Tag: Asheville


  • The Post-Election Whateverness

    • Why Kids Can’t Read

      I have no patience for podcasts. I leave it to my wife to decide what gets listened to on long road trips (or, in the winter, when a 1,000 piece puzzle is littered all over the dining table). During our drive back from Savannah, where we spent the week of Thanksgiving and adopted our darling…

    • Affiliate Arbitrage

      Theory: search and referrals rarely deliver consumers results for the “best” product or service they are looking for. Just about every link on any “buyer’s guide” page goes through several hoops of affiliate reference codes. So you have to ask: is this product really the best? Or is the publisher getting the most incentive to…

    • How To Grieve a Dog

      When I was 10 or 11 I remember my father taking me with him to an animal hospital out in the sticks. The cat, Friday, was in the back seat in its travel trailer. I don’t remember much about the cat other than that we didn’t care for each other very much. It was effectively…

    • The Logic of Reading Well

      The current reality: reading isn’t a priority. When newspapers were still a stalwart of our cultural hegemony, even they were written at a 7th grade reading level. After all, everyone needs to know the news. I far the average reading level is far less than that. There is the story about the woman suing because…

    • The path to better brains

      Write more. All the time. See what your thoughts look like on paper. Writing by hand conditions fine motor control. This can help with everything from improving synapse connections to properly fingering your partner to orgasm. Read better. Learn to read a text deeply and thoroughly. Ideally, spend large amounts of time with novels published…

    • This robot will sell you a soul

      Was I worried about AI “taking my job”? Never. Mostly because I wasn’t sure what it was they were taking. Oh no, is AI going to run off with all of the people who send me bottom-dollar offers through Upwork? I will say I noticed a two-year lapse of people reaching out for content and…

    • Hell Hath No Fury/ Dead Men Don’t Rape

      Frustration helps me make stuff, even if I have no idea where to take it.

    I tried to stay connected to the community in the aftermath of the Hurricane – but that ultimately led to hours of doomscrolling and too much social media and way too much anxiety for what I was getting in return. Of course this coincided with the run-up to the elections and before long I was…


  • Locals Only

    • Why Kids Can’t Read

      I have no patience for podcasts. I leave it to my wife to decide what gets listened to on long road trips (or, in the winter, when a 1,000 piece puzzle is littered all over the dining table). During our drive back from Savannah, where we spent the week of Thanksgiving and adopted our darling…

    • Affiliate Arbitrage

      Theory: search and referrals rarely deliver consumers results for the “best” product or service they are looking for. Just about every link on any “buyer’s guide” page goes through several hoops of affiliate reference codes. So you have to ask: is this product really the best? Or is the publisher getting the most incentive to…

    • How To Grieve a Dog

      When I was 10 or 11 I remember my father taking me with him to an animal hospital out in the sticks. The cat, Friday, was in the back seat in its travel trailer. I don’t remember much about the cat other than that we didn’t care for each other very much. It was effectively…

    • The Logic of Reading Well

      The current reality: reading isn’t a priority. When newspapers were still a stalwart of our cultural hegemony, even they were written at a 7th grade reading level. After all, everyone needs to know the news. I far the average reading level is far less than that. There is the story about the woman suing because…

    • The path to better brains

      Write more. All the time. See what your thoughts look like on paper. Writing by hand conditions fine motor control. This can help with everything from improving synapse connections to properly fingering your partner to orgasm. Read better. Learn to read a text deeply and thoroughly. Ideally, spend large amounts of time with novels published…

    • This robot will sell you a soul

      Was I worried about AI “taking my job”? Never. Mostly because I wasn’t sure what it was they were taking. Oh no, is AI going to run off with all of the people who send me bottom-dollar offers through Upwork? I will say I noticed a two-year lapse of people reaching out for content and…

    • Hell Hath No Fury/ Dead Men Don’t Rape

      Frustration helps me make stuff, even if I have no idea where to take it.

