Last week a student in his senior year noticed me in the Lang Café. He walked over to my table away from the lunch sounds of hurried eating and loud conversation. He seemed eager to chat. “If you have some time, sit down and join me.” He took one of the empty chairs and settled in. I was glad he did for [...]
Last week a student in his senior year noticed me in the Lang Café. He walked over to my table away from the lunch sounds of hurried eating and loud conversation. He seemed eager to chat.
Tuesday night had become a fixed habit. Promptly at 9 pm in the Barnes & Noble café I was sitting opposite Carlo. He had arrived earlier and reserved a table away from the caffeinated noise.
I had not met Selina for weeks. It was odd since she lived one floor above me. Our synchronized work day meant we often found ourselves in the elevator going down to the lobby. She caught my eye because she had determined to dress stylishly even when shopping at the local deli. I recognized her at a distance. Her palette [...]
Last evening, a series premiered on HBO called “The Steeple Chase.” It was drawn from memoirs that have surpassed in sales Vegan Cat Cuisine and Lola Bimbo’s Yoga Manual. The first episode demonstrated how TV adopts a religious work and in the process obliterates the original. It also showed the winds of change blowing through rectory and convent alike. The air [...]
“Do you believe in the uncanny?” he asked out of the blue. “If you mean an event that baffles because it transcends what’s normal, yes I do. Invariably, it becomes explainable when we apply the power of reason. We look back and realize we had missed something. Suddenly the pattern becomes clear.
“So what’s your specialty?” “The history of religions. I’ve taught everything from Persian cults to Zen Buddhism.” “You know I’m agnostic.” “Then why talk to me? I’m comparative religious with a vengeance.”
Watercress and fennel soup, duck with apricot glaze and serendipitous side dishes paired well with the Chardonnay. The anniversary party celebrating ten years gave Toby and Luke a chance to entertain friends. To the question of how they had marked the occasion, they spoke of an exchange of gifts. “I provided Luke with three days at a consciousness-raising seminar. He [...]
It was typical of Grant Mayo. He had sent an email telling me he would arrive in New York to see his cardiologist and asking if we could meet up. He then recapped the message by leaving it on my land line. There was no excuse for saying I didn’t receive it unless I was on the road.
It started as a meeting of two friends looking to share a common background. It morphed into a competition of words. I’m amazed at what a deli can do. You’ve heard of the apple of discord that sparked the Trojan War. What made us clash was pastrami. They say the devil is in the details. So is the truth.
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