We all have to go there eventually – the dreaded Department of Motor Vehicles. Even if you don’t drive, you need some sort of identification — at the very least so you can buy booze without having to seem like a desperate teenager trying to justify not having an ID. I have a Florida license… Read more »
June 20, 1957, on my brother Rory’s first birthday we moved into apartment #4R at 517 East 83rd Street. Mom let Rory and me run straight into the apartment before my aunts and uncles brought the furniture up. I dragged my brother by his arm. At the window was a fire escape with a nest… Read more »
What is your idea of a New York City worst case scenario? Being the cause of standstill traffic in the middle of a busy intersection stands near the top of my worst case list. Having people make, “What the hell is wrong with you faces?” as they maneuver past your car while you figure out… Read more »
I like Central Park early in the morning. The light is special, the space is quiet but for the dogs off their leashes. I like that best, gives the place a country feel. Well, I was biking over there on a Sunday morning around seven when I saw this end result of a “funny thing to do… Read more »
“Get that out of your mouth.” The nun demanded. “Wha?” said the kid. “The candy.” With lots of lisping,”It’ssss not candy, it’ssss a cough drop.” The nun with pointing directions only made the boy take out a hanky and drop the drop into the snot rag. “No candy in class!” “It’sssss not candy!” The nun… Read more »
When I was young, I connected with a few mothers of my friends. Sweet Mrs. Muller gave me Sloppy Joe Sandwiches, Funny and sarcastic Mrs. McMahon gave me my own half gallon of 4C Ice Tea on hot afternoons, and the intelligent and elegant Mrs. Peters (unknowingly for a short time) gave us space for… Read more »
Verbal irony and verbal sarcasm have always been used interchangeably and out of context, but there’s a clear distinction between these figurative devices, they’re mutually exclusive. There are many forms of irony, such as; dramatic, situational, verbal and socratic irony etc…, but let’s specifically dismantle verbal irony and sarcasm. Verbal irony is objectively innocuous, whereas… Read more »
Tonight, I’m going to my grammar school, St. Stephen of Hungary’s first ever all students/faculty reunion. I graduated in 1968 and soaring memories involving all my senses have welled up. Next Friday, I’m headed to Joe’s Pub to see the Loser’s Lounge Carly Simon/Linda Ronstadt tribute. The Losers Lounge is my favorite recurring NYC music… Read more »
March 19th is the Feast of St. Joseph ~ an East Side wide holiday in 1962 in Manhattan. The St. Joseph parish on 87th Street began as an orphanage on York Avenue (then known as Avenue A) and 89th Street in the 1800s. The cornerstone of the present church was blessed in 1894. My mother and… Read more »
I bet I can name every barber I’ve had back to five years old. I only remember nicknames for the first two on York Avenue because I didn’t know their real names. “Herman the German” and “Mickey Mouse” with his wife with Tourette’s syndrome. In a house dress with her wild gray hair, she sat next to you… Read more »
