Today I pondered the basic building blocks of our educational system. You know, the three Rs: reading, ’riting and ’rithmetic. Judging by my third-grade mentee’s efforts, at least two of those Rs seem in danger of imminent extinction.
Continue readingMy friend and I were discussing stupid new stories last night. Ned mentioned the tourist who recently mistook a stairway to the Paris subway system for an underground garage ramp. He mocked the misguided driver, calling him “king of the morons.” I, however, refused to cast stones, deeming myself one of the people who live in glass houses.
Continue readingFew things in life feel as satisfying, in the short run, as a well-timed blow below an asshole’s belt. The problem is those joys often prove fleeting, mostly because, as the old saying avows: “What goes around comes around!”
Continue readingGenerally speaking, I’m not an aficionado of religious services. About the only aspect I do appreciate is the segment where individual worshipers ask the entire congregation to send their thoughts and prayers to an ailing loved one. Thanks to one such shout out, my wife and I have experienced a week-long deluge of well wishes from friends and neighbors alike.
Continue readingMy friend Ava called last night to discuss the recent Board of Education election in which she’d campaigned against four opponents for one of three open seats. Although she vowed never to run for office again, she appreciated the valuable lesson she’d learned. As she put it: “I think it’s fair to say parents don’t want drug-addicted tattletales making educational policies for their kids!”
Continue readingAfter hearing Deputy Mike’s tale today, a few trite sayings came to mind: a picture’s worth a thousand words; love is the universal language; and last, but not least, don’t shoot the messenger! It took the misapplication of each adage, however, to incite the melee erupting in one residential neighborhood.
Continue readingAs I’ve said before, I’m a fan of technology in the courtroom, today more so than ever. The device which saved my client’s bacon may’ve differed from the usual litigation tools, but it couldn’t have proved more effective. Just ask my adversary, if you don’t believe me.
Continue readingBestseller or not, I customarily don’t read erotic fiction, and Fifty Shades of Grey is no exception. Yet even without perusing it I’ve heard plenty, due to the passionate reactions – both good and bad – it seems to have inspired. The controversy doesn’t concern the novel’s plot, as far as I can tell. Rather, people either adore or castigate the author due to her XXX sex scenes, replete with overtones of S&M, which women across the nation apparently have adopted as a how-to guide for reinvigorating their love lives. That’s certainly the focus of the current feedback offered by at least three people I know.
Continue readingAt least for one parent I know, emotion always trumps logic when it comes to her children. I don’t see that approach as productive. What I do see is how disconcerting it feels to be targeted by such passion.
Continue readingIt’s that time of year again, and my hockey widow of a wife is once more frothing at the mouth over my DVR habits. Well, not so much my DVR habits as my insistence on information blackouts until I’ve watched what I’ve taped. If the New York Rangers make the finals, I suspect I’ll be sleeping on the couch before the last round begins.
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