By Mickey Friedman August 30, 2014 When I was a kid I hated the hospital. And in the throes of youthful fear, I wasn’t too crazy about doctors. Seems I was allergic to dust, dirt, grass, just about everything. And…
Author: Mickey Friedman
The One Room Compromise
By Mickey Friedman August 16, 2014 Monterey’s one-room schoolhouse is just miles from the much larger Monument Mountain Regional High School, but the expected operating costs of less than $162,000 for 2015 seems to engender as much controversy as the…
Everybody’s Diary
By Mickey Friedman July 22, 2014 I had a lovely dinner at the always Pleasant and Main in Housatonic with my dear friend Patricia. I had a delicious pasta and she had the terrific chicken. We talked about a lot…
Goodbye Will, Goodbye Iraq
By Mickey Friedman July 9, 2014 We Americans love TV. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, American men watch 2.69 hours each weekday and 3.67 hours a day during weekends and holidays. Women watch 2.45 hours a week day…
The G Word
By Mickey Friedman July 4, 2014 I got my first real job at twelve. I had tried shining shoes outside the Jerome Avenue subway station, and sold my share of Kool-Aid but wasn’t very good at either. So, after school,…
One Man’s Significant
By Mickey Friedman June 11, 2014 Significant. There are several definitions including “large enough to be noticed” and “very important.” So for one man, what’s significant is noticeable. For another, it’s an important change. The Berkshire Eagle reported that at…
Missing The Point
By Mickey Friedman June 1, 2014 If you want to know what’s wrong with us these days, take a look at the Berkshire Eagle of May 13th. There’s a big two-page story atop The Berkshires, Section B, about a Pittsfield…
The Bear on The Hill
By Mickey Friedman May 13, 2014 I’ve got mice. A friend’s got rats. Congressman Bill Shein just lost a duck to a fox. Mice, rats, tigers, lions, and bears. Everywhere it’s war. Congressman Bill, the most nonviolent of men, had…
Thanksgiving Thursday
By Mickey Friedman May 7, 2014 We of The Best Small Town in America are more than lucky. Because, for us, Thanksgiving comes not just once each year but once a week. That is, if you make your way to…
Me and My Yo-Yo Ma
By Mickey Friedman April 8, 2014 I have a thing for purple. And pigtails. Hers were reddish-blonde. It was like I was in a movie. With a halo of light about her. And even though I was making my way…
Eyes on the Plastic Prize
By Mickey Friedman March 23, 2014 You. Yes, you. Put down that coffee cup for just a minute. And you — with the white wine spritzer. Take a moment, a deep breath. Now give yourself a hand. A heartfelt round…
Do You Still Have My Back?
By Mickey Friedman March 9, 2014 It’s not often I get a letter from President Obama. In big letters on the front of the envelope it asked: “Do you still have my back?” My legal name is Michael but my…