In recent years, my enthusiasm for the Bay Area has dwindled due to numerous factors. From cost of living, car break-ins and shootings to a pervasive sense of negativity and chaos, it often feels like we’re constantly avoiding doom and gloom in our daily lives here. Thanks to one simple

by Matt Barkin I spent most of the pandemic sick and rotting away in bed. It became my all-purpose piece of furniture. If you watched a sped up version of that time you’d see me there windmilling my arms around like a madman between my computer, phone, books, plates of

San Francisco is objectively beautiful. In San Francisco, you can still get lost in the woods. Mount Sutro cloaks you in eucalyptus groves until you reach the summit crowned with its eponymous Tower. Glen Canyon slices the hills south of Twin Peaks, the creek that cut it still running its

New York City Mayor Eric Adams just announced his initiative to renew involuntary commitment. A “common misunderstanding persists that we cannot provide involuntary assistance unless the person is violent,” said Adams, with the New York Times reporting. “Going forward, we will make every effort to assist those who are suffering

A recent trend with a storied past has emerged with a new phrase in its mouth. Intrusive thoughts are fetching social media buzz. Facebook groups, Instagram stories, BuzzFeed and YouTube videos, all getting it wrong. You don’t lose sleep, stop eating, and consider suicide because of some stupid impulse or

While friends in both cities asked why I planned to return, they asked the same question two different ways. Portland asked with the doubt of a dysfunctional parent, one who knows the answer and resents it. “It’s so expensive there. Isn’t that why you left in the first place?” I

When I was considering suicide, a rare cause for laughter was UNHhhh, starring drag queens Trixie Mattel and Katya Zamolodchikova. They met and competed on RuPaul’s Drag Race, season seven. The notoriety they achieved online however has far eclipsed their respective runs on Drag Race. The popular YouTube series, edited

The Fourth of July supposedly symbolizes freedom. It means liberty, self-governance. Independence from tyranny. July 4th is supposed to be fun, because living in America was supposed to be fun. The ruling fathers wove opulence into the foundational documents of this nation. They killed and enslaved for extravagant wealth, for