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The Band | Baltimore, MD | 2024

The Ballad of Sun and Moon

MCHL WGGNS April 18, 2024

Cherry is the smallest rock in the bunch, but it helps that they are always sitting on top of Watermelon, who is arguably the largest member of the family when you consider length, width, height, weight, and smoothness. Watermelon is smooth, and everyone is cool with them being the extravagant gem, because diversity is hip to this freshly knit ensemble.

Yes, as of today, they officially started a band! The whimsical group of singer-songwriters hasn't settled on a moniker just yet because they are hyperfocused on their earthly docket, and naturally, all the pertinent issues are decided by a cosmic feat and an enthusiastic show of hands—or in the case of the metallic outliers—a flaunting of infinity fingers that express their oft knotty positions. “In due time,” is a favorite mantra of the assemblage, who despite their illusion of stasis, love a good frolic, so it is not unusual to see the Gang of Twelve (currently in the running for: Best Band Name Thus Far) sporting natty pairs of well worn Dr. Martens when duty calls, unanimous in their delight for proper foot care as they zigzag around the globe, celebrating their fetish-of-the-day along the endless elevations of Gaia.

Despite this luxury of total freedom, the band prefers to be chauffeured by Sun and Moon, who live at the tippy top of creation, with a fabulous view, and coincidentally—just got married! Forever linked on April, 8th, the one-love newlyweds tickle themselves with symbolism, so the matrimonial date was predestined with April being the fourth month of the Gregorian, and four times two (Moon and Sun) equals eight, and the year, two thousand twenty four, was enchantingly two plus (or times) two equals four, and if that wasn't enough juju, Aries was the first sign in the zodiac.

Alas, not everything was auspicious to Sun and Moon. If you were introduced to them at a party, the couple would invariably let you know that it was perfectly acceptable to refer to them as Moon and Sun, or, Sun and Moon. "Mix it up, have fun!" they would say, in unison. However, it was widely understood that when speaking about them publicly, they insisted on being presented as a pair. But they weren't sticklers about this bit of kink, nor would they call you out if you neglected the courtesy, instead, you would be schooled in a more subtle way. The way of the village. A way that did not require their presence.

Moon and Sun passionately trusted the band to educate and enlighten. To spread the word. Or was it a feeling? This tangible vs. ethereal discussion was topical and also on their global short-list. The idea of whether it needed to be said, and if so, by whom? They were a lovingly thoughtful friend circle so they respectfully put a pin in it. Nevertheless, if a neighbor innocently said, "Sun, when will the burgers be ready?" There would be a hush, nearly inconceivable, merely lasting a second, and then, Cherry would tip-toe with a mild sense of urgency towards the wafting mojo in the room—which was you. You were the mojo. That certain someone who unexpectedly, or unknowingly, or perhaps through sheer laziness, was divinely repentant. And you felt it, immediately. The second it came out of your mouth. Why you even finished the sentence was mind boggling. Were you that hungry? And Cherry would look you in the eye, because they could, because they were sitting on top of Watermelon, and they would whisper with that disconcerting Yoda tenderness, "Sun and Moon," which was chased by a fleeting scent of magnolia, and then again, alternatively, "Moon and Sun," suspended in air, holding you in their lingering gaze until the words were inked upon your tongue.

The nascent collective worked as a unit. They were rock. They were metal. They were united in song, with perfect pitch, the epitome of Om.





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Tags Eclipse, Fiction, Love, Music, Poetry

Self Portrait | Baltimore, MD | 2024

Traveling Light

MCHL WGGNS March 25, 2024

So I'm going to San Antonio to spend a week with my friends Jesse and Julie. I'll be flying on Southwest Airlines courtesy of the Kanner Lubbering Foundation for Peace, Love and Happiness which is hosting an event up in Kerrville, Texas called: The Total Eclipse of the Sun.

I'm excited. I haven't been on a plane since 2016 when Danielle and I flew from NYC to Los Angeles to see M83 at the Greek Theatre. I'm opting for the window seat since I'll be flying during the day which presents the perfect opportunity to playact the role of Helios looking down at all the mortals gazing skyward (on April 8th, the day of the eclipse), which I consider an appropriate prelude to my pilgrimage. I revel in dramatic flights of pretending, especially if they are inspired by the spirit of symmetry.

Pretending is manifest in a variety of fashions: such as the spontaneous improv, or the long contemplated ruse, and the most common pretense of all—the godforsaken habitual. I like to be equitable and taste everything on the appetizer tray, so I might start my 7 a.m. coffee ritual with a harmless bit of operatic wailing performed for a family of mice bickering in the laundry room, and naturally, I'm accompanied by Yo-Yo Ma who is all smiles as he encourages a skosh more soprano even though he knows, damn well, I'm a tenor. But honestly, I'm grateful for his nudging. And after lunch (grilled cheeses with a side of kosher dills), I'll lace up my sneakers with the intention of walking my requisite 2.5 miles yet inevitably I end up in bed reading another chapter of The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich and just as I contemplate a nap I bust out the iPad and start writing a new blog and debate whether I should sit by the window or the aisle because they both have their pros and cons but I end up convincing myself the window is better because I can be Helios, and it's settled. Then night rolls around and I think about weed and how I haven't had any gummies or hit the pipe since the start of the year and I say, good for you, and wonder where I ended up hiding the stash even though I know it's in the bin I tucked deep inside a dead closet so I wouldn't think about it—the "it" being whether or not I'll convince myself that weed helps me sleep better and eases my chronic-itis—but instead I'll get on the yoga mat and do my three sets because I'm reborn and I've put my hurts in the same bin with the weed and then tomorrow night I'll turn on the purple light and I'll think about how there is no way just one puff will make a difference. And these are the ways I pretend.

