Month: November 2015

Even in the coffee shop, there am I.

I think I’ve let my existential angst get away from me. I mean, I’ve known for a while now that this whole angst thing, this thing that made me appear deep and complex— a certain dark sexiness, a radiant weltschmerz (or whatever)— that made it possible to wear plain black t-shirts for weeks at a

The Fredericksburg Sheep

Of all the horrors of the Forgotten American Backcountry, the Fredericksburg Sheep stands apart, being neither horrible to look at, nor reeking of decay, nor creepy, crawly, or otherwise frightful in any manner. The Fredericksburg Sheep is, in fact, a lovely specimen: a full coat of tawny locks, a face and ears the color of warm

The Banshee Beetle

Just as you’re about to sleep, you hear a rustling. You look over your shoulder but nothing’s there. A shadow moves across the corner of your left eye, your head turns, but again you find yourself alone in the night. Shrugging it off, you close your eyes and try to sleep, but you can’t pretend

The California House Snake

A relative newcomer to the Great American Wild, and not quite so wild as the rest you’ll meet in your travels, you should always be vigilant — or you might end up sharing room and board — with a California House Snake. Not just venomous, but poisonous even to the touch (some say that merely seeing

Dad.

It’s been a year now since my dad passed away. His health had been bad for years (about fifteen by my reckoning), so it’s not like we didn’t know it was coming, but still, dealing with the death of a parent is the absolute worst. Since June of that summer, his condition had gotten bad. Like,