Black & White Cookie Flavor Oreos: A review
The other week I heard about a new limited edition Oreo flavor: Black & White Cookie. I got excited. I also got worried. There was no way these would be good, in the sense of “really like a Black &...
Looking Back, Looking Ahead
Last year I made a choice: I would post here every single week of 2023. With this post I have officially done just that. So bear with me, if you would, at a quick look back at the last year here, before I talk...
Before The Visits
The ghosts sat around a table, sipping whiskey. Each whiskey a different vintage: one well aged and full bodied, one freshly bottled and harsh, and one somehow not yet even made but still filling a glass tasting of...
The Christmas Chair
There is a strange tradition in my family, but it doesn’t go back that far. Even so, the Christmas Chair is something we cherish. The history of it is both funny and, kinda not, I guess. My maternal...
Digging Deeper – Artist of the Year 2023 – Ren
While building the Best Albums of the Year this time around I ran into an odd problem. I wanted to add Ren but I didn’t want to add an album. I wanted to add his entire catalog. That went against my...
Top Ten Albums of the Year 2023
Somehow it’s already been a year and we’re back at the Top Ten Albums of the Year (2023 edition – you can read 2022 and 2021 by clicking the years). This past year has been interesting because...
Mr. Binkles and the Curious Case of Changed Perspective
(Way back in 2003, when I was still writing horror, I wrote a short story about a teddy bear. It eventually inspired a sequel and almost a trilogy (long story). But it has been ages and been reprinted a few times...
The Handbasket
The sounds and smells of the city washed over her like a rain of emotional baggage. Large, heavy baggage, the type you buy for a field trip to another continent. They pelted her until she had to close her eyes and...
The Lack of Fiction/Entertainment in Science Fiction Worlds
Ever notice that, when you watch a bunch of Sci-Fi almost no one ever references music, or literature that is recent to the story? It’s as if all great art stopped right around when the story was written....
ode to brains
Gnnahhh. Unnghh grannnh, huurrrr, ughn nnnnr. Graanhuhh ghuun nuuuhg grannhhh. Ghuun grannnh huurrrr. Ughn nuuuuhg, gnnahhh uhhnfuuhg, ghah. Huurrrr ghunn grannnh naahg gnnah uhh. “Fnuuh,” hunng gruunhh. Gnnahhh:...
What I’m Listening To – October 2023
It’s time again for the monthly round-up of a few album selections I’ve been listening to non-stop this month. Let’s jump right in. First up is the new release from Polyrhythmics. Filter System is another great...
Ten Years Ago Today
As of right now I have lived in Portland for an entire decade. I spent basically all of my first 38 years in NYC (with a few years in other places here and there) but ten years ago it was time for a change. I...
The Tea Kettle
My grandmother on my father’s side had a few issues. Now, we all have issues so hey, what of it? And sure, that’s fine, but hers were a bit different and some of them impacted me directly. For example,...
Digging Deeper: Mary Spender’s Super. Sexy. Heartbreak.
Welcome back to Digging Deeper, where I tend to go deep into a music genre (such as, say, funk) or a career (like Cory Wong’s). However, you may have noticed that I don’t tend to do single album reviews...
What I’m Listening To – September 2023
Time again for a small selection of music I’ve been listening to a whole lot, old or new. Let’s dive right in! First up on the list I have dug back into Woody Goss’ Rainbow Beach. An instrumental...