by Michael Carlon | Aug 3, 2010 | The Moderating Life, Traveling Observations
I was once in Nashville doing some focus groups for a lawnmower manufacturer. When I asked the men in the group what they are looking for in a new lawnmower, one man with a thick southern accent said “I am looking for a big dick,” and he held out his two hands about...
by Michael Carlon | Jun 7, 2010 | Self Awareness
I must admit, when I was stretching this morning at home I was a bit nervous. After all, I was about to partake in my first race since 1992 when I stopped running the Waveny Park concert series. I was filled with self-doubt, which is a runner’s worst enemy. Once I got...
by Michael Carlon | Jun 2, 2010 | Self Awareness
Maria Fauci was my grandmother and one of the strongest women this world has ever known but she was not strong enough to beat cancer. She died just shy of Mother’s day in 1992 and just a few weeks before my high school graduation. Randy Cappiello was probably the...
by Michael Carlon | Apr 30, 2010 | Self Awareness
Serving – Not Sex. Sorry to excite anyone. ____ I remember as a kid my mother would always volunteer my brother Jimmy and I for various activities. We did everything from painting a rectory’s basement to cleaning a convent. In retrospect, “volunteers” was the...
by Michael Carlon | Apr 13, 2010 | Self Awareness
My mother is Italian and my father is Irish, which of course makes me Catholic. In many ways I am an exception to the rule; many in my generation do not practice the religion in which they were raised. While that may have been true for me during my college years, over...
by Michael Carlon | Apr 10, 2010 | Self Awareness
I am writing this while on vacation with the family in Ft. Lauderdale. As always, our vacation started off with a little drama. Pre 9/11, we traveled to St. Lucia and forgot a birth certificate; luckily we were able to find a sympathetic ticket agent who let us...
by Michael Carlon | Apr 1, 2010 | Self Awareness
If you ever wonder whether or not you have true friends, I’ll offer a litmus test; don’t see or talk to some for 10 years. Then, randomly, pick a night to go out to dinner/drinks with them and, if after all that time, you can sit down and pick up as if you saw each...
by Michael Carlon | Feb 8, 2010 | Publications
Its not easy to become a moderator. Its not something you decide to do one day and all of a sudden become successful at it. It takes time, perseverance, and a little luck. This article summarizes the obstacles I faced when getting into this business and the...
by Michael Carlon | Feb 5, 2010 | Self Awareness
I had an embarrassing thing happen today. During breakfast with my boss, Cathy, I noticed that before she ate, Cathy bowed her head and closed her eyes. Remembering that Cathy had been battling a cold for the better part of a month, I interrupted her moment of silence...
by Michael Carlon | Feb 5, 2010 | Self Awareness
I started working out with weights while I was in college. My best friend, John, was planning on joining the Marine Corps after he graduated and wanted someone to bulk up with. Prior to my junior year at the University of Connecticut, strength training was a foreign...
by Michael Carlon | Jan 19, 2010 | Faith and Pop Culture
Bless me father for I have sinned.I have been listening to the 80’s channel on Sirius XM and feel quite guilty about it. I am not sure why I am drawn to this station so much; perhaps it is the original MTV VJs who I watched incessantly (much to my mother’s...
by Michael Carlon | Jan 11, 2010 | Editorials, Self Awareness
Growing up as a Catholic boy in Stamford, I went through a rite of passage that my older brother and countless others experienced before me; I became an altar server. While there were those boys whose parents “strongly encouraged” them to serve their parish in this...
