The View from a Drawbridge

Tag: Culture

  • A Telephonic Cultural Shift

    40 years ago, I never wanted to miss a call, even if it meant twisting my ankle.

  • 10 Day Album Challenge #3: Paul Simon, Graceland

    I have reason to believe we all will be received in Graceland.

  • An Embarrassed Apology for Our #ShitholePresident

    Eight years ago, almost to the very day, I met an amazing young lady named Martine. She is a rare gift in my life, one of those instant connections. I knew right away that we would be friends. The reason I know when we met is that a few days afterward, Haiti experienced its most…

  • Don’t Compare. Contrast!

    A lot of women in America (and, I’m sure, in other places as well) are trained from practically birth to compare themselves to others and find themselves wanting. We can’t live up to those photoshopped models in the fashion magazines. How many of us look in the mirror and are unsatisfied with what we see? I…

  • Travel as a Form of Love

    In a recent post, I said that love is all that matters. My friend Art replied that travel is the most important thing that there is. That got me thinking. Travel is actually love in action. It shows that you care about other cultures and other people. It demonstrates a desire to learn about history…

  • Have You Ever Been Licked on the Eyeball?

    My dog did that to me just the other day. It was not a pleasant experience. He meant well. It was just his way of showing me that he was very happy to see me. It’s not his fault that I was disgusted by it. It’s always kind of unsettling when the gesture that is…

  • Two Years in Seattle

    On August 24, 2014 I arrived in Seattle to start my new life. I had never been to the city before, and didn’t know a soul. I remember how I felt that day: excited, and scared silly. I felt like I was in a foreign country. Sometimes I still do. In retrospect, I really think…

  • Language: The Canary in the Coalmine

    One of the very first blog entries I ever wrote, back in December of 2012, was Express Yourself While You Can. In it I posited the theory that languages are the keepers of culture. I know I behave differently when I’m speaking Spanish, and we often attribute different traits, rightly or wrongly, to people who…

  • MAKING America Great

    I have no idea why, but I’ve known a lot of ex-cops in my lifetime, and have had some disturbing conversations therewith. I strongly believe that certain jobs attract certain personalities, and I have to confess that I’ve always been sort of creeped out by the cop culture, as much as truly I appreciate that…

  • Thoughts on Gratitude

    I’ve been thinking about gratitude quite a bit lately. In fact, it’s going to be the subject of my first anthology. As a topic it’s much more complex and richly nuanced than I first thought. I’m finding that the more I view my life in terms of gratitude, the more blessings I seem to receive.…