Author: Ben Raskin

  • The Perfect Bar

    It starts with a smell. Nothing is more important when stepping into a bar for the first time than how it smells. It should be musky, wet with just a hint of rot. There needs to be memories of perfume, bleach and dust in the air. Even bars that offer anything and everything you’d want…

  • Tim and Heather Got Married

    4-0. That’s better than any team in the NFL right now. Considering week 4 doesn’t start till Thursday, I doubt the Cincinnati Bengals will match my record against Patriots on Sunday. Except for the fact that Bonanza High’s mascot was a Bengal and having never enjoyed anything from Cincinnati except Lori Anderson when I was…

  • Skate or Die

    I nearly killed a man on Friday. Driving home from Keys On Main, I swerved out of the way on 700 East and 1300 South as a skateboarder darted in front of me. He was dressed in all black and elected to run the light. Slamming the breaks with both feet, my truck’s brakes locked…

  • Whammy!

    You’d be surprised how hard it is to schedule a portrait at JC Penny’s for me and my dog, Shelly. Since the old girl is getting pretty grey around the muzzle, I thought it would be nice to have something to hang in the office or get wallet sized to give to friends, family or…

  • Watch Your Back, Connie McDuggul

    The worst part of bartending is pouring drinks. It really gets in the way of talking with customers and checking out the crowd. If I didn’t have to make mojitos, pour beers or sling kamikazes, bartending would be the best gig ever. Being behind the bar, you get to watch the entire room from both…