Today I got a World War One postcard from Estonia. The envelope had a stamp on it that reminded me of the time I didn’t listen to the little voice in my head that warned me to not to be an idiot. I paid for not listening. The few times I ignored that voice, I’ve…
Hell is other people. In cars.
June 12, 2014
I used to dread vacations when Dad was in charge. His idea of taking time off as a family was to pile into the car at the crack of dawn, drive until lunch, eat, and then drive until sunset. And we couldn’t talk. As a teenager I discovored Jean-Paul Sartre’s famous quote “Hell is other…
A role I never envisioned for myself
June 7, 2014
As a child I wanted to be a stuntman. Then I wanted to be a cop. Then I lost my bearings and careened from one desire and occupation to another. There was never a method to my madness; I just had no clue what I was supposed to do or be. And now I occupy…
The D-Day movie to watch
June 6, 2014
Today is the seventieth anniversary of the Allied invasion of Europe. If you’re in the mood, I’d like to recommend a D-Day movie. The reason it’s so great is that it’s a deeply serious, low-key look at the decision to launch an operation that would cost untold numbers of lives. In case you don’t know,…
A nightmare, some help, and a flower
June 5, 2014
Last night I had terrible dream. I don’t know why it was so awful. Since my bad dreams linger, I was sure that the whole day was ruined. But I appear to have gotten some help. In the nightmare I tried to call my mother on the phone. The need to connect with her was…
Spelunking
June 5, 2014
I love the word “spelunking.” It’s far more imaginative than the prosaic “caving.” I was a spelunker until 2012. Instead of crawling around in caves, I did it under my house. Never once was it my idea to go under my house, except for today. There were photos that had to be taken. The reason…
Why a cat made me believe in reincarnation
May 31, 2014
I’m currently feeding a family of feral cats. I don’t want to, but I don’t see that I have a choice. Today, the cats themselves pretty much told me that I have to keep doing it. I’ll explain what happened. And then I’ll tell you how another cat made me believe in reincarnation. Five days…
That’s not therapy. THIS is therapy.
May 28, 2014
The Isla Vista spree killer was in therapy since the age of eight, including almost every day while in high school. That’s total baloney. He didn’t undergo therapy. THIS is therapy, what I will now tell you about myself. In 1998 I was at the end of my rope. My career as a music journalist…
What happens when it’s all based on lies?
May 23, 2014
Lies have cost me almost everything, as I document in Ghosts and Ballyhoo. Why do people lie to create outrages that don’t exist? Let’s say you passionately believe that the world is getting worse. What happens when it’s all based on lies? My next novel is about titanic, unfathomable lies. I need help in grasping…