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Long Division: A Shaggy Dog Story
I am by no means a mathematical expert, but in the course of my job I am often steeped in the concepts and techniques that I was once instructed in, many moons ago. At least, the concepts are the same: many of the techniques seem to have been altered or, in some cases, abandoned. I… Continue reading
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The State of the Novel
Depending on what is meant by “write,” I only wrote The Ghost of Canard University once. But in the course of revising it, both on my own and with my editor, I have probably read it through two or three times. There are certain parts of it that I have read at least a dozen… Continue reading
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A Dream in the Vegetable Garden
The garden made a holy resolution,raising from the soil, lithe and green,a form refined by vicious evolution—grasping at the trellis like a bean,adorned with fragile blossoms in the morninglight, a delicate chemise of white,and bearing twilit fruit for night’s aborningstars, the touch of Venus brushing Mars—and have the jays been feeding from the cherries,do they… Continue reading
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A little hope in small places
I had the fine experience last week of joining some of the 11th grade students I tutor on a little field trip around the school’s campus. I could have done with weather a little warmer, but it was still a great day to stretch the legs and take in some spring air with our education.… Continue reading
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Too much to endure
The latest news that I have seen on Trump’s war in Iran is that a two-week ceasefire has been negotiated. What this could mean in the long term, I don’t know. In the short term, I am grateful that some of this insanity shall ebb, though having seen what a “ceasefire” looks like in Gaza,… Continue reading
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On The Zeppo
For fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, last week brought some sad and sobering news. In the wake of the surprise cancellation of the planned revival of the show, it was reported that Nicholas Brendon, who played Xander Harris throughout its original run, had died. In a media era which seemingly never tires of bringing… Continue reading
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Real Music
So far as I am aware, I have not yet been tricked into admiring a song that was composed and performed by a computer program. I can scarcely believe that we have already reached a time in history when we actually have to be on our guard against that sort of thing, but apparently we… Continue reading
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Against the War
Let’s just get this out of the way—this post is not what you might call “persuasive.” I am not attempting to persuade anybody that our new war with Iran is gravely immoral. It simply is, and if you don’t know that already, you can deal with that knowledge however you like. What else is there… Continue reading
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ICE Out Now
About two thousand students arrived outside the state capitol building in Salem, Oregon on Friday, to protest against the Trump administration and ICE. They walked out of their schools to make their voices heard, rather than quietly accept the unacceptable regime of an unaccountable, arbitrary secret police force abducting and brutalizing their neighbors, friends, and… Continue reading
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We Gotta Groove: The Brother Studio Years
The soundtrack to the 1995 documentary I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times consists mostly of new performances by Brian Wilson of songs recorded years earlier by himself and the Beach Boys. The sole exception is a demo of an obscure song from 1977, titled “Still I Dream Of It,” an uncommon ballad of loneliness… Continue reading
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