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RIP JPDVP

I died suddenly yesterday. Well not suddenly, I died eventually. After the stroke. after the seizures. After going to the wrong hospital. After sitting in 35 minutes of traffic. After the doctor took me out of the room and my owner Max had to chase her down because she thought he didnt want to be there when they injected me with a massive dose of anesthesia to sto my heart and kill me? After all that, and the previous 16 years, I  died. For those of you who never met me, I’m Pollock (official name Jean Pollock Da Vinci Poe) max was going through an artistic phase at the time I guess.  If you’re reading this you probably knew me, or knew of me.  Im sure you just looked down at whatever scar I bestowed upon your skin, my sweet way of saying "get the fuck out of my house" and thought I'm shocked you didnt attack death itself. and I might have in my younger days, but 16 years of subjugation  & collective disappointment, took the fight out of me. I was just too tired to leave one more mark on the world. Born in the foothills of the Santa  Monica Mountains,  I was “A gift that keeps on giving" my rescuer once noted... and give I did. Scars, trauma, destroyed furniture, nuggets of shit on max’s pillow, urine if my box was too dirty, urine if my box was too clean, urine if I was mad, urine if I was happy, urine if I saw any like of clothes, curtains, a pillow, whatever.  I did whatever I could to be seen and heard. I was attention seeking, but hated the attention. What can I say? I contained multitudes. When I was a kitten Max’s friends marveled at how aggressive I was, how unlike other housecats they'd met before. They weren't necessarily wrong. A vet once speculated I had a little bobcat in me, but that seems unlikely. The truth is  I just didn’t care for people, generally,  as a species. Presumptuous in nature and quick to project their bullshit on their pets. Pets! There’s a word I never cared for. I just never found humans all that useful beyond fetching me my dinner, which I could catch myself if they'd let me, and the few times a year they'd grace me with some catnip, and let me get high and rub myself on the softest pillow I could find. When max and I first met, things were a little different around here. Just the two of us, I did my best to warm up to Max. I’d bite his Achilles’ tendon as a good morning while he peed. Sometimes that made him pee on himself, which I thought was empirically hilarious but he seemed to not like. Get a sense of humor amiright? Whenever he would relax  on the couch to watch a movie, I’d be sure to stealthily surprise him with a high five on his exposed arm. Apparently he didnt like that my claws would draw blood.  Be aware of your surroundings? Over the years things changed. First Maliabeth moved in. Cant say I was a ever huge fan, and I think she'd say the same about me. Then she brought her cat into my home. Incredibly attractive, but psychologically  scattered, alice would howl in the middle of the night.  After a while I took things into my paws and began assaulting her. Her howling stopped. Then they got a fucking dog. A dog. A smelly. Barky. Drooling. Happy. Peppy. Fucking. Dog. You know what they named him? Lucky. Perfect right. May as well have changed mine to unlucky.  Was that enough to torture me? No no. They weren’t done. Then they got a big fish tank. Fish I could stare at but not eat.  That enough? Oh no. Not these two. Not enough room at the inn? Oh not at this Inn!She got pregnant. With a human child. Have you ever as a cat smelled a a baby? IYKYK Was that enough? Oh no. Then she had another in 2020. I almost took a bath in covid to escape the prison of my life.    Eventually we all  co existed. It’s really the nicest thing I can say about them. You truly left me alone, which I appreciated. Occasionally I’d wander out because I’d need someone scratch somewhere I couldn’t reach or I genuinely wanted affection in that brief moment. I’d always regret it almost immediately and bite him. Even when I didn’t and I actually enjoyed being loved, I’d bite him. I never wanted him to feel too comfortable in his own home. I saw a meme once that said “cats are always plotting your murder” and I lived by that vibe. Now as I lay here, almost certainly dying in the bathroom, I’m listening to Max make frantic phone calls to emergency animal hospitals. At least I hope thats who he’s calling. If  I could talk I’d tell him not to bother. I truly hate the car and it’s my nightmare to die in one. But I just heard him cry on the phone and say he doesn’t want me to suffer. It sounds like someone just suggested they bring me in next Thursday. He replied “you want me to wait 5 days to bring my cat in. He’s suffering. He’s dying. I can’t do that. I won’t let him suffer. That’s a nice sentiment.I do appreciate that he is not sanitizing his words when discussing my demise. “Put to sleep” is not accurate. You put a baby to sleep. You in ject a lethal dose of anesthesia into an animal to stop it’s heart. Let’s call it what it is. Well sounds like he’s found a place that’s going to kill me. May these be the last words I write, Scrawled onto the bathroom wall with my claws. The last scar I shall give. I’ll try and do one more entry before…. Last entry: 546pm November 2, 2022 As I I feel the needle slide in, max holds my head in his hands and says  “we will never forget you. You made it impossible to love you, but I always will” He kissed my head and repeats  “I will never forget you. I will never forget. I love you” And with that, I took my last breath. PS I bequeath nothing to Alice. Not my toys. Not my bed. Not anything. I’d like my personal items cremated with me. If they can not be, I’d like them removed from the home and thrown away. if you think of me from time to time, I guess that’s fine. The journal was edited by Max Abrams from the notes of Jean Pollock Da Vinci Poe. I’ve done my best to honor the writing m, but some of his words were edited for time & clarity.

