#applied to a bunch of places; got one in Portland; which is a little over an hour drive away from me atm

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Bearable | A Reddie Fanfiction

Read it from the beginning

Chapter 8.5

The sound of the lock tumblers rolled shut in an almost satisfying timbre- it told Stan, in finality, that his shift was up and it was time for him to go home, that Roses on Deane had carried him through one more evening and was now seeing him off, waiting for his next return the night after. Taking a step back after removing the key from the door, Stanley glanced left at the sign reading 'closed' hung daintily from a hook just above the glass window. The red LED plant lights inside still shone in the dark corners, eerie yet comforting. With a slow inhale and then a clipped exhale, Stan spun on his heel, hitching his courier bag more securely over his neck and shoulder and setting off for home. The Portland streets were dark, the clock reading just late of 10:00 pm, thick clouds coating the sky and blotting out the stars. Keeping his gaze set forwards, Stan settled into a brisk walk, a bouncing pace that was more than familiar to him by now- even though he was no longer hurrying to evade bullies, the habit of being quick and silent stuck to him like a welcome burr. It wasn't necessarily a bad habit to be in, was it?

As he walked, closer and closer to home by the step, he busied himself in scanning the buildings, the businesses, attempting to identify the plants lining the streets with his new and limited botanical knowledge. A pale terracotta pot overflowing with rippling sunshine-yellow marigolds sat on the front porch of a thrift store, and then a few doors down outside of a place selling home-sewn fashion were bunches of hydrangeas, pink, purple and a pale blue. Petunias outside of a laundromat, bright pink begonias marking the entrance to an ice cream parlor with a large sign saying it was closing for the winter- distractions distractions. Stan heard a whip-poor-will sing it's little nighttime song somewhere behind him and found himself smiling warmly, almost instinctively reaching towards his back pocket for his bird book before realizing he didn't carry it with him anymore and letting that smile fall again. A shiver ran it's course up and down his spine for a reason he wasn't certain of. Suddenly he felt uncomfortable, shifty, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end and a frown crawling over his face. Walking a little quicker, Stan crossed his arms over his chest and lowered his head as if that would hide him from anyone or anything that might cross his path. Distractions distractions. Birds and flowers.

Warblers, Alstroemerias, Common Loon, Lilies, to busy his mind Stan went over all of the Portland-resident birds and all the Roses on Deane-resident flowers, trying to ebb the near-flowing paranoia building in his head. All at once a thought unfurled like one of the colorful flora he was thinking about- Did you really lock the shop door? Stan chewed his lip, clasping his hands together and forcing his legs forwards once more. Yes, he locked the door, he was sure of it- and even if he didn't who was gonna rob a flower shop? He needed to take his OCD medicine the moment he got home. Recently, with work and school, he had started taking it at night. It often wore off by the end of the day, letting silly thoughts like that pop up like moles. More birds, more flowers, less thinking. Northern Goshawk, Carnations, Yellow-Bellied Flycatcher, Daisy. Walk walk walk. Stanley's head was trapped in some strange in-between where one half was racing and the other was sluggish and slow, like molasses- he hated it, the feeling like he couldn't quite register that things were moving to fast. He just wanted to be home with Bill, with Eddie, in his bed or at the stove cooking something up for the three of them. Anything at all- maybe he could clean his room or the lounge or the bathroom- maybe he could offer to do the laundry. Stan shivered again, and another wave of discomfort rippled through him. Birds. Flowers.

Red-Breasted Nuthatch, Orchids, Winter Wren, Orange Princess-

Stan stopped dead in his tracks. All at once, the smell of oranges hit him in the back of the throat. It was sickening, suffocating almost, like the near-toxic, too-sweet taste of children's medicine. He screwed up his face and clenched his jaw, trying to pinpoint where and why that scent had hit him so suddenly. Then, a thought, a realization not driven by his OCD popped into his head and his face drained of it's colour. Now the only thing he could think of was Dick Halloran, a character from The Shining, that stupid horrorbook that Bill had forced him to read. Dick had this power called 'The Shine', see, and whenever something like a premonition or a message from someone else who 'Shone' hit him he smelled this smell, the oranges, overwhelming, tangy, sickening. Every time this scent is mentioned in the book it is a bad thing. Maybe now it is a bad thing. Stanley has to force his legs to move, to carry him again, faster faster faster; he's basically jogging now and he'll turn up home slick with sweat and that means he'll need to shower for much too long but he doesn't mind right now. He might scrub his skin raw later, but right now his sudden nagging fear won over.

Stan had played baseball in elementary and the beginning of high school so he wasn't a terrible runner but he had hardly half the stamina Eddie would have had were he in this situation, despite the bug in his brain he called asthma. It had only been a few moments and Stan, in his panic, had sprinted away his energy; Stanley needed to be smart about it, to conserve his energy, his breath. Something dark and urgent bubbled up in his chest and he knew he needed away. Slowing to a hasty jog Stan focused solely on his breathing and going the right way. Home was closer now, less than three blocks, he could see the building. Gooseflesh broke out over his arms and for the briefest, briefest moment he swore he saw a flash of red lit white by the streetlamps across the street from him, low, on the ground or in the gutter or from a sewer drain. He didn't stick around long enough to be certain. Birds, please. Flowers.

