“Now is the winter of our discontent…” No truer words were ever written. Last week my boys were home sick with me. Then came the Snowpocalypse of 2013. Between the brazen assault of the blizzard and the ninja-like stealth attack of cold bearing germs, my children have been home from school with me for nearly […]
Blue Christmas
“It was Christmas eve babe In the drunk tank. An old man said to me, Won’t see another one.’ And then he sang a song, The rare auld Mountain Dew I turned my face away and dreamed about you…” These are the opening lines of The Pogues’ magnum opus, Fairytale of New York. Over the […]
Modern Love
This may sound oxymoronic but one of marriages greatest problems is that it has been overly romanticized. Simply put, people go in expecting way too much. Marriage has been overhyped by movies and television and crammed down people’s throats by advertising mad men for generations. It’s not important to have a good marriage, it’s important […]
Clutter This
When Siddhartha sat meditating under a Bodhi tree for six years, he came to understand that the desire for worldly comforts was a poison. And that our need to constantly accumulate possessions was the source of all the miseries of mankind. After sitting under a palm tree on a Caribbean beach with a cooler for six hours, […]
Special needs are no laughing matter… or maybe they are
Last night was open house at my kid’s school. Open house is the evening where parents go to school and learn the exciting news that their kid’s classroom has awesome beanbag chairs that constitute the “Reading is Fun!” pavilion next to the coat rack. I jest of course; open house is important. It’s where you learn your […]
Gumfellas
After listening to Episode 55 of the Real Life Survival Guide I started to think about entrepreneurship, its challenges and its perks. During the episode, the guest editors all talked about how they had given up working for “the man” and decided to do their own thing. (Except of course for Duo, who is; The […]
Fear and Loathing in Las Kitchen
There are two types of people; those who cook and those who do not cook. I am one who cooks; my wife, Karen, is one who does not. I blame my wife’s lack of culinary skills on the most likely transgressor; her mother. My Mother-in-law never learned how to cook so she never passed the […]
Episode 53 – The Manners Manifesto
Oh, the fertile grousing ground that is etiquette. Who doesn’t like complaining about how rude people can be? Everyone has their etiquette pet peeves. Some people don’t like hearing cell phone conversations; others don’t like shoppers who leave their carts in the middle of the isle. And then– there are people who blast awful music […]
Episode 52 – The Relationship Archipelago
Sometimes when I have trouble sleeping I do a mental exercise. I lie in bed and pretend that I am stuck on a deserted island. I take every survival tip that I’ve learned from watching shows like Survivorman and Man vs. Wild and plan out everything I would need to do in order to live. I […]
Episode 51 – Leaving Lardville
After a short hiatus, Bruce Barber’s movable feast is back. For the first chapter of the next generation of the Real Life Survival Guide, Bruce, Duo and their band of merry guest editors sat down at Barcelona Wine bar and Restaurant in New Haven to discuss living a healthy life. Bruce dubbed Chapter 1, “Self […]
The Next Chapter
Way Back in May The Real Life Survival Guide turned 50, that’s fifty episodes of advice, humor, wisdom, complaints, conundrums, questions, answers, delicious food and a little bit O’ the hootch for good measure. The show is now an adult. It has matured. Even though it has reached this impressive milestone no one comes to […]
The Long View
I have been lucky enough to have witnessed some breathtakingly beautiful sunsets. I stood at the top of the Eifel tower and watched the last rays of sunlight sweep swaths of orange across the sprawling city of Paris like a paintbrush. I stood next to my wife and watched the sun sink behind the Santa […]
Episode 48 – Ill Communication
From its earliest origins in Mesoamerica where the ancient Olmecs whipped up a brew of crushed cacao beans and chili’s to celebrate weddings and mourn the dead, to American G.I.’s giving out Hershey bars as an offering of compassion to war weary children, our seemingly universal love for chocolate has crossed cultural divides and brought […]
Episode 47 – Roaming, Meds, and The Big Sleep
A long time ago, someone, whose name has long since been lost to antiquity, uttered this sage advice; “Do not cease to drink beer, to eat, to intoxicate thyself, to make love, and to celebrate the good days.” I found this quote on a beer website so it must be authentic, thus legitimatizing the wisdom […]
Episode 46 – Days of Wine and Roses
For this installment of the guide, an excellent group of guest editors sat down at Nini’s House of Tapas in New Haven for some lovely wine, delicious tapas and of course, great conversation. Why do women live longer than men? Why do today’s children feel such a sense of entitlement and how do you put […]
Episode 45 – It’s Personal
Episode 45 of The Real Life Survival Guide took place at The Annie Mame Boutique at Venetucci Home in Westbrook and just like the one of a kind decorating and gift items found there, the conversations focused on each of us as unique individuals. The vintage dolls lining the store’s shelves might be rare and […]
Episode 44 – The Mucho Macho Man Cave
The He-Man woman hater’s club can now come to order! Episode 44 was all about men and the stuff men hate; like feelings and words. Down in the basement of New Haven’s Olde School Saloon and Bistro, five men got together to eat, drink and mock stupid stuff. The basement’s stone walls were the perfect […]
Episode 43 – Five Course Survival Meal
The latest installment of the Real Life Survival Guide took place at Caseus Fromagerie Bistro in New Haven where the conversation was like fine, aged Roquefort. The gourmet assortment of guests paired well with each other and brought unparalleled flavor to such topics as gardening, dating, money management, computer hacks and cleanliness. The discussion was […]
Episode 42 – Spring Cleaning, Swedish Style!
Spring is here, the season of renewal. The weather is warm, the flowers are blooming and the winter doldrums have officially melted away. It’s a great time to assess your garbage, be it, physical or mental, and give it the ol’ heave ho. That’s what made IKEA in New Haven such a perfect fit to […]
Episode 41 – The Sisterhood of the Survival Guide
At Carmine’s Tuscan Grill in New Haven, four “double X chromosome units,” otherwise known as Deborah Pan, Binnie Klein, Anne Garland and Kathy Barkin sat down for an editorial meeting with Bruce Barber and Duo Dickinson, otherwise known as “99% junk DNA”. The discussion ranged from most embarrassing moments, to eating healthy, guilty pleasures and […]
Episode 39 – Narcissism and the Pursuit of Happiness
Not to go all alpha male on everyone, but I recently made my fourth appearance on The Real Life Survival Guide. This obviously impressive milestone means I now exude the musk of radio dominance. With my place among the lions of broadcasting, Bruce and Duo secure, I will now give my expert take on episode […]