A Holy Day for Fresh Starts

One of my favorite holidays is fast approaching. It's a day when the beauty of spring is in its fullest splendor. It's a day for rebirth and renewal. It's a day with no regrets when anything is possible.

I'm speaking, of course, about Opening Day.

I'm an atheist, which means I don't have the right to observe any religion's holidays. (On occasion I have been mistaken for, beseeched to become, or half-seriously referred to as, Jewish. Alas, I'm not that cool. And I still have my foreskin.) I've never experienced the fullest joy of Christmas or the humble, celebratory sacrifices of Passover. And Easter is particularly problematic -- it was, in fact, my complete inability to believe the story of Easter that first made me wonder whether I was religious.

But I do understand the nature of Easter. Because I've got my own version.

Happiness Is Bad for You

Early last fall, I had the happiest two days of my entire life. Less than six months later, I've never regretted anything as bitterly or as deeply as that weekend.

Saudade, Portuguese for Growing Up

Because I am an insufferable hipster douchebag, I not only listen to NPR, I kill a fair amount of time dicking around on NPR's website. One of my favorite NPR blogs is alt.latino, which explores Latin rock and alternative music, and yesterday that blog had a wonderful, albeit brief, article about a concept I've come, over the past several months, to find incredibly powerful: saudade. (Click the link if for no other reason than to listen to some absolutely gorgeous Brazilian and Portuguese music. If you've never really gotten into bossa nova, you will now.)