    These days have that flavor of the early pandemic lockdowns, or that weird week every year between Christmas and New Years, when you aren’t sure what day it is or when you last showered or exactly how many days you are getting out of your underwear. It is only now that I am reminded how…


  • Creativity In An Age of Crisis

    • Why Kids Can’t Read

      I have no patience for podcasts. I leave it to my wife to decide what gets listened to on long road trips (or, in the winter, when a 1,000 piece puzzle is littered all over the dining table). During our drive back from Savannah, where we spent the week of Thanksgiving and adopted our darling…

    • Affiliate Arbitrage

      Theory: search and referrals rarely deliver consumers results for the “best” product or service they are looking for. Just about every link on any “buyer’s guide” page goes through several hoops of affiliate reference codes. So you have to ask: is this product really the best? Or is the publisher getting the most incentive to…

    • How To Grieve a Dog

      When I was 10 or 11 I remember my father taking me with him to an animal hospital out in the sticks. The cat, Friday, was in the back seat in its travel trailer. I don’t remember much about the cat other than that we didn’t care for each other very much. It was effectively…

    • The Logic of Reading Well

      The current reality: reading isn’t a priority. When newspapers were still a stalwart of our cultural hegemony, even they were written at a 7th grade reading level. After all, everyone needs to know the news. I far the average reading level is far less than that. There is the story about the woman suing because…

    • The path to better brains

      Write more. All the time. See what your thoughts look like on paper. Writing by hand conditions fine motor control. This can help with everything from improving synapse connections to properly fingering your partner to orgasm. Read better. Learn to read a text deeply and thoroughly. Ideally, spend large amounts of time with novels published…

    • This robot will sell you a soul

      Was I worried about AI “taking my job”? Never. Mostly because I wasn’t sure what it was they were taking. Oh no, is AI going to run off with all of the people who send me bottom-dollar offers through Upwork? I will say I noticed a two-year lapse of people reaching out for content and…

    • Hell Hath No Fury/ Dead Men Don’t Rape

      Frustration helps me make stuff, even if I have no idea where to take it.

    Theory: tragedy inspires the greatest art. E.g. Picasso’s Guernica Hurricane Helene has brought all kinds of trouble to the region – not just Asheville, but the counties and states surrounding it. Since the hurricane hit a week ago and the devastation continues to unfold, I’ve found it nearly impossible to create anything. It got me…


  • Notes on Disasters.

    • Why Kids Can’t Read

      I have no patience for podcasts. I leave it to my wife to decide what gets listened to on long road trips (or, in the winter, when a 1,000 piece puzzle is littered all over the dining table). During our drive back from Savannah, where we spent the week of Thanksgiving and adopted our darling…

    • Affiliate Arbitrage

      Theory: search and referrals rarely deliver consumers results for the “best” product or service they are looking for. Just about every link on any “buyer’s guide” page goes through several hoops of affiliate reference codes. So you have to ask: is this product really the best? Or is the publisher getting the most incentive to…

    • How To Grieve a Dog

      When I was 10 or 11 I remember my father taking me with him to an animal hospital out in the sticks. The cat, Friday, was in the back seat in its travel trailer. I don’t remember much about the cat other than that we didn’t care for each other very much. It was effectively…

    • The Logic of Reading Well

      The current reality: reading isn’t a priority. When newspapers were still a stalwart of our cultural hegemony, even they were written at a 7th grade reading level. After all, everyone needs to know the news. I far the average reading level is far less than that. There is the story about the woman suing because…

    • The path to better brains

      Write more. All the time. See what your thoughts look like on paper. Writing by hand conditions fine motor control. This can help with everything from improving synapse connections to properly fingering your partner to orgasm. Read better. Learn to read a text deeply and thoroughly. Ideally, spend large amounts of time with novels published…

    • This robot will sell you a soul

      Was I worried about AI “taking my job”? Never. Mostly because I wasn’t sure what it was they were taking. Oh no, is AI going to run off with all of the people who send me bottom-dollar offers through Upwork? I will say I noticed a two-year lapse of people reaching out for content and…

    • Hell Hath No Fury/ Dead Men Don’t Rape

      Frustration helps me make stuff, even if I have no idea where to take it.

