Refurbish Your Luck
Friends, Tragedy has struck here in my part of Taipei. For the last year, a majority of the newsletters you’ve received have been written in large part at...
My Winter Break as a Tourist
Friends, Winter break has begun, and I’m using the opportunity to a) spend Christmas week with a mild cold that would not shake and b) check out some Taipei-...
Customary Procedures
Possible short story Friends, What do you think is the story behind the above photo? This scooter has been sitting on the side of the road for years, but I...
Changing Leaves, Leaving Changes
This photo needs no explanation. Friends, Down the street from us, nestled between a 7-Eleven and a literal hole-in-the-wall that hands out betel nuts and...
Academic Sustenance
I hope Griffin gets his pet dog. Friends, We just finished celebrating Moon Festival, or Mid-Autumn Festival, here in Taiwan. I avoided overdosing on...
"Belong to your place"
Newest neighbor? Friends, It’s September, which means the beginning of another school year. This is the first semester I’ve had a class begin with more...
Teach Out and Touch Faith
Friends, I do not like our neighborhood cats. I am not against cats in theory, though my allergies mean I am against them in proximity. But our alley has a...
Summer in Fast Forward
A friend’s cactus bloomed just for our visit. Friends, Hello from the United States, where we have had the full experience. I have eaten an ill-advisable...
Time, Talent, and Treasure
An alley in Toucheng, on the NE coast of Taiwan. Friends, I am experiencing some guilt lately: I have hardly picked up litter in our neighborhood in the last...
Boss of the Block
Wedding photos on the university volleyball court. Friends, The view in the photo above is from the balcony outside my department at National Taiwan...
Redistributing the Air in the Room
A Heart Sutra being written in Zhinan Temple near Maokong Friends, I’m currently in the middle of teaching a small unit on reviews (of the movie, restaurant,...
A Litter Pill to Swallow
HRC-Taiwan at the Taipei International Book Exhibition. Friends, I come to you with an important update. Our back door, which has had a draft since at least...
Lines of Communication
The west coast of Taiwan, near Miaoli Friends, Hello! Welcome to a new version of my newsletter, this time hosted through ButtonDown. They’ve been really...
Busan and on and on
Busan and on and on We visited “Texas Street” and found it full of Cyrillic and shady-looking nightclubs and weird meats, which tracks. Busan and on and on...
Your Own Personal Residency
Your Own Personal Residency The only thing holding me back is language, not bureaucratic red tape. And I’m working on that. Your Own Personal Residency...
Spun Me Right Round
Spun Me Right Round The winds are strong enough that it feels like the building is vibrating, similar to a small earthquake. Spun Me Right Round Friends, I...
Casual Fare
Casual Fare I’ll tell the 老闆s that these are my friends from the US and they will say 歡迎歡迎 and ask if you’ve eaten Taiwanese food before. Casual Fare My...
Creeping in the Alleyway
Creeping in the Alleyway It’s impossible for us to do no harm in a modern world, but it is possible for us to do a little less, to encourage a little less....
One Foot in the Door
One Foot in the Door We want to avoid our trip having the tenor of college students visiting home for the summer. One Foot in the Door Note: if you’d like to...
What’d you bring me?
What’d you bring me? My friends, it is July in Texas and I have asked to borrow a hoodie. What’d you bring me? Friends, I am currently in the United States,...