The Age of Faux Horror Embraces the Pearl-clutching of Ages Past
Is the hyperbole justified? Perhaps. With so much information swirling up around our necks like those quicksand pools in 1930’s movies set in Africa, maybe the only way to be heard in any form is to be over-the-top. There is, however, a razor’s edge between injustice revealed and complete silliness.
I Believe... [GenX Bliss]
I believe… that one of the current thrills of being GenX today is that I couldn’t give two shits about what’s going in any university, with Teen Vogue, or the Grammies.
I Like to Watch | Zack Snyder’s Justice League
To be fair to Whedon (something few are willing to do as he is now being castigated not for racism or sexism but for being mean to people) having him come in to throw in some levity and Marvel-esque color to Snyder's Wagnerian pomposity is like hiring Huey Lewis to lighten up Pink Floyd's The Wall or getting Douglas Adams to rewrite Cormac McCarthy's The Road.
People Gotta Eat
“I bought a store.”
His father stopped mid-scoop, spaghetti and neck bone dripping with sauce dangling only a few inches from his bristly chin. “A what?” Sounding as if the neck bone of the pig slaughtered for the family was now lodged deep in his throat.
Unity is Not on My Wish List of Abstract Ideals to Strive for
Unity at what cost?
The indignity of going along to get along?
Freedom is on the top of my wish list.
But different elements come to mind.
Freedom from what? Freedom to do what?
Notes from the Post-it Wall | Week of March 14, 2021
Feelings are your facts. Yours and yours alone. They are not hard evidence for anyone or anything except yourself. They do matter, just not with the kind of absolution you want them to have.
The Donation
“Thank you, sir,” Dr. Carton replied. “No one likes to be held hostage, but the size of your donation and the good it will do for the University, faculty and students is just too overwhelming.”
A Stern Letter of Complaint to The Magic Castle
Rolando set the braised short ribs on Belinda’s plate after pulling them out on a string one rib at a time from his gaping mouth.
Four Words That Will Change Your Life (and the Internet)
The change Churchill decidedly did not make note of (but note was made, that can be certain) is a sign of evolution. Not growing gills or something bizarrely nineties as all that but a personal evolving from a stupid twenty year old to a slightly less stupid fifty-five year old. In the grand scheme of things, less stupid may be a low bar to clear but it's at least a goal.
I Believe... [Time for Some Old Fashioned Filibuster Reform]
...that bringing back the “you have to talk the whole fucking time” filibuster is the key to bipartisanship. Put your mouth where that dirty money was, ass-to-mouthers.
Notes from the Post-it Wall | Week of March 7, 2021
The quickest way to become an asshole is to take yourself, your work, or your art too seriously.
I Like to Watch | Billions (Showtime)
“It's time for you folks to sharpen your pencils, and you better come back with one Traci Lords of an idea. And if you need that fucking defined, here it is: a barely legal, market-dominating, brilliant cocksucker of an idea.”
Election Integrity Laws Prevent Cheating Cheaters from Cheating
Voters must answer the question, “Who’s the president, really?”
Is the Cancel Culture Racist or a Response to Bigotry?
We tend to buy this hook every time. Why? Because, like the center of a Tootsie Pop, it only takes the owl three licks to get to our judgmental, self-interested, terrified centers.
I Believe... [Survival is like Nipple Glue]
...that the daily battle between plodding through each day to survive on most levels and motivating yourself to do better, be better, is like nipple glue on the pastie of an athletic burlesque performer—barely hanging on from dance to dance.
The Mental Health Conditioning of WandaVision
WandaVision has ended. The ninth and final episode is currently streaming on Disney+. As of this writing, I have not watched it. But, boy am I excited to. I’ve been waiting since mid-January to watch this series finale. The slow burn of the whole thing with its clever clues and nerd-gasm Easter eggs… And what a wait it’s been.
Notes from the Post-it Wall | Week of February 28, 2021
People who post spoilers about a show or a movie with twenty-four hours of its premiere are as bad as Ted Cruz.
Live Free, Die Texan!
If you contract COVID and the hospital is full, don’t be a baby about it.
Requiem for a Bartender
Steve ran the joint. Tending bar was the family business. His father, Tom, ran it the generation before mine. Steve and I became fast friends. That’s the bartender’s job, after all—to befriend their loyal patrons. But I was also young, boiling over with energy, and thirsty to learn the ways of drinking legally in public. Steve gave me, gave so many of us that arena.
Hey, Kid, Catch The Ball
If we didn’t play ball in the alleys, we played pinners against the front-stoop with a pinkie or fastpitch against the factory wall. What we didn’t want to do is hit our only league into the yard of Mr. Hardwick, who had Baron, the meanest German Shepard you could imagine on patrol. Baron drooled with desire when he saw us come near, the dream of tearing off a piece of our skin or even a finger or two making him crazy.
The first chapter of an in-progress novel.
“The voice began on a Tuesday morning while Monte Walsh was standing in his kitchen, holding an unopened package of bacon over the garbage can.”