Really? Still? I have an unofficial deadline of January 31. After that date, I will no longer wish someone I haven’t seen a happy new year. I have to say though, somewhere around the middle of the month, it starts to feel awkward -- as if the well wishes are just too late and need to wait another whole year before they are expressed again. …
Today all I am thinking about is sleep. It’s probably because I didn’t get much sleep last night; I didn’t close my eyes until after 4:30 a.m. My theory as to the cause of my restlessness is that, perhaps, the decaffeinated cappuccino I ordered with dinner last night was, actually, caffeinated. Whatever the cause of my restlessness, I know that I …
"This Negro player may be a Communist," the director continued, sitting in the car. "And I suspect your brother too. Both of them. You know how I feel about that." "I don't know about those sorts of things," Johnny answered. "I don't pay much attention to politics." Mr. Hoover remarked that Johnny looked tense and nervous, not relaxed as he had …
Johnny stepped off the plane and a shot of cold air hit his face and entered his lungs. He looked around and everything was coated in white dust. It was so quiet you could hear the snow fall...too quiet he thought. As he walked down the stairs to the tarmac, his mind was swirling with the story Eddie told him. It seemed so unbelievable. He tried …
As they awaited take off Eddie leaned forward and asked Johnny "I know the Needle and you had something going on and we're going back to the city because of it, but more than that I don't know. What's going on?". In response, Johnny asked Eddie to change seats so he could fill him in during the flight. It was a long and winding story. Johnny s …
Of course it mattered that Earl was alive and Johnny would figure out what happened when they were on the flight back to New York. Eddie put the gun away. He heard the gunfire in the room, knew Johnny thought Earl was dead and that Eddie had some part in it, and didn't know what Johnny might do when he saw him. Eddie wasn't sure whether he woul …
Johnny sat in the dark room. He knew he was capable of doing what he had to do. He could write it off as simply revenge, but deep down inside he knew better. He knew that there was a combination of destiny and history all being blasted into one forsaken explosion that was about to shift the axis of the balance of power in the world of organized …
For what seemed like hours, but was only seconds, Johnny paused to remember those early, happy days with Pauline so many years ago. They had met when they were children, probably no more than 12 years old. Funny, they were the exact same age and shared the same birthday. Pauline lived just down the street from Johnny and Earl. An only child, …
Before Johnny could react, Joey had thrown him into the backseat of a large black sedan-he thought it was a Crown Imperial-that was waiting right outside the back door of the club. Johnny recognized the driver, it was little Bernie Just. “Hey kid, aren’t you the weeknight photographer at the Stork Club? What are you doing here?” asked Johnny. “Rel …
The car drove up to the curb on West 145th Street off Lenox Avenue and Johnny Washington opened the door and stepped out into a puddle. He pulled his coat over his hat and trotted through the slanting rain to the awning over the front door of El Morocco. A white suited gentlemen put his arm out to block him. "It's OK," another said, "the bos …
In a not surprising move, Congress is fighting the Obama adminstration to keep selling pizza and french fries in school. Now I'm not here to debate whether we should or should not. I'll leave that to the politics list or feel free to debate it in the comments below. What it did remind me of is the school lunches I remember as a kid in Great Nec …
Two of my recent Blogs have discussed the pluses and minuses of technology. In that vein this week's is about my uneasy, up close and personal encounter (inter-action does not apply) with Gotham technology. Namely, our spanking new, state of the art, bleeding edge, web site. Webmaster Mitch has been working on it for longer than we would like to ad …
This came over the news yesterday. A 32 year old middle school teacher in California was fired when it was discovered that she had been in the adult entertainment industry prior to becoming a teacher. Apparently, students found videos of her online. She appealed her termination and the Commission on Professional Competence upheld the termination. T …
A few nights ago I engaged in a conversation with another gentleman about his feelings on aging. He was a bit older than me, perhaps in his late 50's. A fairly fit man, he was describing his frustration with how he is perceived as being "older", yet he doesn't feel "older". He wasn't just rebelling against people's opinions, because he acknowled …
In my youth (I sound ancient, don't I?), I always appreciated a good dose of background noise. Whether a sitcom on TV or a Barry Manilow marathon on the radio (yes, I really do like Barry), my first reach was always to add some noise. While I was cooking, something in the background always kept me company -- whether a movie or a playlist. But tha …
