Mark My Words

When I decided to change course in my career and move from the banking and insurance world to that of education, I knew things would not be easy. In addition to going back to school to FINALLY secure my degree in elementary education, I knew the job market was already saturated with prospective teachers. Or in other words, a college …

I have been a Detroit Tigers fan for many, many years. I grew up listening to them and the late, great Ernie Harwell on the radio. I watched them on TV when Al Kaline and George Kell did the play-by-play. As a child, I would cut out articles and pictures about the Tigers and tape them to my bedroom wall. …

It was the “pat” heard around the world. Well, that may be exaggerating a little bit, but it certainly became newsworthy. While standing before a judge in regards to a probation violation in a Florida courtroom, former NFL player and Dancing with the Stars contestant Chad Johnson, formerly known as Chad Ochocinco and Chad Johnson before that, decided to have …

I read with interest a story in the Wall Street Journal last week that was titled “Go Ahead, Hit the Snooze Button.” I love sleep. I love sleeping in even more. But I never use the snooze button. My wife, on the other hand, is just the opposite. I usually set my alarm to go off about 6:40 a.m. If …

Nobody likes a sore loser. It doesn’t matter who, what, why, where, when or how, we have all been taught to hold our head high, even in defeat, no matter how heartbreaking the loss. A loss is tough, no matter the situation. We do not like to lose. But we all do come up as a loser every now and …

What words make you cringe when you hear them? Are there some words that you could go without ever hearing again? Lake Superior State University recently released its annual “banished words list” and has been doing so since 1976. What began as a silly publicity stunt for the little-known school has since turned into a New Year’s Day tradition. According …

Birthdays! Some of us love them and will dedicate an entire week to celebrating the special day, while others hope and prefer that it just go unnoticed and treat it just like “any other day.” In any event, I hope that everyone at least has cake, pie, ice cream, cookies, or whatever you enjoy on your special day. If not, …

“And I’ve brought some corn for popping”: This time of year is bad for my waistline. Like many others, I tend to eat a tad bit more around the holidays. Well, to be honest, I consume a little bit more than a tad! But most of my eating does not happen at home, but rather at the office. Aside from …

Twenty years ago I graduated from Constantine High School. It does not nearly seem possible that 20 years have gone by. But at the same time, it feels like a lifetime ago and in many respects it was. When I walked across that stage to receive my diploma, I had no idea what was ahead for me. I could not …

Brilliant. That is the only word I have to describe the feat that Andy Ashkar pulled off when he won $5 million on a scratch-off lottery ticket six years ago in Syracuse, N.Y. In 2006, Andy bought a “$500,000,000 Extravaganza” scratch-off ticket at his parents’ convenience store, the “Green Ale Market.” The ticket was sold to Andy by his father …