Written, very poorly, in March of 2001… I think I must have been drunk, because this is terrible. John Steinbeck’s “The Chrysanthemums” is a short story about a farmer’s wife, Elisa, who feels trapped in her daily existence, which centers on the role of the women of her time. She lives a restricted life, lightened [...]

Written around October 2001 In “The Prince,” Niccolo Machiavelli’s view of governing a state was drastically different from that of his contemporaries, the humanists, of the late 1500s. In it, Machiavelli explained how a “Prince” or ruler should be the sole authority in determining the policies of the state. These polices, he instructed, must be [...]

Hahahah – I wrote this in November of 2000. I guess the more things change the more they stay the same. As I write this I am downloading three different versions of “Lightening Crashes,” a song by a group called Live. One is an acoustic version, one was recorded in concert, and the last was [...]

Edgar Degas was one of the greatest artists of the impressionist movement. The movement’s beginnings are attributed to Manet, while the name “Impressionism” was derived from Claude Monet’s “Impression: Sunrise”. The movement’s leaders included Manet, Monet, Suerat, Cassat, Renoir and Degas. The artists all knew each other, spending their days talking, drinking and painting together. [...]

Written around November 2001 August. Because I came, blossoms unlocked themselves, Fullness surrounds me because I am. The song of the nightingale conjures my ear To its very heart. I am father to all, To all on the stars, And the furthest reaches.[1]