I recently joined Facebook. Against my will. Alas, it’s turned out to be what I feared: a place where uninformed opinions based entirely on emotions are hurled around like…like…this. “It began with a food fight between children.” That’s what Facebook is like, unfortunately. Today the Horror That Must Be Stopped was the bill that Democratic…
Beware what you wish for
February 18, 2014
I was once forced into a family dispute among people I neither knew nor liked. It started when I saw a young woman sitting on the porch of a house, waiting. The elderly man who lived there was a friend of my mother’s, so I approached and asked if there was anything wrong. My parents…
Stereotyping and making assumptions do not help
February 17, 2014
When actress Ellen Page announced that she’s gay, social media went wild, pro and con. In the interest of full disclosure, I’ve seen Page only in Juno, a movie that I wasn’t able to finish. I’ve known too many people whose shtick is endless one-liners. My own father, in fact, hid behind puns, jokes, and…
Memories no longer hurt
February 16, 2014
For most of my life, memories were torture. They were like pitiless satires of my aspirations, mocking everything I’d ever attempted. All I had to do was try to sleep, and I’d be flooded with memories of disaster, horror, pain, humiliation, and failure. Around 2007 it started to change, as I realized that each catastrophe…
Concentrating on the important things
February 15, 2014
I’m not a sports fan. Though I don’t dislike sports, I’m just not interested. I’m also not a breast fan. It’s not that I have an aversion to breasts; like sports, they just don’t interest me all that much. If I have to chose my favorite part of a woman’s body after her brain and…
I love you but you are wrong
February 14, 2014
One of my favorite actors is Orson Welles. His masterpiece is Touch of Evil. It’s a perfect film. The characters, plot, music, pacing, dialog, delivery of the dialog, editing, camera angles—everything is exceptional. As an actor Welles conveyed pathos extremely effectively, even when he was a monstrosity. He played monstrosities often in his career: Charles…
Discomfort is not assault
February 13, 2014
I just read an op-ed about artist Tony Matelli’s “Sleepwalker,” currently installed in the open at Wellesley College. Many of the students want the sculpture placed indoors because they say it makes them feel unsafe. Rather than comment on this particular contretemps, I’d like to talk about a quote from Robert Shibley, senior vice president at…
Is culture a good thing?
February 12, 2014
First, no news on the Mike Albee and Lura Dold front. As you may know, they defrauded me of $40,000 by exploiting the suicides of my parents in 2013. I’ve made a few inquiries here and there, and I’m planning a couple of things that may result in more exposure. Right now I have to…
The best concert I ever saw
February 10, 2014
I can’t count the number of concerts, live shows, or performances I’ve seen. The most professional was David Lee Roth in Tokyo, with Steve Vai on guitar, Gregg Bissonette on drums, and Matt Bissonette on bass. There was literally not a single wasted second. I’ve never seen a band work harder for its money. After…
The urn does not care
February 9, 2014
I’ve been told that my posts about my father cause anger. Though I’m under no obligation to explain anything, I will. My intention is to chronicle a life gone awry. I do this to banish lingering pain. Some of that pain is the result of things my father did to me, and some is the…
