So my goals and accomplishments review is coming a little later this year than normal.  In fact, my life updates in general for the Mike Varley Plain Dealer have come to a halt for over a year now.  I kept waiting for certain events to finish before I’d write one and another one would come […]

Hey all, A few weeks ago, filmmaker Darin Quan and I collaborated on a short film called Surrender, with Darin shooting and editing and me playing the main character.  It shows the phone wranglings of one man with his health insurance company.  You can find the film here.  To see more of Darin’s work, visit his website […]

For the first time in my ten years working at the nursing home, I went to the wake of a resident. Many residents have passed that I’ve felt closer to than kin, but I.B. was the first one to prompt me to pay respects. She had known me since I was sixteen.  She loved the […]

Hello all, I’m pleased to debut today “To the Basic Cable Faithful,” a video-essay chronicling the events of the John Stewart/Stephen Colbert “Rally to Restore Sanity” that took place Saturday, October 30th on the National Mall in Washington, DC.  The piece is a collaboration between myself and architect/filmmaker Mickey Benson, with important contributions from filmmaker […]

Hey all, . Last Weekend for Curate NYC . Curate NYC is extending the run of their Emerging Artists Expo for another weekend: . Days:   Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 4th – 6th Time:   1:00-6:00 PM Place:  Rush Arts Gallery at 526 West 26th St, room 311 . If you’re in the neighborhood, go check out all the fantastic artists on display. […]

Dear friends and all,   Is there a use to holiness in this modern world?  If we can push enough of our animal buttons to be amped 85% of the time, isn’t that enough?  Do we really need a soul after all?  It won’t change my miles-per-gallon.  I ask this genuinely: do we need a […]

Dear Friends and All, As content continues to flow and I look for buckets to put it in, my thoughts turn to New York and its bottomless well. It’s the city of infinite dangers for those striving for sanity, yet it holds the mental riches of the world. New York City is the best, New […]

Dear Friends, MUMs, and all in between, A question for you to puzzle: How do you transmit intention through email? How do you show conviction with an Arial font? How do I get you to understand what you’d know if you saw me in the eyes? This is the question at the core of the […]

Hello friends, I hope everyone’s had a wonderful summer thus far.  I haven’t sat down to update you all in some time, but expect a couple more emails from me in the next few weeks as there’s a lot to catch up on both personal and creative.  This email has a little bit of both. […]

Hello All, Welcome to another edition of the Mike Varley Plain Dealer.  Since it’s the start of a new birth year for me, this is the issue where I review the goals of last year, take stock of accomplishments and create some objectives for the year to come.  Interspersed will be life updates as they’ve […]