Columns

Porkpie Hat – Some Good Things

There’s this great scene in Woody Allen’s film Manhattan where his character, Isaac, lists some of the things that, for him, make life worth living. He talks about Groucho Marx, Willie Mays, Flaubert, Louis Armstrong’s ?Potato Head Blues,? The Jupiter Symphony, and ?those incredible apples and pears by Cézanne.? Whenever I find myself bogged down… Read more »

The Mindful Bard – Fugitive Pieces

DVD: Fugitive Pieces Theatrical release: May 2, 2008 DVD Release: October 14, 2008 Starring: Stephen Dillane, Rade Sherbedgia, Rosamund Pike, Ayelet Zurer Produced by Robert Lantos, Serendipity Point Films. Written and directed by Jeremy Podeswa. Based on the novel by Anne Michaels. Instructions on Living, from the World of the Dead ?I did not witness… Read more »

From Where I Sit – Lo Siento

?Buenos días, Señora Rivera,? I said one morning last week when my co-worker came in to work. This isn’t quite as bizarre as it may seem at first blush. Mrs. Rivera is Mexican, my colleague, and my Spanish instructor. Hey, at that point I already had two hours of instruction under my belt. I have… Read more »

Porkpie Hat – Ex Machina

Whether he met his end through mischief or dementia is anybody’s guess. I suppose we shouldn’t really have been surprised. After all, he spent so much of the time off in his own little world, anyway. It was as though he was, at any moment, on the verge of disappearing. Always staring out the window,… Read more »

From Where I Sit – Canasta Rules

This past weekend my sister Sherry, her fiancé Jim, Roy, and I went to Hinton to visit our youngest sister Gail, husband Todd, and daughter Hailey. The catching up was fun. The dinner out at the Chinese restaurant was good. The best part, though, was sitting down to play canasta. Canasta is an old card… Read more »