Words Seem Out Of Place

La Notte , 1961. Mood. A pretty good visualization of life these days: everything's more challenging than it needs to be and I feel contorted into a pretzel for reasons beyond my control when all I really want to do is sit comfortably and enjoy a drink. I just need a minute to think, dammit. Those minutes are few and far between right now, though. So, posting may be lighter around here than it was in October. I do have one or two pieces in the hopper and almost ready to go. Keep your eyes out for those. Otherwise, poke around almost four years' worth of pop cultural and highly personal musings. You're sure to find something you might enjoy. For example, you like Michelle Pfeiffer? I got you covered. Before I let you go, if you're in the United States and registered to vote, please do so today. It's important. Thank you.

Source: Scott Witter I'm having a difficult time writing lately. I can trace it back to one moment: the U.S. presidential inauguration on January 20th. Writing hasn't been the same since. I've tried to muster the energy and inspiration to write about things I love, but all I've wanted to do instead is write about the sorry state of a country I no longer recognize. I'm an extremely political person with strong beliefs and ideas about the issues. I'm no shrinking violet when it comes to politics. For some reason though, I haven't written about politics much around here, at least not explicitly beyond a few posts over the last year or so. That said, I firmly believe that my politics are on full display in nearly everything I write because they're the underpinnings for everything. I can't help but express them, however subtly, in what I say or do or write. My disappointment in my country since the November election has only worsened since th...

One of the pitfalls of living in a leftist utopia in your mind is that you're reminded often--especially during presidential election years--that you're way out of step with a large chunk of Americans. For the most part, this sums up my relationship to presidential elections and politics in general. Bernie Sanders comes close, but there really hasn't ever been a presidential candidate who's left or progressive enough for me. And when I write that, I realize some people will think "What, you want a Communist, right?" or "You want to take away all of my rights to religious freedom?" Um, no. The idea of being to the far left politically has become so twisted and contaminated by too many ultra conservatives over the years that no one knows what it means anymore. It's like saying you're a feminist. Even today, there are people who will shiver at the word "feminist" when things like--gasp!--women wanting equal pay and equal rights under t...