A Blog, a Brick, a Life Well Told–A Very Personal Post.

“Building your new house is a big adventure. You should write a blog about it.”

Exactly ten years ago, a friend and former co-worker said those words to Barb. Barb passed that idea to me, and my new passion was born. It has given me great pleasure over the past decade, and I hope it has brought a smile, a laugh, or a thoughtful frown to many of you.

The blog has wandered the digital landscape, starting on WordPress, enjoying a vibrant stint at ChicagoNow (RIP), and currently residing on Substack. I am so grateful that many of you have followed the journey with me.

I have never lacked for exploits to write about. The first 18 months were dominated by the unceasing battle with our architect and general contractor to complete our home. I am particularly fond of a lyrical ditty I composed for our lender, begging them to conclude the vetting process for our loan so we could start the big dig.

Family has been a frequent subject for posts, one dear to my heart. Memories of growing up with my parents and sister in Chicago, migrating to suburbia following marrying Barb, and the birth of our children have each merited at least one 500-word thought piece. So far, the current generation of grandkids has escaped my literary examination, although one post did explain how my eldest granddaughter dubbed me Baba, an endearment I carry proudly.

I have often written about my professional life, usually positively, occasionally not. Since my retirement, my tales of pathology have been less frequent, with no more “Can you tell if this biopsy is malignant quizzes.” I have used my posts to advocate for prostate cancer screening, and have also asked for your support for Us Too and Zero Prostate Cancer, organizations I was involved with that promote research and aid prostate cancer survivors and their families.

Of course, there has always been room for life outside of medicine. I’ve written about my divorce from my tennis league, my adoption of pickleball as a replacement, and my surprising rediscovery of bowling. I have let you in on the secret that “nice shot, Les” isn’t necessarily the compliment it seems to be, and why hearing “wrong again, Les” haunts my Jeopardy! appearance to this day.

My blog has also been my mouthpiece for speaking to the corporate world. American Airlines (repeatedly) and Woodman’s Market have each felt my wrath. And I unsuccessfully implored Sony Productions to hand me the baton after Alex Trebek’s sad passing.

Other deaths have not gone unnoticed. I have written memorials to friends, mentors, and rock stars. But I have also written about the joy of listening to my favorite music, the excitement of attending a Broadway show, and the thrill of seeing my personalized brick at the home of my beloved Chicago White Sox.

Why do I spend so much time trying to keep you amused and entertained? I write because I have to. When an idea strikes me, I feel like a volcano ready to explode. I need to get the flow of words, an extension of my brain, my eyes, and my fingers, onto the screen.

I may use a little AI to clean up grammar or structure, but the voice is all mine—I consider myself my own personal ChatGPT.

I hope you will continue to read and enjoy. I have loved every minute, and together, we’ve been on such a wonderful adventure!