    Even when it’s not right outside your window, it consumes all of your mental bandwidth. The hurricane, the aftermath, the entire region that is suffering. This is the kind of thing that sets people back ten or twenty years. You hear the stories, but now you know. This feels different, more sinister. In grade school…


  • After The Storm

    • Why Kids Can’t Read

      I have no patience for podcasts. I leave it to my wife to decide what gets listened to on long road trips (or, in the winter, when a 1,000 piece puzzle is littered all over the dining table). During our drive back from Savannah, where we spent the week of Thanksgiving and adopted our darling…

    • Affiliate Arbitrage

      Theory: search and referrals rarely deliver consumers results for the “best” product or service they are looking for. Just about every link on any “buyer’s guide” page goes through several hoops of affiliate reference codes. So you have to ask: is this product really the best? Or is the publisher getting the most incentive to…

    • How To Grieve a Dog

      When I was 10 or 11 I remember my father taking me with him to an animal hospital out in the sticks. The cat, Friday, was in the back seat in its travel trailer. I don’t remember much about the cat other than that we didn’t care for each other very much. It was effectively…

    • The Logic of Reading Well

      The current reality: reading isn’t a priority. When newspapers were still a stalwart of our cultural hegemony, even they were written at a 7th grade reading level. After all, everyone needs to know the news. I far the average reading level is far less than that. There is the story about the woman suing because…

    • The path to better brains

      Write more. All the time. See what your thoughts look like on paper. Writing by hand conditions fine motor control. This can help with everything from improving synapse connections to properly fingering your partner to orgasm. Read better. Learn to read a text deeply and thoroughly. Ideally, spend large amounts of time with novels published…

    • This robot will sell you a soul

      Was I worried about AI “taking my job”? Never. Mostly because I wasn’t sure what it was they were taking. Oh no, is AI going to run off with all of the people who send me bottom-dollar offers through Upwork? I will say I noticed a two-year lapse of people reaching out for content and…

    • Hell Hath No Fury/ Dead Men Don’t Rape

      Frustration helps me make stuff, even if I have no idea where to take it.

    I’m collecting links for the print-on-demand stores for artists around Asheville/ Buncombe County/ Western North Carolina to share and promote. The goal is to support the local artists who were so heavily impacted without burdening them with order fulfillment. When I’m feeling uninspired, I’ll wander around the Marquee in the River Arts district. It is a…


  • Garbage Town USA

    • Why Kids Can’t Read

      I have no patience for podcasts. I leave it to my wife to decide what gets listened to on long road trips (or, in the winter, when a 1,000 piece puzzle is littered all over the dining table). During our drive back from Savannah, where we spent the week of Thanksgiving and adopted our darling…

    • Affiliate Arbitrage

      Theory: search and referrals rarely deliver consumers results for the “best” product or service they are looking for. Just about every link on any “buyer’s guide” page goes through several hoops of affiliate reference codes. So you have to ask: is this product really the best? Or is the publisher getting the most incentive to…

    • How To Grieve a Dog

      When I was 10 or 11 I remember my father taking me with him to an animal hospital out in the sticks. The cat, Friday, was in the back seat in its travel trailer. I don’t remember much about the cat other than that we didn’t care for each other very much. It was effectively…

    • The Logic of Reading Well

      The current reality: reading isn’t a priority. When newspapers were still a stalwart of our cultural hegemony, even they were written at a 7th grade reading level. After all, everyone needs to know the news. I far the average reading level is far less than that. There is the story about the woman suing because…

    • The path to better brains

      Write more. All the time. See what your thoughts look like on paper. Writing by hand conditions fine motor control. This can help with everything from improving synapse connections to properly fingering your partner to orgasm. Read better. Learn to read a text deeply and thoroughly. Ideally, spend large amounts of time with novels published…

    • This robot will sell you a soul

      Was I worried about AI “taking my job”? Never. Mostly because I wasn’t sure what it was they were taking. Oh no, is AI going to run off with all of the people who send me bottom-dollar offers through Upwork? I will say I noticed a two-year lapse of people reaching out for content and…

    • Hell Hath No Fury/ Dead Men Don’t Rape

      Frustration helps me make stuff, even if I have no idea where to take it.

