Novel looks at the Rust Belt, composed by an American doctor
Get my free weekly newsletter, The Friday Mix
Latest Articles

La Ciudad de México: Un Poema
Ciudad de México, no conozco mucho de ti Es así, viviendo aquí La mayoría de lo que he oído Tiene

When I Buy a Concert Ticket, Who Gets Paid?
Just as the COVID-19 pandemic made everyone an amateur virologist (some more amateur than others), the Taylor Swift Eras Tour

Dave Matthews Band: Have the Haters Retired?
Too happy. Too predictable. Bland. Cheesy. Just bad. Dave Matthews Band has heard it all. And it kept going.

War, Rochester, and Kurt Vonnegut
Writers change the world Actually, scratch that They simply unfurl The abundance of claptrap Because no one listens The
10 Perks of Being a Doctor
I’ve been accused of painting an overly gloomy picture of 21st-century doctoring. So to make amends and prove that things

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Miami
South Beach. Little Havana. Little Haiti. Coral Gables. Key Biscayne. The Everglades. Gloria Estefan. Camila Cabello. Pitbull. Miami Vice. Old

The 15 Best Taylor Swift Songs
I’m not going to lie—I’d rather be writing about Led Zeppelin. But when there’s an 11-year-old girl in the house,

Denver: A Portrait in 10 Questions
Cities have brands, and the one sported by Denver, Colorado, is a good one. Enough said, right? Well—a quick look

Why You Should Revere Nikola Jokić
Instant gratification. Narcissism. Arrogance. These are the qualities valued in the 21st century. And that’s why you know nothing about

20 Haikus About Golf
Inspired by the 2023 PGA Championship held at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York, here are 20 haikus

How Being a Nephrologist Jaded Me
Being a nephrologist, I reminded myself, was my choice. It’s just that, as I looked into her eyes, I couldn’t

The 2026 Great Lakes NFL Preview
Who would come to a random blog by a part-time doctor about the Rust Belt for an NFL preview? No

The Other Guy Who Hates Free Trade Agreements
Where others see an apocalypse, I prefer to look for logic. And that which drives Trump 2.0, as chaotic as

My Favorite Song From Rochester (NY)
Some nepo babies get a real estate empire or worldwide fame. Others get a blog post about a favorite song

Indian Man Found Wandering Along Lake America
In a shocking turn of events, on August 30, 2026, authorities in Rochester, New York, reported having seen what looked

When Dolly Parton Held My Hand
Dolly Parton, the legend, was there for everybody. That includes me, the wannabe coastal elite with the superiority complex. It

I’m a Hipster in Dad Shorts
Sometime around 2012, the hipster thing reared its ugly head. Two years earlier, I had moved with the family to

How New York’s Data Center Ban Kills Upstate (Again)
Yeah, yeah—I know it’s not really a data center ban. It’s a moratorium barring state approvals of hyperscale data centers

How New York State Is Digging Its Own Grave
The beauty of New York State, if one sticks around long enough, generally results in anger. In Upstate New York, it’s

Dear Tennessee: Who Are You Anyway?
Dear Tennessee: I know what it’s like to be misunderstood. I am from the Rust Belt, after all. But


