WHY DON’T YOU? #251
Monday: Why don’t you listen to the latest hits from around the world on Apple Music? I didn’t realize there was a top bops chart divided up by nation, but […]
Category Archives: culture
MEXICO CITY: Queen of the Gays
Why do anything less? Life is not something you can save up like it’s money in a bank. Use it or lose it!
MEXICO CITY: Is it art?
I strolled leisurely back along the unbelievably busy streets. I joked to myself that if you stopped walking, the kinetic energy of the crowd would probably have carried you along as if you were crowd surfing at a concert. Have you ever done that? An absolutely terrifying experience. Not recommended. That’s one of my rules. No crowd surfing, no Fireball, no carnies, no county fairs, and never touch a ukulele. I assure you I have a good reason for that seemingly incoherent string of restrictions. Again, that’s a tale for another time. Might be the opener to my memoir someday.
WHY DON’T YOU? #232
Monday: Why don’t you watch National Geographic’s exceptional miniseries Kingdom of the Mummies? It follows Egyptologists Dr. Ramadan Hussein and Dr. Salima Ikram (who I adore) as they excavate an […]
WHY DON’T YOU? #229
Monday: Why don’t you spend some time cleaning up your yard? I’m not talking about trash or a dishwasher on the curb you can’t get rid of. I’m talking landscaping. […]
MEXICO CITY: Casa de las Flores
Each day in Mexico City was a revelation for me. I learned something new about the culture, about myself, or about alternative ways to live. I eagerly look forward to […]
WHY DON’T YOU? #224
Monday: Why don’t you, if you’re healthy and able and have the desire, explore the cultural riches that are being provided for free online during this bizarre moment? I am […]
MEXICO CITY: le flâneur
My Spanish skills don’t come from laundry, they come from obsessively watching episodes of “La Reina del Sur.” If you want to talk about smuggling hashish to Spain from North Africa, I’m you guy. If you want to talk about the prison system, look no further. If you want to talk about the early hours of morning when the sunlight casts everything in a grey pall and it’s the moment that at some point in your life you’re sure you will pass on, well, I’m you guy. But if you want to talk about the different treatments for rayon….look elsewhere.
MEXICO CITY: A Telenovela
And that really resonated profoundly for me. This is a topic that is rather hard to write about in our culture because there is no grey area or middle ground for patriotism. Either you love America or you’re likened to a terrorist. This isn’t fair because the more you grow to love something, the more cognizant you become of the flaws. Travel has allowed me to see my home nation with a different perspective, from afar and from the eyes of others around the world. When we let ourselves escape our comfort zone and throw ourselves into something new and out of the ordinary, we are capable of incredible realizations.
MEXICO CITY: I Love My Mummies
I sat in the courtyard with my churros, a bottle of tequila, and a bag of cat treats. Patron and Little Chiffon were laying beside me and then the church bell tolled midnight. I took a shot of that deliciously cheap tequila and petted the kittens and then all of a sudden I was 28.
Benjamin Phillips 