Constantine Vlacmose was anything, but weird. How could a weird man hold down a responsible job like his, a job that called for the utmost stability, mental clarity, intestinal fortitude, fearlessness, well, you get the idea now. You don't think being a cabby in New York City is easy, do you! You try dealing with the crowded streets, the thousands of cars, buses, and trucks, two million on-rushing pedestrians, blaring noise, accidents, cops, firefighters, and assorted other distractions. Easy, are you joking! From: Are You An Ass, A Fool, Or A You-Know-What? So begins one of Elias Sassoon's...

She was tall, dark and one hell of a handsome, sexy woman, an Italian stallion still roaring to go even in her late forties. She bounced through the bar wearing her tight pink sweater, tight black leather pants and high-heeled, high-rising black boots. Her nails were long like a cat and red. Her eyes burned with desire. There, a man of good build, wide chest, and small and tight rump, stood; overall, not a bad face, not too hard, not too soft. Yes, he might do. From: Swing A Soft Stick... Yah know it wasn't gosh-darn fair It was a tragedy of the gravest proportions and wa happening to Mickey...

The novel follows Bernard (Bernie) Courtman, an obese glutton who is also a shyster, fool, sociopath, and philosopher. A remarkable egotist, Bernie's the ultimate salesman who peddles the world's inconsequential on street corners everywhere. When not doing that, he's manipulating our bankruptcy laws and credit regulations to fill his coffers and finance his other schemes. Utilizing assumed names, using forged signatures, stolen credit card and social security numbers, he changes identities as he swindles across America. Constantly in flight from the authorities, he still has time for romantic...

The stories concern a typical suburban, public high school. Typical is the operative word. Tax money poured into it, extraordinary services provided, acclaimed educators hired, spectacular facilities produced, resources, like computers and laboratory equipment acquired, extra-curricular activities created, yet, the outcome: academic failure, violence, drugs, gangs, and, drop-out rates approaching fifty percent. Why? The author of these stories worked as a Substitute Teacher in suburban schools like Freezoned High School for years. In that capacity, I dealt with everyone from office staff to...

Memoirs of Steinfink, composed in the darkness of hell. Everything stripped; all pretense. Doomed to death by calendar. Simplifies things the way violence simplifies things when uncontrolled. Me, Steinfink revealed in this dungeon of collective intolerance. Who and what am I? Questions upon brittle lips. Don't want questions. Instead, bow down before me, the prince of all men, the Lord of the Universe. My name's George Steinfink, at least, how I'm addressed at this penal institution of ill repute. The name was sent down for me by that divine angel Gabriel, for me, the one who spreads the...

THU. APR. 10, 2008 - Better frame of mind than yesterday. Today, just confused. Periods of this. Could be the aging process. Times when the mind is clear like a beautiful sunshine-filled day in the Caribbean. Other times, it's a blur. Happiness and sadness may play a part in this. Confusion, like climbing the Golden Gate Bridge without ladders or other conveyances while a thick fog rolls in and rolls over. Other thoughts. Wonder if I'm revealing too much in my conversations? Thoughts unending. Are they useful? Strange, contorted thoughts. Is that good? Can be. Thinking is free as long as you...

These essays were undertaken because of the need. As long as people continue to live unhappily, isolated and without hope; there will be that need. The question, will humans admit to their unhappiness? Most pretend all is right with the individual. We're governed by inhumanity and ruled by the inhumane. Evil controls; good retreats. The greedy, narrow-minded, and inarticulate triumph; the bright and brilliant watch. It's a world of falsifiers claiming to be in search of truth, and claiming to be people of reason and integrity. They're really after the fortune, and achieve it by catering to...

"Mister, you come, mister, gems, sell, European, mister, sell to you," the Arab boy calls to the foreigner wearing the tan safari suit and hat. "Mister, good deal, you." The foreigner hesitates, then, follows the boy down the darkened steps of the Suq. From: SYRIANS AND OTHER ABNORMAL GENTLEFOLK.. "Yep, had lot of jobs before I went into the retail trade," Charley Rashidi tells it. "I was in the Merchant Marines out of New York Harbor during the world war where I was in charge of purchasing much of the supplies for our boys overseas. Really ran the day-to-day operations of the base. Got to...

There are fifteen chapters in this book of poetry. In each chapter there are appropriately 20 to 25 poems. The chapters topics include ones exploring self, humor, places I've been, early youth, relationships with my father and mother, one on ravings, another on death, and another on personalities from work, among others. Here are two poems from the book: OUTSIDE WALLED MONUMENT Looking from afar at the city of the limestone dreams. A city the cause of beauty, religion, the city taken by David, and the Romans, and the Turks, and the Arabs, and the Assyrians, and the Greeks, and the British and...

3 story openings, 3 first person accounts from 3 individuals: I am a wife and a mother and I think I do both jobs well. I provide for all the needs of my husband and that includes the sexual thing, and all the needs of my two year old son. So why am I bitching like this? Well wouldn't you if you suddenly find a couple of dirty books in one of my husband's dresser drawers. They're not just dirty but disgusting pornographic filth. From DIRTY BOOKS POLISHED CLEAN......."Why is it mom, you don't talk to any of your sisters?" my thirty-three year old, single daughter Brenda asks one day. It's a...