minutes, that audience could learn about your job status, annual…
I am starting to realize that if, heaven forbid, I need help in my neighborhood and emit a scream, nobody will hear me. Unless someone not wearing headphones happens to be nearby. Which seems unlikely based on observations. Gen Zers,…
Forgive me if this column reads like I nodded off while writing it. For I am only trying to prove a point. To be honest, I took a power nap mid-sentence. For me, napping, specifically POWER napping, has never been…
The Washington Post headline caught my eye moments after logging into my computer, with the intent of finishing my 2025 taxes: “The US was the only country in a worldwide survey to say most fellow citizens are bad people.” I…
Recently, it has occurred to me that hotel housekeeping service personnel have lots of free time on their hands. To alleviate their boredom, I offer a simple solution: Come to my place. Last week, I checked into one of the…
Sports metaphors in politics have become a strange new qualification for public office. Apparently, if you’ve played, coached, or even interviewed someone holding a ball, you’re ready to legislate. During Chicago’s brutally cold winter, I have managed to indulge my…
Forgive the language used in this column. On second thought, don’t. I really don’t give an f-bomb. You see, I think it’s time we admit the f-bomb, or “eff,” has secured its place in normal everyday language. Not that there…
While perusing the list of celebrities we lost in 2025, I noticed a glaring omission. It wasn’t a person but an institution; one that created, or had a hand in creating, some of the names on that very list. Names…
Staying healthy in 2026 is going to require a dictionary. Or maybe a translator. I realized this recently while strolling through Santa Fe, New Mexico, known, appropriately, as “The City Different.” In between the dozens of art galleries, Pueblo-inspired architectural…
Picture this. It’s 9:07 a.m. on Day One of your annual meeting. The ballroom lights dim. A well-meaning executive clicks to Slide #1. Phones appear. Laptops open. Someone in the back quietly checks email “just for a second.” You didn’t…