Any questions? Of course not, that’s the point — Are you like most people and struggle with the meaning of life? Do the big questions keep you up at night? Are you looking for simple answers? Wouldn’t it be nice if you could just switch off your brain and have those answers handed to you? If you answered “yes”…

Searching for knowledge is dangerous when you don’t want to know the answers — Every conversation with someone on the right eventually comes down to two things: Almighty God and the Almighty Dollar There’s a difference between not knowing and not wanting to know. For example, I watched a video about Tangier Island in the Chesapeake Bay. It’s gradually drowning as sea levels rise…

Would it kill us to just let everybody do their own thing? — Another June has arrived, and I still don’t understand LGBTQ+ people. Relax and untwist your goddamn undies. My “don’t get it” list in this arena is long, and straight women are on it too. I mean, how the hell would I know? One day I was a kid doing stupid…

If the audience doesn’t feel the emotion, then I’ve failed as a conductor — In a difficult time, maybe we can all try to show each other a little earthly grace. On Saturday, June 11th, I conducted the Woodinville Concert Band in our first performance since November 2019. We’re an amateur group made up of people with day jobs who give up their scarce…

Domain of the lawn and order people — Dear neighbors, I just want to sit outside in peace and pretend the pollen isn’t killing me. Is that so much to ask? Every spring in the Great Northwest, the days eventually turn warm and dry enough to go outside. Then we emerge like mole-people from our nine-month hibernation, pale…

Computer communication or bird salad of God? — The Unambiguously Excellent Amy Sea recently posted a piece about her struggles with autocorrect. It’s very funny, my only criticism being a question she doesn’t really need help answering. Why does autocorrect always choose dirty words over the obvious meaning? Amy, go to your room and think about what you’ve…

What happens when gunned-down children are acceptable losses in a culture war? — There’s a theory I’ve developed over the last twenty years or so about the best way to understand the American far-right: assume that in any situation, the worst people will do the worst things for the worst reasons. This might come off as a little negative, but it’s also been…

A SCOTUS with infringe on top — Don’t mess with the Second Amendment! I’ve never claimed to be the brainiest guy in the world, and there are plenty of things I don’t understand. Love is confusing. Sex is complicated. The Science Channel is fucking obsessed with Nazis. Seriously, it’s like every third show. I’m waiting for Mike Rowe to name-check Hitler in a…

Seasonal wheezes from the Pacific Northwest — I have allergies. Actually, that’s not capturing the full extent of it. It’s like saying, “Cats have fur.” And yes, I am allergic to cats. Yesterday the sun was shining, so I sat outside on the deck to write. Wearing an N95 mask. Because I had shit to do later…