Tag Archives: Joe
My last hour of teaching
by Mrs. Sabraw In about an hour, I will walk into a small classroom. Eight students will be (eagerly) waiting for me. “Good Afternoon, everyone!” I will say. “Good Afternoon, Mrs. Sabraw,” they will perfunctorily respond. And the lesson will … Continue reading
Joe and Siddhartha
by cheri block Had his lungs and heart held out for just six more months, Joe would have been eighty years old today. His presence in my life was like a bonfire that burned for forty-five years with an endless … Continue reading
Ten Dollars on Number 2 to Win in the 7th Race
by cheri block My Great-Uncle Mike was a bookie in Oakland in the early part of the last century. As the story goes, his sister Fanny, my paternal grandmother, asked him to place a bet at Golden Gate Fields only … Continue reading
Good-bye Joe
by cheri block I have just learned that my mentor, Joe, died suddenly last night. As Joe would have it, I am supposed to teach in 30 minutes, so I cannot cry my eyes out (yet). Our lunch meeting to … Continue reading
Send in a clown
by cheri block My pilgrimage to Joe’s house yesterday was not without worry. He’d changed our lunch venue back to his home, a two-story house in a neighborhood north with twelve cement steps leading up to a locked door. His … Continue reading
Prologue to the Wife of Blah
by cheri block Joe and I met Tuesday for lunch at a different restaurant, one close to Joe’s doctor’s office. It was good to back in our routine, slinging around literary opinions loud enough for others to hear. Joe has … Continue reading
In Paradiso, Dante sees the White Rose
by cheri block My guide Virgil has been weakened this month, so we could not meet at Elephant Bar to discuss the Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso this past week. Looking more like a shade than a robust Italian, he answered … Continue reading
Joe’s Amazing Grandfather…
by cheri block Interesting, Baby (not the waitress). Did I ever tell you the story of the time my grandfather Joe from the old country left me three tumulos in his last will and testament? I don’t remember that one, … Continue reading
The Great Geat
by cheri block The Nordic stars aligned yesterday in a series of random conversations that related to my current preoccupation with King Beowulf. First, I ran into my very charming 40 year-old Australian neighbor, Jason, who was driving down the … Continue reading
The Coffee is Percolating
by cheri block Joe and I are warming up for the Dark Ages. We are reading (or rereading) The Confessions of St. Augustine, Beowulf, the Koran, The Song of Roland, and Lancelot. To recap for those of you who have … Continue reading
