A soft rain falls in the morning gray. I’ve been looking forward to this. Yesterday, in anticipation of a rainy day, I bought a large can of whole, peeled tomatoes, some tomato paste, a box of pasta, some pancetta and two packages of meat, along with a long, thin French baguette. This afternoon I’ll slow…
Category: Dear Diary
In the Middle of Reading, I Stop to Brush My Teeth
At a section break in an essay on composite poems, and because I had just finished my morning coffee, I stopped reading and got up to brush my teeth. Because I had just finished my coffee, I first took the mug into the kitchen where instead of brushing my teeth (which is why I got…
April Urges
Perhaps it was the springtime pagan fertility vibes of Easter. Perhaps it was the beginning of a new month. Perhaps it was because April is National Poetry Month. Perhaps it was the odd coincidence that on Sunday (3/31) I used up the very last page in my writing journal – which, when I looked back,…
I Go to Re-shelve a Book
My mind, doing what my mind does, swung from idea to idea without landing on anything. I had just finished reading a short piece, “Old Immortality,” by the poet Mary Ruefle. It’s a story about the Earl of Staffordshire who wanted to be a writer, but instead of self-publishing his book, he had it inscribed…
Reading Poetry (Again)
I’ve been reading poetry again. Reading poetry always sets my mind abuzz about words and purpose and human connection and stories. I’m not sure if it was intentional, but the last few books that I’ve leaned into (My Private Property by Mary Ruefle, Death Prefers the Minor Keys by Sean Thomas Dougherty, and Winter’s Journey…
Walking with Your Tribe (Second Edition)
The other day, I read a blog post about the first nice, spring-like day in Paris (this year). The writer chronicled her day which mirrors a lot of my days. She grabbed a chocolate croissant and sat on a green, wooden bench where she watched the pigeons gather at her feet waiting for crumbs. She…
There’s Also this Other Side
I frequently write about life’s complexities: the minor keys and sepia hues of memory, the spaces between belonging and solitude, the subtle art of letting go with one hand what we hold tightly with the other. Sometimes, I wonder if I present (at least in this space) as a dour and sour malcontent who uses…
Morass
Despite the profile saying “Still after the dream of long term monogamy” she said she recently broke up with the love of her life and their sex is better than it’s ever been. This was towards the end of our video chat. A chat which she ended in almost business-like fashion by saying something along…
Rain, Couples Therapy, and Growth
It’s a rainy Tuesday morning. The sky is trying to brighten. By noon, it’ll be sunny again. I never thought there could be too much of a good thing – such a glutton am I for good things: eating too many plums until I’m sick, staying out an hour later than I had planned, encores…
A Little Philly Special Sauce in the Bay
Last night I went to another show. I had been sitting at my bar a week ago when I saw that G Love would be in town. G Love is a blues/rap/rock singer from Philly. His band is called Special Sauce. They’re touring in celebration of their 30th anniversary. Sitting alone at the corner of…
Read This First: Caveats and Qualifiers
Hey there!
Welcome to TurtleSloth.
Before you come in, I’m going to ask that you take off your shoes and obey all posted signs and placards – by which I mean check your assumptions at the door, but more importantly…
Stymied
I’m stymied. I’ve been writing a lot and getting nowhere fast. As of this very moment (not including this blog post), I’ve written close to 4,000 words spread out across three different draft blog posts. One is about the mental anguish I feel over not being disciplined enough (or perhaps capable enough) to sustain long-form…