Allow me to be earnest and a bit breathless about this. On Tuesday, former Deputy Attorney General James Comey gave testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee about events in March 2004 that had already partially come to light in the press. The details of Comey’s narrative are dramatic and astonishing. Then-White House Chief of Staff […]
Archive for May, 2007
I have measured out my life with Dodger Dogs
For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a thing for baseball. I grew up in Cooperstown, also known as “The Home of Baseball.” However disputed the origins of the game actually are, enough people in a position to judge were sufficiently convinced of a very sketchy story to credit the town as the […]
What the future looks like
Remember how the future was supposed to be all jet packs and monorails? Here is what the future turned out to be: Branding.
This gun’s for hire
Nick Hornby, in his essay on Bruce Springsteen’s “Thunder Road,” writes, “Very occasionally, songs and books and films and pictures express who you are, perfectly.” While in my dreams, I am named after the Wendy of “Born To Run,” “Atlantic City” has been playing in my car now for a month. Right after being assured […]
Left turn at the crossroad
Today began with bright spring sunshine. While taking the pug out, I was inspired to twirl around our back lawn singing “Who will buy this wonderful morning? Such a sky, I never did see!” from the musical Oliver. I was hoping for a relaxing morning, preparing for a meeting I didn’t need to be at […]
Three patients, four families
A couple of weeks ago, I took care of Mrs. S., an 81-year-old woman who was brought to the Emergency Department by ambulance because of trouble breathing. With a host of medical problems and fragile baseline health, in the few days prior to our meeting, she had gotten even sicker: what started as a cough […]
Vignettes of discomfort
I experience my life as a string of time-connecting uncomfortable moments. It’s true – relationships come and go, pets die, my weight fluctuates, but the one true companion who stays by my side is the foible, the mishap, the uncomfortable situation. For your pleasure, I have compiled some of my favorites; they are not listed […]
A necessary end
I was 25 years old before I realized I was afraid of death. One night I was watching the Oscars at a friend’s house and had a seizure, the kind they used to call “grand mal” and now call “tonic-clonic.” I don’t remember it at all — you lose consciousness for this kind of seizure […]
Do it clean
The worst job I ever worked involved scientists, shit, an incinerator, and dead bodies. Lots and lots of bodies. But I’m getting ahead of myself. I went to college in a state that was less than friendly to labor unions, and as a result, students worked most jobs at the university — not just typical […]
Hubble bubble
I was fighting a cold last week and turned to one of my favorite remedies: the hot toddy. This drink has stunning restorative powers, which belie the simplicity of the ingredients: scotch, honey, lemon, and hot water. The hot water carries the alcohol through the body quickly, while hydrating. The lemon provides vitamin C. And […]