“Look at me,” Sam said as he rested his hands on my shoulders, gently forcing me to make eye contact. “Stop worrying about it. You’re being way too self-conscious.” he repeated. I shook my head in reply. “It’s not really about how I feel,” I reminded him as I looked in the mirror for the […]
No Damsel in Distress Read More »
My grandfather used to live in a small lake house located on the shores of Lake Pontchartrain, just across from New Orleans. I remember driving past the ports when we would visit and seeing the shipping yards full of shipping containers in every color of the rainbow, stacked higher than some buildings. The containers looked
Shipping Container Architecture: Waste Not, Want Not Read More »
Paul Westerberg of The Replacements famously wrote, “Growin’ old in a bar, ya grow old in a bar” in his 1985 song “Left Of The Dial.” I spent fourteen years of my life proving him right in an effort to become a successful musician. When I first started playing out in clubs, MTV had just
Rock N’ Roll Ghosts Read More »
Whether people are beautiful and friendly or unattractive and disruptive, ultimately they are human beings, just like oneself. Like oneself, they want happiness and do not want suffering. Furthermore, their right to overcome suffering and be happy is equal to one’s own. Now, when you recognize that all beings are equal in both their desire
The Dalai Lama on Compassion Read More »
A garden full of sweet odours is a garden full of charm, a most precious kind of charm not to be implanted by mere skill in horticulture or power of purse, and which is beyond explaining. It is born of sensitive and very personal preferences yet its appeal is almost universal. Fragrance speaks to many
Pleasures of the Nose Read More »
I It was nearly dark when 10-year-old Tommy Tucker zipped around the corner of the old train station on his bike to witness the cougar atop its prey. Startled by the squeaking brakes and the bike’s headlight, the huge cat retracted its claws and fled across the tracks, disappearing behind an abandoned warehouse. There on
A Lion in the Woods Read More »