Author: cleanshave

Umpqua National Forest

My train out of San Francisco was cancelled, but I went anyway, hoping for Amtrak to comp a hotel room for the night. They got the train running and I was able to get a great nights sleep in the Oregon forest, despite the mosquitoes. How’s my hair? #Oregon #wandering

The Math of Forgiveness

With a gentle pull, he drew in a measured puff from the corn cob pipe, pondering the enigmatic math that lay behind forgiveness. Contemplating the phenomenon of amplified and exponential growth within the intricate web of human connections. Just as minuscule alterations in initial conditions could herald monumental consequences in complex systems, forgiveness held the […]

Wandering San Francisco

Amidst the concrete canyons of San Francisco, the homeless, burdened by the weight of societal neglect, no longer huddle in the dimly lit corners of the city’s streets. They are everywhere. In their hands, a fragile lifeline appears—a syringe, a pipe, a momentary escape from the relentless onslaught of their inner turmoil. Their eyes, once […]

Los Angeles River

A thousand unchecked thoughts ran through the mind of each person he passed, causing an invisible static that saturated the crowded city streets and pushed him into desolate places. The no man’s land of the Los Angeles Aqueduct. Four million cubic yards of concrete used to consolidate power. Hidden within its clauses was a sinister […]

Hollywood Hills

He scaled Griffith Park Observatory, trailblazing through the Hollywood Hills towards the iconic sign. A glimpse at the stars awaited him down at Hollywood and Vine. A striking hike, given its proximity to the city, a respite from the darkness that engulfed his world. In that convergence of nature and decay, he found clarity. A […]

LA Wandering

Cleanshave emerged from the wilderness, standing atop a rooftop overlooking Los Angeles. The city’s chaotic energy pulsed through his veins. Despite the anxiety, he couldn’t resist the allure of a street-side gyro across from a dirty looking bar with a giant red neon sign above the door. The Golden Gopher. In the old days it […]