About a year ago I started writing the first draft of my next book. If you count earlier iterations that only led to refining the outline and restarting, I probably started six months earlier, not that I kept track. I had finished my first draft a few months later, spring 2021. I knew when I started writing my second non-self-published book, Initiative, that I would write my next book on[…] Keep reading →

I’ve never cared much one way or the other about kombucha. I’ve tasted it once or twice, but it comes packaged, so I avoid it. I’ve been making vinegar for a while from apples and water, sometimes adding sugar, since I have some a neighbor left when he moved. The vinegar tastes delicious and has resulted in a bunch of the yeast and bacteria cultures that grow as I pass[…] Keep reading →

On November 25, Thanksgiving, I posted Tomorrow is Buy Nothing Day. Make it Buy Nothing Season. Give the gift of your presence and attention. Most Americans consider the next day Black Friday, a day to buy things. I consider it Buy Nothing Day, a day to buy nothing. I ended up buying something Thanksgiving, which prompted me to consider going for longer than one day and try to make it[…] Keep reading →

When I pick up litter from a pile or collection, I don’t always pick up all of it. I imagine conversations in my head if someone asked why I left some. Sometimes the drug users in Washington Square Park will point me to pieces I didn’t pick up. I think they feel like they’re doing me a favor, maybe based on thinking I like picking up trash just because and[…] Keep reading →

The average American watches 5 hours of TV per day. Many fly or drive around for fun. If we want to pollute less, will we lose the ability to enjoy ourselves? I’ve written before how Vincent Stanley‘s commitment to turn off his computer Friday mornings and Nicola Pirulli‘s walking me through The Spodek Method led to me turning off all my electronics and practicing singing daily. Since starting, I’ve missed[…] Keep reading →

I didn’t think of how small my building’s elevators were when I bought a sofa after moving into my current apartment. It didn’t fit. The deliverymen tried to bring it up the stairs too. They made the first landing, but couldn’t make the turn to go up the next flight. They had to take it back. I ended up paying a $300 restocking fee plus big tips for the deliverymen’s[…] Keep reading →

I watched the documentary Dominion on how the factory farm system treats animals. It’s brutal but important. It shows many graphic scenes so I know the link below won’t play inline, but the producers made it freely available. Click through to watch it online. I recommend watching Dominion when you’re ready for a sobering gut-punch you’ll wish you had watched earlier. Why I recommend it I last ate meat in[…] Keep reading →