During the summer of 2016, I remember picking up a book called The Slippage by Ben Greenman, mainly because the title intrigued me, and I was curious to know what it meant and how it was connected to the story itself. I immediately thought that it might be related to a scientific term known as the slipping point, a vague memory from high school physics class about the force required for an object to move. Or was it closer to... Read More Read More ..read more

In my last post, I mentioned that it was the start of Pisces season, a sign that happens to occupy the place in my personal birth chart that helps me to understand the feeling of being home, and so I have found myself preoccupied with these ideas throughout this past week. Many of us move multiple times over the course of our lives and, as a result, we often understand the idea of home as being related to a particular... Read More Read More ..read more

I recently finished watching both seasons of the HBO documentary called 100 Foot Wave, a series that covers the massive swells (and the surfers brave enough to navigate them) that converge onto an area of the Portuguese coast known as Nazaré. For as far back as I can remember, I have always been fascinated by the ocean and the idea of huge waves in particular, an interest that I know many people all over the world share. Whenever the weather... Read More Read More ..read more

My family would be quick to tell you that it is not all that uncommon for me to call or text them at crazy hours to say, “Hurry up… go out and look at the moon!” Sometimes they will listen to me, and other times they will not, claiming extreme fatigue, too much grading to do, a child that needs to be bathed, or some other trivial matter that demands their attention. I secretly keep a little journal of who... Read More Read More ..read more

This past Christmas, I bought my granddaughter Phoebe a book called In My Heart, by Jo Witek. It helps children (and adults) understand all the feelings, big and small, loud and quiet, quick and slow, that we might have on any given day. If you have little ones in your life, and you’re looking for a truly great book to buy that encourages a back and forth dialogue, this is most definitely the one. By identifying just about every possible... Read More Read More ..read more

Not long after my daughter Wendy moved into her first apartment, she decided to share her new space with a little kitten that she named Novalee. Nova, as we came to call her, was wicked smart and an absolute terror, and I’m fairly certain that my ankles still bear the scars of her nighttime attacks whenever I would sleep over. She has grown into a magnificently large animal, the absolute alpha of the house who still displays flashes of her... Read More Read More ..read more

As this past week began for me, I found myself searching for those moments of inspiration I talked about in last week’s post. I was working on making some final tweaks to the cocktails intended for Recklesstown’s February menu, and two of them had me somewhat stumped. When divine intervention finally arrived, I did my best to muzzle my rational mind, but keeping it totally contained proved to be impossible. I directed that energy towards observing what it actually felt... Read More Read More ..read more

A week or so ago I had the opportunity to visit the Brandywine Museum of Art in Chadds Ford, PA, known for its prominent collection of works by the Wyeth family. It has always been one of my absolute favorite places. I’ve had important moments there, conversations and realizations, endings and beginnings, that have affected me greatly. Each time I return, I leave with some sort of inspiration, although it has often come in the most unexpected ways. This last... Read More Read More ..read more

In this past week, I looked at a number of articles and engaged in a few conversations that involved the idea of New Year’s resolutions. A lot of what I read recommended that we don’t set them at all, and the discussions that I had echoed this sentiment. And yet, without any resolutions, I admit that I have felt somewhat untethered, as though I’ve taken the first few steps in 2024 without a guide or an instruction booklet. I also... Read More Read More ..read more

One of the first concepts I learned when I began studying astrology was the idea of the twelve houses. Simply put, there is a kind of snapshot taken of the sky above and beneath the earth at the moment we are born. It contains the twelve constellations of the zodiac, the moon and the sun, and the eight remaining planets other than earth. Yes, astrologers still count Pluto; in fact, he is rather important. This snapshot becomes what is known... Read More Read More ..read more