I love coffee. Specifically, black coffee. When I order a black coffee, I am regularly asked: Would you like anything in it? Should we leave room for cream or sugar? Am I deluded about the meaning of the phrase “black coffee?” Are the baristas at Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts taught […]
I just finished reading Anthony Bourdain’s last interview. As usual, I agreed with some of what he said, disagreed with more, and was thoroughly entertained throughout. In any case, there is nothing here to suggest a man on the brink. When a celebrity commits suicide, we tell ourselves that they […]
“I like building things. I like making things. I liked making plates of food. I was a very happy dishwasher. You know, the plates went into the dishwasher dirty and they came out clean every time. And that felt good.” – Anthony Bourdain, 1956-2018
When I was first learning to meditate, I looked for a teacher. There weren’t many options in Pittsburgh back then, and the Pittsburgh Shambhala Meditation Center looked like one of the better options. By all accounts, they offered solid meditation instruction to beginners and they seemed like nice, ordinary folks. (For […]
My entire career, in fiction or nonfiction, I have reported and written about people who are not like me. 1 One of the very best things about Tom Wolfe is that he did not write stories about Tom Wolfe. He could have. He was certainly an interesting enough character and, […]