STRENGTH & FOCUS: Finding purpose in the unhappiest place in America – Part 2
Greetings, and welcome to Part 2 in this series. Last week, you were introduced to the place I’ve called home for most of my life and glimpsed some jaw-dropping facts left out by the tour guides. You also learned about a few of the personal and professional struggles I’ve experienced, as well as the frustration […]
STRENGTH & FOCUS: Finding purpose in the unhappiest place in America – Part 1
My name is Rich Perry, and the reason I’m writing this story is to inspire you to find your purpose in life. In my private coaching programs, the people I work with have a sincere desire to find their true calling and want to reach a personal level of success doing something that they are […]
BUT I DIGRESS: Learning to love ‘Dawson’s Creek’ in my 40s – a lesson in open-mindedness
I’m Fud, and I love “Dawson’s Creek.” Hang on, that’ll need some clarification… In 1998, I was 30 years old. That’s also the same year “Dawson’s Creek” premiered. So, being 30, I assumed the show was just another pedantic, predictable teen drama (to those under 40, allow me to qualify – although in 2016, saying […]
BUT I DIGRESS: David Lee Roth people vs. Sammy Hagar people – the rise and fall of Van Halen
I’ve decided that whenever I meet a new person, I am going to use one simple, succinct question whose answer will decide whether or not any further discourse with said person will be worth my time. This question is a simple, three-word utterance that defines and encapsulates the personality traits of each individual based on […]
LIVING YOUR TRUTH: Entering a mixed-race transgender lesbian relationship and all the prejudices that come with it
It was Monday, the Fourth of July, as the rain drizzled and fireworks exploded all around us. I took her hand and we walked out of the apartment building to see the big display Wilkes-Barre was putting on at Kirby Park. As we walked hand-in-hand, I couldn’t help the feeling of trepidation when I noticed […]
BUT I DIGRESS: 4th of July fireworks with my son give me more to celebrate than our freedom
I had the most wonderful Fourth of July (on the Third of July)! My son, Gideon, and I went to his “Uncle” Gopher’s house in the country to catch Goph’s annual kick-ass fireworks display. Being 6, Gid’s interest in the actual fireworks waxed and waned according to whatever nifty thing captured his fancy. At one […]
BUT I DIGRESS: Don’t grow out of music – grow into it
When I was a kid, I loved The Beatles. The very first song I can remember hearing was “Come Together.” I remember running around the coffee table at my grandparents’ house when my aunt Maureen, who was only 12 when I was born and thus treated me much like a little brother, would play the […]
BUT I DIGRESS: A Father’s Day reward – raising my son on classic music and pop culture
I’m late again. However, this time, it’s not due to your garden variety Uncle Fuddy tomfoolery. Instead, I had a boatload of extra time with my most excellent best bud – my kid! See, I had to miss a day of our regularly scheduled “Boysnight” festivities last week because I had the honor of being […]
BUT I DIGRESS: When you were mine – remembering Prince through young love and a ‘Dirty Mind’
Friday, March 13, 1987. Of the many milestone events in my lifetime, I remember very few exact dates. Most are relegated to generic descriptives: winter, rainy, nighttime, etc. This date is a bright, shining exception because of several events that coincided on that date. Those kind of cars don’t pass you every day. Friday, March […]
THE REAL GIG: Everybody has a soundtrack. How did you discover yours?
Last weekend, my good pal Tom Flannery sent me a photograph of Keith Richards and a small child (pictured above). I sent him a text to tell him how much I loved that picture. Tom and I are finishing up his latest record as we speak, so we talk back and forth often these days. […]
