In June, 2006, Monmohan Singh agreed to address the November, 2007 Fortune Global Forum in New Delhi. Sometime after that, he changed his mind. We […]
Author: MM
Guy who's published in a variety of places, and puts the roughs of those pieces on a blog periodically when he feels like it.
Flashback Parade
Earlier today, it was just as the tattooed, heavily muscled guys on giant golden tricycles rode by on Madison Avenue, that I realized mangy Chewbacca […]
No Stupid Questions … But maybe Weird Ones
Cab Driver: Where you going? Me: Penn Station Cab Driver: Where you going? Me: Penn Station [a little more clearly] Cab Driver: I know. Where […]
Zen and the Art of Argument
At the deli today I noticed a new 8 1/2″ x 11″ piece of paper taped to the wall next to the order counter. On […]
Heroes and the Not-so-Heroic
I often ask for ridiculous and impossible things. I also know I ask for ridiculous and impossible things. That is why I ask for help. […]
Scratching a No-so-Prudent Itch
I’m not 100% sure the alarm went off. Usually, I wake up before hearing it and turn it off. This morning, however I woke from […]
A Cute Beginning to a Scary Holiday
Gray morning in the city. My Friday diner has only 24 seats. Sleepy, dreary, but comforting. Light jazz quietly playing, pane-windowed wall closed. Guy next […]
Every Day Should be Worth 500 Words
A rumination from Facebook: Every day should be worth at least 500 words. That isn’t why I write these rise-and-fall-of-the-Roman-Empire-length status messages, but as a […]
Unrecognizable Me
On the way back from a meeting, two colleagues and I caught the subway. Sitting across from us was an artist, working in charcoal. We […]
Wistful Wanderer
Walking down 28th Street between 8th and 7th Avenues at 2 am on a Saturday night/Sunday morning. Grizzly homeless man leaning on the lower cross […]
On the Job with Jobs
August 1993, Steve Jobs had founded NeXT during his years of exile from Apple. He agreed to speak at my “GroupWare ’93” conference and expo […]
Vinnie, the Magician and Me
Congratulations, Vinnie Polito on the IAEE Pinnacle Award. Those of you who have worked with Vinnie know not to underestimate how good he is at […]
Gratitude (and a Slap)
Dear Middle East and Asia-based Airlines, I’m sitting on the floor next to a trash can at the San Francisco International Airport thinking about how […]
Can’t We All Just Move Along?
I guess it’s a sense of mutually-assured destruction that governs bicyclists behavior in the City. Sometimes a car hits a cyclist, sometimes a cyclist hits […]
A Beautiful Confusion
I can’t remember who said it to me first. It was a long time ago, but it’s true — There are many places on earth […]
Subway Role Model (Complete with Tattoos)
Packed evening subway train. Black kid, maybe 20, reeks of cigarette smoke, tattoos peeking above the collar and below the sleeves of his sweatshirt which […]
Just Answer the Question, Julie
Me: Mornin’ Driver: Penn Station, right? Me: Yup. [puts head back, dials the phone] Amtrak Automated Phone System: Hi, I’m Julie, your Amtrak … [driver […]
The Smell of Home
As I sit here at dinner in LA, sniffing sea breeze and wood-fired meat, I’m thinking that in many ways, New York is defined by […]
Artful Perspective
“What a powerful piece of performance art,” I thought as I approached this scene next to the train station Quik Trak machines. “The unique poses […]
Arcade Serenade
This is my 12th Thanksgiving week in New York. Watching the sun try to rise over a slightly rainy, heavily overcast sky on a Monday […]
Crucial Questions
New Yorkers respond to world events in as many ways as there are New Yorkers. There is one pervasive response, however that I find most […]
A Moment Among Gentlemen
My Dear Stranger/Friend, It was a pleasure to offer you my chair in the club. You looked uncomfortable standing there. I did it to be […]
The Misfortunes of Misspellings
Walking past a just-opened Christmas fair earlier this week, it occurred to me the different meaning one could take from seeing a long haired, unshaven […]
Let’s Not Waste that Workout
Waiting in the elevator lobby. 8:13 am. Muscle guy: Ugh. This is taking forever and i have to pee Everyone else: (Silence) Guy: (to guard) […]
The Profits of Doom
I chuckled when I heard the familiar, unintelligible mumbling emanating from the TV news. Had to laugh when I looked up — there he was, […]
Love at First …
A LOVE STORY I never knew you existed in space or time. Until today. Your belly pressed against my back as I stood at the […]
Who’s Luck is it Anyway?
[I open the cab door and spot a quarter balanced on the bottom door frame ledge] (Handing it to the driver) Me: Oh look, a […]
Trashy Thoughts
Garbage day is good fun. I’m serious. For example, passing a building today, there was a pile of about 20 dark bags (garbage), maybe a […]
Yapping and Banking
Customer: (in a voice louder than inside voice, but softer than airport ramp voice) Can I get twenty five hundred dollars? Teller: (muffled behind the […]
Funny Money
At the bank … 10 minutes in line, then …. Me: I need to buy some Euro, some Thai Baht and some Vietnamese Dong. Teller: […]
Contemplating “that” Turn
“If I turn left up that dirt road,” I thought. “I could completely disappear. No one would ever find me.” I was 3 miles into […]
Jaime Florcruz
In summer 2004, Carrie Ross Welch arranged dinner at the Courtyard Restaurant, a place right in the shadow of the Forbidden City’s outer wall. The […]
Hamachi, Running and Private Thoughts
“Sit down, Hamachi” First words I heard spoken this morning. The cab driver was talking to the white(ish) poodle sticking its nose through the divider […]
Suspicious Sushi
Standing at the sushi fridge in a grocery store near the office, with a salmon sushi box in my hand: Worker (who is there every […]
The World is Going to End (Again)
During the years I’ve lived in New York, I’ve been through a few hurricanes, a snowpocalypse or two, several “biggest storm ever” and some “storms […]
The Uber Incident
Car with Uber sign pulls up: Him: Hey, you need a taxi? Me: Great (hops in). Going to 37th between 7th and 8th. Him: 25 […]
Forgetting the “Never Forgets”
Since we’re all friends here, I’m going to let you in on a secret. I can’t remember all of the individual horrific incidents in history […]
Generalized Annoyance
I’m annoyed today. Not for any particular reason, and not in a way that should cause alarm for anyone, but the fact is, in a […]
The Self Righteous Grocery
As I stared at the smilie face on the cashier’s counter and below it, the word “SMILE” hand-written on a purple sticker, I felt guilty, […]
Comfortable Weirdness
Felt an odd attack of deja vu bubbling up this morning, but then stopped to analyze the moment and realized there was a familiar song […]
Pretentious People
Here’s a fact: Pretentious people entertain me. “What?” you might say “But you post things about Opera and ballet and chamber music in art deco […]