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Revisiting My Relocation
Back in August, 2014, I moved from Florida to Seattle. This was a huge leap for me as I didn’t know a soul out here, and had never even been to Washington state, let alone to this city. All I knew was that I desperately needed a do over, and the opportunity presented itself, so…
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Moving Ten Meters South
Recently I listened to a speech by Noam Chomsky on my local NPR station, and one of the many things he said that struck me was that given the unprecedented rise in temperatures on this planet, it’s as if we all are moving 10 meters south every single day. Okay, that kind of freaked me…
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How Soon We Forget
I used to work the graveyard shift at the Ortega River Drawbridge in Jacksonville, Florida. It was usually a quiet shift, and that’s the way I liked it. I’m not someone who thrives on drama. But there was a certain ebb and flow to that shift: people who jogged at the same time every day;…
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Not For All the Tea in China
As I write this, I’m sitting on the drawbridge where I work, gazing out the window at the much, much, MUCH higher fixed bridge next door. I have to say my heart is in my throat, because what is happening is there’s a bucket truck on that bridge, and the bucket is being extended out…
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Hotter’n Hell
When I feel like putting myself in an instant good mood, I look up the weather report for Jacksonville, Florida, my old home town. At the time of this writing, it’s 93 degrees with 100 percent humidity there. I remember those days. You step outside and feel as if you’re being covered by a steaming…
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That’s the Ticket
Okay, I don’t normally do this, but I’m strongly encouraging you to leave this page right this minute. You have GOT to see this. Seriously. Just when you think people can’t be more insane, gullible, or stupid, you hear a story like this. And it has everything. Crazy looking people. Bizarre ideas. Jesus. A baby…
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Andy Johnson: A Boil on the Butt of Jacksonville’s Progressive Community
One of the reasons I’m thrilled to be out of Jacksonville, Florida is that it’s an extremely conservative community. I often felt like a lone voice shouting in the wilderness when I lived there. Unfortunately, the most strident progressive voice in that town belongs to Andy Johnson, the moral equivalent of a scum-sucking catfish. Strong…
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Remembering Chuck
Has it only been a year? It feels like I’ve been walking barefoot through the broken shards of my grief for decades. Has it been a year already? Weren’t you lying beside me when I went to sleep last night? It still shocks me to awaken alone. Both at once. Always both at once with…
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Florida Shame
One of the best things about having left Florida is that I no longer have to bear the embarrassment of being a resident of that insane state. From hanging chads to the Elian Gonzalez debacle to the stand your ground law and people like George Zimmerman who choose to abuse it, to the draconian voting…