Writing
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The music will be wonderful
Something strange happened to me that you’re going to laugh at when I tell you because it’s not *actually* that strange but it jolted me out of whatever funk I’ve been in for weeks if not months: I hung out with someone who was optimistic. Sincerely. Honestly. GENUINELY. Hopeful. His worldview was one of seeing (…)
Coming Home
There are certain questions you get asked ad nauseam when you’ve been divorced. What is your vision for your life? What does the future look like? What do you want? Who are you dating? Are you dating? Are you ok? Do you hate your ex? What happened for real though? Do you feel better now? (…)
Political Performance Art
I had other things on the docket today, but I’d be remiss if we don’t at least address WTF happened yesterday. TL;DR Someone tried to assassinate Former President Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, grazing his ear instead, killing a spectator, and wounding a few others. The suspect is now dead. I’m not a (…)
Mail and Poems
There are piles of mail that live on my kitchen counter. It did not used to be like this. It used to be I was organized and uncluttered, but now it seems there are piles everywhere. Piles in the car, piles on the couch, piles on the desk. I don’t know how they arrive; they (…)
A Tribute to Dads on Father’s Day
Growing up I spent a lot of time with my dad. We would go on what he called “drives” which were actually him working on weekends, but I had no idea because we talked and sang the entire time. The “drives” were to properties he needed to visit, but to me, they were adventures filled with (…)
When Taking a Stand is Futile
When the Greeks took over Judea a few thousand years ago, they were very into sports. Just as today, men throwing things and fighting each other determined who was cool, popular, and deserving of sponsorships. Naturally, the Jews wanted to fit in with the Greeks and be athletic and cool, so they built a stadium (…)
Can We Have More of This? On The Skills That Make For a Better Society
To my knowledge, I have never once modeled the behavior of flushing public toilets that were not used by me. My daughter (she’s five) tells me, “There are a lot of poops in the bathroom at school and people just leave them there.” I listened wondering why, of all the things to share about your (…)
How To Protect Your Brain From Being Eaten by Ideology, Idiocy, and Bad-Faith Arguments
A few years ago when I quit the news, I also quit reading articles. Specifically, ones forwarded to me via email by people who do not generally read. Like a food diet, my information diet needed to be protected. Books were allowed in. Documentaries, in. Debate, in. Forwarded articles were a no. Social media, no. (…)
Enjoying Yourself While The World Burns
I managed to coerce myself to have what I’m told is called “fun” a few weekends ago and it got me thinking about the difficulty inherent in “letting go” and enjoying yourself while the world burns. For me, I can’t. I get instantly assaulted with guilt, then shame, and then my brain tells me that if I just (…)
On The Privilege of Hiding
There are a few places outside of Texas or California where I will agree to eat tacos. Born and raised in Texas, I am a taco snob; so when a new taco joint opened in Jersey City about 10 or so years ago, I agreed to go reluctantly. There were maybe seven of us at dinner (…)