"This Evening, About a Quarter to Nine"

Al Jolson

"The stars are going to twinkle and shine, HOW THEY'LL SHINE, this evening about a quarter to nine,"

I'm 7, these words I hear as I wake from a coma on the couch. For some reason, nobody chased me into bed. Mom's gone, Rory's gone, and it's me, Dad sketching a tree and Al Jolson in a tux singing "About a Quarter to Nine," in the eleven o'clock movie on Channel 5. I think sometimes, Dad liked to keep me up with him so he wouldn't be lonely. Jolson's catchy tune goes right into my head and the next day in second grade Sister Lorraine came down the aisle and clobbered me for humming it during a test.

Oh, by the way, any time I got whacked, I either deserved it or it was deserved payback for old questionable behavior that was seemingly unobserved by the Nun. An eye in the back of the head came with the Nun uniform.

Tommy 2nd Grade

Real conversation overheard in Pryor 83rd Street apartment in 1963

Tom: Maaaaaaa, where is my blue SSS tie?

Mom: I was hungry, I ate it.

Last night, I had a terrific time up in Washington Heights @ Word Up No Name Paranormal Storytelling Show. Nelson Lugo, Robin Bady, Lisa Kirchner and Daniel Guzman shocked the pants off the nervous audience. I told a spooky one, too. Co-hosts Eric Vetter and Michele Carlo were top shelf. Stellar promoting by the extraordinary Gordon Balkcom brought out a good crowd.

It's always a fine time in the Heights. Thank you, Eric and Michele for inviting me. Thank you, Gordon, for introducing me to No Name.

Next "City Stories: Stoops to Nuts,"show is Tuesday, March 11 @ 5:30pm @Cornelia Street Cafe. It's a doozy, my guest tellers: Barbara Aliprantis, Cris Beam,Francis Flaherty, Robin Hirsch, Tim O'Mara, Joshua Rebell, Angelo Verga & Prof. Adam Wade.

Admission is free. Life's short, I'm thanking my friends, first drink on me. Time Out Magazine says, "Stoops to Nuts," is a positive experience not to be missed. No they didn't, but they do say it's a cool thing to do. Show starts sharp @ 5:30pm.

Eric Vetter

Michele Carlo

Nelson Lugo

Robin Bady

Daniel Guzman

Gordon Balkcom & Lisa Kirchner