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is this bad?

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Out of words

At this point, If you don’t understand why everyone should wear a mask, I fear there’s nothing anyone can say to convince you. And that’s a real problem for the rest of us, who possess the ability to synthesize information from public health officials. Because we know we need everyone who can wear a mask, to wear a mask to drastically slow the spread of Covid-19. Which I’m not sure you heard, has killed 120,000 Americans (so far.) Dr Fauci said a few weeks ago we have a real “anti science problem in this country” and hoo boy is that a nice way of saying a High percentage of Americans are selfish and stupid. And since reason can’t seem to persuade you, perhaps shame will? Shout out to Joe Faina. So why is this so hard for you? To just comply with every scientists request to just wear a mask. Do you think you’re smarter than every public health official on earth? You’re not. Your Masters degree from YouTube University is not evidence of anything other than your lack of critical thinking skills. Each anti mask post you throw up on social media is an advertisement for your pure unadulterated narcissism and lack of education. A fuck you to everyone else in society who follows the rules because we share a society and public health system. Because this would be bad enough if it just meant you would get sick and possibly infect your family. But when you get sick you’ll rely on that same public health system,

Of the people who have been diligently following the rules, doing their part to help their fellow man. But you keep finding excuses to wear your tribalism and intellectual insecurity on your face instead of a mask. Decades ago the govt had to pass laws requiring drivers to wear seatbelts. “Oh they’re uncomfortable.” Boo hoo. The govt didnt mandate seatbelts to protect other drivers, it mandated them because people were too stupid to protect themselves despite overwhelming evidence and literal common sense. So TO THIS DAY there is a hefty financial disincentive to wear your damn seat belts.

Same logic here. Except this requires you to step outside yourself and recognize other people inhabit your city state and country. (I’m not hopeful) Wear a mask. Protect other people.

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We have an opportunity

I recently stumbled on a round table of historians, who specialize in infectious diseases, discussing human beings capacity for altruism in the face of disaster.

We’ve seen it countless times in our lives. The Sumatra tsunami. The earthquake in Haiti. 9/11. 

It turns out human beings are inherently altruistic in the face of unspeakable tragedy. These historians noted that’s been true across cultures throughout history. People come together when they need to most....with one glaring exception. Pandemics.

Turns out the reason we don’t talk a whole lot about the Spanish flu? Shame. Americans were so ashamed by how they behaved that when the pandemic ended, And a clear picture of the death toll was laid bare, the vast majority of Americans chose to move on and never speak of it again. They were mortified by how the behaved. They retreated into their homes, shunning lifelong neighbors, members of their congregations, even their own family with a “Anyone could have it!” mentality. 

This has stuck with me as I’ve watched the same thing happen online the last week or two. Our modern forum for distrust. Except now instead of a sideways glance, we offer our opinions with heavy snark and cherry picked news pieces to support our (covid) views. Suddenly one group of very vocal people want to “open the country back up” (despite every experts recommendation) I assume the “open back up” people don’t want 60,000 more Americans to die. So I think it’s a fair to say the “follow the science and stay home as long as we are told by experts” people also want to go back to work. Yet they are talking past each other. 

The experts, including the White House’s own experts, say without meeting certain criteria countless more Americans will needlessly die. I’m not sure how that’s acceptable to anyone. We all know we are a divided country, but are we suddenly a country divided on life and death? I think we all agree we don’t want to personally die. And I assume we don’t want our parents or grandparents to die? Certainly we don’t want our nurses and doctors who we might desperately need to be healthy, not to die. So who exactly should be dying so we can get back to Happy Hours and Soul Cycle classes? And who’s deciding?

