I love how this book is equal parts irreverent and insightful. Baab-Muguira neither shies away from the negative “facts” about Poe nor from lionizing him at the same time. It’s an intriguing character study that might make you want to dig deeper (both into Poe and into yourself too) that never loses its sense of…
When I was young my biological father got a new black lab puppy that he named Corndog. He and I were never close. I mean my father, but neither was I close to Corndog. I met him once. On a rare excursion to the lake with my father (he had a new wife he was…
What becomes of these locks once an unbreakable love is shattered? Does the jilted lover return, key in hand or combination recalled, to remove the token in a symbolic act of catharsis or maybe retribution? Do they let the talisman stay as a gesture of goodwill and remembrance of better days gone by? Or perhaps…
This is a song about somebody else. Or is it? Fink (Fin Greenall) has an entire portfolio of great date night songs. His lyrics are typically sexy while still being highbrow. “Looking Too Closely” is not a date night song, but its lyrics are brilliant nonetheless. At first blush, I thought he intended this song…
Today’s session at the Hangover Cafe is probably the “hardest” entry to date. Gary Clark Jr.’s “This Land” is a blues rock song with tempered anger and a “take that” attitude. Apparently, the song was inspired by the casual racism Clark faced from neighbors. Some of them couldn’t believe that HE could own 50 acres…
I’ve got a great friend who challenged me to get in three hikes in one week. This hike at Sweetwater Creek State Park concludes the challenge and now she owes me dinner in Vancouver, Washington in August. The building standing in ruins is the New Manchester Manufacturing Company (originally the Sweetwater Manufacturing Company) and the…
I very nearly shared the video of Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit playing “If We Were Vampires” live on Austin City Limits, but I changed my mind. The studio recording just can’t be beaten. Maybe if I had been in the audience during the ACL recording I’d feel differently. Or seeing them perform the…
Recommended to me by my sister-in-law (and then vouched for by my father-in-law), 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘥: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail is one of the most captivating memoirs I’ve read. Strayed’s prose is honest, vivid, and raw. Recounting her 1,100-mile solo hike along the Pacific Crest Trail, she brings the reader along the…
Smithgall Woods State Park is an interesting mix of hemlocks, mountain laurels, pines, hardwoods, bogs, trout streams, and Caution Bees. Sadly I saw no live bears despite the promise given all the warning signs. What a tease. Nevertheless, it’s a beautiful place and you should definitely visit at least once. The Caution Bees reminded me…