Written February 5th, 2011 de·fi·ance – a daring or bold resistance to authority or to any opposing force. I am including this definition because the word has become something of a guiding principle for me over the past year or two; the flag of my disposition you might say....

My hope is that some time will be set aside to read this note in its entirety. It is long, covering over 5000 words when including the lyrics, but this tour deforce from Dylan represents something of a lifelong passion of mine. It’s enough to say that there are...

Written November 21st, 2019 Did I lose you there?  I realize, of course, that suggesting a mere spider may be a practicing Buddhist could easily get lost in the translation, so please know upfront that I will not be making that case here. I’m merely using the suggestion as...

Written January 14th, 2017 Quite randomly today, while searching YouTube for some interesting content to investigate, I stumbled across a surprisingly engaging TED Talk video titled “The Transformative Power of Classical Music”, given by Benjamin Zander, a Classical conductor and music teacher and I admit to being quite blown...

Written April 4th, 2010 “We are living in a difficult time, and whatever defends us from the madhouse can be applauded as good enough – for those without nerve.” That line was taken from Joseph Campbell’s “Myth’s to Live By”, a book I read in my early twenties, which...

Written November 6th, 2016 I knew the odds were in my favor. After several years of watching for the signs, I’ve developed a keen eye for the way the sky settles down for the evening. I was simply working in the yard and noticed the clouds forming nicely and...

Written September 20th, 2019 Once again Maria Popova has ‘strung a knot in my mind’, to quote a favorite line from Bob Dylan’s “Restless Farewell.” Her website, brainpickings.org is a treasure-trove of articles on many of my favorite subjects and heroes, with each article being a written exposition on...

Written July 29th, 2017 While working on a new painting tonight, casually listening to music through my earbuds, as is usual, I heard the first few notes of the song and immediately smiled with recognition. I know the song well and certainly the aesthetic weight it carries for me,...

Written April 17th, 2016 The photo pierces a sensitive spot, to say the least, in both execution and subject matter (click the photo to enlarge). The weathered dignity from this lone, imposing warrior of the African savannah, whose life-sized photo is positioned among the filth and decay of what...

Written June 23rd, 2009 It was Nietzsche who said: “Be careful, lest in casting out your demons you exorcise the best thing in you.” I have not been able to locate the exact book this quote derives from, but I’m fairly sure the context was his critique of “sin”,...