La Petite Mort

31 December 2014
Posted in Articles

La Petite Mort
by Vesperae

SMOKE SIGNALS MAGAZINE - January - February 2015

La petite mort is French for "the little death." The expression is most often used to describe the experience of having an orgasm, but is also used to describe the release of emotional energy (catharsis) that accompanies experiencing the climax of a creative expression, as well as the experience of going through a shocking life-changing event.

Current Every Day Smoker

01 November 2014
Posted in Articles

Current Every Day Smoker
by Vesperae

SMOKE SIGNALS MAGAZINE - November - December 2014

I have this image in my head of one of those large, sprawling, cheaply-made single-story beige/grey suburban office parks. Like the one in "Office Space."

You'd have absolutely no idea what happens inside based on the standard light box signage at the entrance to the parking lot from the county highway that the mass of pseudo-utopian architectural diarrhea is puddled next to. It'd read something like: "_(some action word or made up tech-y sounding name)_ Information Solutions." But on closer inspection, you might get a clue from the large number of air conditioning units on the roof. They're there because on the inside are a mass of giant data storage servers all networked together.