It’s Tournament Time!
No matter how you slice it, nothing beats a March Madness party with hometown eats. Look, I wrote a story about it.
Holiday Hyperlink
Every now and then I get an opportunity to write a story about an American family trying to find their way in this world. Under the pseudonym Rascal M, of course.
Good Advice
This Thanksgiving I am thankful that 36 years ago Rick Springfield released “Don’t Talk to Strangers.” This gave me all the more reason to talk to statues. Which is what I did last month when I was writing this story for a client.
Nick The Street Vendor
The street vendor on Literary Road sold three things: hot dogs, Lay’s potato chips and Pepsi-Cola. Four if you counted lively conversation, five if you had the privilege of listening to his radio when Indians games were on. The last two were free as long as you bought one of the first three. In May…
Bringing My Doodle To Life While On Hold For 26 Minutes With A Customer Service Representative
Hi. I’m Sebastian Testerfrogmosin. I have the world’s smallest top hat. Please don’t look at it. You just looked at it, didn’t you? That’s okay. All you have to do is say 3 Hail Marys, 2 Our Fathers and 1 Act of Contrition. Then send 3 million dollars in unmarked bills to my address in Dearborn,…
A Boy Talks To Crows About A Girl
One morning before school Little Joe was sitting on a park bench surrounded by crows. Little Joe had a crush on a girl named Kathleen. Kathleen was a cheerleading captain. She had an award-winning smile and a multitude of impeccable physical features. But Kathleen was too busy dating Chet Farkus to notice that Little Joe…
Hyperlink, anyone?
When I look at a slice of Rascal House pizza, I look deep into the eyes of its toppings. I imagine their lives, where they came from, their dreams and aspirations. Then I write a story about them.
Viking Tavern
They say never trust a guy with two first names. What about two last names? Smith Jones walked in just in time to hear Cleveland State tip off against Butler. It was two days before Christmas, 2011. “What’ll it be, Mac?” asked the barkeep. “It’s Smith Jones, not Mac. Give me a pint of your…
Shoe Story
“So you see officer, the customer told me he was looking for a fast running shoe. I said, ‘that’s strange, a fast running shoe just came in this morning. I laced it up and put it over there with the rest of the shoes on the wall. Then I left the other one in the…
How To Win Friends And Influence People With Donuts and $2 Bills
Here’s something I wrote 10 months ago, but it’s Father’s Day so I’m posting it again. Happy Father’s Day, Dad! Although his ended tragically, Ernest Hemingway led an interesting life. Writer, outdoorsman, celebrity. He was also a salesman because he knew how to persuade in 6 words or less — “For sale: baby shoes never…
Time Travel Blues
Recently, at a trade show snack bar at McCormick Place in Chicago… Sometimes my ideas start on cocktail napkins. I was coming up with something for the flux capacitor. I took a long look at the logo on the napkin in front of me, my scribbles and sketches of flux capacitors alongside it. It was…
A Hamburger Story
In 1909 Jack London wrote a story called “A Piece of Steak” for The Saturday Evening Post. It’s about a boxer named Tom King. King is broke, hungry and at the end of his career. In 2018 I wrote a story about a big, juicy hamburger. It, too, got to the meat of the matter.…
The Most Compelling Pizza Box In Cleveland
The most compelling pizza box in Cleveland has traveled every square inch of my hometown for 40 years. It’s been seen on both sides of the Cuyahoga River. It holds honorary degrees from John Carroll, Case Western and Cleveland State. I had the opportunity to sit down with the most compelling pizza box in Cleveland…
