The April morning in Studio City was warm, promising an afternoon in the mid-80s. Sally and I were killing time at a sidewalk table of the Coffee Bean on Ventura Boulevard. The majority of the clientele were single Gen-Xers doing…
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My father’s death seemed regulated by the policy that governed all aspects of his life. He wanted never to be a nuisance, a pain, a bore, or to take center stage. Throughout my life he was a presence, mostly unspoken,…
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Of Hats Once every man wore a hat. In the ashen newsreels,the avenues of citiesare broad rivers flowing with hats. The ballparks swelledwith thousands of straw hats,brims and bands,rows of men smokingand cheering in shirtsleeves. As usual Billy Collins said…
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Some years back I taught English to gifted and motivated Turkish students at Robert Academy, located in a suburb of Istanbul. Though English was not their primary language of communication, the students’ comprehension and literacy would have qualified them for…
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From 1966 to 1969 I taught English at Robert Academy, located on the Bosporus in a northern suburb of Istanbul. Clothing was a problem for us American faculty and our families. What was available in the Turkish marketplace was not…
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November 4, 2014 Skin and Body
I know skin cancer. I have scars to show for it. I am grateful to modern computers that enable me to touch up a thumb-print size pink scar on my forehead when I transfer photos electronically. I have a friend…
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