Jonathan Erdman, indie writer | stories and scattered scribbles

Alaska or Bust

by Jonathan Erdman

I was enjoying a nice drive, heading west on Highway 16 in central British Columbia, when a tire flew at me, loosed from a vehicle that was heading the opposite direction. My car is fucked but thankfully there were no injuries. If anyone has any advice on handling auto insurance claims while traveling abroad, I’d love to hear it.

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Tripping through The State of Jefferson

by Jonathan Erdman

I’m slowly working my way north in my subcompact Fiat 500, which I converted into a little camper car, of sorts. I stripped it down to the bare bones, took out all the seats with the exception of the drivers seat (which I admit to giving consideration, however short-lived, to the idea of taking it out as well), and I stuffed it full of...

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Alaska or Bust

I was enjoying a nice drive, heading west on Highway 16 in central British Columbia, when a tire flew...

by Jonathan Erdman

Tripping through The State of Jefferson

I’m slowly working my way north in my subcompact Fiat 500, which I converted into a little camper car,...

by Jonathan Erdman

Slug life

I’m trying to make the most of my remaining time here in the Santa Cruz Mountains. I start out...

by Jonathan Erdman

Berning in the woods

A week from last Saturday was the big kick off push for Bernie Sanders campaign volunteers. There were nearly...

by Jonathan Erdman

Go to work naked?

It’s sometimes difficult to get back into the swing of things after tax season, i.e., it’s difficult to resume...

by Jonathan Erdman

Adventures in tax prep

Occupations listed on 1040 Return I prepared, of Married Filing Jointly couple, newly retired: “Freshwater Pirate” and “Lake Mermaid”

by Jonathan Erdman

Bernie in San Fran, thus begins the long march

For those of us in the tax prep business, March is truly a long march. Interestingly, the most stress...

by Jonathan Erdman

Ten Years

On the occasion of the expiration and intended renewal of my passport.

by Jonathan Erdman

Should the DSA endorse Bernie?

DSA (Democratic Socialists of America) is the activist organization that I “fuck with,” fuck with being a younger person’s...

by Jonathan Erdman

No mamacita, adventures at the urinal

The other night I went to the restroom to pee. It was sometime after six, I think, and I...

by Jonathan Erdman

February 22, 2019

Savoring life’s little Kafka moments

I sent an email to a client recently, sending them some forms that I had completed and requesting their...

by Jonathan Erdman

February 18, 2019

Super Swell

The moon sure is pretty tonight. It’s a “super moon,” though, so I expected it to look pretty. So...

by Jonathan Erdman

January 20, 2019

Women’s March 2019

Activism is good for the soul. I want to change the world, like anyone else, but for me activism...

by Jonathan Erdman

January 9, 2019

It’s time for Democrats to be the grownups voters want | Washington Post

I recently read a wonderful Op-Ed article that I thought I’d bring to your attention. It’s wonderful, not in...

by Jonathan Erdman

December 5, 2018

Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal Is a Winning Climate Strategy | The ...

Good reading in The Atlantic on Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the Green New Deal. It highlights one of the overarching...

by Jonathan Erdman

November 8, 2018

The midterms were not a bad night for Trump | Cas Mudde | Opinion | The Guardian

“Whether the Republican establishment likes it or not – and more and more are actually perfectly happy with it...

by Jonathan Erdman

November 5, 2018

Election day and how is your stomach?

Trump is hitting the campaign trail, hitting it hard in the way that Trumpty Dumpty sort of way he...

by Jonathan Erdman

September 14, 2018

Will protests stop Trump?

My time is winding down here in McCarthy, and so I’m trying to enjoy the last week of my...

by Jonathan Erdman

Communion

This summer I’ve turned more attention to blogging, and I’ve started phazing out Facebook. In the process I’ve been...

by Jonathan Erdman

Phazing Out Facebook

“I’m off the book,” says my friend Scott. We stand together on the porch of the Golden Saloon, drinking...

by Jonathan Erdman

This is why the Gospel is political

It’s extremely weird, in retrospect, but in my evangelical circles no one ever really talked about Martin Luther King,...

by Jonathan Erdman

Republican Peter King compares NFL protests to ‘players giving Nazi ...

One way that racism persists in America is that non-Whites are not permitted to interpret their own experiences. White...

by Jonathan Erdman

The Quotable Trump

The Trumpification of the English language: “For instance, I went to Russia for a day or so, a day...

by Jonathan Erdman

Happy Birthday, Karl Marx — you were right

Marx’s 200th birthday was two days ago. With two centuries in the can, I’d be interested to hear what...

by Jonathan Erdman

Watch “March 15 Sermon by James Finley, Ph.D.” on YouTube

I recently came across this little homily from one of my favorite spiritual teachers, James Finley. He’s been called...

by Jonathan Erdman

February 18, 2019

Live free or die trying

I recently finished that Ken Burns documentary that I’ve been watching (more on that in another post) and decided...

by Jonathan Erdman

February 14, 2019

But, so, what do I read next?