We decided a long time ago that no American would die from a terrorist attack. Acceptable causality rate is ZERO from terrorism. It’s why we show up two hours early for a flight, and then let them scan our naked bodies. Yet covid-19 killed 56,000 people IN APRIL ALONE with everyone home and 20% of this country wants to just get back out there and take a chance ALL of the experts are wrong? 

Everyone wants to get back to their jobs and lives. But, like it or not, we are in this together. If 20% of us flout these social distancing measures and reopen our states and lives before we are ready, it will only prolong this crisis. Leading economists overwhelmingly agree that the best thing for the American economy is to follow what every health expert in this country says. Because the economy can not get back on track until we start to get a handle on Covid-19. How do we do that? Socially distance. Drastically increase testing. Hire thousands of contact tracers. Overstock our hospitals with PPE. Then slowly, very slowly, start to reopen small specific sections of our lives. And even then, we will see sickness and death, but not so much that it overwhelms our medical system.  

We have experienced an unspeakable amount of death and sickness the past two months in this country. The likes of which no one alive has seen. It’s important to remember that fact when we’re talking to each other. We are in uncharted emotional and psychological territory. On some level we are all vulnerable and scared. For our health. For our loved ones. For our economic futures. It’s a legitimately frightening time. For the first time in our lives, much like 9/11, we do not know what the future holds. So our instinct is to just go back to where we were before this began. There is comfort in those daily routines, in the familiar, but now is not the time. We can, and should, protect against needless death. I’d argue we have a moral obligation to do so.  Then when we get to the other side of this, and we will get to the other side of this, we will rebuild our economy and lives. Together. 

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I’m not an expert on pandemics. I’ve read eveything you’ve read; The WHO studies out of China, The first hand accounts out of Italy....They’re sobering. It’s hard not to panic when the CDC Director said on Feb 25th that “disruption to your everyday life may be severe” and it appears it will be.

The vast majority of us will be okay.

Society is going to hit pause for a little while.

Some of us can work from home & not lose our income or jobs. A lot can’t.

Most people will be fine if infected with this virus, some won’t. So their literal life depends on your caution and hygiene, as much as their own.

Some people have underlying health conditions, pregnancy, asthma, diabetes that you may not know about, and they will be forced to self isolate until this passes for their own safety. Seniors have been instructed to avoid crowds larger than 10 people. TEN!

Doctors, nurses, firefighters, EMTs our entire health system will be stretched beyond capacity. Have compassion and Patience as they risk their own lives to help is get through this. And we will get through this.

But none of this is normal. Or an overreaction. This is deadly serious for huge swaths of the earth. This virus does not care where you’re from or how much money you make. It is also not deterred by pithy tweets.

Look at for your family. Look out for your friends. Look out for your neighbor. Take what you need from the stores, but leave something for others as well. If you can afford to, help those in your life in need. We’re all in this together whether we like it or not. ✌🏼

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RIP 2019 LA Dodgers

Dodger musings on the end of my favorite team I've ever watched....So it’s a day later and I'm almost done pouting so I thought I'd offer my takeaways because I'm seeing a lot of overreaction... I’m not mad kershaw was back out there for that second inning, it's defensible.  The pitch to Rendon was a good pitch beaten by insanely great hitting.  So I’m okay with Roberts sticking with him to face Soto Lefty lefty yada yada... but that pitch to Soto was fat AF and that’s on kersh. He'll wear this one forever.  I’m not even mad at Kelly going back out to start the 10th bc, as noted by JH last night, his slider was filthy. I am EVEN okay with him staying in the game after walking Eaton, because he was just missing. What I’m not cool with is Roberts just continuing to roll with JOE FUCKING KELLY when we had a fresh urias, baez, kolarek & kenley gathering dust out in the pen.  That decision was/is indefensible. He managed like it was game 74 in July.  Like we needed to keep our pen fresh and send a message to kelly and the other guys that we’ll let you work through jams.  wtf happened?  did the pen phone break?  You manage TIGHT in that scenario. indefensible.  But the truth is if corey seager doesn’t swing over 9 waist high curves, the game ends in the 9th and Roberts is a genius.

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The argument against even reasonable gun control is "if you take away the guns they'll just use a knife or a bat."  But doesn't that sound better to you, especially if you were the one seated in that movie theatre? If a man burst in with a knife, wouldn't your first thought be, thank god he doesn't have a gun? Because even a very determined murderer can't stab 30 ppl in 30 seconds. But a gunman (as the Dayton shooter did) can shoot 30 human beings in 30 seconds with ease. And if your follow up argument is “criminals will always find a way to commit a crime” I’d say, that’s an intellectually lazy arguement. Why have any laws then? Why do we have drunk driving laws? Alcoholics are still going to ignore them, so why have them at all? Why have securities fraud laws, when we know finance guys are going to push the envelope on every trade? Why have breaking and entering laws when burglars gonna burgle.

