It was around four-thirty this afternoon, and Gretchen was getting ready to leave, as a matter of fact. She had her coat on when the call came in, but being the loyal soul she is, the telephone on my desk rang. “Mr. Collins,” she told me, “I have some pitiful dork who says he’s named Eldrick… Continue reading Hold That, Tiger
White House Reality Check Bounces
Friday, my office was closed. It was the day after Thanksgiving, after all. But five-thirty p.m. found me downtown anyway, at the Willard Hotel’s Round Robin Bar, quaffing one of their signature branch water mint juleps, just as Mark Twain might have done there, more than a century ago. Hell, I could have been sitting… Continue reading White House Reality Check Bounces
The Case of the 1,069 Purloined Letters
Around eleven this morning, Gretchen let me know that my nephew, Henry Palikowski, Junior, wished to arrange for a telephone consultation today whenever I had the free time in my schedule. I certainly had no problem with that – because while Congress sometimes stages a circus this time of year, as it is doing at… Continue reading The Case of the 1,069 Purloined Letters
The More You Learn, the Less You Know
I was having lunch today at Tosca, a nice Italian bistro on F Street, and midway between the guance di maiale brasate con cannellini, ragu di shiitake e Marsala and the gettuccine alle olive con ragu di cinghiale e castagne arrosto, my cell phone rang. It was my dear sister Rose. Rose: Tom? Tom: You… Continue reading The More You Learn, the Less You Know
The Awe of Watching a Steele Trap Mind at Work
When I got to the office for my first consultation appointment this morning at nine, Gretchen indicated that when my client arrived, she had shown him, at his request, directly into my office. When I entered, I noticed he had chosen the chair immediately to the right of my desk. Based on my extensive previous experience with… Continue reading The Awe of Watching a Steele Trap Mind at Work