The Human Body: A User’s Guide
This blog post talks a lot about a newsletter, which it is taken from. You can subscribe to it because, as of writing this, I’m still doing it. Part 1: A Thought Experiment Programming note: you might have noticed that this newsletter is now coming to you from a different place. Worry not! It is […]
What it’s like to have a brain tumor
HERE HE GOES AGAIN, writing about his brain tumor. Yeah, deal with it. When I really get into it, I really get into it. Telling the story, I mean. It’s a worst case scenario. It’s the last thing you want your doctor to say to you. I have not written extensively about my experience, because […]
Facts
What this newsletter will not include is a discussion of Black Lives Matter or the protests currently happening across the world. I spent the week shutting up and listening, and increasing my understanding. I absolutely believe that Black Lives Matter, and all that statement implies. It is not my place to talk about the Black […]
The Loneliest Man in the World
No, it’s not me! Don’t be so dramatic. Who is the loneliest person? I can identify two answers to this question. It’s been asked in songs and poems, and there is a lovely, whimsical kind of children’s book quality to the earnest hyperbole of the statement. Kids are never hungry, they’re starving. Their room at […]
Don’t Trust Your Hunches: Three Ways to Succeed as a Writer
The title is meant to make you want to read this, but I don’t get into the three ways to succeed as a writer until further down the page, so scroll away if you want to skip the other parts. I don’t blame you. Frankly, I’m just happy you’re here. If I told you how […]
"To Write" is a transitive verb
Almost exactly a year ago, my job ended. It was a good job. I discovered a great deal about myself during my years there. I learned about my field and how to be a good contributor to a team that does what I do. I just finished my first week in a new job. The […]
Introvert Olympics
I have more to say about introverts and extroverts, below, but I wanted to start this newsletter on a high note rather than a skeptical one. Here’s the high note: I’m still here! Here’s an actual image of me trying to write this. My new apartment is a basement and it’s always chilly, even when […]
An Open Letter to the Guy Who Broke Into My House During a Pandemic
So, that was awkward! When a noise woke me up the other night, I thought it was just my cat, Emmitt. But then I listened a little longer and the sounds you made while disconnecting my TV were much different from the sounds my tiny cat makes when he’s chasing a stuffed mouse. I confess […]
Art
Man, I love art. It’s one of the best parts of being alive in the western world in 2020. We get to enjoy all kinds of art and we can ignore the kinds we don’t like. It’s great! What Is It? I don’t know! One workable definition of art is this: a thing that doesn’t […]
Death
“‘And what would humans be without love?’”‘RARE,’ said Death.”— Terry Pratchett Death is a character in Pratchett’s work, and he always speaks in all-caps. He is a tender-hearted being who likes cats, but is very serious about his job, which is to help the dead get to their final destinations. He tends to be blunt. […]