See, lazy.

So I wonder everyone one of these mass shooting happen, so ya know, once or twice a week.....

Is your right to bear arms more important than my right to safely attend a baseball game, movie, or a concert without fearing for my life?

Is our reality moving forward that whenever we are in public, we have to clock the exits and make sure we can get ourselves and loved ones to safety?

Do you have a line where you would be willing to acknowledge the country has a gun problem?  is it 10,000 deaths a year? Is it 10,000 children per year? 100,000? one million children being shot? Is the right to bear arms more important than a million innocent children's lives?  Ten million?

I just need to know where the line is, so when we cross it, and we will cross it... We can finally have the discussion you say we can not have.

Because we are not the only country on earth that suffers from mental illness. We are not the only country that plays violent video games.  But we are the only non war torn country that suffers from this epidemic of gun violence. The common denominator is guns. Before you reply, more guns. Plenty of people had guns inside that Wal-Mart, they did nothing.  Police killed the shooter in Dayton in under 30 seconds.  It should be noted LE is very against more guns. These are the people we charge with protecting us, so we should probably listen to them.

Please think about where your line is and what would need to happen for you to reconsider your position.  If nothing would change your mind, is that a reasonable position to hold?

Can you get behind the idea that some people in this country should not have the inalienable right to own a firearm? IE anyone convicted of a violent crime or assault? How about suspected terrorists? Should they be able to purchase firearms? If you can, perhaps post about it. Call your representative. Demand something be done. This is not a zero sum game. No one wants to take everyone’s guns away. Literally no one except the very fringes of politics suggest this. It is about reasonable gun control measures.

So where is your line?  When will enough be enough? When will you demand change?

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I’m on paid Paternity Leave & I think every single parent should be forced to take it.

As soon as I found out I was going to be a father, I immediately went to my father (who also happens to be my boss) and requested an extended paternity leave. “How long he asked?  “two to three months” I told him, with 100% confidence this was a great idea. He said “okay” but his face said he wasn’t exactly sold or thrilled about the idea of paying someone three months NOT to work at our small family business. Thankfully he’s a very open-minded father & boss and he allowed me to make my case, even though he agreed from the outset.  I told him about study after study that showed how incredibly important it is not just so my daughter I could bond, But that that bonding drastically reduces her likelihood of developing diabetes, obesity, substance abuse problems, and even mental health disorders. There are even studies linking paternity leave with higher test & IQ scores, specifically in men with daughters. All of those are enough reasons to request & take a paternity leave.  But there’s an even bigger one. Equality.  Its because of this that not only do I think men should be offered paid paternity leave but I I believe every man should be forced to take it as a way of leveling the playing field. Women, especially women in their 20’s & 30’s just starting their careers, face an unconscious bias when being hired, because the employer, man or woman,  considers an impending maternity leave the female may take, regardless if this woman wants children or not. A forced leave for both men & women eliminates this altogether.  By forcing every parent, man or woman, to take the same time off, we can in a small but significant way, chip away at this unconscious bias. Women are unfairly made to feel like they have to choose between a family and career success. Rushing back to work & not wanting to take the full maternity leave as a way of showing your employer you really are dedicated and ambitious. This standard is of course bullshit.  No one should be rushing back to work after having a child. They should be spending that incredibly important time adjusting to their new life as a family. Some parents have the means to hire a nanny, or housekeeper, or have family to help, which allows them to return to work quicker. But the goal shouldn’t be to return to work as quickly as possible.  It should be savor this moment in your life. To bond as a new family. The United States is sadly in the back of the pack when it comes Parental leave (dead last among 41 industrialized western nations according to a recent pew study https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/09/26/u-s-lacks-mandated-paid-parental-leave/).  Unfortunately our society views paid time off as a loss of productivity for the employer. Basically profits over parenting. Forced Leave isn’t an insane idea. Dozens of countries around the world already offer paid parental leave, this just takes it a step further.  The nordic countries offer 8 months paid leave split between the two spouses. which is the correct way, in my opinion of doing it, because in 2019 40% of women in industrialized countries are now the sole breadwinners in their households.  So splitting the time off makes sense. In norway it was approved by their citizens not just because it’s what’s best for the parents & their children, but because it’s what’s best for the society they want to live & their children to grow up in. They also made the economic case to their citizens. Less substance abuse, less physical illness, less mental illness, less stress on new parents worried about money, worried they are falling behind the corporate success ladder, saves the government a lot of money in long term health care costs.  Which they care strongly about because they are all in it together since they subsidize their fellow citizens health. Happier healthier neighbors, means less money being spent on illness, and more money being spent on new infrastructure, new schools, better parks, museums etc.  even though we don’t have socialized medicine here in the United States, we still do share a society with these fellow citizens. And just like in Norway, every dollar spent on paid leave are dollars we can avoid spending down the road on poor physical and mental health. And think of the message it sends to the next generation of kids? That our society values family and health over corporate profits.  Shouldn’t we want our neighbors to be more financially stable? their kids healthier & happier? People less likely to get sick or develop mental illness?  Not all health care is reactive. This is pro active preventive medicine, for an entire generation.  The generations that will define our future. When mandatory parental leave is presented this way, not only was my father enthusiastically supportive because it’s better for his granddaughter in every imaginable way, but an opportunity for our company to put our money where our beliefs are. In equality. In the future. Every other American isn’t as fortunate as I am to have such a generous father & boss. But they shouldn’t have to be. The time has come that every parent in the United States be given paid parental leave because it’s better for them as parents, it’s better for their children & it’s better for our society at large. 

