April 16th, 2024 What is scary for you? I’ve been First Ave- and Prince-obsessed the past several months, diving into library books and PBS documentaries and YouTube videos and resurfaced bootlegs. There’s a quote from Prince in an interview (his last) that I can’t stop thinking about; he was lamenting the current state of musicContinue reading “goosebumps”
Tag Archives: Empathy
State of Grace
February 12th, 2024 Am I going to comment on Travis Kelce today? You bet I am. Because if there’s one thing I love to do, it’s challenge the rotting hive mind of the rabid mob we know as the internet. I saw the moment last night. Travis comes in hot, taking his coach, 65-year-old AndyContinue reading “State of Grace”
Sunny Days of Rain
January 31st, 2024 What kind of psycho announces and then drops a new book on the same day? It’s me. I’m the psycho. Sunny Days of Rain, my twelfth book and second essay collection, is out now. This video gives you all the information (and affirmations) you need, but I did write a few quickContinue reading “Sunny Days of Rain”
Strange Love
January 9th, 2024 We have different definitions for what it is that makes us human, but mine is pretty simple. Humans have the ability to protect those who are the most vulnerable, and know how noble and sweet it is to care for, shelter, and serve those who need us most. There is a very,Continue reading “Strange Love”
Lefse
December 23rd, 2023 No matter where I turn, I can’t escape the refrain, delivered with a deep sigh: “It doesn’t feel like Christmas this year.” I try to empathize with the observer; I attempt to comfort them by telling them that it’s just the weather. It’s the rain. It’s the lack of snow. It’s theContinue reading “Lefse”
Push: But you really need to listen to me, because I’m telling you the truth, I mean this, I’m okay! (Trust me.)
November 28th, 2023 “I am not fine. I don’t know how to tell people that, but I’m not. I also don’t see the benefit in being honest about it, because I don’t see a way that it will help me feel fine. If everyone knew how to feel that way, then we just would, wouldn’tContinue reading “Push: But you really need to listen to me, because I’m telling you the truth, I mean this, I’m okay! (Trust me.)”
Detach w/ Love
November 21st, 2023 It’s hard to keep loving someone who continually disappoints you and perpetually hurts you, no matter how deeply you love them. I wasn’t sure when to write this essay, but the holidays are here, and it’s that time of year so many of us are most disappointed and hurt. Early on inContinue reading “Detach w/ Love”
Flip: I Wish I Was Special
October 8th, 2023 Flip is, ultimately, about a sad, lonely boy. Liam is the opposite of my ego. He’s also the lyrics of a Radiohead song: kind of a creep, and kind of a weirdo. I’ve never had to personally differentiate myself from a character so much; I think it’s because Flip (and its sequels)Continue reading “Flip: I Wish I Was Special”
A History of Losing My Shirt
August 26th, 2023 “Hot like wasabi when I bust rhymesBig like LaAnn RimesBecause I’m all about value” – Ancient 1990’s proverb In recovery, I live by the mantra “Progress, not perfection”; as I study karate, I’ve learned that its true goal is “the perfection of character.” These are not mutually exclusive principles. I’m dealing withContinue reading “A History of Losing My Shirt”
The Weirdos, Part II: The Sketch
August 11th, 2023 I love Abigail “Axis” Coire — aka The Sketch, though she’s never referred to by that name in Volume I — so much, for so many reasons, but one of the strongest is her complexity. The irony of this is not lost on me, because she began as a single question: “Wouldn’tContinue reading “The Weirdos, Part II: The Sketch”
The Den 