It isn’t clear if Mom will be able to come home. Although she’s beaten lung and ovarian cancer—there are no tumor markers in her blood—she’s refusing to eat or exercise. This is making her weaker and weaker, of course. I understand why she’s doing this. She’s very angry at the loss of control. All she…
The darkest nights approach
September 6, 2013
The darkest nights of my life approach. We can’t do anything to stop them. What will be, will be. I stopped going to church when I was eighteen. I’ve since made my peace with Catholicism. People like to say that they’re “recovering Catholics.” It’s supposed to be funny, but I’ve experienced too much pain myself…
My first act of music journalism since 2002
September 6, 2013
My first act of music journalism since 2002 was completed with Scott Thunes, of course. I enjoyed it thoroughly. An excerpt: I used to be a music journalist. It was the best job I ever had, and I loved it. Unfortunately for me, it didn’t work out. A combination of factors—mainly my own problem with…
Trees were unclean
September 2, 2013
My father hated trees. In his world, trees were unclean. He hated the leaves they dropped, and he hated the shade they provided. To him, shade connoted sloth and secrets. Shade trees in your yard meant you were lazy and had something to hide. A moral, upright man had no trees. The lawn of a…