Facial Hair Facial hair is a bigger deal than many people realize. I recall in all my travels in Saudi Arabia that the way the supreme ruler, the King, keeps his facial hair sets the tone for the rest of the nation. Men across the Kingdom, out of respect for their sovereign, wear their facial hair in a similar manner. In other countries, particularly the “Stans” of the steppes of middle Eurasia, a man’s virility…
The Importance of Lunch James was a breakfast guy. He always felt hungry in the morning because he tended not to eat much in the evening after a relatively early dinner. It may have had something to do with his mother drilling into him at an early age that breakfast was the most important meal of the day. No matter, he liked a generous breakfast usually with something savory and a little something sweet. In…
Another Big Ass Fan My nephew and his family moved back to Southern California recently. As a young family with a toddler, they needed a transition living arrangement while they managed the move from Minnesota and wrangled the sale and purchase of a house. My sister, who lives nearby said it was going to be very difficult for her to put them up for that transition period since their home would have to be upended…
Mintless Mango Mojitos We are sitting by the edge of the pool at Elbow Beach Club on Sunday afternoon. It’s been a pleasant three days in paradise, and we will have dinner in Hamilton tonight, return our Twizy’s and depart for the airport in the morning. The pool barman has offered us any drink we want, so Kim ordered a mango mojito. There was an issue. It seems he was tragically out of fresh mint…
On the Beach We have all been taught that the sun is not good for us. It seems that everyone my age has had some part of their face or neck trimmed of potentially carcinogenic material. We all know we should slip/slap/slop on the spf 30 gunk to keep ourselves safe. And yet, I still see the ads for the lovely beach resorts and want to go sit and frolic in the sun no less…
Planes, Trains, Ships and Automobiles John Candy was one of my favorites. I can rarely pass up a John Candy movie, but my all time favorite is that Thanksgiving classic, Planes, Trains and Automobiles. So when my lovely wife got all wierded out by the ASPCA commercial (she absolutely cannot watch them), I had to randomly flip the channel and it landed on PT&A, which was just starting. I’m writing this for two reasons. The…
Devils in the Details I was recently in Tasmania for the first time in my life. This island at the southern tip of Australia is an evolutionary anachronism, the land that time forgot. The capital city, Hobart, does not look so different from anywhere else in 2019, but the animal population of the island is where the history gets told. The wombats, penguins, platypuses, echidna (looking like a mini porcupine) and, of course, the eponymous…
Riding the Ferry He had found his way down the length of Manhattan by coming down the East Side, usually staying near, under, over or on (only momentarily) the FDR Drive. It was actually a far easier route than it sounds like and far, far easier than the renovated and gentrified West Side Highway with its constant stream of runners, bicyclists and dog walkers, with their coddled pups with cute little doggie sweaters and fancy…
My Name is Patrick Apartment living is great. First of all, living in Manhattan, apartments make up 99% of the residences. Most people are surprised to learn that there are less than 3,000 townhouses in Manhattan, so unless you were lucky enough to buy one years ago for some ridiculously low price like $5 million, forget it, you can’t afford it. With apartments, it used to be all about co-ops or condos since rentals were…
The Perils of the Pen I have been writing short stories for almost thirty years and have quite a collection. I have published them on story websites, I have published them in a book where I wove them together into a thematic storyline, I have even sent one off to a contest and had it made into a TV movie segment. The short story is my preferred form of writing because I have more than…