People were so stressed yesterday. My dentist was blocked into his house by a flood and did not meet his appointments. I conversed with one who is concerned he will not be allowed to teach his course with the same textbook a second time, one who does not realize she is going to pass her defense, … More Zen
You have to be ruthless. Axé.
Exceptionalism calls specific what is not. My utterly unpublishable example is Cadjin(e) exceptionalism. “We are the only ones ever shamed for speaking our language.” (Uninformed) “Our experience can only be understood from the inside.” (So it cannot be an object of study, only a subject of storytelling.) “This is a folkway only we have.” (Uninformed) … More A thesis on specificity and exceptionalism
I was looking for an older, American poem about Division Street I read long ago and found this 2008 piece by Helen Mort. You brought me here to break it off one muggy Tuesday. A brewing storm, the pigeons sleek with rain. My black umbrella flexed its wings. Damp-skinned, I made for the crush of … More Division Street
This month I have been in San Francisco and New Orleans. I am in Chicago now, confident, industrial and a really big city, and I will be in Houston next weekend. I am having a spectacular U.S. tour and I had not planned on this. Cincinnatti is next, but that is in June. When I … More Sweet Home Chicago
Anytime I go anywhere, I fall in love and want to move there. Last weekend I was in western Marin County, in California. Now I am in New Orleans. You should look at some of these books. I will be in Chicago next, which I like as well — will I fall in love with … More Dreamy City
…upon picking up my mother’s body the other night: One to the other: This is a lot easier. To me: It is a lot easier because it is an old person who has died at home. The last person we picked up was a 17 year old suicide. Axé.
I am formed by natural scenery. People ask why I am calm and it is because I have in the back of my mind the row of high volcanoes on view behind me, the redwood path down which I am making my way, the ocean rushing up to me with its salt. Academics say you … More Formatif: la nature
Here in Maringouin I have given up most recreation because it is an obligation and a chore — the available activities are mildly interesting once, but not more, and it is de rigueur to enjoy them, so they are de facto work. I cannot afford to be in New Orleans enough, so I do not get … More Newcomb pottery of New Orleans
One of the more exhausting aspects of having my mother die is having to explain again and again to people that my father is not moving to Central Time, and justifying that. He likes it where he lives and prefers living in his town over moving to unknown and uncomfortable towns just because his children … More Coldhearted 2
