My mom and dad have two friends that used to work in the steel mills of Hamilton by day and attend the symphony or opera by night. Now both of these fine men are retired and they have more time to enjoy the performances.

Getting dressed up and going to the downtown concert hall for a recital is part of their Eastern European upbringing and is a perfectly natural thing for them. When you see these elegantly coiffed gentlemen in their fine threads, it would never occur to you that they once toiled in the steel mills. The two parts of their lives are in direct contrast to each other.

I often think of my life in somewhat the same way. I’m an extroverted writer and sometimes I spend all day with my head buried in my computer, typing feverishly. At times like this, I’m contemplating the deeper truths of humanity and that sort of nonsense. Either that, or I’m trying hard to think of something silly and fun to say that will catch the attention of my Facebook friends. My thoughts run both ways: ardently serious and extremely silly. Continue reading →