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 »
Miraculously, I found a room in NYC that I can afford. The problem is, the space is tiny, 5 by 10 feet. I am 6’4” and it isn’t easy scrunching inside 50 square feet. The twin bed nearly occupies the entire space. I do have a high ceiling though, 9 feet. So, with the cramped… Read more »
The latest target of the endless outrage fest perpetually playing out in social media is Stephen Colbert, who is an unlikely villain. Colbert made himself a persona non grata when he decided to lampoon Daniel Snyder, the owner of the Washington Redskins football team. Snyder, who has come under increasing pressure to rename his team,… 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 »
I have had my fill of organized art and steered clear of the canonized canvas and plastic smiles in cold minimalist lobbies, for a New-York-minute. As I invested more time in sharing a beer on fire escapes with some of my more eccentric acquaintances, I accidentally stumbled on an exciting world of adventure. I had… 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 »
The other day, someone asked me what I thought a “New Yorker” was. My first response was a New Yorker is not about what was, New Yorkers are about what is often before anyone realizes it. Besides this though, the question seemed impossible to answer. That person could have asked me to count all the… Read more »
In the Upstate Schenectady School district, five-year-old Jeneya Nevins boarded the wrong bus to the wrong school, assimilating herself in a first-grade classroom, a notion completely oblivious to teachers and staff. Apparently the school was expecting a new first-grader, and the kindergartner’s verbal confirmation was credence to the “board of education.” Metonymic, Of course! Teachers… Read more »
Some of us in New York have the unfortunate burden of being Jets fans. The New York Jets were a great team sometime more than 40 years ago. Like the Knicks and Mets, they have made it their modus operandi to find new ways to break their fans’ hearts. They have been described as more… Read more »
He is the most consummate master of vowels and consonants, the greatest poet. As a philosopher and moralist I have no abnormal respect for him. You guessed it folks. Shakespeare! The man, the dude, the master of masters imbedded in the canons of literature, music, performance art and even everyday language. He had coined hundreds… Read more »