Photography by Natalie Campbell

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REMINDER #9,523

Periodic reminder that my disdain for the president has nothing to do with his politics. 

A football coach will lose his job this week bc he knew someone else physically assaulted a woman and he said nothing, as he should... yet Donald Trump has been accused by 16 women of assault and/or harassment and HE BRAGGED ON TAPE about assaulting women..."grab them by the pussy" was the phrase.... yet there has been zero accountability. Just wondering if you have personalized that phrase to apply to a woman in your life? I ask bc it was so widely disseminated that I feel the shock of it has worn off. Imagine he was specifically talking about your mother or sister or god forbid your daughter, "I just grab them by the pussy." Would you still be alright with that "locker room talk?"

Can you look your daughters, sisters, mothers in the eyes and tell them "I understand the man bragged about sexual assault but my paycheck is 3% larger?" GDP is growing. My portfolio is kicking ass.  What is an acceptable number to be okay with a person residing in the oval office who brags about sexual assault... What's YOUR price? Where's your line? 

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I want to talk to you about my wife.

As many of you know my wife Maliabeth is an actress. You may have seen her in a variety of shows: Parks & Rec, Mad Men, American Horror Story: Hotel, Arrested Development. And while all of those are incredible shows and she was great on them, they do not offer a full picture of her incredible talent. She’s basically been a race horse at a petting zoo. Weird analogy, but perfect for this business. Point is, she's been caged and now she has been let loose!

Starting June 1st, Maliabeth is starring in the new Ruth Fowler one woman show, The Woman is Perfected. Every day women are bombarded with unrealistic images of physical beauty. An immense pressure to maintain a specific body type and to never under any circumstance, age. OH GOD NOT WRINKLES ON A WOMANS FACE. The exceptionally written play follows one woman as she battles both internal and external demons/obstacles to maintain, identify, and come to terms with her sense of self.

I would love it if you did two things for me: 1. Buy tickets and come and support her. (link below) 2. Tell your friends what I’ve just told you and encourage them to come.

Seeing someone pursue and do what they love is incredibly humbling. Maliabeth works her ass off every day to make her dreams a reality. I am so fucking proud of everything she has done, and so excited to see everything she accomplishes in the future. Thank you for taking the time to read this, now please go buy tickets & come and support.

http://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/5195?tab=tickets

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Operation writemo

I’m tired. Just like you and you. And everyone.

Going to work every single day, doing my best to focus on work even though it is hard not to be distracted by all the bullshit in the news. Apparently we are all supposed to carry on. Just put our heads down & pretend POTUS wanting to scare the absolute living shit out of everyone & we should all ignore it. Bc we have to stay focused on the “real issues” right? I know but whats a more important than nukes?

