Author Archives: ltrainlane

The older I get, the more the holidays have become a blur. What used to be my favorite time of the year is now nothing more than a watered-down marketing and sales push, and it tends to bring out the worst in people. I grew up believing that the holiday season started the moment thatContinue reading “black friday has become black november.”

1. My new friends in Milwaukee….there’s a different type of politeness in the Midwest that I wish we had here on the East Coast. 2. Newfound courage. 3. Improved communication. 4. Lactose-free mint chocolate chip ice cream. 5. Finding my voice musically, emotionally and spiritually. 6. Laying on the couch while watching TV with TheContinue reading “8 things for which i’m thankful.”

So much for a good night’s sleep. Our dog Otto is usually our morning alarm clock, as he consistently wakes up between 5:30 – 6:30 every morning. He sleeps in our bedroom, as he likes to sleep on the hardwood floor. Occasionally he’ll have an exception to the norm, and this morning was definitely anContinue reading “a clockwork otto.”

No matter how you calculate his age, it’s still a parental dilemma. Otto is both a toddler in his “terrible twos”, and he’s also an “early year teenager” (14) in human years. This week he reminded me of how he is both. On Monday morning, I had an early morning dentist appointment. I took OttoContinue reading “the dog days of autumn.”

Thank you Will, Luther, Don, Randy and Mike. I watched an incredible movie last night. The movie was “The Last Full Measure”, based on the true story of Air Force Sgt. William Pitsenbarger, an Air Force paratrooper who made the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam. In April of 1966, he chose to be dropped from hisContinue reading “what can a miracle do?”

It’s been a while. I needed to reboot, for many many reasons. I’m feeling better. (Thank you, The Headspace Show on Netflix for being the pleasant surprise along my journey.) I challenged myself today….I’m making myself write, even though I don’t feel like saying much. Like any good habit, the more you let it slide,Continue reading “(no longer) uninspired….”

……and I’ve caused a lot of damage to people my entire life. Sandy Quaranda, Melissa Fisher, Jennifer Gray, Amanda Donis, Peggy Dyer, Lori Petramale, Tina Pratt, Bonnie Longbotham, Michal Sears Stowe and Jennifer Otto Mendez Stowe – I’M TRULY SORRY. To friends and fellow students and colleagues I’ve hurt along the way – Anne DeWitt,Continue reading “i’m a narcissistic, insecure, social media whore…..”

This might be my last blog post on “The Back Nine.” I’ve been doing this for two years. I never thought of myself as a writer, and I still don’t. This space was what I needed, but all things must pass. Although I have found tremendous growth by blogging, I’ve never felt more narcissistic thatContinue reading “the 18th hole?”

This is definitely not how I expected the week to go leading up to my birthday. As most people know, I just found out that my ex-wife Michal died very unexpectedly and tragically nearly three months ago from a brain aneurysm. My emotions have been all over the place, as it’s a very complicated situation.Continue reading “52.”