Phaedrus

A Sound of Thunder – 2024

I’ve been thinking a lot about Ray Bradbury’s 1952 short story A Sound of Thunder, in which a careless time traveling big game hunter causes subtle changes in the future (present) by accidentally squashing a butterfly 65 million years in the past. This outline is so familiar because it’s been repeated so many times, inContinue reading “A Sound of Thunder – 2024”

SCOTUS Rage Dump

a therapeutic exercise Paraphrasing pizza delivery boy, Philip J. Fry, missing since New Years Eve 1999, I want to do something but all I can think of is words, words that turn into bitter orange wax in my ears. In an effort to off-load a bit of “nervous energy” through gallows humor here goes: SContinue reading “SCOTUS Rage Dump”

Fair Use Seuss

(A Parody) –OP 4/27/24

Please Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

Outside of the series finale of Seinfeld, we don’t hear much about Good Samaritan Laws these days – laws that make it a crime not to help someone in need if you see something happening and can render assistance. In some towns it’s not just a good idea to NOT be a selfish prick andContinue reading “Please Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”

Difficult Conversations for Our Times

Me: Hey Dad, remember that time I was in grade school and the principal called because I was making fun of that kid in our class with a stutter and a leg brace? You hit me so hard I think I might have passed out. But it was worse seeing Mom cry. “Inexcusable” was theContinue reading “Difficult Conversations for Our Times”

#CatPix4Peace!

I know a lot of folks prefer to keep social media for sharing pictures and videos of children, their beloved pets, celebrating birthdays, and posting humorous reviews of airport bathroom facilities…in other words, no politics please. I get it. We’ve all gone through those stretches of scrolling that just make you seethe. Who needs thatContinue reading “#CatPix4Peace!”

My Parents Joined a Cult

Fans of the popular police spoof movie “The Naked Gun” will recall the scene where the hero cop, Leslie Nielsen – following up on his acclaimed deadpan performance in “Airplane!”, hauls off and decks a Hare Krishna who approaches him in an airport. We all laughed and cheered at this because obviously those bald, be-robedContinue reading “My Parents Joined a Cult”

fever dream

this sickness in the blood can it be cured? blind rage born of grievance nursed by soulless profiteers egos hungry event horizons warping tearing shredding the gravity of avarice traps all near dear true we race into darkness accelerating no longer choosing

Truth or Consequences

Reaching back to the fevered days of Summer 2020, I recall many social media posts written in RIGHTEOUS FURY over of acts vandalism and other crimes against property. “When the looting starts – the shooting starts” someone said, and to my shame as a human I witnessed this intent repeated over and over in commentsContinue reading “Truth or Consequences”

North Dakota Adopts Ättestupa

Just got off the phone with Mom who lives in North Dakota. I escaped long ago but still call on Sundays as a good son should. It’s heartbreaking to see what’s going on back home. Here’s a shocker: Mom skipped church last week – and she never skips church! Even when we went to theContinue reading “North Dakota Adopts Ättestupa”