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Call your Senator 

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The boy who was elected President

Sincere question. Politics aside. Does Trump seem happy? If there was ever an example of Money can't buy happiness, Trump is it. He is a billionaire w/ everything he ever wanted (beautiful wife, power, money, infamy) & he's absolutely miserable. Bc money can buy a lot of things...in the private sector it can even buy endless adoration by surrounding yourself with sycophants... but as President the media actually follows up on every statement to determine its veracity. But the truth is money simply can not buy the love and approval of Trump's father. So he tries to fill that deep hole inside of him with adoration and gold cars, and gold ceilings and golden showers. But he can't fill with stuff, bc that's not how love and fulfillment works. Only love can fill an absence of love. And to know that requires a person who is willing to acknowledge that lack of love or fulfillment and seek a deeper answer. And frankly, having a narcissistic personality, or tendencies, makes accomplishing this extremely hard, if not impossible. This is not to say I feel sorry for him. I don't. Mostly because I believe every human being is capable of self reflection on the deepest and scariest levels. And therefore every one of us is capable of change. But I do feel bad for the little boy inside him who seems incapable of feeling happy or being fulfilled. And I hope that the hole in him, and his need for the worlds undivided attention, doesn't result in something awful to the rest of us inhabiting this planet.

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*slow clap* credit to @petershall

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a story...

A story: Once upon a weekday afternoon a married woman stumbled upon some.... well, things.  She suspected these “things” were evidence that her longtime husband was cheating on her. She knew that she could not be impartial because she loved him so much, so she hires a...let’s call him a “special prosecutor.” to “follow the evidence wherever it leads. no matter what.”  

One day the “Special prosecutor” let’s call him, Cames Jomey gained access to the husband’s private home office.

As he rifled through the husband’s private desk drawer he stumbled upon a half empty pack of condoms. That’s strange he thinks.  most married men don;t keep condoms hidden in a desk drawer, at least not half empty. He snaps a picture. He logs onto the computer and sees a credit card statement minimized in the corner. He opens it, scrolls through and finds a charge to a seedy motel that happens to be around the corner from the husband’s office.  He snaps another picture. Now the alarm bells are fully going off.  Cames Jomey presents the information to the wife. Her name is American People btw. So American People thinks of all the late meetings her husband had lately. The times he’s disappeared for hours on end, the phone calls he had to take outside. The dance recital he missed last fall. It was unlike him she thought at the time, especially to not answer his phone.  The detective concocts a plan, but he needs her help to pull it off. That night the husband gets home as American People stands stewing in the kitchen. Literally she’s making stew.  She has a brief flash of rage and grabs the chef’s knife on the table and stabs him in the penis. She snaps back to reality. “how was your day?” he asks. “Fine” she replies, turning her attention back to stirring the pot, to avoid, well, stirring the pot. “I’m going to take a shower” he says, and he scampers upstairs. A few minutes later she follows close behind, she dips her hand into the pants he’s taken off, and fishes out his cell phone.  She finds long messages & sexts from a contact named "Russian S. Pie" but here’s the thing “Russian S. Pie” looks a lot like his fucking secretary. “My husband is fucking his fucking secretary.” She says out loud.  

The wife takes screenshots of the sexts and text messages, she sends them to herself, then deletes the texts. A week later the husband comes home to find American People sitting at their kitchen table with a manilla folder & an ipad in front of her. "what is all of this?” the husband asks. “I had a suspicion you were cheating on me so I hired a special prosecutor to follow you and investigate to find out if it was true.”

The husband replies: “what’s his name?”   “cames jomey!”  “that guy is crazy. a total nutjob” the husband proceeds to google the investigator, call him, then fire him over the phone. Then he calls his secretary and fires her. The he calls his wife’s sister and asks her “can you please call American People, and tell her None of this is true. She refuses. He calls Cames Jomey’s  colleagues in the special investigator world and asks them “please tell American to lay off” They refuse and write a memo to their colleagues that this is very odd behavior.  This is super weird.  The husband then cancels the credit card, and tells the credit card company he has never even heard of the motel where the charge is from, and he would like to dispute it. The motel conducts it’s own investigation and finds out it’s legit and  the motel produces video evidence of the husband at the motel. “lies!” he exclaims.  When the wife asks about the sexts and to see his phone. the husband drops his phone on the ground and stomps on it  says “oops. that was an accident. what were you saying?”

sound familiar?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-asked-intelligence-chiefs-to-push-back-against-fbi-collusion-probe-after-comey-revealed-its-existence/2017/05/22/394933bc-3f10-11e7-9869-bac8b446820a_story.html?tid=ss_tw&utm_term=.0c0a1f5a9369

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If you or anyone you know ever needs hand. A hug. someone to listen. To understand. It takes strength to say you lack it. 

