Archive for August 2011
Authors should not meet their editors at baseball games with pee-stained shorts
My editor was kind enough to take Elysha and me to a Mets game last week, and though I am a Yankees fan, I love baseball and was looking forward to seeing Citi Field for the first time. It didn’t disappoint. Citi Field is a beautiful ballpark with a small, almost minor league feel which…
Read MoreA sequel to Something Missing: Martin Railsback, FBI tactical operations double agent
A reader sent me this NPR story about the FBI’s tactical operations team. For those of you who have read Something Missing, you’ll understand when I say that the story is so eerily reminiscent of Martin Railsback, the book’s protagonist, that I’m wondering if I worked for the FBI in a previous life. A few…
Read MoreWhen an overly slow driver pulls to the side of the road to allow you to pass, even though you are driving the speed limit, what is a man to do? Here’s one idea:
Tell me if this was mean. I was on my way to the post office yesterday, driving on a rather short street, when I came upon a car driving exceedingly slowly. I looked down at my speedometer and determined that I was driving at the speed limit (35 MPH) and guessed that the car in…
Read MoreThe Clowns: One step closer to reality
The promotional poster for our rock opera is finished. It almost feels real now.
Read MoreIf it’s important and it’s lacking, TEACH IT.
I don’t understand the teacher who complains that his or her students don’t do something that is easy to fix. A good example is the use of the word please. I can’t tell you how many times over the years I have heard a teacher complain about the lack of manners in their students. But the…
Read MoreIs a bologna, cheese, and catsup sandwich reason enough to run away from home?
I once told my wife that when I was a kid, my siblings and I were served bologna and catsup sandwiches for lunch every day during our summer vacation. No cheese. No other condiments. No potato chips. No dessert. Just bologna, catsup and white bread. One sandwich per kid. My mother would apply the catsup…
Read MoreWeeping cat owners require segregation
After my third visit to the veterinarian this month and the millionth visit in the lifetime of my dog, I would like to offer the following suggestion: There needs to be two areas for pet owners to check out. One for owners who have brought their pet in for a standard check-up or a similar…
Read MoreHow to deliver a wedding toast
Slate’s Troy Patterson wrote a piece on how to deliver a wedding toast. It’s a good list. In fact, #3 on Patterson’s list is similar to one of my own. I don’t disagree with any of Patterson’s rules. What I suspect, however, is that Patterson has not listened to more than a thousand wedding toasts…
Read MoreShould schools stop releasing their honor rolls for publication in order to protect the feelings of students not included on the list?
When I first heard that a middle school in Glastonbury, CT was going to stop releasing its honor roll for publication in order to protect the feelings of those students who haven’t earned the honor, I was horrified. Students who have worked hard and made the best use of their talents are going to suffer…
Read MoreThe double-take instead of the long gaze
I saw a woman at the gym today whose outfit left me wondering what she was hoping for when she donned it. The top was tight fitted, sheer and spotted with flesh colored patches and two unfortunately placed pink circular spots on the chest that caused me to look twice in order to determine if…
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