Nietzsche on People

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

The 'Mountain Men' at Terry's

[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

Intermezzo

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

Zanesville & Dresden, OH, 5.7.26

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

Marietta, OH - Parkersburg, WV - McConnellsville, OH, 4.7.26

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

West Union, WV to Marietta, OH, 3.7.26

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

Sunday High Culture Interlude

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

Mercersburg, PA - Fairmont, WV - West Union, WV 2.7.26

Go bag in hand, I headed out for the Ohio Valley at the beginning of July. I hadn’t taken a break from work in six years, at least not one of over a week’s duration. The destinations were less important than the fact and necessity of doing it.

By Way of Non-Explanation

A question unasked: what might prompt one to write such a foolish 'poem'? That question will remain unanswered. There's sufficient sub rosa cruelty around without my further amplifying it. So, rather than belabor a peculiar series events pertainting to repetitive family dynamics, better to share a

M in Padukah

When I first put the gaze on him, I thought he was a poser. Well-built with expensive bicyle gear. I thought: a hipster slumming it, eh? Fancyish bike, riding around, wild eyed. Pulls up to the bar. I'd been there for a couple hours with an ex-

'I've Always Depended on the Kindness of Strangers'

II Dateline. – Smithville, KY 7.16.2026 Quite a night in Paducah. More on that later. This is the last fragment which transitions to the straight reportage segment of the trip, having digested the rip. I haven't read Tennessee Williams and William Faulkner probably in 25-30 years,

a/b test the world

a/b Am I being fair to city people? No. Do I have a chip on my shoulder? Yes. Do I want to go to a city again larger than San Francisco? No. Do I want to go to San Francisco again? No. Did San Francisco change for the better