On endings, beginnings, time travel, and change without change. — That there, that’s not me I go where I please I walk through walls I float down the Liffey I’m not here This isn’t happening I’m not here I’m not here In a little while I’ll be gone The moment’s already passed Yeah, it’s gone And I’m not here This isn’t…

From a Bronx basement to God’s ears and everywhere else on Earth — You remember where you were — don’t you? When you first heard it? That unmistakable sound. That boom-bap of the Roland TR-808. That syrupy bass. That MC with something to say, too urgent for song. I do, anyway. Picture it: PBS, 1986. Reading Rainbow. Run-DMC drops in on Levar Burton…

On ego. — I’ve seen the real you. It is not your Audi; it is not your die-cut business card; it is not your perfectly-pressed non-iron button-up. It is inside all of that, yet apart from it. It’s not your words or your deeds. It’s not your church or your faith. It’s not…

So you can become immortal, and then die. — “What is your greatest ambition in life?” “To become immortal, and then die.” — Jean-Luc Godard, Breathless (1960) I always forget to remember my dreams. I mean — I’m sure I have them, but my mind blanks by the time I wake up. On the rare occasion a thought-bubble slips…

The rock wall and the wild pitch. — A ways back, I was learning to rock climb. Or, more accurately, learning to “boulder,” since there’s a distinction. I won’t go far as to say you should try it, but it’s a helluva workout. You stare at a wall, assess oddly-shaped colored pieces jutting out, then attempt to climb…

Here’s what matters. — Let’s cut the shit. Life’s short. At my age, I’ve probably only got another 10 World Cups left at most before they scatter my ashes over Niagara Falls. You may not have much longer. I don’t say this to depress you — I say this to resurrect the most overpraised…

My likeness is being used in a phishing scam on this platform. — This is not me. I am not them. They are impastas. Block and report. My real comments are not that earnest, I promise. I will never give you my WhatsApp number. (Okay, I *will*, but only if I like you, and only over DM.) Do not text them. Pretty sure…

Maybe we were meant to color inside the lines after all. — One day, I’d like to give it all up and just be a handsome millionaire. That’s what I like to tell myself, anyway. The joke is, of course, that both of those things would be an improvement over my current lot; while we like to tell ourselves that these are…

However, simple doesn’t necessarily mean easy. — I sat down with a fresh-faced MBA candidate this afternoon, over Zoom, on another ridiculously hot day here in Austin. It’s not uncommon for the leaders — or, middle managers, at least — of tomorrow to request 30 minutes of face time with “senior” “professionals” to “pick their brain,” and…