Category: Blog

There are two massive shooting stories in the news today. At Fort Hood, a massive military base in Texas, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, a Muslim Army psychiatrist stationed there, is alleged to have entered the Soldier Readiness Center and opened fire, killing 13 people and wounding 30 others. He was vehemently opposed to the war…

The other day, I popped into Woodgreen Discount Drugs at the corner of Queen and Logan. The customers, many thin with wide, startled eyes, had the appearance of people who truly needed both drugs and discounts. Beneath harsh, practical lighting that cast a kind of green pall over everything, I wandered around looking for an…

Mr. Peanut has been an integral, much loved part of our family for almost three years now. One Sunday while at the St. Lawrence Antique Market, Rachelle and I decided to give one another $20, and with that money, find a gift for one another. When I saw Mr. Peanut, I knew that he was…

Earlier in the day, I got a desperate letter from a desperate friend— http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=546111396&ref=profile#/note.php?note_id=172433126335&ref=mf –asking for my help in securing a date with Alec Baldwin for her. As I am generous and joyful of spirit, I have complied, and what follows is the letter I wrote: Dear Alec Baldwin: I read in some magazine somewhere…

Alright. I’m doing it. Right this second I’m watching the movie The Amityville Horror. And I’m alone, in my new apartment, which is situated in a one hundred year-old building that used to be a hotel. I’m fearless. Fucking fearless. You should know that I read the book back when I was kid in 1977.…

Beneath dreary lighting, an elderly woman stands in the Dollar Store. Her cane is hooked over her forearm, and in her hand she has about a half dozen birthday cards. With great tenderness she opens each one, reading the interior inscription, before finally deciding on one with a picture of a squirrel on it. Who…

On Thursday, while channel surfing, I happened upon the movie Terror Train. Now, this isn’t the sort of movie that anybody is likely to seek out, but still, it’s something of a classic in my mind. Made in 1980, it features Jamie Lee Curtis, who was the undisputed Scream Queen of the era, having established…

When I got up this morning, the first thing I did was open the blinds. Outside the window, just beyond of our balcony, soap bubbles drifting by. On the street below a poet stood on the curb. He took a last, tender drag on his cigarette and then threw it into the street, as if…

As many of you will have already heard, my Yahoo Fantasy Hockey Team—A Fury of Pigeons—is utterly dominating my league. It’s not even close. You should know that I wasn’t “invited” to become a part of this league, but was randomly assigned to it when I signed-up to participate in a Yahoo league. I think…