How Does Health Insurance Work, Anyway?
“When I was a kid I thought it was one of those incredibly complicated things only moms and politicians understood. I now fear that it’s one of those things nobody understands.”
Fleetwood Mac Friday #7: “Silver Springs”
“That’s how you deal with your emotions: by screaming them at each other forever.”
Nazis, Cancer and Other Funny Things
By Doug Chase Hogan’s Heroes. A silly TV sitcom from the sixties. Stupid SS officers, hapless stalag commanders, sergeants who knew nothing. Colonel Klink and Sergeant…
Pushcart Announcement / Salute to Tom Batten
Every year, literary journals have the opportunity to nominate six pieces they have published for a Pushcart Prize. A few months ago, I was like, “Damn,…
Dear Seagoat’s Planetary Advice: The Case of the Tongue-Tied Crush-er
What do you do about a crush on a friend? The answer… is in the stars!
Graham Joyce, 1954-2014: Great Novelist, Kind and Generous Teacher
I woke up yesterday to the news that British writer Graham Joyce is dead. For most Americans (except, apparently, Stephen King,) this news doesn’t mean much. That’s a…
The Fault in Our Stars and the Romance of the Teen Cancer Love Story
Last night I had the chance to see a sneak preview of The Fault in Our Stars and it completely reenforced my current stance on love: don’t do it. Love nothing. Be an island, be a mountain, stay away from feelings.
Costco, Cancer and a Champagne Sebring
An encounter at Costco makes Tom Batten consider what it means to be a bully.
Everyone / Eventually: Seven Circles of Hell in the East Bay (Circle Seven)
The following is the last in a seven-part series about two disastrous years in the author’s life. In this chapter, the author avoids getting into a…
Everyone / Eventually: Seven Circles of Hell in the East Bay (Circles Four and Five)
The following is the latest installment in a seven-part essay about two disastrous years of the author’s life. We will be posting a new chapter every…
The Tusk 