Author Archives: Adam Brownstein

By Adam Brownstein Another pod goes in the machine, and I push the button, anxious for the caffeine hit. Buzzzzzz, drip, drip, drip.   The espresso wafts, and I get ready. But then, on the last chestnut drop, there is a ring at the door.   It’s the Black Cat guy who wears the green and theContinue reading “Poetry: The Package on My Doorstep”

By Adam Brownstein – September 22, 2023 I once devoted this space to the tale of a harrowing visit I made to a local dentist.  The experience evoked disturbing recollections of Sir Laurence Olivier’s masterful turn as Dr. Christian Szell, the Nazi-cum-DDS foil to a young Dustin Hoffman in the 1976 thriller Marathon Man. TheContinue reading “The Interrogation Room”

By Adam Brownstein Parenthood is fertile ground for maxims.  The Greeks wrote that to a man growing older there is no greater comfort than the love of the a daughter.  Yiddish wisdom suggests that you are only as happy as your most unhappy child.  Some parental wisdom has come to me by way of familyContinue reading “Just Like a Salmon: Going Home to Riverdale”

Tokyo, JAPAN — May 26, 2023 — By Adam Brownstein Japanese friends often ask me what I miss about America. Depending on the moment and sentiment I answer in different ways. I long for so much of my first home. But three pieces always weave into the mix . . . . . . myContinue reading “What’s Missing – The Gravlax File(s)”

By Adam Brownstein – Tokyo, Japan – May 4, 2023 Having spent more than two decades in tech, I’ve recently been meditating on the notion of compounding variables. Classic among these is Moore’s Law (the number of transistors in an integrated circuit (IC) doubles about every two years). There is also, of course, the PowerContinue reading “Fit As a Fiddle”

By Adam Brownstein Tokyo/Winter 2023 — The day after my wife and I got married at the storied Happo-en in Shirokanedai we were relaxing at my in-laws townhouse. Equally elated and exhausted from the simcha, neither my mother-in-law nor I had the energy to cook. “I have a great idea!” quipped, Sumiko, my wife’s grandmother.Continue reading “Top 5 Pizza Restaurants in Tokyo”

In the barber’s chair Warm shave and a little trim Bunny calendar Context:  By some estimates there are 500,000 single proprietorship businesses in Greater Tokyo. Sometimes I feel that 499,000 are barbershops. On every street corner, often between street corners, red white and blue swirly poles beckon patrons in need of a cut. For aboutContinue reading “Weekly Haiku from Tokyo January 12, 2023”