personal history
Emails Found on my Old Computer, Episode #2
11/30/01 2:33 a.m. SUBJECT: holy fucking shit you can pick up women at [local bar] the Far Side? i can pick up women at the PATH station! i went to “Max Fish” on Ludlow to celebrate the birthday of [freelancer] Jill, who botched a story for me and she’s so hot that i don’t care. […]
Bye-Bye, Barnes and Noble
At the end of the month, my local Barnes & Noble is shutting down. Blame the exorbitant main-street rents in this town. Blame the economy. Blame the iPad. Blame it on the rain and the bossa nova. Use any tired descriptive phrases you like: “closing the book,” “the final chapter,” (Chapter 11?). It doesn’t change […]
Emails Found on my Old Computer, Episode #1
I used my former home computer from late 2000 to late 2004. I’ve held onto some of my sent emails from that era that I found somewhat amusing. From time to time I may share a few of them here. Names will be altered to protect the innocent and/or prevent me from getting sucker-punched. 1/31/02 […]
Out of Time
My watch stopped Saturday at 9:30 a.m. I know this because, well, that’s when my watch stopped. I panicked a bit. This wasn’t a repair I could do by myself. I own a Swiss Military-brand watch, and not even a Swiss Army knife could pry open the back. And I haven’t had a lot of […]
Jersey Boys (State)
In my life, I’ve been generally well-regarded. With the distinct exception of one week in the summer of 1986. Prior to that, respect and acclaim followed me wherever I went. Mr. Skadden, my third-grade teacher at El Monte Elementary in Concord, California, dubbed me “Jack Armstrong, the All-American Boy.” In fifth grade at Candlewood Elementary […]
Earning My Bedford Cred
The distance is the same but it’s more aesthetically pleasing: This is the reason I’ve always given for walking to work from the Christopher St. PATH station rather than the 9th St. station. And it really is a pleasant little walk, as Bedford Street cuts diagonally through the West Village. In 15 years of this […]
Hablo Español. Un Poco.
I don’t mind too much when it rains on Saturdays. At least I get to enjoy a running joke with the counter guys at Piccolo’s. Though the cast of characters has changed over the years, they’re always from Mexico. And this has allowed me yet another opportunity to practice my rudimentary Spanish. From 7th through […]
So Long, Skyway: A Christmas Memory
I was recently listening to my favorite radio show, The Glen Jones Radio Programme Featuring X.Ray Burns, when X.Ray shared some sad news: The Skyway Diner had gone out of business. My thoughts immediately went back 5 years, to December 26, 2003. I was returning from a holiday visit to some great friends in central […]
Another Week, Another Movie, Another Memory
I went to the movies again. I really like going to the movies. And this time, I recognized the name in the credits right away. So it was only a matter of figuring out which character in the film was portrayed by this person from my past. The movie: Milk. It is a wonderful piece […]
Thursday in the Dark With Jorge
I like going to the movies with my family, because for a change, it’s two hours of non-awkward silence. So this Thanksgiving, my parents, uncle, and I went to see Rachel Getting Married. It’s a heavy but very nice piece of work from Jonathan Demme, with solid performances all around. Yet for the entire film, […]
Jack Silbert, curator