Stirring the Pot: Mixing Grit, Heartache, and Hope Into Real Change
First, like the fiddler, I have something to shout from the rooftops: I’ve completed my big three projects for this, my final undergraduate semester at Cal Poly Humboldt! This educational triumvirate the grant proposal, the wicked project, and my senior capstone is all laser-focused on launching a culturally responsive food pantry in Covelo, California. But […]
At Least Dentists Numb You
I don’t usually rush to write open letters or blog posts, but as we approach another key City Council meeting on June 26th, I feel compelled to speak not just as a resident of Fort Bragg, but as a father who hopes this town remains strong enough to offer opportunity to my kids, should they […]
Diarrhea of the Mouth, an Incurable Virus
I saw that Hemingway quote this morning: “It takes two years to learn to speak, and sixty to learn to keep quiet.” Buddy, we ain’t raising Hemingways no more. We’re raising parrots with WiFi. We live in a time where self-respect’s been traded in for attention. Nobody cares about being right, just about being loud. […]
Something to Protest About
I believe reopening the Skunk Train tunnel is not just a good idea it’s absolutely necessary for the future of our little town. I want to be clear right up front: I have no affiliation with the Skunk Train. I don’t work for them, and I don’t have any financial interest in whether that tunnel […]
The House Always Wins: Culture Wars and Economic Chains
If America was a casino, we’d all be the chumps at the table while the house rakes it in laughin’, drinkin’, and riggin’ the deck. That chart? That’s not economics, that’s stagecraft. It’s a magic show with bipartisan smoke and mirrors. It’s evidence of a slow, silent surrender. Year after year, we watch it grow. […]
Restitching the Flag: A New Look at Old Glory
They say symbols are only as powerful as the meaning we give them. And if that’s true, then I’m heartbroken by what’s happened to the American flag. I still get a lump in my throat when I see it waving in the breeze. Whether it’s on the front porch of a small-town house, raised high […]
Bailing Out Bad Policy with Your Backyard: #OnlyInUkiah
I’m going to say what a lot of us are thinking but too few in power are willing to admit: we are broke locally, regionally, and nationally. Not “tight on funds” or “navigating fiscal challenges.” We’re maxed out. Stretched thin. Buried in obligations we keep pretending we can manage. And yet, in the middle of […]
Favoritism Is a Leadership Cancer: Your Double Standards Are Showing
I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what real leadership looks like, not the buzzword-heavy, performative kind, but the kind that actually holds a team together when things get hard. For me, good leadership starts with one principle: everyone under your care should feel heard, respected, and secure. Not just the squeaky wheels. Not […]
Proper Bedfellows: Love and Lies
Harlan Ellison said it: “The minute people fall in love, they become liars.” I read that and thought, “Oh, that’s harsh… but also feels like someone looked inside my diary.” Because you know, I’ve done it. You probably have too. First Impressions: The Costume, the Lines, the Lies When we fall for someone, our default mode […]
Witch, Please: How Rumors Still Run the World
I recently heard a story about a school that has haunted me ever since. A teacher staged what he called a “witch game.” Each student was whispered a role: witch or ordinary villager. The goal? Form the biggest group possible without letting a witch in. If even one witch slipped in, your group failed. The […]