Columns

Beyond Literary Landscapes—Flashbacks

From my early beginnings as a young introvert, the public library has always been a bit of a refuge.  Years later, not much has changed, albeit with an additional affinity for endless hours spent scouring second-hand bookstores to add to my ever-growing “to-read” pile. From one bookworm to another, this column will be underscoring and… Read more »

Dear Barb—Kitty Counter

Dear Barb: A good friend of mine got a kitten, Mitzi, about a year ago.  When she first got her, Mitzi was climbing all over, even on the countertops.  I didn’t think much of it.  I thought they would eventually teach her to stay off, but it’s a year later and she is still on… Read more »

[blue rare]—Hellhounds on my Trail

And the days keeps on worryin’ me There’s a hellhound on my trail –Robert Johnson Even the most stoic, blithe, and unflappable of ladies and gentlemen will sometimes find themselves lost in the shadows, with the black dogs at their heels.  I can vouch for this from personal experience.  Many times they have come to… Read more »

Beyond Literary Landscapes—Fables: Origins to Modernity

From my early beginnings as a young introvert, the public library has always been a bit of a refuge.  Years later, not much has changed, albeit with an additional affinity for endless hours spent scouring second-hand bookstores to add to my ever-growing “to-read” pile. From one bookworm to another, this column will be underscoring and… Read more »

Fly on the Wall—Are we Mother Nature’s Morons?

Are we as human beings essentially destructive forces within nature or are we exclusively destructive to nature?  Nature’s paradox appears whenever our feet alight on soil alive with life; crushing and maiming, even bare toes cause fronds to break and insects to cower.  The metaphysics of humanity as unnatural occupant of our planet strains credulity… Read more »

Music Review—Nervous Complaint

Artist: Ex Ox Album: Nervous Complaint Canadian musician Andrew Dickenson (lead singer and guitarist of Tricky Woo) has released his first solo LP as Ex Ox.  The LP is titled Nervous Complaint and is available for streaming anywhere you get your music.  The accompanying visual album is available on YouTube. The album was inspired by… Read more »

Dear Barb—Attention Please!

Dear Barb: I am a guy in my thirties, and I have recently been diagnosed with ADHD.  I always knew there was something wrong.  I have never been able to focus on anything for more than a few minutes.  Even in school, my teachers called my parents because they couldn’t manage me.  My parents were… Read more »

Beyond Literary Landscapes—Shakespeare’s Tragedies

From my early beginnings as a young introvert, the public library has always been a bit of a refuge.  Years later, not much has changed, albeit with an additional affinity for endless hours spent scouring second-hand bookstores to add to my ever-growing “to-read” pile. From one bookworm to another, this column will be underscoring and… Read more »

Fly on the Wall—Guess What I Am Thinking Of?

One day my grandparents brought me an intriguing new plastic toy.  Pulling on a string would induce an enticing, though robotic, voice: “Guess!  What I am think-ing of?”  It’s sentence structure was in broken English, a fact familiar to us all when we watch many closed captioned programs, but it’s beckoning inquiry held a certain… Read more »

[blue rare]—Abroad in the Multiverse

So, I finally got around to watching Everything Everywhere All at Once.  While it had its moments, I have to say that I found it highly overrated.  Agreed, it is nowhere near as soul crushingly formulaic as anything from the Marvel Cinematic Universe,  but it is no masterpiece, either.  The fact that it won the… Read more »