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Posts published in “Essays”

The Real Criminals In Soco

It is autumn of 2015 in Sonoma County. Amidst the vibrant colors of grape leaves and pumpkins is the reality of glaring news headlines. These…

Pot Run To Garberville

I was grumpy on the way to Garberville. "Garberville sounds like a stupid name, anyway. What the hell does it even mean?" I groused. "I'm…

Thought Control

In 1976 I was in New York when the play Comedians by the British playwright Trevor Griffiths opened on Broadway. I was so inspired by the play—I saw it twice—that when I returned to Oregon, I quit my job as a landscaper and moved to Seattle to concentrate on writing plays and trying to get them produced.

Panther Soccer (Nov 4, 2015)

Following the excellent road victory against St. Vincent a few days earlier, AV still could finish runner-up in the regular season and influence who the…

Good Little Maoists

Sometimes societies just go batshit crazy. For ten years, 1966 to 1976, China slid into the chaotic maw of Mao Zedong’s “cultural revolution.” A youth…

Panther Soccer (Oct 28, 2015)

Following the excellent victory over previously undefeated Roseland Prep in Friday afternoon’s Homecoming Game on October 16, it was back to the routine of practice…

Everybody Out Of The Box

Somebody actually told me recently to "think outside the box." Please. If this phrase ever had any meaning at all it's become obscured in a…

The Reluctant Consumer Redux

My father was an anarchist and didn't know it.  When the Connecticut State Police first made the announcement that "driving is not a right, it…

Graphic Novels

Last night we watched a DVD of the new movie People, Places, Things. The film did not have a theatrical release, which is the fate of most movies made in America these days unless they are massively expensive blockbusters. People, Places, Things is not a blockbuster and probably didn’t cost much to make, and Marcia and I both very much enjoyed the movie.

Getting Out of Dodge

Sometimes it’s good to get out of the Valley and see a thing or two. My Mom Muriel Ellis decided to go to a writer’s…

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