I love the word “spelunking.” It’s far more imaginative than the prosaic “caving.” I was a spelunker until 2012. Instead of crawling around in caves, I did it under my house. Never once was it my idea to go under my house, except for today. There were photos that had to be taken. The reason…
Down the Orinoco with my father
June 4, 2023
My father Edward Wictor was a complete stranger. Since his death on February 23, 2013, he’s become even more of a mystery. Dad wrote three unpublished memoirs that are nearly impossible to read. Like the film Pulp Fiction, they don’t follow a chronological narrative. Instead, they jump around in time and place, they contain almost…
On Losing Everything, Part One
June 3, 2023
Two days ago I wrote about Ryan Kelly Chamberlain, a man wanted by the FBI. I got the details of the story wrong. He didn’t have ricin, and his car wasn’t rigged with explosives. He was arrested in San Francisco yesterday after leaving a trail ten miles wide. For example, he used his ATM card…
On Losing Everything, Part Two
June 3, 2023
So, what are my thoughts on Ryan Kelly Chamberlain’s letter about losing everything? I think it’s a joke. He’s a joke. Don’t get me wrong: His depression is certainly real. But how he handled his problems is sickeningly self-indulgent. Today a fat, fabulously wealthy bastard told me I was too angry, and I need to…
Not very smart, guys
June 1, 2023
The French have arrested the murderer responsible for the mass shooting in Belgium at the Jewish museum. He’s a twenty-nine-year-old Muslim career criminal who went to Syria for a year and acted in the named of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), formerly known as al-Qaeda in Iraq. It’s not very smart…
Rich, trendy, vacuous, and ready to kill thousands.
June 1, 2023
Meet Ryan Chamberlain. He lives in the Russian Hill neighborhood of San Francisco. Ryan is a self-described political junkie, wordie, techie, fithead, poker player, and sports fan. And he’s now wanted by the FBI because he was laying the groundwork for a mass-casualty terrorist attack. Why are so many truly fortunate people ready to kill…
Why a cat made me believe in reincarnation
May 31, 2023
I’m currently feeding a family of feral cats. I don’t want to, but I don’t see that I have a choice. Today, the cats themselves pretty much told me that I have to keep doing it. I’ll explain what happened. And then I’ll tell you how another cat made me believe in reincarnation. Five days…
This is real
May 31, 2023
I just learned of Cameron Carpenter. Last night I had a strange nightmare in which I attended a NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) show and tried to buddy up to the bassist Stanley Clarke. He looked just like Jimi Hendrix and refused to acknowledge me. I rubbed my face against his as he made…