Inherently Different

Gain Without Pain

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Tattoos are, in my estimation, more than body adornment. For the most part, they are the ultimate form of commitment. This latest fad, better known as Sleeves, is just plain dumb enough to work. I’ve got a few tats and the real cool thing about them is the process of designing (or if you’re artistically … Read more

Maybe It’s Me

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Let’s go back in time, shall we? Back before Martha Stewart, back before the combustible engine, back before horse drawn carriages, back even before the dinosaurs, before flying bugs, before plants even. Lets sit here, on this sun blasted rock known as Pangea, mere yards away from a body of water that covers over 80% of the globe. A body of water that is teeming with creatures both big and small.

Lets look down into the depths and recognize that there is something making its way up to the surface. Yes, there it is, a creature on the cusp of something totally new! It looks like a fish but it isn’t quite a fish. As it breaks the surface, it seems to be tasting the same air we’re breathing. It looks this way and that, taking in this totally alien world, as if planning something big.

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The Business of Censorship

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Late in 1999, I talked to a few people who thought Shrub (AKA George W. Bush) was the second coming of Satan. They worked themselves into a lather, bemoaning the possibility of a world that had this convicted felon, drug-abuser and mental midget leading the most powerful military on the face of the Earth. I laughed, placating them with the words, “The position of President of the United States is a puppet perch, meaningless. He won’t affect the world at large! If you want to worry about someone, worry about Cheney. If Bush is elected, he’ll be the one who runs the country!”

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Tower of Light

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The Coppola building in downtown San Francisco holds a special place in my heart. Aside from housing one of the finest production facilities in the city, it is the place that a bunch of my favorite films have been produced. From George Lucas’ ode to the fabulous fifties to Francis Ford Coppola’s first Godfather film, … Read more

Recently on Craigslist

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My roommate was a deadbeat. She moved in, left all her “valuables” here and then disappeared. I know she is alive since she works at the same place she always has. My repeated attempts to contact her have failed since she won’t come to the phone for fear it is one of the fifty or … Read more

The Unification of Apathy

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If one wanted to explore the history of Organized Labor Unions in the United States, you’d have to begin with the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The phrasing used most often in defending the advent of organized labor is in “pursuit of happiness” which sought to cut work hours and gain higher pay. A ragtag collection of printers were the first to go on strike, in New York in 1794; cabinet makers struck in 1796; carpenters in Philadelphia in 1797; cordwainers in 1799. To be sure, it was poor living and working conditions and the unrepentant pursuit of profit by factory owners that pushed the working man to seek to improve the workers’ conditions, through either negotiation or strike action, that set the tone and need for such organizations.

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The Last Word

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In light of the growing debate over the same sex marriage licenses San Francisco has seen fit to issue, I have simply this to say to the conservative “family values” zealots attempting to halt the civil ceremonies… “The only thing that can truly destroy family values is ignorance and hate.” Thank you and good night!

Film Fan Man

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Come and join me in guessing the winners and losers of the Academy Awards!

Extra Long Wait

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Yesterday, for the 19th day of Ed, the Red Queen and I were extras in the new Richard Gere movie featuring Juliette Binoche, titled “Bee Season.” Looks like someone is trying to capture the buzz (pardon the pun) of the documentary hit, Spell Bound because the movie is about a father who takes his daughter’s … Read more

A Writer Writes

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That’s what I tell all my friends who say, “I should write a [insert literary endeavor here]!” The whole thought is essentially, a writer writes and a coward talks about writing. I rarely ever say that because people usually think I’m calling them names.

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