My train leaves in 6 hours. I know people who know people who have taken the same train just to take it—the journey the destination across the plains and through the mountains it’s so gorgeous, just you wait westward bound on the shamelessly named Empire Builder. When my dad was a little boy, he took…
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righting now
Working at the library, I have an hour lunch break I take late afternoon, often outside when the weather suits fine. I sit in the grass and eat and read and have taken to the squirrels and taken flak for it. Mangy, vicious beasts! Vile creatures, too quick and crawly wily! I break off pieces…
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we are what america looks like
On April 28, 2006, I took a half shift at work to join my brother Sam on the steps of Northrop at the U of M campus for a metrowide student walkout war protest. The last antiwar march I went to, the United States wasn’t even at war yet. This was over three years ago,…
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figure C
Humor for a moment my crush on the Buddha—or should I say what can I say? I enjoy thinking about not thinking and living the life I’m not killing. In my flirtation I have run across the following dialogue between the layman Ho and the Chinese Zen master Baso. With this exchange, Ho became deeply…
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brrrrrrrrrrawr
Pedestrians run. The enemy is all around. I stare at the ground through the slit between my scarf and hat; an inch eye elevated to see where I’m going would widen a crevice and I’d be caught at the throat down the coat cold eviscerated. I could be hit by a truck and not notice,…
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will, way, check.
If you’re reading this, I’m a genius, or dogged enough to figure out how to make it happen—ftp from the university in secrecy as though anyone would care, really, though surreptitious down- and uploading is undoubtedly frowned upon. I’ve been working at a library at the U of M since the beginning of September to…
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feeling all right
Greatings! No cataclysms are occurring but good things nonetheless. First of all and most marvelously, I have a library internship at Utne magazine starting at the end of the month through the end of August. For those unaware, Utne is compiled from thousands of alternative and small-press publications, zines, books and internet sites, serving up…
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midwest über alles
So when I wrote that the new, improved deepsicks was a farewell burial for the Death of the Internet, I wasn’t kidding. Thus… long lag. Not that I haven’t been making treks cross and back the world wide web. I’ve just been making strides in Real Life, too, and that feels pretty good. If falling…
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Identity
Over the past several months I’ve lost the thread of how to define myself—whether describing identity in terms of what’s urgent and the sum of circumstance, location and relationship is meaningful, honest or accurate. I don’t deny being a product of my experiences (as though they had me and not the reverse). But I don’t…
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rapture at last
With exception of a site map which may or may not ever get made, the deepsicks overhaul is complete. As stated in prior posts, much of the content is the same, only arranged differently with a so-I-hope sharper feel. Pages with significantly altered content include the identity section, updated to reflect my current musings, and…
Narratives
Longer posts of creative nonfiction.
