Funeral Crashers

Funeral Crashers

Funeral Crashers “If you can sit happy with embarrassment, there’s not much else that can really get to you.” Christian Bale When I was twenty-four, eating breakfast and reading the paper one Saturday morning, I noticed an obituary about a guy who...
Snake Eyes

Snake Eyes

Snake Eyes “Be sincere, be brief, be seated.” Franklin D. Roosevelt My dad and Dick Jappe were great friends. They met as newbie pharmaceutical reps in the mid-fifties when both went to work for the Stuart Company, the maker of Mylanta, Mylicon, and other...
Meeting Your Heroes

Meeting Your Heroes

Meeting Your Heroes “A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men.” Roald Dahl We all have heroes. Sometimes, we are lucky enough to meet them and still admire them after the meeting. I met two of mine on the same day, when I was in high...
An Alligator in Kansas

An Alligator in Kansas

An Alligator in Kansas “I think there’s a part in each one of us that wants the impossible to happen, and that’s what surprises are.” Gina Carano When my dad was a kid, growing up in Lawrence, Kansas, he and his friends were really into animals, wild and otherwise....
Winston

Winston

Winston “Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.” Winston Churchill I’ve always been a dog man. When I first got my own place, I thought it could be great to have a dog to play with and keep me company. On the other hand, wouldn’t it be unfair for the...