Jeff Vinik’s goal for the downtown Tampa neighborhood do not have a Tampa Bay Rays Stadium.

I’m only posting this on Stonegauge the site because I’ve discovered I placed a bit of my writing here that I don’t have hard copies of on my own computer. This poem was inspired by a photo taken from bed. I’d post the picture but I never know if the site isRead More

A common saying is that the definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing, over and over again, and expect a different result. My heart is insane, my head is not. My heart hoped (hopes?) that a relationship that has turned long(er) distant will last, and my headRead More

Like the onset of the British Invasion of 1964, the USAs win over Russia in 1980 was a cultural event.

Like the Beatles influence on music (and the singular event of appearing on Ed Sullivan in February 1964), the “miracle” of Lake Placid by Team USA is an event that is only sullied by modern comparisons.

I need to redo the theme for Raw Charge. I mean, I like it in general — K.I.S.S. and all that — but the problem is that it is FUBAR with the text.

THough I am busy on Raw Charge most of the time, Stonegauge is in my thoughts often… And I’ve been on the Admin dashboard for the site several times in recent days… Seeing my last post was nearing 2 years ago, I ghought I should shake off the rust andRead More

A respectful plea for compromise, for reconciliation, and an end to the 2012 NHL lockout.

I found myself sobbing last night in bed.  Six days after I cut Angie loose, the weight of the moment still hangs heavy on me and my doubts and fears still hold more swy than I’d like to admit. It was sort of brought along by Bill.  God love him,Read More

My, aren’t we in a pleasant and chipper mood this merry Saturday Night! It’s the middle of June, there’s a tropical system dropping rain upon the Florida peninsula, and I’m being treated like a leper by every and all social contacts that I know. No one, I mean no one,Read More

How do I preface this one? You support someone who is deployed, and they break yoru heart. You go on supporting them because it bothers you to abandon them when you know they’re not enjoying what they’re doing and the entire environment being miserable… And when they get home, they’reRead More

Lay their hardships unto me Their doubts, their fears Their degradations Lay their weights upon my shoulders, Threats and harms Leave them be Steer them straight, right, and true Deliver from evil And to the promise of the now Yes, lay their hardships unto me And through my suffering SpareRead More

I decided to take a shot with some of my written works, stuff that has never been published beore (sans on this web site) and actually submit them to a literary review. It’s been about a month since I made those submissions. It oculd be another two before I hearRead More

Certain posts are disappearing for a time. Those posts / pages will return in the near future.

Dear Creative Loafing, Look, I’m not the most interesting guy out there. Just go through the archives here  (which stretch back to 2002) and you can find plenty of boring, personal, and petty drivel. I’m not flashy, but I have been involved with the sites and people that your independentRead More

Last night I started mucking around with a challenge that I had not partaken in for quite some time. Not a challenge, per se, but an investment in my thoughts and creativity that I have dedicated elsewhere for a while. I wrote a poem. Actually, two poems, but that’s besidesRead More

Another face in music goes away by way of O.D.

When was the last time you sent a letter to someone? I don’t mean a card, I don’t mean paying a bill, I mean a letter. Taking yoru time to write out something — or even print it out — and sticking it in an envelope and sending it out?Read More

It’s been months since I posted anything on my personal blog here.  Where am I? Is this sitei site dead? I’m busy more often than not, and no – the Stonegauge is not dead.  Just dormant.  When I have been writing lately, it’s been personal and it’s been in theRead More

As the National Hockey League pauses for a spectacle and celebration, a few thoughts, observations and rambling on the 2011 All-Star game.

My name is John, and I have a problem. (this is where you greet me, “Hi, John!”) For the longest time, I’ve been a dreamer. In a good way, and in a bad way. I like to construct grand things, I like to believe in the best… Or a mountainRead More

Three topics to avoid if you want to keep your friends are politics, religion, and money. There is nothing more divisive. But what happens when … Read More on Raw Charge

A lot of images were taken off banner rotation for now… Mostly because they weren’t mine and I figured, being a professional, I should stop doing what they tell us not to do with images: Just take and crop to your satisfaction. I’ll figure out something new for the headerRead More

Whatever WordPress did to upgrade recently, and whatever hole that was opened up so Akismet could be exploited, it’s done the one positive thing for me: It’s forced me to make more regular trips to this site to keep an eye on things.

“A man needs to know his limitations.” I think I have found mine. I was offered a job I wanted but I did not want to lose focus on what I am most proud of. I also knew that my physical limitations kept me from truly fulfilling the role. MaybeRead More

It’s been a long while, but I’ve got me a What-If… One of my favorite movies is Cast Away. an early Aughts tale of an executive who survives a jetliner crash and has to live on a desert island for four years. Some people hate the movie because of itsRead More

For how much I like th pop culture and how much I like the header rotation… I really need to mix in some new photos, don’t I>

For a very long time I’ve had problems with reading local newspaper reports about the local teams. It’d usually be Marc Topkin that’s rubbed me the wrong way — assuming tthe Atlanta Braves were Tampa Bay’s team in the early 1990’s, reporting personal favoritisms as fact with Tampa Bay (Devil)Read More

Maybe it’s worth blaming the Social Networks for?  or the face I am writing full time for a top-tier sports blog network? Whatever the case, I’ve neglected Stonegauge for a very long time.Honestly, it’s easier for me to re-tweet something on Twitter or to post on my profile at FacebookRead More

A 2010 interview that this long-time hockey blogger did with SB Nation founder Tyler Bleszinski. Click the post title to be magically whisked away to SB Nation and the interview article.

Dear Jay Leno: You knew for FIVE years you were losing your late-night gig. Then you pushed anyway to remain on TV in a later-evening fashion. I do not buy into the “not my fault” “everyone’s angry” bullshit coming from you. I buy into you being happy being paid, and noRead More

About 14 months ago, Albertson’s at Boot Ranch Plaza closed shop.  Just before it happened, I lamented in nostalgia about that happening.  Having had worked there in the past and what not. But one thing that was not said was the fact  I was excited about the upcoming change ofRead More

Will wonders never cease. WordPress for. Blackberry.

For a- long, long while I’ve been trying to get off my chest a little issue I have with the business world…  well, something that was showing up to anyone who was paying attention that is. And then again, who pays attention?  The fact people don’t pay attention is whyRead More