Will we ever forget the sky on September 11? — The sky was blue the morning of September 11th in Texas. When people in other states talk about the day, they also mention how blue the sky was. Was it raining anywhere in the US that day? It was certainly beautiful in New York where the Today Show hosts interrupted…

A visit to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum will always stay with me — For years, I wanted to visit the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. Late this summer, the opportunity finally presented itself during a family trip to NYC. Like most Americans who were alive on September 11, 2001, I will remember the day for the rest of my life — even though I…

We used to have the cajones to put it in writing — There are many reasons why I’m glad not to be a Millennial or a Zoomer, but at the top of the list has to be dating communication, or the lack thereof. People meet online, deepen their romantic connection online, and when that connection withers, they break up by text or…

Pumpkin Spice Latte is back — The temperature gauge on my car let me know it was 107 degrees in my Texas city yesterday. Which means — according to the Starbucks marketing folks — it is fall y’all! There’s nothing I want more right now, except for a week straight of rain and a standing refill…

There’s a lot more of a cultural context for it — I don’t know when it started. Maybe 10 or 15 years ago. The few strands of hair that would show up in the shower drain started to multiply. They were darker than mine, right? They were obviously his. “I think you’re shedding,” he said. Those may not have been the…

Siri, you are doing a great job! — After seeing the latest Mission Impossible movie, where the bad guy is AI, I heard my daughter speaking sweetly into her phone. “Who are you talking to?” I asked, after realizing it wasn’t a call or FaceTime. “I’m just telling Siri what a good job she’s doing.” This wasn’t the…

What this city means to me — It might be the moon. If the moon had tiered pastel cakes topped with old Mardi Gras beads imprisoned along iron balconies. The smell of garbage and sugar and something sweeter still in Market Square where a woman in a headdress wants to read the branches of my palm like…

The left and the right try to be on their best behavior in the Happiest Place On Earth — and they almost succeed — “Did people think Obama did a good job as president?” This was the first question out of my kid’s mouth when leaving The Hall of Presidents at Disney World. I understood why she was asking. Even a Disney attraction promoting the ideal of American Democracy has become a litmus test…

Vanna White is taking a stand 40 years in — I think the most surprising thing about Pat Sajak leaving Wheel of Fortune wasn’t that Ryan Seacrest is replacing him. That guy was designated at birth to be a game show host. No, it was finding out that Vanna White makes $3 million compared to Pat’s $15 million. …