Disclaimer:  I have a habit of overanalyzing things.  Other disclaimer:  If you haven’t seen the movie “The Dark Knight” and don’t want it completely spoiled, don’t read this.

I’ve noticed an increase in the number of and popularity of superhero movies lately.  I’m not going to delve into the current political or economic situation, ( Read more... )

I have always been an avid reader, occasionally to the point of downright weirdness.  As a child I would read in the car, in the bathtub, in the shopping cart, during television commercials, while eating… Many of my books bear the scars of being dropped in the tub or spattered with some sort of food.  During school vacations I would often sit in my ( Read more... )

Recently I was out visiting my grandmother, who lives on a farmhouse near an Amish settlement.  While I was there, an Amish mother and daughter came by in a buggy asking if they could have some of my grandmother’s rhubarb.  (How often do you ever type a sentence like that?  Wow.)  I tried to talk to the daughter while her mother gathered the ( Read more... )

I sometimes wonder whether we love our favorite things because of what they actually are or because of what they remind us of.  For me, this especially applies to music.  There are some songs that I absolutely adore, mostly from childhood, that I have to admit are musically horrific.  However, this doesn’t stop me from listening to them, and they ( Read more... )

             I love yard work.  Yard work is a way to simultaneously bask in the glow of the sun and in the glow of usefulness.  Basically, it is an excuse to be outside without the vague feeling of shame that comes from just sitting outside doing nothing.  As a musician, I often spend hours working on something without any concrete results, other ( Read more... )

Whenever I come home, one of the first things people ask is, “How do you like living in New York City?”  I usually give them a blank stare during which I try to find something truthful and interesting (and short) to say, followed by, “I like it.”  It’s a lot like asking someone, “How was the last year of your life?” and getting, “Well…good.”  Here ( Read more... )