And that's when things got weird

I don’t want a lot for Christmas, except maybe to not hear Mariah Carey belt out All I Want For Christmas on repeat everywhere I go for the few hours remaining in this holiday season. And it seems, I’m not alone in my sentiment. After 21 years of topping the holiday music charts, the modern yuletide classic is no longer the most-played Christmas song in stores. A report released by PlayNetwork, a company that compiles the holiday playlists for hundreds of retailers every year, revealed that the megahit was pushed out of the top spot this year and into the number 2 ranking by The Shins’ cover of Paul McCartney’s Wonderful Christmastime . But Mariah fans out there need not worry – All I Want For Christmas still reigns supreme on Billboard’s Holiday 100 list (which explains why I am hearing it on the radio at least twice every morning during my four mile drive to work). While admittedly I am not much of a Mariah Carey fan regardless of what season it is, I do love holiday mus...

Shotgun deer hunting season opened Monday in Massachusetts with much louder of a bang than in previous years, largely due to the state’s decision to allow a controlled hunt in the Blue Hills Reservation. It marked the first time in more than a century that deer hunters will be prowling the 7,000 acre reservation that stretches from Quincy to Dedham, Milton to Randolph.  The hunt is an attempt at reducing the overcrowded population of deer in the reservation, which according to state officials measure as many as 85 per square mile. It is seven times higher than the state recommends, and presents unmanageable risks to animals, to the ecosystem of their habitat and to humans alike. Animal-rights activists have been picketing at the reservation’s gates and protesting the decision by several state agencies and local communities to control the overpopulating deer. They claim it is cruel, unjust and there are far more humane ways to control the herd. Two protesters have been arrested in t...

I’m probably what is considered a classic Type A personality: competitive, ambitious, aggressive, and a bit impatient.   When I set out to tackle a task, I push myself very hard, determined to accomplish my goal. And when someone tells me that something can’t or shouldn’t be done, well that just makes me want to conquer it even more. This has been my mantra since I was very young. It has often worked to my advantage, especially career-wise; however, at times striving for success has nearly driven me to the brink of insanity. This past weekend was one of those times when sheer determination nearly broke me. It all started with what should have been a fairly simple endeavor: furnish my freshly-painted, but rarely-used home office. It’s not a very big room, so all I thought if I found a desk that the rest would easily fall into place. Or so I thought. The quest for a desk wasn’t quite as simple as I planned because … (insert dramatic pause) … I bought it at IKEA. For those who m...

You live in … Lynn?  That question, which I’m often asked, is usually delivered in a tone of disbelief, followed by a puzzled look. My response is always a proud yes. Never am I apologetic or ashamed. And why should I be?  I don’t live in Lynn because I have to. I live here because I choose to.  The majority of my 40 years of life have been spent in this city. I was born, raised and schooled here. After college, I tried out a few different Massachusetts cities before realizing that my hometown had all I needed: the ocean, the woods, housing that was affordable to me, a quick commute into Boston, and most importantly, my family and friends.  Nearly seven years ago, I bought a house off of Lynnfield Street. Not even a change in jobs, which had me driving 70 miles to and from the South Shore every day, could budge me from the city where my roots were now even more firmly planted.  And just this summer, I made my biggest move to Lynn that left just about everyone in...

I have been fighting an epic battle with a woman who keeps littering in my yard. As hard as I’ve been trying, it seems impossible to make any headway with her. I reached out for help dealing with the mess. It came (at a hefty price), but it was only a temporary solution. Within hours, she had come back and left even more chaos in her wake. I’ve discussed her at length with my neighbors, and frankly we are all fed up. I think it’s time we evict her. Mother Nature needs to go. And she needs to take her endless supply of unruly leaves with her. While I love fall and many of the things that come along with the season (e.g. football, food-filled holidays, and the opportunity to start wearing boots and sweaters), I am also a lifelong New Englander; and as such, I’ve honed the art of complaining about the weather -- no matter what the season. Like a weather-obsessed version of Goldilocks, I am able to find something that makes it either too hot, too cold or not just right. In fall...

Today is National Cat Day -- established 10 years ago to encourage the rescue and adoption of shelter cats. While I didn’t realize it at the time, it’s probably no coincidence that the holiday also falls on the eighth anniversary of my becoming a cat owner. This week eight years ago I received an email from a colleague who knew just enough about me for her to know that I’d be a prime target for her message’s contents. It was a photo of a cardboard box filled with tiny black and white kittens. Under the photo in an oversized, bold font it read: “If these kittens are not adopted before Friday, they will be killed.” Instructions on how to go about adopting them followed. It was aggressive, harsh and extremely effective. I was guilt-ridden and within 24 hours I was online filling out adoption forms.  After enduring a rigorous screening process that included a personality quiz, reference checks, and a responsible co-signer (it was much simpler to obtain a mortgage), I was deeme...

Posted: Thursday, October 15, 2015  I always looked forward to Columbus Day as a kid. It reminded me of the year, 1984 to be exact, that I won first prize in the citywide poster contest. I drew a pretty impressive rendition of the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria. I was so proud of the blue ribbon that was tacked onto the poster and that it was displayed along with other winning drawings in the foyer of Lynn City Hall. But, I was even prouder that I was able to draw a small picture of my cat Fifi on the deck of one of the boats (I believe it was the Pinta) without anyone noticing. As I grew older, I simply looked forward to the day off from school and the adventures the long weekend would bring — a trip to the Topsfield Fair or a final trip of the season to Cape Cod. And as an adult, my outlook on the holiday changed because it marked a somber occasion — the passing of my grandfather Jeremiah. Today, Oct. 15, marks the 13th anniversary of his death. For the first 10 year...

If you logged onto any social media site, or tuned into the local news over the past few weeks, you’ve likely come across some chatter about the two Malden fisherman who encountered what they coined a “sea monstah” in Boston Harbor (and if you haven’t, you’re extremely fortunate).  The five minute-long, obscenity-laced video which was posted to YouTube, captured Michael “Mikey” Bergin and Jason “Jay” Foster’s reaction to hooking what appeared to be a young relative of Moby Dick while out on a fishing expedition. It has received over 3.2 million views thus far and has catapulted the duo into viral video stardom, spurring a flurry of local and national media interviews including an appearance last week on late-night talk show “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”  There was no need to call the aquarium, bro. It turns out that the mysterious sea creature was not a baby whale, it was actually a salt water sunfish. And, it also turns out that “Mikey” and “Jay” are not just amateur fisherman spittin...