The 10% Brain & The Flat Earth: 2 Misconceptions We Need to Stop Repeating
There are certain ideas that have become common beliefs. They are used so often and have been repeated so many times that we just assume they are true. Call them what you will - misconceptions
In a Forest Dark and Gloomy
I sit and look out my back window into the yard behind my house. It is large and full of trees; a combination of fir and pine and aspen. On this day, early in the
A Nothing Day: Comic Books, Video Games & Graveyards
I wheeled the bike from the garage and took a deep breath. It was the start of the lull week that happened every summer. The week when every kid I knew was off at camp
I Remember Magic
I am driving home from work in the rain. The traffic is heavy and I am upset. Not at anything in particular, just a strange combination of angry-sad, non-focused malaise. I have a feeling of
Close Your Eyes & Make a Wish: Birthday Thoughts
I’ve always enjoyed getting older. That may come as a surprise to some. It’s not the norm. The standard response when asked if your birthday is coming up is something along the lines of: I
Thoughts on Turning 50
I woke up this morning and found myself 50 years old. It is a significant moment, a momentous occasion, a milestone worthy of celebration and revelry. Except that it isn’t. You see I don’t feel
New Beginnings
Guest Post by David Hicks Spring is traditionally a time of new beginnings, and this spring is no different. But oh, what a difference. This spring, new beginnings are tied to new endings—the ending
Cross-Continental Quarantining
A guest post by David Hicks I was in Prague on a Fulbright scholarship, teaching at the venerable Charles University and living in the Letna/Holesovice neighborhood called Prague 7. My first month, February, was gray
Six Songs Called Isolation: A Lonely Playlist
The theme on the website this month is isolation so we have put together a list of 6 songs on that theme. Now there are many, many, many (manymanymany) many songs about loneliness, being alone,
My Life in 2020 so Far (Or What a Clusterf*ck)
So…2020 has been a clusterfuck so far, huh? Before I continue I feel I should point out that when I first contemplated writing this post I had conceived of it as being an eloquent, lyrical,
What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?
It is a question we’ve all been asked at least once at some point in our childhood. And the answer, at least for me, would change depending on the time and place or the frame
Saying Goodbye in Paradise (Or Waiting for the Hurricane)
I’m not sure if this is going to work. Or if it will make any sense let alone be entertaining to read. I guess you can call this an experiment. I am going to write
A President’s Day Post (Sort Of)
It's President's Day and we all have the day off. Well, most of us have the day off. If you live in the United States. When you think of it that way I suppose
Blood Rush (A Short Story by Guest Author Tessa Lee Carr)
We shared our first kiss under the cherry blossom tree. It was perfect, like a scene from the movies. I stared into her eyes and brushed her soft hair from her delicate face. I saw
Memory & Fog: The Impermanence of Objects, 3rd Meditation
Once, a long time ago, I told you I would love you forever. I never intended to lie to you. I am back in San Francisco, the place where we once lived together. It has
Christmas in Patagonia
Christmas Day, 1999. Twenty years ago. Was I at home in New York, a gentle snow falling outside, while inside blazed a warm fire in the fireplace, with presents under the Christmas tree that
Thou Doth Protest Too Much: The Silent Night, Deadly Night Controversy
Picture this: the year is 1984 and you are an impressionable youth watching an episode of Three’s Company or Little House on the Prairie when during a commercial break this comes on the TV:
A Very Pagan Christmas: The Life & Adventures of Santa Claus
I’m sure you all know the story of Santa Claus, right? Of course you do. Everyone remembers how when Santa was an infant he was abandoned in the woods in a snow bank till the
An Immaculate Fix: A Junky’s Christmas
It was Christmas Day and Danny the Car Wiper hit the street junksick and broke after seventy-two hours in the precinct cell. It was a clear bright day, but there was warmth in the
A Merry Little Alternative Xmas
Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. Sure, that’s a given. People seem to enjoy the colored lights, the slowly dying tree in the living room, and the glitter. Oh, and the gifts.
He Sees You When You’re Sleeping: Krampus the Anti-Claus
We are all familiar with the benevolent nighttime intruder who once a year indulges in mass breaking and entering to deposit gifts under indoor foliage. You know, the omnipotent fat man dressed in red who
Happy Life Day: The Star Wars Holiday Special
Author's note: This was written nearly four years ago and I must admit my opinion of the Star Wars Holiday Special has softened a bit. Oh, I still think it's awful don't get me
The Worst Guy to Have Dinner with in Ancient Greece
Once upon a time there lived a guy named Tantalus who was, for reasons that will become clear, a rather unpleasant fellow. Tantalus was the king of a place called Sipylus and had a
My Favorite Things to Eat: A Former New Yorker Talks About Food
A guest post by David Hicks What are my favorite things to eat? Good question. Thanks for asking. Bagels. Mozzarella. And what are the two foods I loved most in New York that I