Most of my day working at the theater is spent referentially. We are quoting movies, impersonating actors, improvising new lines. Then we hit a bump: someone hasn’t seen this movie, or doesn’t remember that one pivotal scene (pivotal for that person anyway). There is indignation from one or a few of us. We move on […]
Category Archives: The Word
Since 2011, a barbershop called Modern Man has started to dot the Portland landscape. Their five locations look, on the map, like a wide-armed star with points at Portland hippest parts of town. The Modern Man caters especially to beards, variable as they are in this city. Indeed, it is their special pride to serve […]
I started watching Breaking Bad recently in part because 100% of the reactions to my not having seen the series were of overwhelming incredulity. This is how I know a show has become a touchstone in our culture. (I recently had the same reaction when my roommate told me he hadn’t seen The Jerk, although […]
So lately I’ve been reading a lot of books considered classics and watching a lot of movies and TV shows that have been thoroughly watched and picked apart. Acknowledging that these products of our culture have been reviewed again and again–and also acknowledging the review themselves–I’ve decided to give them yet another review. In the […]
I wrote this last week as an introduction to my trip to Pakistan and my feelings toward the trip before I got word from the State Department that the trip had been postponed. The trip was postponed for “general logistical issues” though, in light of recent protests against the French comic magazine Charlie Hebdo in […]
Sufism is the mystical branch of Islam. Its most well-known poet is Rumi, born in 13th century Afghanistan before he fled the Mongol armies for Turkey. Rumi helped popular Sufism, which many Muslims something of a bastard child to the religion at large. Sufis believe God resides in all of us. Here is a poem by […]
The inexperienced hiker—and trepid reporter—stops before a sign that says “Salmon Huckleberry Wilderness”. (It is not his intention to cover Salmon River Trail #742 on Independence Day. Yet he feels compelled to write anyway.) A pass is required beyond this small station. One must fill out a wilderness use permit, […]
I found this word document on my laptop. It is perhaps a year or two old. The tragedy of letters unsent, or the less romantic tragedy of emails unsent. True, I had no one to send the letters to and that was the real tragedy. But the journey of the […]
On Sunday, I recorded two songs while water boiled on the stove. They are scant but complete. I give you the “Pot Boiler Sessions” by my alter ego, Eric’s Ghost’s Ghost. First, “I Wanna Live in Sioux City”, a song about an actor who is fed up with Hollywood and looking for a change of […]
I awoke swimming in sickness. There had been a pseudo-religious fervor in the air the night before, a massive liberation of frustration and self-consciousness. It is likely we were seen hovering outside our bodies. There was singing: hymns, show tunes, old soul music. Only Becky and I knew “On Top […]
It's a Beautiful Day I Need a Drink 