A preteen shows up this wannabe
What makes you feel like a failure, especially, if, say, you're a 35-year-old man who once dreamed of writing books? Interviewing a 12-year-old boy who has written a book. And is on a book tour....
View ArticleDon't go to a Halloween party dressed 'Gangnam Style'
Seriously? You thought you'd be the only one to show up at this season's Halloween parties as "Gangnam Style"? C'mon, now. Your finger's not quite as close to the pulse of pop culture as you thought....
View ArticleWe hunker down and cry: Dance, photobomber, dance!
The neighbors talked about driving to Roanoke to outrun this year's version of the storm of the century. Friends called with jokes about sandbags, and your online news feed was nothing but photos of...
View ArticleCan your own jingle dislodge a local classic?
"A Step in Time. A Step in Time. Gonna make your chimney shine." Chances are, if you live in Hampton Roads, you know what comes next. You've heard the jingle. You know the melody. You know the lyrics....
View ArticleIn N.J., gawkers, con men and a few angels
I wish I had something astonishing to tell you about New Jersey after Hurricane Sandy. Except what is happening in New Jersey is, at its most basic level, not that different from what many people have...
View ArticleIn New Jersey, gawkers, con men and a few angels
I WISH I HAD something astonishing to tell you about New Jersey after Hurricane Sandy. Except what is happening in New Jersey is, at its most basic level, not that different from what many people have...
View ArticleSurrounded by glam and glitter, haze gray won the day
At a time when no one wears a fanny pack anymore, everyone here is wearing a fanny pack. At a time when no one dangles a real camera around their neck, everyone here has a camera."Did you see the...
View ArticleWith fact-checkers gone, what should we believe?
I know we're less than two weeks removed from the election, but I'll say it: I already miss the Pinocchios. I miss the pants on fire. I miss the ubiquitous election-time fact-checkers and their...
View ArticleCat claims third place in Senate race
I am a rules person. And my No. 1 rule of journalism is: Do not write about animals. But you, the good people of the commonwealth of Virginia, have left me no choice. Why? Because of a cat. Hank the...
View ArticleCan deals stir you from your post-turkey stupor?
Everyone at Nicole Papillion's house is aware of the Thanksgiving routine. Prayer begins at 1:59 p.m. Plates fill up a minute later. Nicole started preparing dinner last Friday for the feast in...
View ArticleWhen the food runs out, Chesapeake is the place to be
The building itself is easy to miss, which could be a blessing, depending on the situation. Hidden on Chesapeake's Executive Boulevard and stashed behind an oxygen-tank storefront, the structure is...
View ArticleAttempt at Thanksgiving pie was riddled with mistakes
Face it. Thanksgiving is a test. An annual ritual to see whether, for just one meal a year, everything can go absolutely perfectly. The dinner is a series of interchanging, ever-improving parts in a...
View ArticleIt's not you, I'm just not that interested
THE MIKE GRUSS INTEREST METER Interest in joining - or even watching - next season's "Dancing With the Stars" Lower than seeing Gabby Douglas and the other Fierce Five gymnasts, who said earlier in the...
View ArticleMy genuine, noncommercial, Dickensian moment
It is called the Christmas Depot. And maybe you want to stop reading now because everything in this column is going to sound cheesy, as though it's straight from a Hallmark movie starring Tim Allen....
View ArticleA 'real' christmas is what you make of it
Perhaps you're dreaming of a white Christmas. You know, just like the ones you used to know. That can be difficult, with the changes in the Earth's atmosphere and climate and your own decision to...
View ArticleCan a bunch of carolers break a vow of silence?
I'm driving the car. Stop, my wife says. I look out the window for some kind of disorderly traffic and then I see... them. Christmas carolers. They're handing out fliers inviting passers-by to join in....
View ArticleTrip the light fantastic for 100 miles
Let's say you're hoping to get into the holiday spirit. And let's say you plan to do so by looking at Christmas lights.
View ArticleFarewell, readers, it's been a ride to remember
Well, this is it. My last column for The Pilot. Unfortunately, there's still plenty we haven't covered. So keep up. To twist a Willy Wonka saying, "So little time. So little to see." Almost 10 years...
View ArticleCat claims third place in Senate race
I am a rules person. And my No. 1 rule of journalism is: Do not write about animals. But you, the good people of the commonwealth of Virginia, have left me no choice. Why? Because of a cat. Hank the...
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