He boarded the train to St. Gallen with the confidence of a man entering a courtroom in which he was both plaintiff and defendant. Under his right arm, glistening in the weak morning sun, dangled the unapologetically plastic limbs of a woman no one dared to name. Her expression was fixed — lips parted, eyes… Continue reading The last gentleman
Category: male/female
This mediocre adventure
Journal de Jules Renard February 28, 1895 “I think that if I had to choose a profession all over again, I would not be a writer. I would be a peasant. A peasant doesn’t need to please anyone but the land. The land does not flatter in return. Writers grow hunchbacked over paper, hungrily awaiting… Continue reading This mediocre adventure
Next stop upon request (Runaway train)
Above: The logo of Swiss Federal Railways – the national railway company of Switzerland The train lurches with a sudden screeech, the hum of forward motion swallowed by the high eee of braking and the collective gasp of surprised passengers clutching at poles and seats. The train halts between Egnach and Arbon, a silent pause in motion.… Continue reading Next stop upon request (Runaway train)
Control, Alter, Delete: The era and error of erasure
Saturday 22 March 2025 Landschlacht, Canton Thurgau, Switzerland Above: St. Leonhard’s Chapel, Landschlacht, Canton Thurgau, Switzerland As I try to revitalize my spirits in regards to my dual ambitions as teacher and writer, I slowly return to life through the writing of this blog. I have tried to keep a chronicle of calendar dates since… Continue reading Control, Alter, Delete: The era and error of erasure
Oblivion: the sacred and the absurd
Monday 17 February 2025 Eskişehir, Türkiye “Time is the father of truth. Its mother is our mind.” Giordano Bruno, The Ash Wednesday Supper (1584) Reading the past I hope to glean truth that sustains me for the future. By considering the past, perhaps I can perceive the lessons that history can teach us. In examining… Continue reading Oblivion: the sacred and the absurd
Another season
Sunday 16 February 2025 Sometimes words are like tears. Sometimes they quietly emerge from out of the corners of our perception. At other times they pour out of us like the torrent of my rushing river. And there are times when they cannot flow. My research on this calendar day has drawn me to 1923.… Continue reading Another season
What’s love got to do with it?
Thursday 14 February 2025 Eskişehir, Türkiye Where does one find love? Perhaps Rome? Above: Roma (Rome), Italia The Basilica di Santa Maria in Cosmedin is a minor basilican church in Rome, dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Located in the rione (neighborhood) of Ripa and constructed first in the 6th century as a diaconia (deaconry) in an area of the city populated by Greek immigrants,… Continue reading What’s love got to do with it?
Battle scars
Eskişehir, Türkiye Wednesday 12 February 2025 We tell ourselves war ends when the treaties are signed, when the guns fall silent. But for those who bear its scars, war is never truly over. The fight continues — not on the battlefield, but in the struggle to heal, to be seen, to be whole again. And… Continue reading Battle scars
A friend in deed
Dear Dost, I know that people don’t send letters anymore. Rather we tend to rely on instant messaging or e-mail. Sure, they are convenient and instant, but they do not have the same level of intimacy as a personal letter does. Sadly, the joy of receiving real letters is something that fewer and fewer people… Continue reading A friend in deed
The joy of hikikomori
Hikikomori (Japanese): Total withdrawal from society Fujimaki: “I have been suffering from this disabling social phobia for many years and I am still struggling in my recovery. After receiving six months of therapy, I am gradually trying to reintegrate into society, but I am still pretty reclusive. When I think back, I realize that even… Continue reading The joy of hikikomori