Category Archives: Uncategorized

The first place I ever visited in Brazil was Sao Paulo. It was the city closest to the port, Santos, from which my cruise was departing. It was also the home of my cousins. My grandmother’s sister’s grandchildren. For a … Continue reading →

A few minutes after we pass the academy I let Marcus know that after three hours my bladder has reached capacity. He pulls off into a rest area that resembles those on American Highways along with a food court with … Continue reading →

  The highway leads us out of the city and into the industrial zones in the near suburbs. They are not pretty. They look as if they were designed by Army engineers at the end of the 2nd World War … Continue reading →

Marcus, the driver whom we had hired to drive me to Sao Paulo, arrived promptly at 10:30. He is wearing both mask and gloves and I am grateful for how seriously he is taking the pandemic. We knew him well. … Continue reading →

  There is an old Yiddish expression “Mann Tracht, Un Gott Lacht” or man plans, and god laughs. It is one of my all-time favorite adages not only because it is so liquid that it can fit any situation but … Continue reading →

  It is Sunday June 17, 2001, Father’s Day, and I am standing with my father and a group of people on the pebbled beach of Skilak Lake, Alaska.  The weather is cool with a silky breeze, sunny skies with … Continue reading →

  Have you ever not realized that you have lost something until you found it again?   In 1977 I was a sophomore at Syracuse University. Trying to fulfill an academic requirement for my liberal arts degree I decided to … Continue reading →

  Dawn was breaking over the Hudson. The giant grey brown snake that slithers between the Upper West Side of Manhattan and the Palisades of New Jersey was shedding its night skin and transforming itself into the golden beast of … Continue reading →

  I made myself a Dick Magrath Martini last night. I did this for three reasons: I did not have the ingredients for a “regular” martini and over the course of the last few days, I had been thinking about … Continue reading →

I am in a scene from Goodfella’s. It is 2am and I am in my car outside a warehouse in Queens. The weather has cooperated with the movie like setting with a soft fog and gentle mist. There is the … Continue reading →