April 2022
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I read Imagining Robert, My Brother, Madness, and Survival by Jay Neugeboren for neighborhood and neighborly reasons. Its author is a 1955 graduate of fabled Erasmus Hall High School (I was class of 1956). Much of the story takes place in the area of Brooklyn now called Lefferts Gardens. Walkable, or at least bicyclable, from…
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I read James' Portrait of a Lady in 1963 but never again until last week, so there had been a gap of almost three score years. During the interim, glaciers have melted, continents have subducted and conventional notions about what constitutes a "lady" have shifted quite marvelously. After such an interval, it's not disgraceful for…
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Friends and relations have been clamoring to know what I wore to the Oscar ceremony this year. So here goes: My ensemble: plaid wool shirt by Woolrich; trousers by Lee ("Extreme Comfort" cut — smoky quartz color); white cotton "Gold Toe" socks by Costco; shoes by Hoka (orthopedic inserts by Dr. Scholl); leather belt by…
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Young 'uns, I don't know that you entirely grasp the glamor and mystery of maturity (which in some jaded circles is called "old age.") Let me tell you, the golden years are just chockablock full of sensual romance of a kind that you might not now appreciate. Just the other day, for example, we were…