Posts Tagged ‘According to Ben’

A Hothouse Survival Tale

Written by admin on August 11, 2010. Posted in On Topic OTDT, Opinion and Column

Sweating buckets when the AC goes out during a heat wave By Ben Krull I turned the knob and nothing happened. Don’t panic, I told myself, as sun poured through the blinds. It was a 90-degree Sunday earlier this summer and the window air-conditioner in my studio apartment was dead. First came denial: the four-year-old
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The Reluctant Visitor

Written by admin on July 16, 2010. Posted in On Topic OTDT, Opinion and Column

Memories of summer camp from two perspectives By Ben Krull I worked myself into a frenzy thinking about the tasty food and heartwarming reunions. But not everyone shared my enthusiasm for visiting day at summer camp. From the ages of nine through 15, I spent my summers at Camp Scatico in upstate New York. I
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A True Believer Believes Again

Written by admin on April 21, 2010. Posted in On Topic OTDT, Opinion and Column

The acquittal earlier this month of Manhattan Surrogate Nora Anderson, of charges stemming from her successful 2008 judicial campaign, was more than just a victory for the accused. It was also a reprieve for Democrats like myself, who have an almost religious belief in the sanctity of Manhattan’s judicial election process. Anderson was accused of
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Bag Ladies

Written by admin on March 24, 2010. Posted in On Topic OTDT, Opinion and Column

New York has become a city of bag ladies—especially during rush hour. While I once commuted amid unobtrusive pocketbooks, nowadays subways are packed with women carrying duffle-sized satchels, leather backpacks and cavernous totes. It is commonplace to see these bags carried in combination: an oversized satchel hanging from the shoulder, a knapsack strapped to the
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A Nose for the Cold

Written by admin on February 26, 2010. Posted in On Topic OTDT, Opinion and Column

In wintertime my nose acts as a thermometer. As a cold front approaches I find myself using more Kleenex than usual. When freezing temperatures arrive, my sinuses function as though someone has clipped a clothespin to my schnoz
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Hard Times on the Hardwood

Written by admin on January 13, 2010. Posted in On Topic OTDT, Opinion and Column

The “city game” isn’t what it used to be. The Knicks are on course for another losing season, and it has been years since a local college team has made the NCAA tournament, much less contended for a national championship. New York’s basketball picture wasn’t always so bleak. The five boroughs were once as well
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My Adult Fantasy League

Written by admin on November 5, 2009. Posted in On Topic OTDT, Opinion and Column

You may think that turning 50 has made my fantasies about playing Major League Baseball a bit implausible. But I perform like an athlete half my age. While my studio apartment is too crowded with breakable objects for me to swing a bat like I once did in my spacious childhood bedroom, I still dive
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Since ’69

Written by admin on September 23, 2009. Posted in On Topic OTDT, Opinion and Column

While 2009 marks the 40th anniversary of Woodstock, man on the moon and the Miracle Mets, it is has also been four decades since my 10th birthday, making me reflect on how childhood has changed since then. Gone: the anticipation of waiting for your favorite movie to appear on television. My favorite was The Wizard
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Fifty is My New Sixty

Written by admin on August 26, 2009. Posted in On Topic OTDT, Opinion and Column

I recently turned 50. In other words, I am FIFTY; the BIG FIVE-0; the age when there are MORE YESTERDAYS THAN TOMORROWS! To mark this milestone of my dance with mortality, I went for a physical. Since I lap-swim and watch my diet, I was sure to ace it. After taking my blood pressure, administering
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The Art of the Line

Written by admin on July 29, 2009. Posted in On Topic OTDT, Opinion and Column

I have great respect for the ire New Yorkers express when someone cuts in a line. This is especially so when I accidentally go out of turn while placing my Sunday morning order at H&H Bagels, eliciting a shrill “I’m next!” from the person in front of me. I want to shout, “I thought you
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