A collection of my favorite essays, blog posts and other stuff that I’ve written over the past 35 years. These particular pieces — for a variety of reasons — strike a chord with me, and I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them.
JUNE 1, 2024 | Queer Eye For The Straight Guy
Why are they shoving this stuff down our throats?
Well, for starters, having a parade and flying a flag is far cry from “shoving something down anyone’s throats.”
Gay people have been around just as long as straight people, but have always been in the minority. Always made to feel that they are “queers” and not worthy. Defective, immoral people: faggots and dykes.
It has been this way for millennia. | READ MORE
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OCT. 2002 | TOUGH GUYS DON’T DANCE
A heavy and ominous fog — the precursor of a cold and damp weekend — rolled westward over Biddeford early on Friday evening, and it remained like a blanket over the city for at least the next 48 hours. | READ MORE
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AUG. 2003 | Hey, Let’s Go Camping
It was supposed to be a relaxing weekend of camping. I should know better than to include the word “relaxing” when talking about a camping trip with the kids and Laura, who — by the way — requires a minimum of 47 hours of sleep between Friday and Sunday. | READ MORE
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JAN. 2002 | The Lincoln Tour
To truly appreciate the origin of this story, and why we actually thought we would be guests on the David Letterman Show, it is important to understand exactly how drunk we were on that late September evening.
We are talking about some serious alcohol, boys and girls.| READ MORE
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AUG. 2022 | A Day That Never Ends
Jesus, it has now been more than 40 years, but it seems like just yesterday.
This the story about the day I was discharged from my second, involuntary psychiatric hospitalization at Maine Medical Center in Portland.
No money. No home. No job. No friends. | READ MORE
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DEC. 2023 | A Conversation with Santa Claus
He’s known by many names. Some call him Father Christmas; others call him St. Nicholas or Kris Kringle. But here in North America, he is best known as Santa Claus.
Just two days before the Christmas holiday this year, Santa made time to sit down for an exclusive interview.
He artfully dodged many of our questions and also made us cry. | READ MORE
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OCT. 2021 | Biddeford After Dark | When writing was fun
“Biddeford After Dark” is a five-part series that I wrote more than 20 years ago while serving as editor of the Biddeford-Saco Courier.
Biddeford After Dark explored what is often ignored: What happens in our community after most people have gone to sleep? READ MORE
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MORE GOOD STUFF
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NOTES TO CARL | LESSONS IN MEDIOCRITY 