Ecce Homestyle

The Bongiorno Jimmy’s story begins all the way back in September of 1991. It was then that six men, their attorneys, a $4,600,000 startup investment, several bank loans, and an IPO scheme decided that there were a lot of institutional-grade convenience dining establishments, but there weren’t enough institutional-grade convenience dining …

Cordial Hatred

“I can’t take you anywhere.” “Oh, that’s original.” “That’s it! Make it worse! Honestly.” “He provoked me.” “You behaved like an ass.” “Not an asshole?” “Take your pick.” “I like ass better.” “Well, by all means, let’s go with that one.” “He provoked me. You can’t deny it.” “You provoked …

In the Eye

My idyll with the supermodel Veronica began as nothing more than a murky daydream, an absurd fantast’s scenario which replayed fitfully in my head like a picture-show for some weeks after first being introduced to her at a ‘mixer’ sponsored by the alumni club. I became bewitched in the way …

Evil Genius

2004: VIENNA, Austria – Even if weapons of mass destruction are never found in Iraq, the U.S.-led war was justified because it eliminated the threat that Saddam Hussein might again resort to “evil chemistry and evil biology,” Attorney General John Ashcroft said Monday. Saddam’s willingness to use such weapons was …

Resolver

As I’ve discussed before in this space, I am not one for New Year’s resolutions.  They are, like most last-minute life-changing decisions, made in haste and repented in leisure.  They generally set their sights unrealistically high, which is an easy and delicious recipe for chicken-fried failure, or they’re so easily …

Mr. Genius Fists

It is only recently I’ve been able to talk about this. While I have nothing but good things to say about the people at the MacArthur Foundation — who were not only forward-looking enough to choose me for their prestigious Fellowship, but also possessed of enough integrity to stand by …

The Most Beautiful Fraud: Her

Even if you’d never heard of him before, you’d know from seeing Spike Jonze’s latest, Her, that he isn’t a first-time director.  Visually speaking, it’s powerfully effective, verging on masterful; he manages to set up almost every shot, even relatively inconsequential place-setting ones, in the most precise manner to deliver whatever …