Something I Learned Long Ago.

I Never Know What I'm Going To Write Next, And When I Think I Do I Usually Turn Out To Be Mistaken.

I've Always Essentially Been A New Yorker.

Back Then, Before It Became Clear That Democracy Was Best Served By A Drunken Electorate, The Bars In New York City Were Required To Close On Election Day.

My Mother's Father Was From Sligo, And He Used To Say It Was The Hardest Thing In The World To Find A Man Alive In Dublin Who Wasn't In The Gpo During The Easter Rising. Twenty Brave Men Marched Into That Post Office, He Said, And Thirty Thousand Marched Out.

This Church Was Open And Seemingly Unattended, And It Was A Throwback In Another Way As Well. The Candles In The Little Side Altars Were Real Ones, Actual Wax Candles That Burned With An Open Flame. Lots Of Churches Have Switched Over To Electrified Altars. You Drop Your Quarter In The Slot And A Flame-shaped Bulb Goes On And Stays On For Your Quarter's Worth Of Time. It's Like A Parking Meter, And If You Stay Too Long They Tow Away Your Soul.