As my friend Doug would say, "We all got to be something."

I think I'll be a good listener when I get to San Antonio and I'll bring my camera even though I have a tendency to use the viewfinder as a doppelganger. But I know that somewhere between me and my pretense is the spiritual balance that I speak of and trust.





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Tags Baltimore, Books, Coffee, Compassion, Dee, Doug, Eclipse, Faith, Flowers, Jesse, Kerrville, Nonfiction, Photography, San Antonio

San Antonio | Baltimore, MD | 2024

Dawn Patrol

MCHL WGGNS February 21, 2024

I saw a familiar face in the park; I couldn't remember her name, but she was approaching. It was early afternoon and I was lounging around some picnic tables; in the distance her gentle eyes looking at me, walking my way. I noticed something on the table covered in aluminum foil, the remnants of a small gathering, perhaps. I was curious but I didn't have time to poke around because she arrived sooner than I expected. She told me it was a Jewish holiday and this was food to eat; then she gestured (with a sweeping hand) for me to enjoy. I was hungry and excited about the feast, but I don't recall tasting what appeared to be a creamy pasta salad. Heather, that was her name; we met in 2000 on the TV show "Madigan Men" which was produced in NYC at Kaufman Astoria Studios. Heather was a writer's assistant. She was always nice. It was Heather that offered me the food. Soon after she arrived: I awakened. I looked outside my bedroom door and tried to guess what time it was, the quality of the light; I had no idea, I didn't really care, but I knew I was happy and relieved that I finally got that good sleep, which is my number one self-care goal at the moment.

I attribute my delicious rest to a few things. First, I only had three hours of sleep the night before; I closed my eyes at 3 a.m. and woke up at 6, then I stayed in bed for two hours reading Trust by Hernan Diaz. I thought I would doze off after several chapters of incredible financial success followed by crushing personal loss but I dreaded the thought of waking up at 3 or 4 p.m. and having to restart my sleep cycle again. So I begrudgingly got out of bed, but at least I was happy to look out my window and see people doing morning things, like the police on horseback patrolling the trails of Woodberry. You see, I had recently texted my friend Jesse and asked when his household awakened. Rise at 7, shine at 8. Ok, that was my new goal, to wake up at 7 a.m. so I could be social with my San Antonio family. Jesse and his wife Julie recently bought me a Southwest Airlines ticket to visit them for a week in early April to watch the solar eclipse in Kerrville which meant I had around six weeks to get my sleep schedule correct. But today I woke at 11 a.m. hungry with thoughts of pasta salad glossy in the sun, which was a bit of a letdown in regards to the hour, but I knew I was making up for the previous night of near sleeplessness so I wasn't really mad, in fact, I was thrilled to feel this alive and positive and the only thing on my mind was a fresh cup of coffee: a delicious medium roast from Mom's called Dawn Patrol (DP). As I walked into the kitchen and greeted my Chemex I reflected on my buoyancy and was thinking my new haircut followed by the nice hot shower I took last night probably contributed to my heavenly slumbers, along with my prolonged yoga session with all the doors and windows wide open to air out the cooking smells from the apartment below despite it being just 28 degrees outside. I was still dressed in the four mitigating layers of various types of fabric (cotton, microfibers and a baja hoodie) as I vigorously stirred dark chocolate and raw honey into my pint of DP while admiring the inside of my refrigerator which I had thoroughly cleaned the day before chased by a solid hour trying to figure out how to reinstall the shelving and the crispers. But today—nothing but sparkling glass and shiny apple skins, a loaf of sourdough begging to be grilled cheese and a glistening jar of sliced kosher dills. Yes, I had worked myself into a tizzy yesterday, yet I haven't mentioned the best thing I did, the one prescient moment that might have morphed my pathological nightmares of disorganization into thoughts of Heather's smiling face: sending an email to my friend DML asking if the trip to DC in late April (to admire the orchids) was still on the table, which was a long shot considering she moved out of our apartment 48 days ago, but the mere inquiry lifted a sadness that had been lingering for weeks.

My mind and body was at peace, for the moment, and tomorrow I might set my sights on 7 a.m. But for now I would sip my coffee and enjoy the sounds of garbage bins emptying on the streets.





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Tags Baltimore, Books, Chocolate, Food, Jesse, Love, Melancholy, Music, Nonfiction, NYC
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