In our age of terrorism, we have become a nation of lifeguards. When tragedy hits, Americans have learned to open their doors instead of closing them.
About Robert Barsanti
Robert Barsanti teaches in the Berkshires and is the father of two boys. You can follow his Twitter feed here.
School in the Time of Dinosaurs
March 21, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Teacher Robert Barsanti looks at education, its metrics and the point they’re both missing.
The Value of Snow Shoveling
March 11, 2013 By 1 Comment
When Bob Barsanti was his eldest son’s age, his adolescent ego was stoked by shoveling snow: a modern John Henry against the snowplow. That was then…
Willy Loman Plugged the John
February 26, 2013 By 1 Comment
When the plumbing backs up, men often expect that we should know how to make the repair.
Prizefighters and Poppas
December 31, 2012 By 2 Comments
What does the life deliberately and well lived look like?
Gun Dreams
December 26, 2012 By 30 Comments
In our fantasies, a gun ends all arguments in our favor.
Watching Time Pass Over the Vineyard Game
December 24, 2012 By 1 Comment
You can’t buy Christmas spirit, but you can make it.
Drinking Wine with Noah
September 15, 2012 By 1 Comment
“I piled up his clothes, vacuumed his floor, and got rid of the flotsam and jetsam of an unclicked mind.” Robert Barsanti takes his father to the hospital.
The Dream of Fondue
September 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Emerson wrote that a hero is no braver than any other man, but he is braver five minutes longer. Robert Barsanti suspects it is the same with successful marriages.
The Grasshopper Life
September 1, 2012 By 2 Comments
To his old girlfriends, Robert Barsanti’s father would always be Romeo. But for Robert, Benito was Lear.
Eat the Cake
July 8, 2012 By 4 Comments
Robert Barsanti wishes he had eaten more cake, kissed more women, and seen Sarah Vaughn when he had the chance.
A Very Old Man With Enormous Skis
April 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Robert Barsanti reflects on his father, the skier. “Every other role was a costume he wore in order to get into the car and drive north to snow and slopes.”
Beyond the Blinking Eye of Righteousness
October 3, 2011 By 10 Comments
Hats off, slide the chair, hold the door. Robert Barsanti reflects on traditional gender roles, and how, in the end, a man does
The Irish Goodbye
June 29, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Fifteen years after her death, Robert Barsanti’s mother still helps him through difficult times “with the whisper of iron and the strength of bone.”
Learning to Fail
May 15, 2011 By 11 Comments
Robert Barsanti gives a rallying call for failure. Why? Victory reinforces; failure teaches.
Drinking Wine With Noah
April 1, 2011 By 1 Comment
As Robert Barsanti cleaned out his hospice-bound father’s junk-ridden apartment, he gave this final toast to the old man.
“Straight men learned from gay men that physically affectionate, emotionally intimate friendships are not unmanly.”
These are comments by David May and Rick on the post “For The Love Of God, Please Stop Saying ‘Bromance’”.