This is why Chekhov happened. He was raised on Dostoevsky and Tolstoy, and he said no. The loquacious masters had taken epoch-length self-examination and the quest for meaning as far as it could go, so he went with no definite meaning and definitely no endings. Fair enough.Like Dostoevsky before him and Grossman after, Tolstoy understood…
TRAVEL VIGNETTES: London & Miami, March 2023
“…being on the seat behind Dad, when the words, “We’re going up a hill!” were followed by paternal gluteal bouncing and a ‘floop-floop’ sound.”
Of Squirrels, the United Nations and Sun Tzu
“Like a good UN Ambassador, my first instinct was to see the potent aggression and encourage the victim to step aside.”
Review of ‘3 Days in June’ by James O’Connell
3 Days in June: 3 Para’s Battle for Mt. Longdon by James O’Connell My rating: 5 of 5 stars The author was motivated by the view that much of what had previously been written about the battle was very off-base, and he wanted to put the record straight. Having read some accounts of the battle…
Puffer, Pout and the Cudgel Tree
An afternoon in St. Helier, Jersey. I look down at the harbour wall and jetty, and across the water to Elizabeth Mount, off St. Helier on the south coast of Jersey. It’s late afternoon, and the causeway to the Mount is covered by the tide. Looking down from my fourth-floor window is a paved area…
Three Pairs of Feet
‘Move your feet!’ shouted our coach, Mr. Whitby. Wingy was laying down his oppressive regime of orthodox left arm spin during practice, and I was on the retreat yet again. Terrified of catching an edge, I waited until the last moment to play the ball, content to square up and clumsily push it away. ‘Feet,…
A Weight off My Mind
“Hi! Good to see you again! It’s been a while!”, said the gym staff member. “What have you been doing?” “Eating, mainly” It’s tough to encapsulate a year’s worth of non-gym attendance into a single constructive sentence, but as I fast-rewound 2016 that was the best I could come up with. She looked at me…
I won’t be going to work tomorrow
It’s a day late, but I thought I’d try and help Cubs fans who regard going back to work so soon after their World Series triumph as an unreasonable intrusion into their celebrations. Besides, any business in Chicago that doesn’t shut down during the parade is just BEGGING for you to send them a letter…
Dutch Pea Soup
My Mum does a great Dutch pea soup. It’s thick to the point of chewy and is filled with innumerable ingredients, most of which you could never prove were in there because they’ve been cooked into a merger. It has a sneaky heat about it…Which brings me more neatly than you’d think to the 2015 Cayman Islands Half-Marathon.
People-watching in NYC
German guy: “What’s happening?”
Me: “Maybe the apocalypse”
American (to his German friend): “Ugh…he’s European as well [as you]…British…”.
PORK ROPE 