I performed one of my civic duties today and voted. Actually, the voting part was the easy part. I was mailed a ballot. I filled it out, sealed it, signed the back of it, and walked to the polling place not more than 50 yards across the street from my apartment. There, I said hello…
Did You Ever Wonder…
Much like the transitions in a werewolf movie, my eyebrows grew bushy and white, the skin on my face and neck sagged a bit more, I put on a few pounds, and my voice cracked in a nasally/whiny way: “Did you ever wonder why we’re constantly paying more for less? There’s an old saying, ‘you…
I Hope It Gets Funnier
Humor has been missing from my life. I don’t see, read, watch, or hear nearly as many funny things as I used to. I blame, at least in part, the digital environment of our current age and my recent living situations. There was a time, back when I owned a house, when I would read…
Not Measuring the Moments, Listening to the Happys
There’s a sign that hangs from a crooked chain link fence at a vacant lot on Van Ness. I pass it on my evening walks. In green letters on a washed-out yellow background, it says “LISTEN TO THE HAPPYS”. I think the sign is wooden or metal, though it looks like cardboard. I assume it’s…
Grabbing the Bull by the Horns, or Whatever
Sometimes, at night, before I go to bed, I’ll feel a sense of restless can-do determination towards how I’ll attack the new day (or this old but new life). This usually happens when I’m scrolling through Twitter where I’m reading poems, and reading about writing and magazine acceptances and submissions. This usually happens when I’ve…
Into the Mystery
I tend to think of myself as a mindful skeptic. The universe is big. There are a lot of things we can’t explain. Human knowledge feels pretty small and finite. It’s why I’m an agnostic and not an atheist. I can’t stomach that type of certainty. As a skeptic, I lean towards science and reason…
F*ckboys, Liars, and MANipulators: A Valentine’s Day Post
Valentine’s Day – that saccharine mid-February reminder to take one day out of the year to splurge on chocolates, a card, some roses, and a candle-lit dinner… Ever since the second grade when that pony-tailed witch with dimples, Jenny Butterworth, gave a Valentine’s Day card to Scott Truesdale and not me (Garfield making lusty googly…
Soundtracks, Beaches, Beats, and Awe
On Saturday, after lazing around the apartment, I walked to the beach (by the Bay, not the ocean) where I read, wrote, and watched people and dogs and kids at play. I came home, had dinner, and then walked to the Mission District to see the band Too Many Zooz. Walking along that beating artery…
Morning Jazz
The Zebra plant I bought and thought I killed has made a comeback. It’s green leaves glow in the morning sun. The sky is clear and blue and I’ve curled up on the edge of the sofa where the sun is the brightest. I’m listening to an old jazz album, Whims of Chambers. Steam rises…
Bumps in the Road
Yesterday the email came. I wanted to write to you personally… appreciate your interest… competitive applicant pool… My heart sank a bit. On my laptop, I had a few tabs open to other job postings. I wanted to get back on that horse and start applying again. I was chastising myself for letting up on…
Love and All Its Deceits
“But sometimes lies are tangled with love.” That was a line in a lecture by the poet Patricia Smith – a lecture I didn’t, but might, read. It’s a simple and effective statement. It carries with it the weight of wisdom and truth. Without context, it might even be described as triggering. Without context, it…
Mending and Moral Masochism
The morning sky is bright but gray. The sun tries to peak through the drifting clouds. It’s going to rain (maybe). It’s been raining (maybe). Because of the hills and the ocean and the bay and the mountains, the Bay Area’s weather is predictably unpredictable. Yesterday, as I sat by Crissy Field Beach (the beach…