At the end of the day, I am a man. The thing about being a man is that, for the most part, we are simple creatures. We know how to eat, sleep, and obsess about maybe one or two things – electronics, lawn maintenance, or skin care depending on whatever […]

“Hi! It is so great to meet you!” It’s good to meet you too. “Can you sign this for me?” Absolutely. “Can you make it out to Cassandra? Its spelled K.A.H.S.Z.A.N.D.R.U.H.” Seriously? What was your mom smoking? “Great. Now can I have a picture?” Certainly. “Ohmigod, you are so nice. […]

Since the end of my innocence, when I became a teenager, I have been fascinated by the character traits that make me up. Some come from my father – my discipline, my fierce determination, and, of course, my hardheadedness – while my free-spirited and high-flying idealism come from my mother. […]

This entry picks up right where “Привет: Part 2” left off last week. To read “Привет: Part 1,” click here. To read “Привет: Part 2,” click here. In the last two parts, I have taken you through the process of becoming part of my married family and now, in the […]

Last week I started a multi-part series on my journey from anti-social perfectionist to one day becoming patriarch of my married-into family, on my assimilation into an immigrant dynasty. I described the relative ease with which I got to know Baba (grandma) Klukluka and my in-laws, and suggested that my […]

When you merge your life with someone else’s, there are all sorts of things you must learn and change – either about yourself or the one who is lucky enough to have you. You have to befriend their friends. You have to learn what toilet paper they like. You have […]

It’s 8 p.m. on an idle Monday night. The pruning sheers cut through the stems of the roses, hydrangeas, and assorted annoying nameless blossom flowers of this week’s arrangement with ease. As with the last three daily pruning sessions, this one is a success. Each flower has been arranged, returned […]

This week is a historic one. The Supreme Court heard the cases of the California gay marriage ban, or Proposition 8, and the federal Defense of Marriage Act. As a gay man, I am used to arguments about my way of life and my apparent “choice” to become gay but […]

She grew up in a small town and was destined to be a star. She worked hard; her overbearing stage mother pushed her into every beauty pageant, dance contest, talent show, local carnival, state fair and singing contest that would have her. They did the try-outs, the auditions, the callbacks, […]