    They might call it Trasheville – as a play on Asheville. It all depends who you talk to. There is still a healthy punk scene that is forever supported by the artisans and students and focused spirit that this is very much an arts town. Like any city, Asheville has its growing pains that look…


  • Keeping Dirt In One Spot

    • Why Kids Can’t Read

      I have no patience for podcasts. I leave it to my wife to decide what gets listened to on long road trips (or, in the winter, when a 1,000 piece puzzle is littered all over the dining table). During our drive back from Savannah, where we spent the week of Thanksgiving and adopted our darling…

    • Affiliate Arbitrage

      Theory: search and referrals rarely deliver consumers results for the “best” product or service they are looking for. Just about every link on any “buyer’s guide” page goes through several hoops of affiliate reference codes. So you have to ask: is this product really the best? Or is the publisher getting the most incentive to…

    • How To Grieve a Dog

      When I was 10 or 11 I remember my father taking me with him to an animal hospital out in the sticks. The cat, Friday, was in the back seat in its travel trailer. I don’t remember much about the cat other than that we didn’t care for each other very much. It was effectively…

    • The Logic of Reading Well

      The current reality: reading isn’t a priority. When newspapers were still a stalwart of our cultural hegemony, even they were written at a 7th grade reading level. After all, everyone needs to know the news. I far the average reading level is far less than that. There is the story about the woman suing because…

    • The path to better brains

      Write more. All the time. See what your thoughts look like on paper. Writing by hand conditions fine motor control. This can help with everything from improving synapse connections to properly fingering your partner to orgasm. Read better. Learn to read a text deeply and thoroughly. Ideally, spend large amounts of time with novels published…

    • This robot will sell you a soul

      Was I worried about AI “taking my job”? Never. Mostly because I wasn’t sure what it was they were taking. Oh no, is AI going to run off with all of the people who send me bottom-dollar offers through Upwork? I will say I noticed a two-year lapse of people reaching out for content and…

    • Hell Hath No Fury/ Dead Men Don’t Rape

      Frustration helps me make stuff, even if I have no idea where to take it.

    We’re looking at four (maybe five?) straight days of rain here in Asheville. Yes, North Carolina gets hurricanes – but we’re also 400 miles inland and up in the mountains. It is an odd place to be when this kind of weather hits. Loads of rain isn’t uncommon for Asheville. When we moved here in…

  • Notes From AVL Fest 2024

    Notes From AVL Fest 2024

    • Why Kids Can’t Read

      I have no patience for podcasts. I leave it to my wife to decide what gets listened to on long road trips (or, in the winter, when a 1,000 piece puzzle is littered all over the dining table). During our drive back from Savannah, where we spent the week of Thanksgiving and adopted our darling…

    • Affiliate Arbitrage

      Theory: search and referrals rarely deliver consumers results for the “best” product or service they are looking for. Just about every link on any “buyer’s guide” page goes through several hoops of affiliate reference codes. So you have to ask: is this product really the best? Or is the publisher getting the most incentive to…

    • How To Grieve a Dog

      When I was 10 or 11 I remember my father taking me with him to an animal hospital out in the sticks. The cat, Friday, was in the back seat in its travel trailer. I don’t remember much about the cat other than that we didn’t care for each other very much. It was effectively…

    • The Logic of Reading Well

      The current reality: reading isn’t a priority. When newspapers were still a stalwart of our cultural hegemony, even they were written at a 7th grade reading level. After all, everyone needs to know the news. I far the average reading level is far less than that. There is the story about the woman suing because…

    • The path to better brains

      Write more. All the time. See what your thoughts look like on paper. Writing by hand conditions fine motor control. This can help with everything from improving synapse connections to properly fingering your partner to orgasm. Read better. Learn to read a text deeply and thoroughly. Ideally, spend large amounts of time with novels published…

    • This robot will sell you a soul

      Was I worried about AI “taking my job”? Never. Mostly because I wasn’t sure what it was they were taking. Oh no, is AI going to run off with all of the people who send me bottom-dollar offers through Upwork? I will say I noticed a two-year lapse of people reaching out for content and…

    • Hell Hath No Fury/ Dead Men Don’t Rape

      Frustration helps me make stuff, even if I have no idea where to take it.

