End of the Map

The political party supporters who think that Hollywood should keep its nose out of politics elected Ronald Reagan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Donald Trump. People who are pro-life but deny that climate change is a real, man-made problem, and think guns in a classroom are a smart idea do not understand hypocrisy. Here's my question about guns in a school, if the concern really is for safety: fire extinguishers are for safety, too. Fires don't always break out, but just in case they do, we have extinguishers in every classroom and in a few common areas of the school, like the cafeteria, auditorium, and gym. So since school shootings don't always happen, but only sometimes happen, here's what we'll do. Right next to the fire extinguishers, we'll put a loaded rifle in a glass case. There will be one in every classroom and in the common areas, like the cafeteria, auditorium, and gym. You know.... for safety. Confederate statues are monuments erected to people

“Right here is a good place to find your focus for class.   We’re here for ninety seconds.” I’m being urged to find that mental space between “you can do this” and “sweet tea, just kill me” by a woman in outstanding shape.   She has a soothing voice and a wireless headset.   For the next 55 minutes, she is going to execute some of the most complicated stretching and positioning techniques I've seen in my life. She is going to do these things with an ease that startles and confounds me.   Physically, my body does not believe that the words coming out of this woman’s mouth correspond to actions that it is capable of.   So I kind of laugh. Ninety seconds?   She may as well have said two weeks. I am the one man in a room of seventeen to twenty women.   They’re here for the same reason I am: to get into better shape.   Outwardly, the place looks nothing like a gym.   You don’t hear weights clanging together.   You don’t hear the pounding of feet on treadmills.   You don’t hear

Don't go outside, dude. Have you even seen the news lately? I mean, not that you can trust the news any more, right, but like, have you seen what's going on out there? Half of the Midwest just got hit by an Arctic hurricane. That wasn't even a weather thing eight years ago, but it's a thing now. You wanna get caught in one of those, dude? Hell no! California is on fire and Miami is literally sinking into the ocean. Where you gonna go, really? Dude, Amazon will drop Whole Foods groceries right at your front door. C'mon, I just got Red Dead Redemption 2, dude! Don't go outside, dude. Did you see what happened in New Zealand? People get shot, dude. You can get shot in church or at school or in a hospital or at the movies or at a concert or in a nightclub. And politicians don't even care, dude, cuz people keep getting shot. No one is even trying to stop it any more. You wanna get shot, dude? I don't wanna get shot. I mean, even the cops might shot you

Everyone in the town of Blackstone knows Mr. X. The extent to which Mr. X is a threat to Blackstone is up for debate, though. Even the cops in Blackstone aren't unanimous in their feeling. On the one hand, he's a fairly prominent businessman. He does well in the community, and a lot of folks seem to like him or have at least a favorable opinion of him. On the other hand, there's very strong evidence that he's a drug dealer. He's also willing to do or say just about anything to keep himself out of trouble, which makes things very difficult in the Blackstone police department. Not all of Blackstone's police officers possess the strong moral fiber required of their station, and so they frequently find themselves seduced by Mr. X and his lifestyle. He slides them bribes when he needs to, or pays them protection money. Sometimes, if one of the cops has a relative who's down on their luck, Mr. X will toss them a low-level job until they're back on their feet.

October, 2001 No matter the remedy, my head won't stop buzzin' Like all of these problems are one dime per dozen Or twelve for ten cents, except nothing makes sense And the more that I reach out and try so hard to hold The more that this all spirals out of control So in my attempt to see a little clearer I try to find peace as I look in the mirror But it brings me no comfort because I don't recognize These clouds that have settled and distorted my eyes I dropped my smile and I think that it broke And when I open my mouth, I can't speak, I just choke There seems little help in all that's familiar Can't stop an addiction, even if it might kill ya Haven't righted a wrong, just watch it get polluted Haven't focused my goals, my vision's been diluted I reach for these things but I can't seem to attain them Tears scratch the surface, somehow I contain them Keep on swallowing down, repressing a frown Choking back on emotion and igno

It is January, 2009. I am sitting at a large circular table in a huge glass alcove with fourteen other strangers and a man in a very crisply pressed blue dress shirt. I am running my hands over the cover of an orientation packet for the large restaurant conglomerate that is about to employ me. I am being told what is acceptable for the limits of my uniform. When the meeting ends, I go outside into the swirling snow and get behind the wheel of my car and I drive it back to my mother's house. I am recently moved into her guest room at the age of 27 after trying and failing to make a life work for myself in Los Angeles.  A few days after this meeting at the large circular table in the huge glass alcove with the fourteen other strangers who are about to become my coworkers, and this man in the blue dress shirt who is about to become my boss, I am to don all black attire and work the host desk for a large chain restaurant that is best known for its cheese-based cakes. My job includes sh