"One day I bought a neatly lined journal and over a period of ten years wrote the short takes that now appear in this book. For years the journal rested in my study closet among travel books, maps of Europe, issues of Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate, waiting patiently until I could organize my random thoughts into sentences I might come to trust. Meanwhile life swirled around me: the jangle of New York City culture, family pursuits, and my work...