Category Archives: Commentary

Opinion or analysis concerning whatever’s on my mind.

“When did you stop beating your wife?”

Posted on June 20, 2018 by JMN

“Through his mysterious and appealing lectures, they were guided away from the cold sobriety of genuine knowledge into the picturesque realms of pseudoscience….” (Grete de Francesco, “The Power of the Charlatan,” quoted by John Ganz in an opinion piece in … Continue reading →

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This just in!

Posted on June 19, 2018 by JMN

The restaurant in the UK House of Parliament has changed the name of a classic British dessert known as “spotted dick”; henceforth it will be called “spotted richard.” (Eater, June 18, 2018) Spotted dick was featured in the cozy supper … Continue reading →

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“What Philip Roth Didn’t Know…”

Posted on June 13, 2018 by JMN

Dara Horn states that Roth’s caricature of women reveals a lack of empathy, and deems it a literary failure, made more egregious by a lack of curiosity. (“What Philip Roth Didn’t Know About Women Could Fill a Book,” NYTimes) Definitions … Continue reading →

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Tweet in haste, repent at leisure

Posted on June 13, 2018 by JMN

Once I excerpted the following from a New Yorker article and flagged it in a tweet: “The Odd Future charge has been led by…Tyler Okonma, known as Tyler, the Creator… Hodgy Beats, a diminutive, quick-tempered rapper,… is half of the … Continue reading →

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Bewusstseinslage

Posted on June 10, 2018 by JMN

A contestant in the final stages of the 2018 Scripps National Spelling Bee competition failed to spell “bewusstseinslage” correctly. I don’t know whether to bawl or weep. That a young citizen of these United States speaking this American language should … Continue reading →

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LinkedOut

Posted on June 8, 2018 by JMN

I’d like to record how fruitless my multi-year meander in LinkedIn has proven. Full disclosure: I never sought employment on LinkedIn. My work history doesn’t define me — I’ve disliked most of my jobs. Why trot out a lackluster record … Continue reading →

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Goodbye, Philip Roth

Posted on June 6, 2018 by JMN

“Looking back, in an afterword written on the 25th anniversary publication of “Portnoy’s Complaint,” Roth wrote, ‘I wished to dazzle in my very own way and to dazzle myself no less than anyone else.’ He recalled admonishing himself, ‘All you … Continue reading →

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Drawling

Posted on June 4, 2018 by JMN

One time I helped tend bar at a gala hosted by my father in the historic building that tripled as his studio, gallery, and dwelling. A man I knew by reputation, but not personally, appeared at my countertop and asked … Continue reading →

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Jekyll-and-Hydish

Posted on June 2, 2018 by JMN

Some bloggers are restrained, self-deprecating, modest, understated; others write posts that are daring, obstreperous and filthily funny. I admire and enjoy both registers, and the gradations between. It’s hard to find my own voice, though, one that feels authentic. I’m … Continue reading →

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Whoa where?

Posted on June 1, 2018 by JMN

— Whoa where? — Hurricane season is coming. Protect your liquor cabinet: Batten down the hooches! — Plural of “burnoose”: “burnooses” or “burneese”? — Drunk and Orderly — Thought thoroughly through. Tough though. — If you say baba ghanouj, I’ll … Continue reading →

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