Sadists surround us. “Friends” who tell you how nice you look— today. Bus drivers who pull away as you frantically knock on the door. In the rain. Writers of the tax code. I could go on, but why? You already know who the greatest sadists of our times are: the people who design packaging. I CAN’T OPEN THIS! And I need that smart phone now! CDs?...

I’m ready, willing (sorta), and able. Summoned to serve, I am here in the jury waiting room, waiting for something to happen. Waiting seems to be the operative word. Are you sure the jurors on Perry Mason started this way? What About The Ones on Law & Order? Well, them too, I guess. According to Diane Sawyer in the “inspirational” video...

I need to talk to you about grammar You know, like spelling and apostrophes and stuff. When you send me an email that’s a grammatical disaster, do I get upset? Hell, no. You’re too busy to think about such annoying details. I get it.   But if you were paying for a sign to advertise your business, even if you had sold 99 billion and counting, would you...

You want the short answer?  Or the truth? Perhaps because brevity is the soul of wit, or more likely, because we are conditioned from birth by smiley faces, we usually say: “Fine!” If we’re polite we add, “Thanks, and you?” If we were to be honest . . . well, that’s another matter entirely. Take yesterday morning in the...

Let There Be Light! Seems like everyone I know has a bad case of the blahs this winter, even though here in the East it hasn’t been much of a winter. If you had to give it a grade, it would be a D-. I mean, a few measly flakes of snow, and hardly any days below freezing. You call this a winter in  New York City? Sounds good, actually though, doesn’t...

And why he didn’t get the Oscar for best actor in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. Did I really expect him to win?  Hell no.   The Academy lives in an alternate universe of favoritism, whims, grosses, paybacks, politics—everything but actually seeking out the “best” in any category. Did you know that there are online sites solely devoted to the...