urbantrappistblogastery

One main factor in my decision to move to Washington rather than Fairbanks was my hope in cities. Or rather, in multiplicities. Not to say that Alaska lacks variety (catch salmon/hypothermia! hunt moose/civilization! see glaciers/Russia!), but an international hub like the District offers uncountable (and, sometimes, unsavory) possibilities. Just ask [...]

In my itchy roots fashion, I am again transplanted. But rather than a modest shift between Ohio gardens, I am now trying to grow on the concrete grid of our capital, the heart of darkness in politics and crime (but I repeat myself!) Minimally acquainted with the city, I already see how little [...]

Most of the writing here hasn’t approached UT philosophy, though the thoughtful element at least manifests it. (OK, fine, thoughtful might not be the best word. Laugh it up.) Anyway, here’s a paradox that’s analogous to the city/monastery duality.
There are a lot of good reasons to cook, not least being the need [...]

I’d love to describe what to expect and when to expect it, but that might force me into committed blogging. So instead, I’ll outline some things that I might not do (and yet, I might).
This is not a livejournal. You won’t hear about my life except as a portal into more general issues [...]

“I am an invisible man,” declares the unnamed narrator of Ralph Ellison’s only finished novel, Invisible Man. He elaborates in the Prologue, retelling times when he went unseen. While he quashes all sci-fi notions, I still read it too literally my first go-through. I interpreted “invisible” as “ignored”, believing the point was [...]