Novel looks at the Rust Belt, composed by an American doctor
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The Dream Cruise Everyone Has To Take
You’re thinking about your dream cruise all wrong.* Screw the Caribbean. And Alaska. Europe, too. In fact, screw wherever you’ve
You’re Right—the Great Lakes Are Garbage
You know who you are, you who calls the Great Lakes garbage. You may be one of those East Coast
Please—Just Bury Me in a Pringles Can
It wasn’t my idea, this whole Pringles can burial. I stole it from the man who started the trend in
How The Wizard of Oz Ruined My Life
Back in 1997, during my junior year of college, I thought I was done with The Wizard of Oz. I
The Essence of Syracuse, New York
The essence of Syracuse, New York Is what I set out to capture The ruminations of a Rust Belt dork
5 Songs No One Will Ever Sing About Me
You know those classic movie scenes, the ones where songs proclaim a perfect relationship? Yeah, that hasn’t happened to me
The Amol I Could Have Been
Life comes with all sorts of twists and turns, especially for someone named Amol. As fate would have it, this
Why the Mayor of Toledo Is My Hero
The mayor of Toledo—no, not the one in Spain—is a glutton for punishment. How do I know this? Because he
When Trump Gave Western New York the Finger (Again)
The good times are never meant to last, especially when they were never there in the first place. Donald Trump,
What Five Below Taught Me About the US
Even mundane suburban life, out in the western reaches of New York, can offer flickers of interest. This I learned,
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