At approx. 1015 hours on 12/31/03 I saw a white male driving a white Ford Taurus. The male backed his car into a parking spot to my left. I was also backed in. The male began reading the paper in his car. He continued to make eye contact with me while reading the paper. After … Read more
I like to drive through the neighborhoods I used to live in and check in with my history. Most recently, Uptown. The corner of 25th and Bryant, a stately duplex on a tree-lined block. The Uptown house rarely calls me. But something was in my head this day, something small, furry and insistent. Chewing through … Read more
Now that it’s closing time at Ruminator Books, some faithful readers may be seen staggering around in front of the locked doors, willing to go anywhere for a fix except those literary sports bars, Barnes & Noble and Borders. Like drunks, they want their medicine straight up with no straws or umbrellas. They like to … Read more
This past May, my mother told me that my father, Clinton Collins, Sr., was probably going to be posthumously inducted into his high school hall of fame. Right about that same time, actor Bill Cosby began catching hell from certain so-called African-American leaders and their liberal apologists because he said publicly what most black people … Read more
We probably hang around with the wrong kind of people. For most of June, there were complaints about the American flag. How long did it have to be at half-mast out of respect for a deceased president? This was mostly sour grapes from certain people whose memory of President Ronald Reagan was less rosy than … Read more
Chris Monroe, one of my favorite comic-strip artists, recently recounted the following “Lake Scene” vignette in her Violet Days strip: Every time I drive down this road, I see this little lake through the trees. It is quite perfect, with no cabins and lots of tiny islands covered with pine trees. Each time I see … Read more
As the Soap Factory closed down opening-night festivities for its current exhibits, someone spontaneously yelled out that this was the gallery’s “best show ever,” and there followed a lovely round of cheers and clapping. We joined in with gusto, not knowing if the claim was truly accurate, but feeling confident that there is indeed some … Read more
One reason urbanites don’t visit the ‘burbs is the oft-quoted “there is no there there.” Except for the zoo, Apple Valley could be Anywheretown USA: rows of town houses flanked by rows of big homes on cul de sacs, with chain restaurants occupying every intersection. But Apple Valley folks aren’t as complacent as their surroundings … Read more
More artisanal than artsy (they like to tout their sea salt and imported San Marzano tomatoes), Pizza Nea is all kinds of tasty. Neapolitan-style pies are the backbone of the menu, and come rosso or bianco. Classics like the Margherita and Quattro Stagione are rounded out with an array of lesser-known combinations, such as the … Read more
After the embarassing baby pictures in the back of mom’s closet, the photos you remember most are those taken by shooters for Life, National Geographic, and the Associated Press. So this exhibit is like paging through American journalism’s version of a family album. There’s the young set of moptops looking like deer caught in stagelights … Read more