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Posts published in “Essays”

My First Christmas In Mendocino

Most everyone in the County will observe the holidays in one way or another. I can remember the first Christmas tree I ever saw and it was about the year 1900 in Murray's Hall in…

Madrid & The Atocha Station Memorial

I went to Spain at the end of last summer, spending most of the time in Madrid, a fabulous city despite patches of air pollution. There's a large park, Retiro, comparable to Golden Gate Park…

Yes, But…

“If there's not drama and negativity in my life, all my songs will be really wack and boring or something.” --Eminem For many people, December is the most neurotic month; and Christmas marks the apogee…

Slam Dunking Ukiah Ratepayers

The Ukiah City Council, as predicted, slam dunked the ratepayers and gave the City waste hauler everything it could hope for in a twenty year deal for the City's waste collection and operation of the…

Gadgets, Rube Goldberg and Native American Studies

It's a beautiful December. The little man is gadgeting. The teenager is neck deep in Rube Goldberg machines. My boyfriend is recovering from some strange chemical reactions, but he has recovered and is back to…

Suddenly It’s Newt

Slapstick depends on repetition. The clown always slips in the pile of elephant crap, inevitably walks into the ladder. By such standards Mitt Romney is now the un­disputed slapstick king of America. About every four…

The Lost Glories Of The Great Castrati

There is no such thing as old music. Regardless of when a piece was composed, it comes to life only at the moment when someone plays or sings it. Music only exists as sound, even…

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