It was one year ago that I published Meet the Fluffs! This was during the most tense time in American history that I've ever lived through. I wrote the majority of the book between March and May of 2020, intending it to be a safe place for people's overwhelmed and exhausted minds. Now that there... Continue Reading →
This post combines elements of two of my books, Prodrome and The Twin. One of the weird little sub-plots in Prodrome, and there are many, is that the protagonist, Bruce, is in love with a portrait. This portrait hangs in his living room, and he speaks to it as though he's in a relationship with... Continue Reading →
Why do we cry over some animals and eat others? The animals that live in our houses and sleep on our beds are mourned when they die, and the animals that live in cages, hacked to bits, and wrapped in plastic are eaten. The overwhelming majority of the Western world accept this as completely moral.... Continue Reading →
I recently realized the reason why I don't go out much. It's not because I'm antisocial or an introvert, it's because I'm afraid. Afraid of leaving the house? No. It's not like that. I suppose when I say I don't go out much, what I mean is that I'm not very social. Like, not at all.... Continue Reading →
Here I go again. Bustin' suds. This time it's in another country. Now I'm the immigrant in the kitchen - an immigrant with two masters degrees and six published books. I spent a lot of time and money at universities because I thought it would pay off. Now I'm 41. I make minimum wage. My back... Continue Reading →
It's Christmas morning and I'm sitting in a quiet house, alone. There's no snow outside. There's no tree inside. There are no kids ripping open presents. There's no holiday music playing. It's just another day. People in North Holland don't seem to care all that much about Christmas. The Netherlands has its own December tradition, called... Continue Reading →
My original title for this post was Odd bedfellows: Toxic masculinity and hyper-liberalism. When I started I had an idea of what I wanted to say, but realized I needed some background, so I took the time to read up on toxic, or hegemonic masculinity. The more I read, the more I realized that it's not a... Continue Reading →
"For me I think the beauty of metal is that it's a way of life. It's not something we've converted to — it's just that's who we are." ---Dave Mustaine, 2007 Metal is in my veins, or so the saying goes. It's not simply a cultural milieu or penchant for a particular aural aesthetic, it's... Continue Reading →
I’ve been consumed by jealousy many times in my life. It’s an ongoing struggle. But I don’t quite understand the emotion. What is jealousy? Why is it there? Is it masked insecurity? Is it a survival mechanism? There are at least four kinds of jealousy that I’m aware of, or at least that the dictionary... Continue Reading →
R. W. Hershey 