THE VIRTUOSO

Euterpe- The Muse of Music

When You Dare To Touch the Sun

From the front lines of July 1968

Our Lack of Privilege Is a Privilege

Maybe the things we think we can’t live without are the things we need to rethink

All Aboard!

The allure of train travel

What the World Thinks of the Midterm Results

And a prediction — what Trump will do next

Love Rode a Blue Tsunami To Change The Arc of the U.S. and The World

Keep swimming, keep swimming

Republicans’ Bet on AI Backfires During Midterm Elections

Data centers were a major point of contention that flipped Texas to Democrat control

November 4, 2026 Was Not Normal

America is no longer like a submarine surrounded by monsters

DO NOT LOOK FOR ANYTHING TO CHANGE AFTER NEXT TUESDAY

POWER DOES NOT LIKE CHANGE

Life After Death

We came from a mystery and will return to it

I Look Forward to Nothing

And I look forward to it every day

Things That Spoiled it For Me

Writing about food, wine and travel taught me that getting paid to enjoy yourself can take some of the pleasure out of it

Local Man, Age 53, Develops Pecs and Arms and is Called Sexy First Time

Why did I wait until deep middle-age to discover this?

The Third Man & Other Stories

What I think about while I read books

Everyone Thinks They’re Wise

But they can’t be

10 Things I Would Rather Do Than Watch The News

Pulled from an infinite list in my head

My Sainted Aunt, What Are We Talking About?

From psychedelic rabbits to rattling dags, the things we say without quite knowing why