Milan Vydareny

Chicago Featured

Snow Birds and Gym Bunnies

Aside from having to wear boots rather than just some tennis shoes, getting to the gym and back was pretty easy. The bus stops near my apartment and the gym front door are about a half block each, so it's an easy walk to and from home and the gym with a short bus ride (at Senior fares) in between.

Chicago Featured

Kudos to the CTA or How Cold Is It?

The captain had been telling how, in one of his Arctic voyages, it was so cold that the mate's shadow froze fast to the deck and had to be ripped loose by main strength. And even then he got only about two-thirds of it back. ~Mark Twain

Chicago Featured

Over 700 [barely] Clad Runners Raise $188K Plus for Center on Halsted

I strapped on my camera backpack and headed out to North Halsted Street and Sidetrack Bar, where the 14th Annual Santa Speedo Run was scheduled to take place. I expected to find spectacle, or at least a lot of shivering runners, but instead I found community and belonging.

Education Featured

An Evening With the Wabash Club of Chicago

The warmth of the room, the easy conversation among generations of alumni, and the small surprises that come with gatherings like this all made it worth writing about—and photographing. Each of the 24 images I took a small window into what makes Wabash men such a durable and fascinating tribe.

Ancient Wisdom Featured

The Gunslinger and the Old Woman

Late one afternoon, when the sun was low and the dust floated in the air like powdered gold, an old woman rode her pack mule into a frontier town. She tied the animal to a hitching post, brushed the trail dust from her clothes, and stretched her back the way old bones do after too many miles.

art Featured

Echoes from the Podium: Remembering Chicago’s Great Conductors

It was for me the epiphany that made me spend many other pleasant afternoons and evenings at Chicago cultural performances: the CSO, Lyric Opera, Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, Grant Park Music Festival, Ravinia Festival, Chicago Storefront Theater, and many others too numerous to mention.

Chicago Featured

Delivering Drywall

The simple solution is to simply unload and carry the drywall up to the third floor by hand—sheer muscle power. Three men showed up for the task which they accomplished in just a few hours and with seemingly little or no effort.

Musings Featured

To Read or Not to Read

What I want to examine is the why and how of learning the skill of reading, and some suggestions about what you, the reader, might consider to help put us back on track toward a healthier, happier, and better informed adult cohort that we're now guiding in their formative years.

Personal Growth Featured

Looks Like a Cockroach; Sings Like a Canary

Seniors with untreated hearing loss are significantly more likely to self-isolate—a behavior that raises the risk of premature death by around 30–40%. Isolation, loneliness, cognitive decline, and depression work together to undermine health in powerful ways.

art Featured

The vengeance of hell boils in my heart,

The vengeance of hell boils in my heart, Death and despair flame about me! If Sarastro does not through you feel The pain of death, Then you will be my daughter nevermore.

Chicago Featured

Oasis On Western Avenue

It was one of those chilly April nights when trouble sneaks up silently. As I slept, some inconsiderate rapscallion sideswiped my parked car and the car parked behind me, inflicting considerable damage.

art Featured

Dear Brian,

What follows was prompted by an email from one of my oldest and most treasured friends, Brian—a musician, composer and lyricist.

Musings Featured

Counting Marbles

I was inspired to write this blog for reasons not greatly dependent on losing my way, but caused by the realization that the way was dramatically shorter than I had realized.

Chicago Featured

Costco Comique: A Ballet in Five Episodes

What follows is not a factual report, although it is grounded in reality. It is a dramatization, a ballet of sorts, loosely inspired by a real-life shopping excursion.

theater Featured

Immersive Masculinity: Un Poyo Rojo at Theater Wit

In an empty locker room, two men play with movement, an analogue radio and tiny shorts. The athletic bodies of Luciano Rosso and Alfonso Barón move fluently from wrestling to dance, acrobatics to physical comedy in an irresistible distortion of the expectations of manhood.

theater Featured

Art at Remy Bumppo: A Study in Friendship, and the Meaning of Meaning

Remy Bumppo’s motto, “Think Theatre,” is no idle tagline. Their lean and precise staging succeeded in drawing laughter, unease, and reflection in generous measure.

Personal Featured

Revisiting Caracas

Fatima and I spent several hours reminiscing about *La Ciudad de Eterna Primavera* (The City of Eternal Spring). The memories of one particular party I attended came flooding back to my consciousness.

Personal Growth Featured

Ancient Chinese Curses

Here's an update to what I've been doing to cope with the breakneck changes and developments in 21st Century Life. Many people ask me why I haven't retired, but really, in my lifetime there never has been a period of so much opportunity for interesting, fulfilling and even profitable existence.

cancel culture Featured

Banned From Facebook

A Masonic photo shoot brought on more work than originally anticipated. Or, in other words, the world is full of Kafkaesque moments, especially when dealing with Facebook.

Musings Featured

Be It Resolved...

Don't waste your time with New Year's Resolutions. Real change takes some effort and patience. But enjoy the journey! As you set out for Ithaka hope your road is a long one, full of adventure, full of discovery.

Bowmanville Featured

Over the Tombstones and Thru the Graves

Cemeteries are lovely places—quiet and peaceful oases and sanctuaries from the noise and bustle of the city. They're a great opportunity to relax and relieve a little stress, while pondering some of the local history.

Chicago Featured

A Night Out With Charles Dickens

In a unique presentation that brings the famous author to life, Blake Montgomery becomes Charles Dickens, and brings *A Christmas Carol* to life right there in our presence, as he explains the characters, describes the scenes he saw as he penned the story...

cancel culture Featured

Life After Facebook

This reprint from the original source by the Author, examines the simple solution he employed to "The Facebook Problem" and the benefits that accrued as a result.

News Featured

Thanksgiving 2024 (Almost)

It's Tuesday, November 26, 2024, two days before Thanksgiving. I have just finished spending what seems like an inordinate amount of time assembling my ability to host this blog on my own server. As simple an idea as that sounds, it turned out to be a lot more than I originally intended.

Genesis Featured

What Matters Is Deciding to Get On!

Hi. My Name is Milan and I'm pleased to meet you. I hope we can get to know each other better as time goes on. To get things started, let me explain a little of the motivation I have for starting this Newsletter.