In this political climate, it’s good to get our heads out of certain subjects and back into nature, where the unseen world of trees provide succor for the mind. Trees are beautiful, and immensely powerful, with the ability to either hold back erosion or to poison the soil. That is why we need to be … Continue reading
Category Archives: Regular Stuff
Updates on life. Possible clip art?
Going to Europe for awhile
I still go back to my parents’ house in Springfield, Illinois every time I move. Each time I go home my childhood room is fuller with the scraps and detritus that have fallen behind me. This bed I’m lying in, for example. A violin, a banjo, a few lamps, boxes of CDs, boxes of books, … Continue reading
It’s time to meet my coworkers.
I’ve been trucking for a year now, and so far all of my blog posts have been terribly obnoxious exaltations of the working class. I titled two different posts as “Lost in America.” I profiled a drug runner, a gang banger, an old man with regret, a young woman with determination. I made us look like … Continue reading
Dead Turtles
I left the purple-white dame’s rockets fields of upstate New York and settled the night in Austinburg, Ohio near Cleveland. The morning came and for the first time in Ohio local history the sun appeared in a blank sky. I rose and took a walk. Behind the tree line lay a meadow with a new … Continue reading
When the Brakeman Turns Away
Carrizo Mountain looms unmagnificently in the sunrise. Nothing else looms but absence. It’s beautiful in the way sad things are. I peed in the dirt parking lot that marks the entrance to Carrizozo, New Mexico, and put a shirt on. The town — or what’s left — is lined with poplars, elms, and mysterious painted burro … Continue reading
Ode to the South
We’re done with the Mexican olives, the cabbage palms and the chachalacas of Weslaco on the Mexican border, and now we’re heading east. The earth in south Texas is stripped and raw, red as blood, deep as sunset, bare as a wound. It is like skin clawed through to the flesh, sore and screaming hot … Continue reading
Don’t Act Surprised
It looks like many of you are happy with your jobs and your places! Good! Garrett Richie killing it up in Grand Forks with Kile Brewer. Sky Chadde posting some nice links from Dallas. Ryan Schuessler showing us who the greatest of our peers is in Ferguson. Celia Ampel having a blast in Florida. Yep, … Continue reading
Parable of the Athlete
“Thank you for seeing me today, doctor,” Mark said. “Not a problem, Mr. Starkley,” Dr. Brewer lifted a page on Mark’s chart. “I saw the game yesterday. Quite a performance.” “Well, you know, the camera adds 10 feet to every home run.” “So what seems to be the problem? You look healthy. Tonight’s a big game. … Continue reading
world of self
This month I’m living without reflections. Blankets are nailed over the mirrors. Blankets nailed everywhere. How many times do you see yourself? Mirrors in the bathroom and bedroom, windows in the bedroom, living room, kitchen and car windows on the way to school. Entire building faces made of glass. The translucent, plastic covering over the … Continue reading
Further reading on online love
Delia Cai discusses every component of the past, present and future of algorithmic dating. My response is more cynical, but only because she articulated the optimistic side so well. I’m sure reality lies in the middle. I remain ever-skeptical about things that are born on the internet, especially ones related to dating. (Tinder’s hookline is, … Continue reading
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