All Our Gods are Demigods

In American culture, ancient mythologies and folklore passed from generation to generation have been replaced by cults of celebrity. We rely on musicians, artists, athletes, actors and writers to show us the way. They stand above us and apart from us and demonstrate what we can achieve if we are truly great. They are inspiring … Continue reading All Our Gods are Demigods →

A Restful Walk

I took a walk through the Mount Auburn Cemetery today. That's not as weird as it sounds. It's a landscaped cemetery; as much a park or a garden as it is a place for the dead. In general, I've noticed a kind of casual acceptance of cemeteries in and around Boston. Within the city itself, … Continue reading A Restful Walk →

Historical Subjectivity

I think I mentioned a while ago that I signed up for a few courses on Coursera, an site that has a multitude of classes available cheap as free. My first class, which started about two weeks ago, is History of Rock (Part One) taught by the University of Rochester's Professor John Covach. So far, … Continue reading Historical Subjectivity →

Culture Defined by Pop

Alan Lomax was a folklorist who spent the majority of his life preserving small, local folklore traditions. He believed that globalization was encroaching on the traditions of countless subcultures and slowly but surely pushing them toward extinction. He was also, potentially, a manipulative, manifest destiny toting jack-ass, but that's not important here. The main crux … Continue reading Culture Defined by Pop →

The Magic in the World

Instead of writing my movie review, I've been sitting here watching episode after episode of Fool Us, a British show where various British magicians try and fool Penn and Teller with their magic tricks. It's just forty-five minutes of magicians trying their hardest and I can't stop watching it. I have a fascination with magic … Continue reading The Magic in the World →

My One Word About Chick-fil-A

I am not good at not being angry. I am not good at not letting my emotions run away with my words so by the end of an argument, I'm spewing inarticulate venom at the person I'm arguing. And, at the end of things, I'm just tired and sadder and unable to understand and empathize. … Continue reading My One Word About Chick-fil-A →

The Cost of Wonder

In the stories I read and the stories I write, the world is a place steeped in magic and there are things beyond the ken of the average human being. The world is beyond the explanation of science and reason and what is seen is only the skin of the universe and beneath that is … Continue reading The Cost of Wonder →

I Want to Go to There

This is Mars: Ever since I was little, I've wanted to go into space. Most of the science fiction I grew up with was all about how awesome it is to explore space. I read space books and I watched the Star Trek and I fed my imagination on final frontiers and strange new worlds. … Continue reading I Want to Go to There →

Tell Me Why, Amendment One

I normally don't talk about politics. I think it ends up being a preaching to the choir situation, where your enjoyment of the entry comes from whether or not you agree with me already. I don't think I'm going to change any minds and I think, at best, I can just get people to understand … Continue reading Tell Me Why, Amendment One →

And then I Found Five Dollars

I saw five dollars on the floor of a Dunkin Donuts today and I spent a good couple of minutes deciding if I should pick it up or not. On the one hand, I just found twenty dollars the other day, which seems like I've found my fair share of money for this month already. … Continue reading And then I Found Five Dollars →