June Book Club: The World We Found

Going to university is life changing. One enters little more than a child and leaves very nearly an adult. The experience will form one’s personality in ways that continue to reveal themselves as one ages.

May Book Club: My Korean Deli

One of the joys of tending bar is meeting the people who come in. Once a month, a group of really smart, funny women would come in for their dinner before heading to our local bookstore for a book club meeting. It seemed like such a great time that I asked if I could join. They agreed and I tagged along for the first time this month.

Fordham & Dominion Brewery

As I posted on Facebook, you know it's going to be a good day when you crack open your first beer before 10:00 in the morning.

The Man With A Load Of Mischief

I had a terrible day Saturday, the kind of day that ended with floods of tears and glasses of scotch. I woke up Sunday and needed comfort. As usual, I found it in a book.

The Great Gatsby

“Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter — tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther... And one fine morning —


So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”

I recently re-read The Great Gatsby. Universally acknowledged as one of the great novels in English, if not in any language, it is one of those rare books that truly deserves all the plaudits that come its way. Published in 1925, this nearly century old book tells a timeless story in a way that can (and has been) interpreted in an almost infinite variety of ways.

Ten Simple Rules When Dining Out

I have spent a lot of time waiting tables and, in general, I love it. I get to move around; I get to meet a lot of different people; I get to walk away at the end of the shift.

I am constantly astonished, however, by the behavior of some people when they come out to eat. I have, therefore, made up a list of the top ten rules everyone should follow when they eat in a restaurant.

A Small Town Fourth of July

Although I loved living in London and there are times when I miss it desperately, more often I am thrilled to be home. Yesterday was one of those days. The English, for obvious reasons, do not recognize the 4th as a holiday of any kind. In fact, most years I had to work on that date. I never let it pass without some small celebration, but it never felt quite right. For the first time since 1999, I was able to celebrate the 4th as it should be done.