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- “If I could say it in words there would be no reason to paint.” — Edward Hopper
- Happy Birthday, Edward Herrmann
- “The rhythm is jazz.” — Hart Crane
- “When I have an idea, I turn down the flame, as if it were a little alcohol stove, as low as it will go. Then it explodes, and that is my idea.” — Ernest Hemingway
- July 20, 1969: Tranquility
- “The reality is you don’t arrive, you don’t have a crone ceremony and suddenly get wisdom.” — Olympia Dukakis
- R.I.P. Jennifer Finch
- “I think something once broken and put back together is even stronger.” — Jared Padalecki
- “Didacticism is the death of art.” — poet Alice Moore Dunbar-Nelson
- “Free Enterprise. The American Dream. Horatio Alger gone mad on drugs in Las Vegas. Do it now. Pure Gonzo journalism.” — Hunter S. Thompson
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Category Archives: Personal
Bloomsday past and present
For my Substack, I wrote about the Bloomsday celebration I’ve been going to (more or less) for 20 years, and my history with the book, and Dad, and lovable finance bro, and meeting people where the sole bond is knowing … Continue reading
Posted in Books, James Joyce, Personal
Tagged Bloomsday, family, newsletter, Ulysses
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“You should approach Joyce’s Ulysses as the illiterate Baptist preacher approaches the Old Testament: with faith.” — William Faulkner
Happy Bloomsday to those who celebrate. I’ve been celebrating Bloomsday for 20 years, in the real world, and here on my site. If you’ve been visiting here for any length of time, you know this. There are too many posts … Continue reading
“Boredom is very important in life. It helps you feel when something is wrong.” — John Strasberg
It’s John Strasberg’s birthday today. I told this story before on here years ago, when I used to write like this on here, on occasion. Figured I’d re-post it. He is very very important to me. Back in the late … Continue reading
“Maybe it’s a generational thing but I never wanted to be the best black dancer in the world. I wanted to be the best.” — Judith Jamison
“The first time I started choreographing was in the dark, in my living room, with the lights completely out, to some popular music on the radio. I put the radio on full blast and I started moving. I didn’t know … Continue reading
“Political satire became obsolete when Henry Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.” — Tom Lehrer
It’s his birthday today. Tom Lehrer was a staple in our household. Just like the Raunch Hands were. We had a Tom Lehrer songbook and we’d play it on the piano. I had no context for him. It was like … Continue reading
Posted in Music, On This Day, Personal
2 Comments
“I trust contrariness. I simply rebelled at being commanded.” — Seamus Heaney
It’s his birthday today. For the winter issue of Liberties, I wrote about books, my father, and Seamus Heaney’s poem on Clonmacnoise. Every collection of Seamus Heaney’s work that I own, the poems, the essays, were given to me by … Continue reading
Posted in Books, On This Day, Personal, writers
Tagged Belfast, Ireland, Irish poetry, poetry, Seamus Heaney
5 Comments
In Memory of Roger Ebert: Michael, Roger & Me
Roger Ebert died 13 years ago today. I wrote about him and how he reached out to me a couple of months before he died and how it coincided exactly with the other Great Event in my life in the … Continue reading
Posted in Movies, On This Day, Personal
Tagged drama, friends, July and Half of August, Kwik Stop
8 Comments
March 2026 Snapshots
I’ve been go-go-go-go for months. Hitting a speed bump, but I’m still going. In case this isn’t clear, this means a little bit of mania. So I’m riding it out, and still saying yes to everything. Family time. Time with … Continue reading
Coming soon …
Sean Abley – whom I have known since my mid-20s – and whom I interviewed about his queer horror film anthology – thought up a project late last year, and asked a couple of writers to contribute. Abley is doing … Continue reading
The night we performed for William Hurt
It’s William Hurt’s birthday today. Back in the day, when Twitter was still a thing, I would often write long stories which occasionally went viral. My story of meeting William Hurt was one of them. When I deactivated my account, … Continue reading

