Fiction Weekend Prompt for 5/25 - 5/27 2012
Write a story with a wolf in it.

As you pass the atomic energy facility south of Eureka, the massive edifice is a gloomy reminder of the conflicts in our society, between economic interests and the fragility of the natural/… Read full post »

A jaw harp

It had been rainy for the past several months, and I had all the symptoms of cabin fever. I should say I suffered from depression, and to fight it, I bought a new bottle of vitamins, which I took daily with my Omega 3 pills,… Read full post »

                Always carry a little bottle of air of the moon
                to keep you from drowning./… Read full post »

Balinese Saraswati.

Her smile bestows a thousand kindnesses
She walks through the fields of heaven
No suffering could she know, yet
Of  his cruel inattention
She requested me, her devoted servant
To intervene.

Gladly I strung my bow of sugar cane
Pulled back its wonderfully elastic bowstring/… Read full post »

I spend an unproductive day trying to look up people in the Silicon Valley area. I go to pick up my sons, who on this day are visiting my brother in law in Cupertino. They are watching a video about the history of Steve Job's career. When I first… Read full post »

In Arcata, California, in the town square, known as the Plaza, a statue overlooks the lawns and paths which radiate away from the sculpture, like rays of sunlight projecting from an image of  Louis  IV. This is the statue of William McKinley, and few people seem to/… Read full post »

*“Show me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.” -- Brillat-Savarin

 I had heard his famous saying* before, but it was by accident that I encountered The Physiology of Taste, by Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, an eighteenth century gastronome. Reading… Read full post »

A few weeks ago, when reshelving books that had accumulated on my bedside table, I discovered that I had been reading a lot of books about religion. First, I asked myself, is there something the matter with me? Then, after musing about this for a while, I decided that… Read full post »

I have often said that if you ate nothing but raw food, you would have a diet that is healthier than 99 percent of Americans. However, this percentage has nothing to do with how much stock you have on your portfolio.  Perhaps even a homeless person could adhere to such… Read full post »

Starting from my childhood, I have been given to unusual fantasies. In third grade, I discovered a book of short stories by A. E. Van Vogt, and was introduced to time travel, space vampires, gravity reactors, and other notions that made Van Vogt a scapegoat of science fiction writers du… Read full post »

It's amazing that any proposal to make cuts in military spending starts a discussion of the effect this will have on military personnel. At the outset, it's extremely misleading for them to imply that army personnel or veterans today are well cared for, and have something to lose… Read full post »

Kids shouldn't watch TV at all. The Nazis and the Communists sent all their kids to kindergartens and special camps. All we have to do is let the TV babysit them. They'll be corrupted in every way that the corporate overlords want them to be. Sponge Bob is OK, though.

I wasn't the type of person who would smoke. My father came from a family that were stalwart members of the Methodist Church, and my grandfather, a radiologist, had many stern warnings to make about the hazards of smoking. My parents smoked: my father smoked a pipe in the evenings, and… Read full post »

My religious beliefs aren't very different from anyone elses, but when looking for solutions to mental health issues, I have found  Buddhist philosophy the best approach. That said, I have gone through a lot of phases with Christianity. I have gone to Church every Sunday. Just as much I have cam… Read full post »

I had a tiresome task that day -- since I am responsible for maintenance tasks at a local strip mall, I frequently remove grafitti, do minor painting jobs, etc. Behind this strip mall is a "natural area" within the City of Eureka… Read full post »

 Hugues de Montalembert

Sometimes, when I am finding it difficult to sleep, I get out of bed, and go to my computer. Not a very good thing to do -- but it makes me drowsy again. Often I do some of my best web surfing at… Read full post »

I don't havea lot to say about education in Montana, except that it was quite good, as long as I was there -- I was taken out of the public school system in eighth grade, and sent to a  private school. Some of the teachers there were considered to… Read full post »

I was in San Francisco, with my wife Molly, and she was off somewhere with her mother, shopping. I lit one, and decided to go for a walk. I was thoroughly enjoying myself until I realized that I was lost. I walked up and down the avenue, looking… Read full post »