About James Dziezynski and At Least There Are Dogs
“This is just a punk rock song Substack blog / written for the people who can see something’s wrong”
— modified from Bad Religion, “Punk Rock Song”
At Least There Are Dogs explores the core absurdities in this world and is written for people who know that we can do better. There will be a lot of adventurous settings, so many good dogs, and plenty of punk rock ethos baked into these articles. You’ve been warned.
We live in a time of hyper-intelligent tech and undeveloped wisdom. Our best minds have harnessed science and rationality to create near-miraculous things that our emotions struggle to control. We are brilliant primates who still want to fling poo, metaphorically speaking (hopefully metaphorically).
So let’s take a look at our absurd world. To quote Albert Camus, “I continue to believe that this world has no ultimate meaning. But I know that something in it has meaning—and that is man, because he is the only creature to insist on having one.”
About James (The Boring Version)
I am a writer, author, and former editor at Outside magazine. My work has appeared in National Geographic, Outside, Discover, Backpacker, The Denver Post, Elevation Outdoors, The Bark, and many other publications. I am the author of six Colorado hiking guidebooks, including the best-selling Best Summit Hikes in Colorado series.
About James (The Cool Stuff)
I live on an old mining plot in Boulder, Colorado, with my wife Sheila and our rescued border collie Quartz. In addition to my passion for the outdoors, I’m an advocate for animal rights, an endlessly curious agnostic/atheist (depending on your interpretation of those terms), and a halfway decent musician who loves heavy music. I love building trails, restoring and playing old video game consoles, and keeping my 1998 Toyota 4Runner functional enough to continue exploring the mountains.
A Quick Note From James
What a time to write for a living! I graduated from Marist University in 1998, studying English Literature and Philosophy. I entered the literary world at the beginning of the end of print publications and the dawn of digital content. This seismic shift meant adapting to a new media landscape far from the one I had grown up with.
AI-generated content further changes the model, leaving creative writers stranded on isolated islands of thought. One by one, publications have buckled under the weight of profitability, often sacrificing editorial integrity for a few more clicks.
This Substack isn’t a perfect solution, but it’s part of the evolution of the modern writer. That is, until 6 weeks from now, when some new media platform will again disrupt the waters.
I started my first blog in 1999 (visit the Internet Archives and check out jamesfaqs.com for a good laugh). Even though the world is very different from the 1990s, my love of storytelling, thoughtful commentary, and admiration of dogs has only deepened.
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