[rantraveruminate]

we’re just like you

I know you are sick of seeing & reading political posts... I'm sick of writing them. I thought I’d chime in after last night’s Golden Globes ceremony, on the back of Meryl Streep outlandishly asking our President elect, and all human beings, to treat each other with dignity and respect. Suddenly there’s been that old drumbeat from those outside of Los Angeles to “shut up and act” and that “Hollywood is out of touch” with the rest of America. Los Angeles is one of the most economically, socially and racially diverse cities in the entire United States, we aren't out of touch with our countries changing demographics, we’re it. The Hispanic family? They live on our block. The Muslim man at the park? He’s our lawyer. The same sex couple with three kids? They’re our neighbors. We are the opposite of “out of touch.” Unless you mean out of touch with the values of 1950? Then yes, we moved on from those… 65 years ago, after the 60’s happened. Sure “Hollywood” is not one of the most diverse industries, but at least it’s aware of the problem and (begrudgingly) is trying. But there’s also this little problem/irony you may not be aware of: not everyone who works in the entertainment industry is rich & famous. In fact most are the complete opposite and are JUST LIKE YOU. The entertainment industry is built on the backs of electricians, grips, carpenters, drivers, caterers, productions assistants, runners, plumbers, seamstresses, launderers, greensmen, secretaries, paper pushers, garbagemen & a million other blue collar jobs I’m not thinking of. The entertainment industry employs hundreds of thousands of people in and around Los Angeles; you couldn’t name or recognize 1% of them. For every patch of grass on a pristine studio lot, there’s a gardener mowing that lawn and watering the flowers. For every kombucha sipping actress tossing her recycled glass bottle away, is a person bagging that garbage and taking it to the dumpsters. 

Perhaps I can share my own story as a way to shed some light on how (un)glamorous working in Hollywood can actually be. My first job in “Hollywood” was as a production assistant on a little independent movie starring a fringy tv star. My job was to do whatever was asked of me and to “never, not under any circumstance sit down, or you will be fired.” (It’s like the golden rule for new PA’s. Never sit. Ever.) My first day was 15 hours at an abandoned prison near downtown LA. I made $120 for 14 hours, or just about $8.50 an hr before taxes. My 2nd night we shot in downtown LA, My job was to “lock up” the sidewalk in the background of the shot. This entailed me politely asking skid row drunks and drug addicts to please not walk in our shot. The movie’s budget did not allow for me to have a police officer for protection, so I was left to fend for myself (update: I didn’t die). I worked about 3 weeks on the movie. On my last day on the project my call time was 7am in downtown LA, 3 company moves, 2 lost AD’s, (1 for a conflict, 1 for a concussion) I found myself elevated from “green” PA to emergency 2nd AD (I had no idea wtf I was doing and was terrified every minute) 26 hours later, with no breaks, I wrapped my first movie. Then drove home a zombie. My total pay for these 2.5 weeks of work: under $1.000. I went on to PA a few other shows but I literally didn't have the stamina to stand for 15-16 hrs a day, drive an hour home, sleep 5 hrs, and come back and do it all again, in the rain, every day. The people who do these jobs are fucking hero’s. My body literally caught pneumonia 3 times in 2 months while working on my next job,  Deadwood. When I worked on Deadwood it happened to be the wettest winter in Los Angeles history. There also happened to be dozens of horses everyday on set, and sometimes I was lucky enough to be the PA assigned to “cue the horse.” This meant, standing beside this perpetually shitting beast and say “now” while the horse dropped 25 pounds of fresh horse pies at my feet for 14 hours. The best thing to come out of that job was like most jobs, the friendships with the people who also worked on the show. Sure I get to tell people “I worked on Deadwood” I usually leave out the almost dying of pneumonia and having to quit in shame parts. This was the end of my days as a PA. (very short career) 

My 2nd job was a huge step up. Essentially the same job, but in post production, where the environment was an office and the hours were typically shorter. The pay however, was worse. Under $300 a week after taxes. I was working a full time, highly sought after (entry level) job, yet was living far below the poverty line. At the time my share of the rent and utilities was 1100 a month. Let’s say I wasn’t skinny because I was making healthy choices.  This step up of job entailed me picking up people’s lunches. They were all really nice people...No not really. Most were, but those who weren’t really made the job tough on your faith in humanity and basic decency. I also delivered videotapes to movie studios; the coolest part of that job by far. To this day nothing tops walking across a movie studio lot. It is magical. Oh, and I was tasked with plunging the occasional toilet overflowing with actual human shit. Again, Hollywood is really glamorous. For every movie studio I visited, I easily plunged 10 toilets. The first 10-12 months of the job I was killing it. Arriving early staying late (like you do), and getting everyone their lunches on time and accurately. I took great pride in never making a mistake, and the President of the company would routinely say I was doing a great job. Then came the day I was tasked with disposing of actual human sewage from a burst pipe. I attempted to do this with a few coworkers, but we couldn't stop gagging. We informed the president of the company we couldn’t do it. I’d never seen someone so disappointed in anyone before. “I guess I’ll call a plumber.” From that day forward, I was out of favor.

