Oh, what's this? There's been another mass shooting in the United States? Well, of course there has. Winnipeg is cold. Okinawa gets typhoons. America has mass shootings. Anyone who knows Japan at all knows that Okinawa gets typhoons. It's a given. On a long enough time scale there will certainly be another one along. The … Continue reading In Other News, Water Remains Wet
my condition
Blurred Lines
In social media the user is simultaneously the consumer and the product; just as we are both the audience and performer. It does not end there, though. In this modern economy of commodified outrage, the offended are so often offensive in turn. It's a cycle that self-perpetuates and enriches the host of the arena. Free … Continue reading Blurred Lines
Is getting offended about people being offended a satirical critique of the blurring of the subject/object lines in our social media worlds, or are some people just unconscious dickheads with no capacity for self-reflection?
My Cat’s New Card
fear
You know, I’ve locked eyes with killers in dark places. Been sure I was a heartbeat away from oblivion more times than I care to remember. Surrendered to those I was sure would do me harm. But my baby girl, an infant with eyes of deep, plain truth, sometimes gives me a look that scares … Continue reading fear
Fun at the Gas Station
In the full-service gas station and automotive shop where I worked for ten years, we had the “Go Fuck Yourself” game. How you played was: you waited until a coworker was completely engrossed in a difficult task that was obviously pissing them off. Then, from a nice safe distance, you call out their name, like … Continue reading Fun at the Gas Station
I’ll Give Em a Jolly Rodger
by Balls Malone If I was a pirate captain in the days of yore, I would name my ship “Forcible Sodomy.” However, I'd only sodomize the captives that looked disappointed when I told them the name is strictly metaphorical. And even then I'd be gentle and use lots and lots of whatever was the best … Continue reading I’ll Give Em a Jolly Rodger
Settled
Sometimes I sit transfixed, consumed by conflicting feelings. A great doom approaches. Everything is as it should be. These notions fight; seeking an equilibrium with each other, and I am disturbed by their struggle. Yet I have come to realize, to sense, that these are not conflicting notions. A great doom approaches, and this is … Continue reading Settled
Muse Vassal 