I can’t remember the last time I read a book as sad and cynical as B.J. Novak’s collection of flash fiction One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories. I can’t tell if these stories are…
Date Archives March 2014
Pre-Dawn Stream-of-Consciousness Ramblings, Mostly About Rock & Roll
As I type this sentence it is 5:55 a.m. I’ve been awake for 55 minutes, out of bed for 25 of those. In an odd bit of coincidence or perhaps it was foreshadowing, Mr. Coffee…
It’s Monday & I’m Boring: The Thrill of Victory & The Agony of Defeat Edition
My Sundays have taken on a routineness that have made them take boring to whole new levels. Make no mistake, Sunday is easily one of my favorite days of the week. However, not even my…
Top 25 Most Listened to Songs of 2013 or Music for writing a book to
For the first time in the nine-year history of the Top 25 I had to turn to the Last.fm charts, rather than rely on my ol’ iTunes play counts (which I reset every year around…
Why I Don’t Wear Green
The title is a lie. Kind of. I wear green all the time in the privacy of my own home. I have a pair of hurt-your-eyes-green pajama pants that I love and used to wear…
A lot of living to do
A few years ago when I was reviewing Slut Lullabies by Gina Frangello, I made the proclamation that you must read at least three books by a writer before you could claim them as a…
Paul Westerberg + Liz Phair = Lydia Loveless
Sometime in the heart of winter, a Westernerd pal posted in our supersecret Westernerd Facebook thing about Lydia Loveless and how some magazine I can’t remember was calling her the “female Paul Westerberg.” Interesting. I,…
Dept. of Speculation: A lot of fun to read
On the surface, Dept. of Speculation is the kind of novel that would make me issue forth with dismissive farty noises and a vigorous thumbs down. Struggling Brooklyn writer and mother grapples with ennui and…
The Ritual of Mourning
I have discovered two things about myself since Uncle George died. 1.) I have a mourning routine. 2.) I am a person who needs the closure of a funeral/service/wake. My routine seems to involve spending…