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Ed Puskas

Sooner or later, the Browns will be good … I swear

The Cleveland Browns taught my daughter to swear. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. In 2000, The Princess hadn’t even turned 2 yet, but she had already spent more than enough time in a room with her father to get an idea about the frustration that comes with being a Browns fan. I just didn’t realize it until a random moment that has stuck with me for 25 years. One day, The Princess was looking for a particular “Barney” videotape. If you’re like me — a parent of a certain age — you probably remember the ubiquitous purple dinosaur who sang and danced his way ...

What’s the deal with all the polarization?

Given the events of the year that just concluded, it’s no wonder that the Merriam-Webster Word of the Year — announced early last month — was “polarization.” The dictionary folks weren’t suggesting that it’s getting too cold. Quite the opposite, actually. This polarization has nothing to do with polar bears, ice caps or the Arctic Circle. In this case, the word “polarization” comes right after another “P” word — political. This is not a new development. Things have been headed that way for years as fringe elements on both sides of the American political ...

Food for thought: Raisin a ruckus about resolutions

It’s almost that time of year. Fresh off a month or more of holiday binge eating (and/or drinking) from Thanksgiving to Christmas and into the New Year, we catch an unfortunate glimpse of ourselves in a full-length mirror and realize we’ve gone off the rails. Perhaps way, way off the rails. This is the time of year health clubs love. We all make New Year’s resolutions to get in shape and off the gym we go. Don’t worry. It’s only temporary for most of us. Studies show that the overwhelming number of people pull the plug on their New Year’s resolutions inside three ...

In search of some last-minute Christmas gifts

Christmas is almost here and if you’re like me, you’ve again waited until nearly the last possible moments to do any shopping. Every year, I tell myself that THIS YEAR will be the one when I finally do all of my Christmas shopping ahead of time. And why not? Like a lot of people, I have an Amazon account so I can have just about anything delivered to my front door in a day or two. So you’d think I’d have burned through my list, checked it twice and ordered all those gifts back in September or October at the latest. You’d think that. But you’d be wrong. So here we are, ...

There’s nothing like a second chance at life

Death — or the distinct possibility that you may be facing it — is a sobering experience. And I get that we’re all going to get there sooner or later. I have no illusions about that. By the time you reach your 50s, you’ve seen and likely dealt with a lot of it. The carefree thought of an infinite future that we all have as kids or young adults has long evaporated. No one can predict the when or why. But as my former boss Dave Burcham liked to say, “None of us are getting out of here alive.” I’m no exception. When you stare death in the face and have no other choice ...

Hunter’s pardon was always on the table

“Honesty is such a lonely word Everyone is so untrue Honesty is hardly ever heard And mostly what I need from you” — Billy Joel, “Honesty,” from the 1978 album “52nd Street” I don’t think Billy wrote that song with politics in mind, but he might as well have. As ...