Last night, I watched Syriana for the nth time. Maybe after n+1 times I will finally be sure I have figured out what the Hell was going on. And having Bashir from Deep Space Nine as an Emir really doesn’t help. I keep looking for Quark. Oh, well. Looking for Quark. The Ferengi as metaphorContinue reading “Syriana + Quark= Our Neighborhood (*)”
Category Archives: My Most Unforgettable Character
Morta Sotto Il Carro
Maybe she slipped and fell. Or maybe, in the early evening, just around sunset, she just didn’t see it coming. You know, little kids are always running around, playing, especially in groups. A group of children playing in a city street. Nothing unusual about that. Maybe tag. Maybe something else. It’s not as if itContinue reading “Morta Sotto Il Carro”
His name was Tommy Sims. He played trumpet. You never heard of him.
Ok, this one is strictly for jazz nuts–and a subset of them, known as trumpet players and aficionados. Not every one who likes jazz necessarily digs trumpet players. And those who do like jazz don’t necessarily agree on what constitutes a good trumpet player. Believe me, the sectarian difference would make an Anabaptist tremble withContinue reading “His name was Tommy Sims. He played trumpet. You never heard of him.”
Qvam Pinus, Father
No. That’s not what you think it means, if you think it means anything at all. And this otherwise adolescent recollection has a serious point, especially with the way political life in the United States is evolving. I suppose I’m going to come across as a complete reactionary, but it’s not as if I careContinue reading “Qvam Pinus, Father”
Yeah. It still hurts. Losing your illusions always does
Here’s the thing. Jack Kennedy got it the way he wanted it. All at once. That’s the way to go. My grandfather, Joe Villari was really never sick a day in his life, and then dropped dead. It damn near killed the family, but it was a blessing for him. He deserved no less. Well,Continue reading “Yeah. It still hurts. Losing your illusions always does”
Do You Remember Pete Liske? Do You Remember Jack Kennedy? They’re Gone, But I’m Still Here
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the early 1960s. Not in any morbid way, you know. But just as the realization hits that I witnessed a lot of people and events that are now consigned to history. If I make a casual reference to some thing–and believe me, we are not talking obscure skirmishesContinue reading “Do You Remember Pete Liske? Do You Remember Jack Kennedy? They’re Gone, But I’m Still Here”
Pat, Aretha and Code Red
Frank Sinatra, Yock, and the Corner
At first I didn’t think I’d have to spend much time in explaining Frank Sinatra. I have, however, thought the better of it. I write for a jazz site with some frequency, and a copy editor told me I had to identify “Bird” (i.e., Charlie Parker, the alto saxophonist, sort of synonymous with the inventionContinue reading “Frank Sinatra, Yock, and the Corner”
Over Manoa Road
His name was Ernie Pellegrino. He was always dressed in white. If he had a sense of humor, you could’ve fooled me. He presided over “Ernie’s,” the barber shop at Manoa Road Shopping Center. He was a glowering presence, the yin to the yang and sunny disposition of the guy who owned the hardware storeContinue reading “Over Manoa Road”
Madeline and Her Sisters
Believe me, I have thought a great deal about this one. I wasn’t really sure I could even write it, even though I’ve written about lot of others in my family, including my Dad. Yeah, it’s, as the cliche goes, complicated. Writing about my Mom was never going to be easy because in her ownContinue reading “Madeline and Her Sisters”
This Game Is Over, Salvucci Sez 