A Polite Society

March 16, 2022

“An armed society is a polite society,” my Uber driver tells me, unprompted, a few minutes into the nine-minute drive from the Boise airport. … More A Polite Society

Notes from a Train

April 16, 2021

April 16, 2021: Chicago, IL I stepped onto the train this morning around a quarter to six. There was one of those single forward-facing seats – the rare space in which you’re guaranteed to sit alone, even if you’re inches from the person in the side-facing seat in front of you and the train is … More Notes from a Train

Two Reviews: Organic Fruit Flavor and the Disintegration of Right Wing Politics

November 22, 2020

Sunday, November 22, 2020: Chicago, IL Part of our “What is America?” series Trader Joe’s Organic Fruit Flavored Snacks with Other Natural Flavors With the weather turning sour and the second wave kicking into gear, grocery runs again became my main reason for leaving home come November. Living in a Trader Joe’s desert since August, … More Two Reviews: Organic Fruit Flavor and the Disintegration of Right Wing Politics

Covid-19 Lockdown Day 19 (!): An Allegory for our Captivity

April 3, 2020

Several groups half-assedly attempted to disguise their intransigence from the two police officers in the van idling outside Cafe Brauer: a family hid its picnic on the backside of a (very small) hill, a guitarist strummed “La Bamba” on repeat inside one of the tunnels that cuts under the park’s paths. … More Covid-19 Lockdown Day 19 (!): An Allegory for our Captivity