Posts published in “Essays”

Physician-assisted dying (not "suicide" — a term that is not truly relevant here) is a complex and emotional issue. Here is a perspective done with a leading physician with much direct experience — and who has quit one of his professional medical associations due to their lack of integrity on the topic.

If I were a big game hunter, one place I would absolutely not ply my trade would be a zoo. It wouldn't be an honest day’s work. Not at all sporting, completely unfair, and unthinkable…

I'd been to Reno and found it thoroughly unpleasant, what my friend Dave would call a "real dump." And, my old buddy Bob ended his life of substance abuse problems by overdosing there. He was a talented musician with an equally if not more talented rich & famous musician brother who had stayed home and practiced while Bob went about getting fucked up. Yep, that's pretty much how it works.

I recently got a letter from my editor at Counterpoint Press, the daring publishing company bringing out a paperback edition of my book Buddha In A Teacup in early 2016, saying he would soon be sending me samples of their cover ideas. So I held my breath for a few days and recalled my book cover adventures with publishers of my previous books. This helped temper fantasies of a superb cover for Buddha In A Teacup. Indeed, after reviewing my history of book covers, I decided to hope for legible.

By the time you read this I should be somewhere on the John Muir Trail, most likely in Yosemite National Park. This will all be part of a two week backpacking trip/adventure with my long…

Opposite the house where I now live is the school my young daughter Irene attends; where I pick her up Tuesdays and Thursdays, and two weekends each month. From there, many days—especially when the weather…