My Blog
Two weeks ago today, our worlds intersected on the 12th Street Bridge. It was just the two of us. I was on my way home. You were seconds away from ending everything. I was unwitting. You were despondent. You climbed on the railing. I wondered what…but before I could even finish the thought, you jumped. Life had its way with you, dear one, and gravity finished the job. I was the sole witness to your final tortured moments. I was somehow able to call 9-1-1, to…
This is what it is. This is where we are. It’s not what we expected. But it’s what we’ve been given to work with. Splendid sunsets and war zones. Soft faces and ranting diatribes. A pissed-off teenager with a Twitter account. Mayhem and innovation. Light and rain. Pleasure and pain. We roll out another morning, hunting under sofa cushions for spare change, playing chicken with the gas gauge one more day, deciphering secrets long after the fact. Tough love. Empty nest. Twists…
There’s some mighty, mighty magic happening on the Seattle music scene on Monday nights: the EntreMundos Jam Session at Capitol Cider. Each week, musicians, fans, neighbors on the hill and other locals gather together for what is one of the most extraordinary hangs in the city. If you’re in Seattle and haven’t rolled through yet, you should. Here are eight reasons why: The host band EntreMundos. This blazingly fun sextet kicks off the evening with a short set of high-energy Brazilian tunes. The band, which…
We’re all reeling from this week’s heartbreaking news about Robin William’s suicide. He was a ferocious soul with a soaring talent. He grabbed our hearts with the first “nanu nanu” and his mad unpredictable genius delighted us for decades. Oh how we loved him. And now in the wake of his death, we collectively grapple with this crushing loss and with the hard truth of Robin’s long battle with depression. Obviously, I don’t know any details about his life or the events leading up to…
It seems the world has gone mad. There are airstrikes (again) in Iraq. Brief, uneasy ceasefires notwithstanding, there is fighting (still) on the Gaza Strip. Ebola continues its somber rage across West Africa. Airplanes are blown from the sky or fall silently to points unknown and never found. Closer to home, frightened children are detained at the border. Mothers fall to their knees as senseless shootings crackle through summer nights again and again and again. Smart and willing souls struggle to find…
photo-Getty Images Dear Marshawn, Let me start by saying that I don’t know the intricacies of your current fiscal situation with the Seahawks; I don’t know the nitty gritty specifics of your contract or what kinds of things you have to take into consideration when you’re negotiating your future earnings. I’m sure that the average fan like me has no clue as to the far-reaching complexities involved. As such, I know that I’m writing this without the benefit of complete information.…
Friday evening. It’s sweltering out. My apartment is a sauna. I should be practicing but all I feel like doing is lying in front of the fan and watching Netflix. At the very least, I should be writing. Yeah, I know, I’m writing now. What I mean to say is that I should be writing something inspired. But at present, this is all I’ve got: She wanted to feel dizzy in his presence. She wanted explosions, shooting stars and hyperventilation. She craved the experience of…
Maybe it will all make sense in the end. Maybe things will all tie up neatly and in our last gasp, we will say: "Aah…Now I get it." Maybe our longing will be sated and our curiosity will be satisfied. Maybe there’s a plausible explanation for every second we’ve spent here. But we don’t know that now. We can’t know that. We have to bake a little longer. Still, we want respite from this ambiguity. We jump up and down impatiently like a…
Someone I care a lot about has been going through some hard stuff this past year. She’s taken hit after relentless hit. It’s been brutal. We were talking things over the other day and she wondered out loud “How much more resilience do I have?” Fair question. Knowing her as I do, I’d say she has a lot. Although I totally get that she might not be feeling it. There are so many ways that life hurts us. And contrary to some opinions, there is…
A few days ago, I celebrated my 52nd birthday. It was a low-key day without much fuss and hoopla. As far as passages go, 52 is a benign year. Nobody is excitedly awaiting your arrival but they haven’t called in the gravediggers yet either. It’s a good place from which to float and observe. Considering you’re past the midway point on the giant climb, the view is vast. It spans all directions, inside and out. Oprah is always going on about “what I know for…
