Deserts

Friday May 9, 2025

They’ve long fascinated artists, writers, and retirees, but they’re really not for me. I haven’t taken peyote yet, though, so…?

I told Lindsay that I didn’t really get the desert thing while we were sitting in the Palm Springs airport courtyard, but the more I think about it, that wasn’t really quite right. I do get it. I understand why the beatniks, William S. Burroughs, John Steinbeck, Carlos Castaneda, Georgia O’Keeffe, Maynard Dixon, Carl Eytel, and on and on and on found profound meaning and beauty in desert landscapes. It makes sense to me that flecks of life and beauty, like a cactus flower or a blue moon in an otherwise endlessly desolate wasteland, would inspire and captivate. I understand the concept of drinking a fruity beverage while 95% submerged in a pool.

Although I see sand, vaporized heat, and loneliness, I get that people see beauty in the desert, especially when viewed from the nature-affronting comforts of pools, shade, and mist machines. And when I really wonder why deserts just don’t really do it for me, I think it’s for two reasons:

1. I’m an extraordinarily sweaty person.

2. I grew up by the ocean.

I’m all wet. Of course, I don’t vibe with deserts. It’s pretty simple, really.

Are you into deserts? Tell me why. (Or comment if you’re feeling crazy.)

Kid probably loves sand in his pants.

One Quote: “I have always loved the desert. One sits down on a desert sand dune, sees nothing, hears nothing. Yet through the silence something throbs, and gleams...” ― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, “The Little Prince”

I find that silence is almost always extremely loud—louder than the typical hum of minutia. It’s discomforting. I first noticed this as a high schooler in church. Moments of silence were silent in a Unitarian Universalist church in a Catholic suburb, and it made me uneasily aware of my loneliness in a crowd of people I didn’t know very well. There is no such thing as complete silence because one can’t simply stop one's thoughts. When it’s silent, all you hear is yourself, and there’s nothing more terrifying than your own consciousness reflected back at you. It takes a self-actualized person to sit alone in the desert with their madness.

One Book: “The Art of Dreaming” by Carlos Castaneda

I read this in high school, but I don’t remember it. It was one of those “I’m a smart stoner” books I tried to read to make myself feel alternative by reading about the mind-expanding qualities of drugs and motorcycle maintenance. You know, the “Zen,” “Naked Lunch,” “The Road” type books. Mostly, they just bored me, and I realized the depth of my cynicism. If you’ve got some good recs for spirituality/philosophy/mysticism, would love to hear them.

(Also, honorable mention: If you’ve never read the “Dune” saga, try it out. I only read the first three before it got too deep in the spice for me, but the first two are excellent.)

One Hollywood: Scavengers Reign, Max

Visually beautiful, narratively captivating, and thematically horrifying, Scavengers Reign is an incredible show. Basically, the crew of a space freighter finds itself stranded and separated across a deserted, mysterious planet. But rather than being devoid of life as initial appearances would suggest, the planet is so overwhelmingly alive, it threatens to absorb everybody’s humanity. It’s just 12 half-hour episodes, so you can watch it in a week or so.

One Song: The Doors - Riders on the Storm

So many songs about deserts, I don’t know, man. Enjoy The Doors.

I don’t really want to share my omelette…

One Activity: Drag Brunch

I’ve never actually done a drag brunch. Drag Bingo? Sure. But not drag brunch. I don’t really get how it would work; like, am I allowed to put ketchup on my hashbrowns while Bob the Drag Queen sits on my lap or should I wait until after the song is over? Drag shows are so interactive, I just can’t imagine trying to eat a sopping mess of eggs and toast while it’s going on.

I bring this up because our hotel in Palm Springs supposedly did a Saturday Drag Brunch but we ate right across the street and didn’t see it happen. Maybe people were actually hungry.