I 1997 After returning from the Fulbright Scholarship, I was sort of directionless. So, I slipped into a depression. Purpose in life is crucial and when you haven't yet outgrown existentialism you listened to Camus: 'The only question worth answering is whether or not to kill yourself&
It turns out visiting the Ohio Valley isn't the sine qua non of morning bar entertainment. Much closer to home one can enjoy depraved yet enlightening conversation. This is a happy circumstance as the Iran War has put a dent in my driving habits. And yet. A train
I This was kind of the point of this trip, once Hannibal Missouri was assessed as excessive. Yes, there are limitations. You can't just drive the night through three times in a row, can you? You can't go through life with a seemingly permanent slight sense
We're said to be around 95% chimpanzee. When I recall my sexual entanglements over the years, which were relatively few compared to my peers, I have to laugh at them. Not jeer, but there is something absurd in them, in a narrow sense. Each successive entanglement was worse
As was the case throughout, I would get restless and drive through the night. Save a few bucks on hotels is the general idea. So, last night at the Three Sisters in McConnellsville, OH, a great little town that actually got short shrift in this recounting. So, a couple more
Originally posted 21 July 2005. I don't even know which book this is from. Haven't looked at it in about 20 years. If I had to guess, probably The Joyous Wisdom aka the popularly known but clunky 'Gay Science'. It's right up
[This is post-padding a little bit, but they were the most extraordinary people I met on this trip, so I think it's justifiable. I'll try and relate most nuances. What has preceded it – these pitiful posts – leaves so much out and you're seeing
Just some music and so on. Favorite contemporary band. My mom Hates this shirt. She says in German that it is "beneath my dignity". The dowagers at the local library are likewise Very Concerned. I told them all: "Are you perhaps a bit jealous?" This was
This was one of my favorite days, not least because it was a series of enjoyable events untinged by the broader ambiance of familiar people and detested socio-political issues. Days like this remind one that there can be respite from the albatross which is the political culture of this
Today was the day I discovered my capitalist buccaneer capabilities. For a day or so I felt like a pirate, a rapist of this economically depressed region. I have money now, after five years of effort building a business, along with supplementary legacy resources. I found this out at the
On the way to Marietta I stopped by the libraries in Ellenboro and Harrisville, WV. One distinct difference when it comes to doing business in this transition zone between the Midwest and the South is that commerce is easy and pleasant, as opposed to the reserved tighwad Pennsylvania Dutch / Urban
Since I'm too lazy to do anything original today, why not pay homage to some art that has long touched my heart and more recently also extended solace. When words won't do and contemporary themes and sounds reek of post-modernity (or even modernity, for that