-
On 40 and the Medicine Wheel
There's a picture on my wall that represents my family. Some of you who've been in the house in Washington may remember it. It's Bear with a salmon in her mouth. Under Bear is a medicine wheel. Most days this image is just a picture on my wall. Some days it's a meditation piece ( Read more... ) -
Thanksgiving in Mogadishu
It was hot. It was dusty. It was a little over a month since the shit had hit the fan so everyone was still in a Really Bad Place. It sucked. When you're young, stuck in a shit hole, and feeling powerless, it can be kinda difficult to really take stock of your life. Add to all this the reminders from home: You're missed, we have everyone here ( Read more... ) -
Happy Veteran's Day
I can honestly say, this is the first time I can recall the days leading up to Veteran's Day not being full of angst. If anything, I failed to notice it was coming. Some of this is my own doing, I've tangled with some of the stuff I've been dealing with and if I haven't solved the issues I've at least come to terms with them. As I keep saying, ( Read more... ) -
9/11
I will not turn my television on today. I will not be reading news that pertains to the memorial services or which recap the events that happened 10 yrars ago. The images of that day, and the days that followed, are burned into my brain. I don't need to see them again to remember.
Instead, I want to use this day to quietly reflect on the world ( Read more... ) -
The Memory of Glasses
In my platoon we had this kid who hailed from Detroit. I don't remember his given name but we called him either Motor City or, more frequently, Moto Mouth, or just Motor for short. He was proud of being the first person in his family to graduate from highschool. He never knew his father. He joined the Army to get away from the inner city; ( Read more... ) -
Coming into our lives
We met Mufasa before he came to live with us. Jim and Jane had a tiny cat before Mufasa and a friend had accidentally stepped on it. Mufasa was the replacement. Jane wanted a cat. Mufasa, as Jason and Cambra decided will be on his reliquary box, was "not quite cat, not quite not." He was actually a pound cat. Prior to J&J he was owned by a ( Read more... ) -
The Goth Guide to Football Fashion
You wear black. Sometimes red. You lurk about in dark, smoky clubs and drink vile green liquor. But, deep down, in a part of your heart you keep chained up and guarded with poisonous snakes and thorns, there is a thing you secretly love ( Read more... ) -
Gay Party in New Orleans
A friend of Bart's invited us to New Orleans for a party that began as a small house party way back when, Southern Decadence. This could prove to be a very interesting experience considering that it's primary focus is gay males (everyone is welcome though). Bart is straight but being propositioned by the same sex doesn't bother him...so long as ( Read more... )
