I have had a beard for about 30 years and now beards are huge. They change the way we (men) look and some baseball players grow them till they lose. As it turns out, there are many health benefits to having a beard! Beards can:  

Over this past raw and rainy weekend I engaged in annual Fall rituals brought on by the change in what had been a wonderful long stretch of dreamy weather. I brought in the out door furniture, wore long pants and a jacket, swam my last laps, took a long drive on a leafy highway and rotated my closets.  And, most significantly, Joanne turned on the heat.

Although I am a Mets fan, I routed for the Yankees on Monday night. On Tuesday, I heard the last sportscasts of how the Yankees did and it won't be until next season that I'll have to wait to hear about the Bronx Bombers before hearing the sportscasters talk about my Mets. So here we are with the wild card teams decided and the playoffs are underway with the boys from Queens representing Gotham City.

Last night I had the distinct pleasure of seeing a first screening of the movie, "Truth," starring Robert Redford and Cate Blanchett (and a long roster of other talented actors). It is the story of the controversy surrounding CBS anchor Dan Rather (Robert Redford) and "60 Minutes" producer Mary Mapes (Cate Blanchett) after the network broadcasts a report about President George W. Bush and his military service.

I admit that I don’t watch much television anymore. It’s just hard to find the time to commit to a regular series. There are a few that call me, but honestly not all that much.

  When was the last time you completely stepped out of your comfort zone and did something crazy? That is not something I do very often. Generally, I am a cautious person and do not, comfortably step away from my comfort zone.    

Here was my text conversation with my son Joshua the other day:   Me:  What time do you leave work? Josh: 5.  Why? Me: Thought we could get a beer.

Here's a way to avoid the extra bag charge if you're flying...wear all your clothes. Silly I know, but someone actually tried this.   James McElvar, 19, of the boy band Rewind fell ill after attempting to avoid a $70 luggage charge by wearing all of this clothes on an EasyJet flight.   The singer collapsed on the plane due to heat exhaustion. McLever, who wore 12 layers of clothing, told The Sun, “I thought I was having a heart attack. I thought I was a goner.”