I had another odd, vivid dream last night. In it, I was in bed and someone, probably my mom, was moving the quilt in the area of my feet. Then I heard an announcement over a loudspeaker. I approached a window and saw a repair shop set up in the driveway shared by the Mazzos and Venerusos. When I awoke it took me a moment to realize I was in Sheepsh
This week I have the honor of being profiled in the Brooklyn newspapers. My thanks to Sol, who led me to Eli Rosenberg, who wrote the article, and to Steve, the photographer. Here's the text, amended by my own comments: Brownstone Brooklyn has the title for the borough’s most literary land around, but a Brooklynite who sells his books on the street
We've all heard the old saying: "It pays to shop." I ignored it in large part when I had good cash flow. Not so the past four years, when I've watched every nickel. I've dreaded July, when the car insurance bill is due, the biggest hit of the year, which I always paid in full to take advantage of the discount. I was shocked to find that Liberty Mut
Yesterday, conservative talk show host Mike Gallagher mentioned an interesting development concerning a movie star's mom. I got the following from NYPost.com, editing it a tiny bit. It illustrates how intolerant some liberals can be: Brad Pitt’s mom, Jane, has faced a barrage of death threats and other slurs after writing to her local paper bashing
I had a fun dream last night. I was riding the subway and seated next to me was none other than the lovely Tina Louise, the "movie star" among the odd group stranded on Gilligan's Island. She fell asleep and her head rested on my shoulder. When the train lurched suddenly, her face went to my lap and she shrieked. It's not hard to figure that the dr
Romance novelist Brenda Joyce, 49, must write in her sleep. She's had at least 44 novels and novellas published, and there are 14 million copies in print. I just finished Deadly Kisses (2006), the eighth in a series set in Manhattan in the early 1900's, featuring wealthy sleuth Francesca Cahill. Although I'm not a fan of the genre, I enjoyed the st
In a profile at IMDb, David Cronenberg is described as "The King of Venereal Horror" and "The Baron of Blood." I first learned of him in the early '80's, intrigued by the exploding heads in Scanners (1981). In Videodrome (1983), Deborah Harry did something creepy with a lit cigarette. That same year he did The Dead Zone, which remains my favorite a
"He punked-out," we used to say in Brooklyn about someone who backed down from a tough task or a fight. That's what I did today regarding the floating bookshop, which I eschewed because of the heat and humidity. Man, am I getting soft. In high school, we had two practice sessions in such weather. When I trained for the marathon, I jogged ten miles
Some days good things happen in bunches. I set up shop knowing people would be hurrying back to their AC's or backyard swimming pools to beat the heat, although it wasn't nearly as hot today as yesterday. I hadn't seen Morty, a retired salesman closing in on 80, in six weeks. He recently "graduated" from a program of radiation treatments on a growt
I watched another of the music videos I made, this one circa '95, an eclectic mix of performers. It started on a high note, Bonnie Raitt doing the blues lament Love Me Like a Man, featuring dazzling guitar work that would put many men to shame. She may have used every blues lick ever invented. There was only one cut I had to fast-forward through, s
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whe
There's an interesting one-man show coming to Broadway: The Undisputed Truth, starring Mike Tyson, directed by Spike Lee. It seems an effort to rehabilitate his image. At one time Tyson was in the argument of greatest heavyweight of all-time. He struck fear into opponents and the general public until a relative unknown, Buster Douglas, flattened hi
After not playing golf at all last year due to concern about my right hip, two things have surprised me. One, the absence of pain (knock wood); two, my ball striking is no different than it was before the hiatus. In fact, it's a little better, and this despite the fact that we've lost five rounds to weather. I expected it to be the last thing to co
I thank Jack of Chase Bank, who purchased five more thrillers today, and the gentleman who overpaid for We the People, a history of America's most important documents. "We need this now more than ever," he said. "You're not kiddin'," I replied. "Don't worry, we'll get 'em in November," he assured. I hope he's right. Confidence is not inspired whe
I've now seen both the Swedish and American versions of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Which is better? I can't say. More than a year passed between viewings. Whose portrayal was better, Noomi Rapaci's or Rooney Mara's? Both were excellent, but I lean to Rapaci's, perhaps because it was my introduction to Stieg Laarsen's great protagonist, Lisabe
The nature of evil has been much debated. Is it innate or acquired? I don't think it really matters, although I believe a tiny percentage of the human race has a genetic disposition to it. Whatever the case, the evil must be stopped. In today's NY Post, Andrea Peyser's column focuses on the life of ease some murderers have behind bars. The article
RIP Nora Ephron, 71, a prolific writer who also had great success as a film director. She was eulogized in an op-ed piece by Jonathan Podhoretz in today's NY Post. Ephron wrote several screenplays, including Silkwood (1983) and When Harry Met Sally (1989), which featured the memorable fake orgasm scene so wonderfully rendered by Meg Ryan, and the g
Sara Paretsky has written 17 novels. 15 feature intrepid female private eye V.I. Warshawski. I just finished the fifth in the series, Blood Shot (1988). I enjoyed it. The mystery was engaging from the start and the characters were well drawn, particularly the protagonist. While not as hard-boiled and cynical as Dashiell Hammett's Sam Spade or Raymo
It's time for the network news broadcasts to go into panic mode - a heat wave is on the way. Expect updates and tips every few minutes. It's hot in the summer - who knew? I get a lot of political emails from friends. While I enjoy them, I don't pass most on. I made an exception with the following. If there is a good counter argument to this, I'm no
I slummed on the golf course today. I would have had a good time if not for faulty chipping. I was so inept I needed at least eight extra chips during the round. It was a long day. There was an outing at our usual haunt, Forest Park, so we headed over to Kissena, which is in beautiful condition, especially its greens. It's a short course, par 64, b
