
Be an asshole
Throughout various stages of my life, I've known someone who could only be described as an asshole. I mean, we all know assholes. But I'm...


Less is More
Having recently seen Manchester by the Sea, and a few more minimalist films, both old and new, it's clear that, well- Less is more.


Politics as unusual
I love reading David Mamet's essays on film and theatre, even if I disagree with him most of the time (e.g., actors shouldn't act,...


Roots: a meaningful mixed-up metaphor
I once heard an old Texas expression 'that's in my gearbox', meaning that a particular story, song- whatever- connects to a place where...


Greener Grass
Theodore Roosevelt's line 'comparison is the thief of joy' has been quoted a million times, but, like many a meme/cliché, is profoundly...


Yes, you can play guitar
Just finished a very good read- Teju Cole’s ‘Open City.’ Besides admiring his ability to enter the lives of a cast of characters on his...


Post-convention thought, sort of
To paraphrase W. B. Yeats: rhetoric proceeds from the quarrel with others, poetry from the quarrel with ourselves.


Tea Manifesto
Every once in a while, I like to take stock in terms of where my writing/creative work stands, usually under the influence of large...


The Other
The Polish writer Ryszard Kapuscinski has written about 'The Other', namely how Europeans have historically looked at...


Three Simple Things
Great drama has many dimensions (that's what makes it great), but the following are three simple things I see in all effective drama. [I...