 A few months later I was given a modest promotion (with a 19 cent raise. let’s get crazy.) I was tasked with doing the inventory of an abandoned warehouse, it just happened to be infested with spiders (I’m arachnophobic.) I then was given another “promotion” to manage these warehouses, this time without a raise, but I got about 100 keys, so I labeled myself The Keymaster. No one but me thought this was funny, nor did anyone care I’d given myself a title. This job came with the perk of not having to clean up the shit when it backed up in any of the 20 toilets that were my domain, but instead involved me picking up the phone and letting the person who had my previous job know: “hey, the toilet overflowed.” This made me feel like a real shithead. But hey, I put in my time and I was kinda done cleaning up actual human shit. Shortly thereafter, I would have an actual promotion where I would earn a living wage, and be given actual responsibility.I was never prouder for the 3 months I had this job. The I lost my job due to the writer’s strike. 

The people I know in this business who are successful (like all businesses really), are the people who work their asses off and willingly metaphorically clean up shit for as many years as needed to get where they eventually end up. The writers, actors, editors, lawyers, grips, drivers, carpenters, plumbers, whatever job. whatever industry. It all starts with hard work, and people in Hollywood are some of the hardest working people I know. They all started at the bottom. Only now a decade later are they making a livable fair wage. And only because of a half century of their respective union’s hard work, are they even earning that. They are still working 14-15 hrs a day, a lot of times away from their families for months at a time. These actors you see on your tv, they are the minority. They are the Bill Gates of SAG. Recent reports suggest as many as HALF of all SAG/AFTRA members live below the poverty line. stats for writers are even more dire. The people who want to work in these fields accept these risks, accept that they may work once and then not for another year, or never again. They accept this with very little complaint publicly. That’s a lot of people scraping by for just a chance at a job. Do you have any idea how hard it is to live in Los Angeles or NYC making minimum wage, or anywhere for that matter? You aren’t living, you’re surviving. Fortunately, our predecessors in Hollywood coordinated strike after strike, and collectively bargained, so that those actors, grips, prop masters, drivers and electricians were paid a fair wage, and given adequate health care. It was the unions of hollywood that did this, NOT the studios offering these things out of the kindness of their hearts. Most of “Hollywood" are union workers JUST LIKE YOU. Drivers, greensmen, electricians, grips. Just trying to do good work, for a fair wage and put a roof over their families heads and food on the table. People in Hollywood work incredibly hard in an insanely competitive industry. The rule of thumb is “never say no” to work. Even if you’ve just worked 90 hrs a week for 6 months straight or haven’t seen your family for more than a few sleepy hours between when you wake up and when your call time is. I have a friend who requires multiple chiropractic appointments a week, has tendinitis in both wrists and elbows. He’s barely 30. I’m sure if you're reading this and you work in a factory, you know someone like this...maybe the someone is you. Thankfully his union provides him health insurance and a fair wage for his labor. He is no different than the steel worker in Pennsylvania, or the woman working the factory line in Detroit, the world just thinks it’s shinier because the reflection from stars are so bright. But that’s another thing. These “stars” they are no different than you or I. They’re human beings with opinions. I’m sure you’d never tell your co worker at the factory or at the office "Hey Nancy, you’re just a paralegal, why don't you shut up and file those legal briefs” as much as you may like to. Of course, Nancy is entitled an opinion. We’re all Americans and we are all entitled to our opinion’s, right or wrong. Liberal or conservative. You have the right to disagree with what Meryl Streep said, you even have a right to tell her to shut up. But you are wrong to say she or other artists shouldn't have political opinions. 

2016 saw the passing of dozens of American luminaries,  and one of them was Mohammad Ali.  Part of his legacy was his willingness to stand up for what he believed was right, Despite intense and unflinching opposition to those beliefs. Despite people telling him to "shut up and fight". He refused. 50 years later we look back, and through the lens of history, most Americans respect his decision to do so. He helped incite a national dialogue at a time when it was desperately needed, And he did it through non violent protest. When someone has been fortunate enough to be given a platform, they have just as much of right to speak up as anyone else, not less. As much as the guy who cooks the food on set, or the woman who grips, or as much as the union electricians who light these stars. They all have opinions and all can and should express them, enthusiastically and freely, without fear of retribution from The President of the United States. Because this is their AND your right as an American.