One Piece

People were shouting. I was laying flat on my stomach in the shopping plaza parking lot. My glasses had been ripped off and all I could see was a blur moving toward me. It was either a cop or a security guard. His hands griped the belt holster. I couldn't tell whether it was a gun, a taser, or pepper spray he was about to bring out. I spun around and rolled onto my back with my hands in the air. I wanted him to see my eyes. It was amazing how quickly something could be misinterpreted in public. As I lay on the ground thinking about this, I felt a strange rush overtake me and a smirk of fear and excitement spread across my lips. Over the chaos, I shouted "no no no!" In high school I was on the wrestling team. It was like having 12 little brothers. We would slap, smack, flick, kick, punch, and trip each other for entertainment. Our aggressive affection would come out in practice and flow out into our daily interactions. Our coaches were like our parents trying to ca...

*I dictated these thoughts into my iPhone, which then transferred my speech into written text. I was seeking to jump into a running stream of thought by speaking these words aloud. I didn't want the added filter of my fingers typing, or considering grammar, structure, or style. The most involved I got in the writing of this was that I pasted these thoughts into my blog and divided it up into paragraphs. These are my spoken words.  My grief is not solid. It is shifting tectonic clouds floating, dancing, rupturing, evaporating into thin air. A week ago my uncle was killed in a car accident.  The accident happened at 6 AM. A van crashed into the driver side of the door crushing him, killing him instantly.    He was hit by a driver who had no regard for his car or his life. The driver was Latino and the police officer who showed up on the scene was also happened to be Latino. After a few minutes of discussing the dilemma amongst themselves, blame was put on the deceased....

I was asked to say something about my uncle at today's funeral. I searched around for the right phrase or quote. Ralph Waldo Emerson seemed appropriate so this is what I read... To Laugh Often and Much By Ralph Waldo Emerson To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know that one life has breathed easier because you lived here. This is to have succeeded. Through his family, kindness, and the garden patches he tended, Benjamin Wesley Boston left this physical manifestation as a success. Goodbye Uncle.

I'm reading the papers about the 'fight for justice' in Ferguson. I look at these heroic titles and feel uneasy. There doesn't appear to be any organized movement on the ground to sustain anything of substance. The work that needs to be done in the black community by black people isn't happening. The injustices continue of police violence and brutality, but there is no corrective course in the long-term. This just feels like an exercise in anger expiation. Over twenty years ago there was the Rodney King verdict, which triggered riots across the country. The media talked about race for a few weeks, some trees were planted in destroyed neighborhood, vague promises were made. I was in middle school and sat through the tension. It was a perfect time to be angry. I wasn't Buddhist, in fact I wasn't really anything accept myself at the time. Anger seemed to be the trend of the moment, something to attach myself to for community. Viscerally I felt thoroughly disgus...

"Less Than 50%" is one of the most fresh and innovative romantic comedies I've seen in the past few years. It's a work of uber meta-theatre as the lead actor is also the writer and using the space to recreate his relationship's trajectory on stage...with his actual former girlfriend playing the stage version of herself. They stop and start the play to discuss the truth of some scenes, while going for the 'theatrical truth of the moment' at other times. Interspersed between the vignetted re-enactments are stand-up comedy routines, discussions about art, education, and what it means to say the word 'love.' Gianmarco Soresi is the lead actor/narrator/playwright/boyfriend of this ambitious undertaking. His romantic 'better' is played by ex-girlfriend/co-lead/collaborator Laura Catalano. For the entire 90 minutes these 2 characters battle it out, jumping in and out of roles across a wide spectrum of time. I have a soft-spot for meta-romantic com...

I'm watching "Get On Up" in the theatre tonight and this family is talking in a loud voice throughout the movie. One of their kids is stomping up and down the stairs. No one in the crowd is saying anything.  In my most Zen-like and precise voice, I kindly asked them to 'shaddup!' Yes. You. Right there. I'm looking at you and your family. Shut up. Suddenly I become aware that I'm in 'stand your ground' Florida and we're now only a few steps away from bullets. Conversely, I think the parents are aware that they too are in Florida and I'm a complete stranger who could be packing heat. So we both quietly sink down into our chairs. We watch the rest of the movie in silence. Suddenly there is instant parenting on display: the mother tells the son to sit down and he doesn't say a word until the credits and he sits down. Hmmm...I'm having a lot of conflicted feelings. I got what I wanted and the rest of the crowd jumped in and told the fami...

1. Radcliffe Institute at Harvard Fellowship Deadline: October 1st Website: http://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/fellowship-program/how-apply Radcliffe Institute is accepting fellowship applications from the humanities, social sciences, and creative arts until 1 October. Fellows receive office or studio space and access to libraries and other resources of Harvard University during the fellowship year, which extends from early September 2015 through May 31, 2016. Stipends are funded up to US$75,000 with additional funds for project expenses.Stipends are funded up to $75,000 for one year with additional funds for project expenses. Some support for relocation expenses is provided where relevant. If so directed, Radcliffe will pay the stipend to the fellow’s home institution. We work with fellows who have families to help with relocation issues for a smooth transition. Fellows receive office or studio space and access to libraries and other resources of Harvard University during the fellowship...