In Case I Die: Transhumanism

I was in the kitchen with your mom the other day talking about a kid in the neighborhood who’s been sad to the point that he’s not going to school (he’s not the first of your friends to have this problem and he won’t be the last). You were cruising by and said that you…More

In Case I Die: Some Thoughts on Rainbows and Fistfights

Hey buddy,  I turned 41 a few weeks ago, which feels very old. It’s definitely older than I want to be. Oh, if only I could send my middle-aged mind back in time and allow it to occupy my younger self! But I imagine that the desired outcome of making better decisions would prevent me…More

In Case I Die: Turtle Problems

Hey buddy, I’ve communicated to you that I walk around looking for dead animals, which you don’t seem to think is weird- good on you. I mean, it is weird, and fairly gross, but it’s also weird and gross to ignore dead animals, though far more effort is expended by municipal governments in removing them…More

In Case I Die: Weak Times/Hard Men

Hey buddy, As you grow I think you’re going to have a lot of people at your disposal who can help you with vetting information and learning how to think. As much as you’re going to be assaulted with bad ideas offered by people with bad intentions there’s no lack of intelligent people around to…More

In Case I Die: Some More Thoughts About Guns, Supreme Court Edition

A friend of mine told me that these things are too short. Writing really long and involved stuff discussing guns and self-defense and guerilla war seems at odds with short, digestible essays that are age appropriate for young adolescents. So I guess these are going to be written for a more mature 13 year old.…More

In Case I Die: School Shootings/Dungeons and Dragons

I was thinking a lot about the human imagination today. Prior to that I was thinking about Dungeons and Dragons, and after that, about what it would be like if you or your sister got shot in the face, and these considerations led me to the broader question of the range of possibilities a mind…More

In Case I Die: Godfatherhood

Hey buddy, You’re asthma is all messed up today. I’m super sorry. It sucks that someone whose chief joy in life is constant motion has lungs that push back like they do. Anyway… I’m your godfather. I don’t know if you know that. Your upbringing hasn’t involved any church, save a funeral here and there.…More

Novel Excerpt: Interstices

A few years ago I started a novel, made it about 200 pages in, and abandoned it for other projects. Here’s an excerpt. If you like it, drop me a line and let me know. Feeling like people have an interest makes it easier to keep going with this sort of thing – CJC Melantha…More

In Case I Die: Kurt Cobain

Hey buddy, I was driving east from Queens last week and it took three hours to move thirty miles. If I was riding a horse that would be impressive, but I was driving an automobile. I wasn’t impressed at all.  This turned into a brief existential crisis. I’ve driven east and west during Long Island…More

In Case I Die: Cola Boyy/Rogovin

Hey buddy,  A couple of years ago you got the sense that something was wrong with me. A couple of years is a huge span of time for a kid under ten. It wasn’t clear to me how best to explain it. The best I could come up with was to say that I had…More