Just Sing the Blues and Face Facts: a screed against“self empowerment”

self empowerment

There’s a thing going on in music right now, where women are all about self-empowerment songs: Survivor, Part of Me, Stronger, Fighter, Good as Hell, Confident, Fight Song, Woman like Me. The list goes on. It’s awesome but it’s weird because something’s missing. I was sitting with a singer friend of mine who is going … Read more

Portal Farmers in our Midst

wildflower

There are people who take the path of least resistance, and these individuals go unnoticed. They’re sometimes even considered powerless because of their refusal to exert overt power or influence over others. Sometimes they seem afraid or even believe that they are afraid, but these are the bravest people because they’re patient. When they effect … Read more

Beware the Black Ice

Air freshener

I got into an Uber recently, and the driver had an air freshener hanging from the rear-view window. It was shaped like a tree but labelled “black ice.” I’d seen these before in my Uber adventures and couldn’t detect the smell but wondered: What is black ice supposed to smell like? Danger? This prompted the … Read more

That’s What You Get for Eavesdropping

Eavesdropping

On my latest trip to Boston, I had a somewhat unusual experience. First, I was in a cafe where a woman was sitting with a bunch of her girlfriends chatting. I’d say she was in her sixties, which I mention because it makes the story more interesting. And she was talking about a vacation she … Read more

Guilt Trips and Guilty Trippers

Guilttrip

I’m realizing something about people who do guilt trips. You know, situations where you’re feeling guilty because the other person gave you a guilt trip about wanting what you want or doing what you want to do. A guilt trip is different from someone saying, “Hey, I don’t like what you did!” It’s passive aggressive … Read more

Let’s all Irrationally Overreact. It’s in Style.

Video Recording

I recently got into big trouble. It was a case of what I have come to call the Amateur Terrorist Posse of Do-Gooding Vigilantes. ATP-DGV. I’ll have to think of a better acronym, and soon. Ok, I was on the NextDoor app. This is an app for people that live in the same town to … Read more

Three Easy Pieces

number three

Over the last little while, I’ve been passively writing. You know what I mean–I’m composing these things, they’re kind of like philosophical essays, in my head, but I don’t write them down because I’m in the fiction/nonfiction business. I’m not Alan Watts, for God’s sakes. Where would I publish such thoughts? And who would care … Read more

Ayahuasca: what happens doesn’t matter

hands covering eyes

This is blog two in a series of Ayahuasca blogs. I’m not going to walk you through every wacky adventure that happened during the experience, or even one. Frankly, it doesn’t matter. What’s interesting about this is is not the experience but the results, which you become aware of afterward as the DMT gradually leaves … Read more

Ayahuasca: I Was a Brain in a Jar

I was originally going to call this I took Ayahuasca and I Pissed Myself but that would only be pandering to readers who want silly, dramatic headlines. This isn’t something I want to be silly and dramatic about (even though that above part is true). And the “purging” aspect of Ayahuasca that caused this phenomenon … Read more