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A life of great privilege

It seems that many people who consider themselves writers, or who  think they would like to be writers, lack the talent, luck, and discipline to be successful.  Most who write as a profession do so only part-time (there are very few Stephen King’s and J.K. Rowling’s out there, folks), while holding down teaching jobs or some other gig to pay the mortgage.  All the same, there are some of us who,…

Review of Tabucchi’s Tristano Dies

Courtesy of Bookslut literary review TRISTANO DIES: A LIFE BY ANTONIO TABUCCHI, TRANSLATED BY ELIZABETH HARRIS Reviewed by K. M. McCann In 2006 I met a man named Earl who was in a constant care nursing facility, placed there by his wife and children. My job was to help Earl with what version four of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) called “adjustment disorder.” I…

THE NAMES in Prologue

The following excerpts are part of my novel, THE NAMES.  I hope you enjoy it.  If so, please comment and share.  Over the next few months I will post it in excerpt form.  Keep in mind this is a graphic piece about mental illness. Mental illness is not glamorous or magical as portrayed by Hollywood; mental illness can be crushing, horrific, and is nearly always cruel to those who suffer from it.…

Sometimes I drink too much and listen to sad songs, dance with headphones, and sing to my dogs. Sometimes I chase ghosts. They never respond, but I’m no quitter.

Aperçu: Acrolect.

. . .he was measured by how fast he ran, how many pushups he could do, how many jumps he made from the C-130’s, the Chinooks, the Black Hawks. He was praised for smoking cigarettes before a PT test and admired for the fuck acrolect, a militant styling where ‘fuck’ was verb, noun, adjective, adverb: fucking hippy Jesus, Jesus was a fucking hippy, Jesus Fucking H. Christ, or What the fuck would…

The Line: Mental Toughness vs. Listening to the Body

The Line: Mental Toughness vs. Listening to the Body.

This week was a pure struggle in terms of running and keep to that half-marathon training program. Part of it had to do with hosting a houseguest last weekend (no matter how much you love someone hosting them is still physically and emotionally exhausting) and the other part had to do with allergy season being in full swing coupled with monstrous PMS a la fatigue and lack of motivation. My…

It’s Okay if Your Family Can’t HEAR You

It’s Okay if Your Family Can’t HEAR You.

For quite a while now I have wondered why family members are unable to hear, accept, or heed information given to them by, say, another family member.  Typically, the “other family member” who shares information is one who has moved from the proverbial hometown/nest/hub and has chosen to live their life autonomously without the shroud of familiarity, security, and community they were raised in…

Buddhist Running: Theories of Relativity

nakedfacedmara:

Very nice article on perspective taking and ego in running.

Originally posted on . . . when i talk about running:

A few years ago, when I was training for my first marathon, I went for a run around the reservoir in Central Park.   I had been steadily increasing my speed and endurance for months, and I felt great that day, as if I was flying around the cinder loop in the heart of…