Brian's Essays

Essays

Afternoon of a Fawn: Why are deer conservatives and cougars liberals?
The Big Bang: If the world started with a bang and not a whimper, what did it sound like?
Big Rock Ridge: A meditation on the layers of reality
The Bolinas Stage Line: All about the old stagecoach line that used to run from San Rafael to Bolinas.
Carson Canyon: A waterfall, a hummingbird, and a redwood grove.
Chicxulub: The day the dinosaurs died, and why you're glad you weren't there.
Cinquain: A magical hike with tunnelsingers and found poetry.
Downtown: A pretty spot in the sky that's going to destroy the Earth.
False memories and True Words: What did Sitting Bull really say?
Dying by Fractions: Let's kill fractions, they're a real pain.
Gamelan: When is an Indonesian musical instrument like a compact disk?
Headlands: A contemplative Springtime walk in the Marin Headlands.
Jesus was a Protestant: We think of Christianity as being conservative, but its founder was a radical.
Kent State: Remembering the Kent State massacre; a personal reminiscence.
Meteors: They're pretty to look at, but what would it be like to be one?
A Molecular God: Recent advances in microbiology push the limits between the physical and the divine.
Notes from a Hot Tub: Various brief meditations from one of Bush's "Mare-in hot-tubbers."
Red Sky at Night: A sailor's delight? Not when it's the end of the world.
Speed Freaks: Think you're just sitting still? Think again.
The Stars are Out: And why it's a stupid thing to say.
To a Lady Hiker: Thoughts upon meeting a lone woman on a lonely trail.
To Build a Trail: Zen and the art of trail-building.
Tradition: Why do we do repeat celebrations that have all but lost their meanings?; A schooner, a suicidal raven, and a galaxy of seeds.
Pirates Cove: A visit to a tiny pocket beach with Deadwood and Telemann's ghost.