    Since we attended in 2023, we had option to buy early tickets for $50 for the weekend – worth buying no matter what the case. I don’t recall much about the 2023 lineup other than it bounced between soaking rains and insufferable heat.

  • July inside of July

    July inside of July

    • Why Kids Can’t Read

      I have no patience for podcasts. I leave it to my wife to decide what gets listened to on long road trips (or, in the winter, when a 1,000 piece puzzle is littered all over the dining table). During our drive back from Savannah, where we spent the week of Thanksgiving and adopted our darling…

    • Affiliate Arbitrage

      Theory: search and referrals rarely deliver consumers results for the “best” product or service they are looking for. Just about every link on any “buyer’s guide” page goes through several hoops of affiliate reference codes. So you have to ask: is this product really the best? Or is the publisher getting the most incentive to…

    • How To Grieve a Dog

      When I was 10 or 11 I remember my father taking me with him to an animal hospital out in the sticks. The cat, Friday, was in the back seat in its travel trailer. I don’t remember much about the cat other than that we didn’t care for each other very much. It was effectively…

    • The Logic of Reading Well

      The current reality: reading isn’t a priority. When newspapers were still a stalwart of our cultural hegemony, even they were written at a 7th grade reading level. After all, everyone needs to know the news. I far the average reading level is far less than that. There is the story about the woman suing because…

    • The path to better brains

      Write more. All the time. See what your thoughts look like on paper. Writing by hand conditions fine motor control. This can help with everything from improving synapse connections to properly fingering your partner to orgasm. Read better. Learn to read a text deeply and thoroughly. Ideally, spend large amounts of time with novels published…

    • This robot will sell you a soul

      Was I worried about AI “taking my job”? Never. Mostly because I wasn’t sure what it was they were taking. Oh no, is AI going to run off with all of the people who send me bottom-dollar offers through Upwork? I will say I noticed a two-year lapse of people reaching out for content and…

    • Hell Hath No Fury/ Dead Men Don’t Rape

      Frustration helps me make stuff, even if I have no idea where to take it.

    It’s been muggy as hell this year. It feels unreal. Still, folks are out trying to make the best of it. “My life, I realize suddenly, is July. Childhood is June, and old age is August, but here it is, July, and my life, this year, is July inside of July.” Rick Bass


  • …this is your brain on drugs

    • Why Kids Can’t Read

      I have no patience for podcasts. I leave it to my wife to decide what gets listened to on long road trips (or, in the winter, when a 1,000 piece puzzle is littered all over the dining table). During our drive back from Savannah, where we spent the week of Thanksgiving and adopted our darling…

    • Affiliate Arbitrage

      Theory: search and referrals rarely deliver consumers results for the “best” product or service they are looking for. Just about every link on any “buyer’s guide” page goes through several hoops of affiliate reference codes. So you have to ask: is this product really the best? Or is the publisher getting the most incentive to…

    • How To Grieve a Dog

      When I was 10 or 11 I remember my father taking me with him to an animal hospital out in the sticks. The cat, Friday, was in the back seat in its travel trailer. I don’t remember much about the cat other than that we didn’t care for each other very much. It was effectively…

    • The Logic of Reading Well

      The current reality: reading isn’t a priority. When newspapers were still a stalwart of our cultural hegemony, even they were written at a 7th grade reading level. After all, everyone needs to know the news. I far the average reading level is far less than that. There is the story about the woman suing because…

    • The path to better brains

      Write more. All the time. See what your thoughts look like on paper. Writing by hand conditions fine motor control. This can help with everything from improving synapse connections to properly fingering your partner to orgasm. Read better. Learn to read a text deeply and thoroughly. Ideally, spend large amounts of time with novels published…

    • This robot will sell you a soul

      Was I worried about AI “taking my job”? Never. Mostly because I wasn’t sure what it was they were taking. Oh no, is AI going to run off with all of the people who send me bottom-dollar offers through Upwork? I will say I noticed a two-year lapse of people reaching out for content and…

    • Hell Hath No Fury/ Dead Men Don’t Rape

      Frustration helps me make stuff, even if I have no idea where to take it.

    Less oxygen, more heat, less thinky.