If you’re an avid reader, you are doubtless acquainted with a familiar phenomenon, the thrilling but also potentially problematic...

by Jonathan Erdman

February 5, 2019

The Brilliance of My Brilliant Friend | Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett

I’m nearly at the end of watching HBO’s My Brilliant Friend, the recently aired adaptation of the Elena Ferrante...

by Jonathan Erdman

January 26, 2019

Westworld [Heart Shaped Box] | YouTube

I’ve just finished watching the second season if Westworld — and wow — but more on that wow at...

by Jonathan Erdman

January 9, 2019

The Vietnam War: A Film by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick

I started watching Ken Burns’ 18 hour documentary on Vietnam, and after five episodes I’m hooked in, way more...

by Jonathan Erdman

January 7, 2019

Binging on Westworld

I spent a pleasant New Year’s Day in my pajamas, binge-watching the first season of Westworld with one of...

by Jonathan Erdman

January 6, 2019

The Menace of Eco-fascism | New York Review

In the States we are used to thinking of environmentalism as bring a “liberal” or “left-wing” issue. This isn’t...

by Jonathan Erdman

December 31, 2018

Noname and The 50 best albums of 2018

I came across an article in The Guardian ranking the best albums of 2018. In recent years I’ve drifted...

by Jonathan Erdman

December 12, 2018

The Sting of Winter

To take the sting out of winter, I turn to Sting. It’s kind of homeopathic, an approach to healing...

by Jonathan Erdman

December 6, 2018

Freeway: Crack In The System | 2014 documentary film

“Drugs are menacing our society. They are threatening our values and undercutting our institutions. They are killing our children....

by Jonathan Erdman

December 6, 2018

Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)

I watched Solo last night. I like these anthology films, these stand-alone, supplemental add-ons to the Star Wars universe....

by Jonathan Erdman

Watch “March 15 Sermon by James Finley, Ph.D.” on YouTube

I recently came across this little homily from one of my favorite spiritual teachers, James Finley. He’s been called...

by Jonathan Erdman

February 4, 2019

Why You Should (Probably) Avoid Public Accounting

I’m back in the game, I’ve got a few weeks of public accounting under my belt, and tax season...

by Jonathan Erdman

December 12, 2018

The Sting of Winter

To take the sting out of winter, I turn to Sting. It’s kind of homeopathic, an approach to healing...

by Jonathan Erdman

This is why the Gospel is political

It’s extremely weird, in retrospect, but in my evangelical circles no one ever really talked about Martin Luther King,...

by Jonathan Erdman

Emerging from the dish pit, no worse for the wear

The North Fork Vipassana Meditation Center is located in the foothills of the Sierras, just south of Yosemite. Not...

by Jonathan Erdman

January 29, 2018

Tribal Survival: The central, simple insight on why Evangelicals stand by Trump

I grew up Evangelical, in the Nineties. For me this meant being very aware that I was a central...

by Jonathan Erdman

January 24, 2018

Finding the key, searching the darkness

I came across this intriguing Sufi story while reading Jenny Diski’s memoir, In Gratitude. Here it is: A Mulla...

by Jonathan Erdman

November 16, 2017

Yuval Harari, author of “Sapiens,” on AI, religion, and 60-day meditation ...

I thought I’d share an excellent interview by the author of my current favorite book, Sapiens: A brief history...

by Jonathan Erdman

GoT meets Sesame Street: Respect is Coming

by Jonathan Erdman

Great response to Mueller report

Having just finished watching Lost in it’s entirety — for the first and last time — this last fall,...

by Jonathan Erdman

It’s the end of the world as we know it?

Glenn Beck to Sean Hannity: “We are officially at the end of the country as we know it” if...

by Jonathan Erdman

Social Thought Experiment

What do you think is the most important Wikipedia page currently up on the Interwebs? And what is it...

by Jonathan Erdman

Warren is for real and I’m pretty sure Mark Zuckerberg unfriended her

It seems a bit… what’s the word?…Cheeky. It seems a bit cheeky to put anti-Facebook ads up on Facebook,...

by Jonathan Erdman

Ocasio-Cortez: ‘Capitalism is irredeemable’ | TheHill

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on Saturday called capitalism “irredeemable.” “Capitalism is an ideology of capital – the most important thing is the...

by Jonathan Erdman

The Cold War kids still just say no

“There continues to be a substantial push toward the legalization of marijuana in the United States. Across demographic groups,...

by Jonathan Erdman

Punny Prez

One of Trump’s recent childish/whiny Tweets inspired a barrage of puns, so for those of you who appreciate a...

by Jonathan Erdman