Working nice with others as a possible imposter …
writing
Semiotics and Screenface
Got this new day job. I dress up real nice most days, sit in a cubicle like I swore I never would. and. stare … I hear things will change once I go through training, but for now, it’s just screenface all day. There are people who say you can get a lot done at […]
Juvenile
A long long time ago, a girl told me to keep my voice. That was back in January of 2008, when I was writing this. I swear i remember absolutely nothing of the book that captured my moments and displayed them in a crystal case held up to the rays of an Amsterdam sun. Five […]
Syed Saleem Shazad
I read Shazad’s writings on Pakistan and the Taliban for years. Every single story of his informed me as to the real, on the ground situation. Never once did I close the Asia Times window and not sit back and think hard on what I had just learned from Shazad. Often I wondered how in […]
You might wanna ask Somebody
One my oldest brain patnas in the world, Tshisuaka aka aka aka has got some ish going on at CitizenMinneapolis.com This brother is a poet and a musician and his thoughts have been places. One of my deepest memories of this man is once ina studio when we were all wondering which way was south […]
A new leaf
As you can see, I have changed a few colors on the blog. let me know what you think. I have been writing for Antiwar.com again, have a regular column coming out, not yet sure exactly which days, but I will let you know. The first one I wrote in a while got me called […]
The American Dream and the Written Word
So I am reading Daniel Boorstin, The Seekers, which is the third in a series that begins with The Creators and continues with The Discoverers. Boorstin is one of my favorite historians. So in Seekers, Boorstin explores the philosophers and “idea-men” that helped to establish the foundations for Western political and social systems. What I […]
Reconciliation
So let me try and explain whats going on here: My main woman Nicole went through several years of servitude and now, finally, the work she has wanted all her life has fallen like manna from the sky. She wants to be a freelance journalist on the move and that’s what is happening to her. […]
Peep This
Here are some stories coming out of Matador.com … They are doing a great job with their articles and site and I am on board for the long haul so check them out and give some feedback … holla. Weird Hotels around the world International Healthcare Options How to Deal with Haters Support yer broke […]
Peep This
Here are a couple stories I have been writing for Matador.com: This is my list of cities for singles and here is the “companion piece” about making love to natives in order to learn their language. Here’s what I have to say about late night food out there. Feel free to drop comments and enlarge […]
Three God’s Village and The Hakka – lil Update
I have gotten a glimpse of the historical record of the Hakka that settled in Three Gods Village where I live. They arrived in Sichuan during the reign of Kangxi — first in Longquan (not far from where I am) then eventually in this village. The trip took 4 months from Guangdong where they are […]
Hakka in Sichuan
Hey. I am doing research on the Hakka people in Sichuan. The Hakka are sometimes referred to as the “Jews of China.” They reportedly originated in the Yellow River Valley and migrated south to Fujian and Guangdong to escape wars and famines. They settled in and around the Pearl River for many centuries, retaining their […]
it just keeps gettin thicker
ya’ll don’t even know. I went to Hanyuan the other day and just got back in the Du. I was planning on staying a month there, but things didn’t work out that way. On the way to Hanyuan I got a call from my man Philly in Beijing and he said: “yo, that security job […]
my people
I was brought into a new community recently, Matador Travel Community and i must say i really dig it. i usually hate forums and communities because they demand much and they spring up like mosquitos in the night. Butthis one is filled with people like me so I am down. I put two stories up […]
I, like God, do not play at dice …
which is a lie. I actually do roll the dice often and play cards most every week. But i still dont believe in chance. This may seem ridiculous, but i can see the cards in the deck sometimes. The only evidence I have for this very ephemeral ability is the plus/minus column. in six years […]
my revolution
Today was a very hectic day. i got up early and shaved my scruff and pinned back my hair like a girl, cuz its just long enough, just a bit too short. i went to the airport and welcomed 10 german tour operators to chengdu. i was quite nervous, because my german is spottier than […]
childhood trauma
there are two songs which i feel may have traumatized me for life: a lil jingle sung by good ole Goofy in the one about the ship they had just built, that falls apart when they smack a bottle over the hull. Goofy sings: “Ohhhh, the world owes me a livin” Shit stuck with me. […]
late bloomers
i think i represent the peter pan element in all generations. there are many of us. and we are generally smiled upon from on high by those who have escaped never never land and found the path that leads them toward fulfillment. Was peter fulfilled? He had an enemy, his crew, a fairy mistress and […]
The devil came down to Clifden …
“The devil came down to Clifden, lookin for a soul to steal, he was getting kinda low and don’t ya know he was willing to make a deal …” Johnny went through Clifden one day and listened to the Irishmen play, they hit their fiddles with a mighty cry and sang to the darkening sky. […]
my tummy hurts
Friends and enemies alike, i wait with bated breath for the outcome of my latest missive. A plea have i tossed, into the ring, for the sages — appointed by whom? — to peer down upon, through their thick bifocals and to Judge! Shall i be anointed Worthy? Has the Universe listened to the arguments […]
naturally
last night i spent most of my time dreaming i was a stand up comedian. the audience was overwhelmingly black and i was in georgia. towards the end of the show i started overheating and sweating and i grabbed a hand drum and started playing, i then started freestyler preach-singing … i think i also […]
i am that i am
reading foucalt’s pendulum has been a three month odyssey through umberto eco’s dream library. i finally fell into the pace of the book, now, near the end. and everywhere i see lorenza, belbo — i am belbo, no i am aglie … the man with the scar was on my flight to chengdu. he chatted […]
decompression
yeah i be trippin. but here with my bro in adam its all good. we toured the city and its beautiful, even the ancient hos flicking their thick swollen tongues at us from behind clean windows. red halos. the morrocans, adjusting their sneer to our knowing gaze. the dutch, happy to chat and interested. last […]