When it comes to dining out, I possess a great deal of empathy for people employed in the food service industry, from the dishwasher trainee to the prissy Executive Chef; all of them. In my career, and you have heard this a thousand times before, I’m sure, but I started at the lowest of theContinue reading “No Complaints”
Category Archives: coffee talk
Now Let Me Get This Straight…
A couple, whose adopted daughter died mysteriously either before Halloween if you believe the father, or as late as Sept. 10th if you believe the mother, neither of which is believable and both of which are out of their fucking minds, kept their dead little girl in a U-Haul trailer and crossed state lines withContinue reading “Now Let Me Get This Straight…”
Substitutions
In my life I substituted lies for truth. I replaced long-term meaningful relationships with loyal, loving women with meaningless one-night stands with faceless strangers. I replaced trust and safety with irresponsibility and total lack of reason. But I always knew better. And that, I believe, frustrated my parents most of all. There’s a line inContinue reading “Substitutions”
The Great Chili Cookoff of 1992
I was working as an Executive for a very exclusive, very expensive resort in the southwest. I was not just an Executive Chef for three independent business units, I was also front of the house GM for them. It sounds like I had three full-time positions, but in reality, it was more like six. ThroughoutContinue reading “The Great Chili Cookoff of 1992”
It’s Not What You Know
It’s who you know. No question about it. In some Middle Eastern cultures, they believe that everyone has “markers” in their life that guide, inform, and help them as they make their way through this world. I’ve had several myself; I include my big brother Ed as one, as he was very supportive of meContinue reading “It’s Not What You Know”
The Word Unspoken…
Is the word uneaten. My big brother taught me that at the tender age of 8. I have always spoken with grace and intellect, and others immediately gravitated towards me because I was confident and loquacious. Especially the shy kids. I don’t sugarcoat the fact that I was very much insulated to the whole ethnicityContinue reading “The Word Unspoken…”
New Friends
I had a great time performing for the Symphony @Centerville Nursing Home today. I was supposed to have three acts, but both were unable to help, so Maddogg did the 90-minute show and had a blast doing so. As always, I made a few new friends along the way including Norma, a lovely soul whoContinue reading “New Friends”
The Star Spangled Banner
Just sing the damn song. Don’t “stylize” it. Don’t “interpret it.” Don’t change it. Don’t try to make it yours. It’s not yours. It’s ours. Quit turning the word “brave” into an eight syllable song all its own. It’s one. Sing it like you did in elementary school. It was good enough then, and it’sContinue reading “The Star Spangled Banner”
Richie Havens Was Right
What on Earth possessed an American citizen from the third-world country of Michigan to a) go to Saudi Arabia, and b) trust strangers to deliver threatening words of the government to? Dumbass. Those strangers were none other than police just waiting for a) an American dumbass, and 2) a chance to fuck with the MostContinue reading “Richie Havens Was Right”
Tell Me Why
The United States just do not match up with other football-playing countries. Granted, we got a later start than other countries, but hey, this is the U.S.A. we are talking about. When I was playing in an English Youth Football league, I was the only American selected to the All-Star club, which was total bullshit.Continue reading “Tell Me Why”