Swainson Thrush, Rose, Rusty Blackbird, Sunflower, White-Throated Sparrow, Peonies, one after the other Stan pumped out name after name until he ran out of flowers and only knew birds; at some point after he started naming any bird, not just the ones here in Portland or even Maine or even the whole of the United States- he was desperate for anything to say, any image to conjure up to replace the fearful ones his brain was fighting to depict. The India Peafowl, or the Peacock more often, was what ended up taking the coveted 'Throne of Distraction'. He knew the bird well and spent a whole thirty seconds imagining every detail about it, the royal blue feathering of it's crown, breast, abdomen, the crisp white of it's auricular and superciliary, the places above and below the eye. They had white-and-back wings that had a total span of five feet and six foot tailfeathers of emerald green, blue, yellow, the shapes of eyes, almost, grand and royal and silently threatening. By the time he forgot about the peacock he was crossing the street towards his block and his lungs were protesting greatly. His hair was dampened despite the chill in the air and his palms were sweating profusely.

In a burst of confidence since he was now faced with the homestretch, Stan risked a look over his shoulder and then immediately hated himself for it. You never look over your shoulder, isn't that what Bill always said about horror movies? Was this even like a horror movie? Which rules were real and which were fiction? Which ones applied to real life? Stan snapped his head forwards once more and now he was driven by terror in it's rawest form, cold and sleek like the scales of a snake or the glimmer of a dark poison. His veins burned with this terror, his eyes wide and glossy, his throat pinching up and disallowing a scream. Oh, God, the thing he thought he saw- Eyes, orange, burning like hellfire, promising so many things, horrible, horrible things, a tall man, a shadow-man, something deadly and threatening in the way he stood and the way he held his weapon ready to raise and ready to strike. Stan was quick to smother the sight, the memory of the sight under the heel of his mind's shoe to forget about, to abandon, no-siree he was not crazy he didn't need to go to the loony-bin the funny farm the madhouse he was just okey-dokey all 100% okay yessir.

Birds birds birds flowers oranges grackles grackles marigold- His mind was gone by now, shrouded in some thick fog, out of reach, his soul ripped from his body to view himself in some sick third-person form. Icy numbness ate through him leaving only the terror, the sleek-cold terror as he stumbled onto the doorstep of his building and ripped his key from his bag at lightspeed, scolding himself for not getting it out sooner and then scolding himself again seconds later for fumbling, almost dropping the thing. He jammed them at the door, missed the keyhole, jammed again, missed, again, missed- finally, the keys slid into place and he cranked them to the side, ripping the door open and not even bothering to recollect them. He sent himself flying for the stairs, not trusting the elevator and getting more images from his book, The Shining, the faulty elevator moving on it's own accord, New Years Eve, party poppers, black gold silver people in suits- As Stan raced up the steps he finally found his voice but decided he could not scream, could not alarm anyone else, could not draw any attention. If you asked for help, for salvation, you got people killed and you still got fucked in the end- and, one part of Stan was horrified that none of this was even real.

If Stanley could only make it up to his apartment than he would be alright. He would be just fine. Peachy. Right as rain. The problem was that the stairs seemed to be getting longer, reaching up and up into infinity, a stairway to heaven. Birds Stan needed birds flowers too birds and flowers flowers and birds then he'd be just fine if only he had his bird book, Lincoln's Sparrow Dahlias Purple Finch Azalea White-winged Crossbill Poppy Evening Grosbeak Chrysanthemum Birds Birds Birds Birdsbirdsbirdsbirds-

Stan's mind froze. Everything came to a grinding halt. His hand rests on the brass knob of his apartment, his home, but he does not remember ever reaching the top of the steps, ever rushing down his hallway. The icy chill that had been coursing through his veins was drained all too suddenly, jarringly, leaving him with wide eyes and heavy breathing as well as a sprawling sense of confusion. The... the panic, it had been so raw, so real. The sight of the shadow-man had been so vivid. The sweat on his brow and his back and in his armpits, it was real too- he had been driven into a spiral of terror, but was it in any way possible that Stan had imagined it all? Why, suddenly, did he feel so... alright? Why, just like that, was all of it gone? The dread, the doom, the smell of citrus. Stan wasn't crazy, no, he took pills to stop his crazy, needed to take his pill, needed to make this blinding sense of what?? ease into nothing, needed to return to being just another guy in the sea of other guys in Portland Maine.

Just like that, in the blink of an eye, everything had vanished and he was okay again. Stanley Uris was just fine. Peachy. Right as rain. He might- is probably- just be a little tired. So what? People got tired all the time. All he needed was some sleep and a shower and maybe to scrub his skin right off because this sweat was making him sticky and gross and he hated it. What he needed was to get control of himself. Letting his head fall gently, silently against the door, Stan let his eyes close and tried to even out his breathing. He felt like he was a little bit silly. The shadow man he had been so convinced he'd seen was supposed to have been Jack Torrance, but Jack Torrance was fictional and Stan was just tired. That was all. After two more minutes to control his breathing, he opened the door and made straight for the bathroom. He didn't even stop to note how Eddie and Richie were practically tangled up in one another and sharing a bowl of popcorn.

[mcybebailey]

ʻ   / wow ,   i am so excited  to introduce bailey pyo   to  our current  students at cape  coral . she is  extremely  excited to  join the film club .   coming  in as an  21  year  old freshmen ,  they  shouldn't  worry about  fitting in .   the cis female  taurus   has  always  reminded  me of park sooyoung  , but  some people  don't see it .   trying to keep the  fact that she has dropped out of three different colleges in the past few years and her parents used their connections to obtain the scholarship   from  getting  around this  school is going  to be tough . no  worries , though ,   cape coral will create  a new life for them , i  assure you . ʼ 

hi!! omg hi everyone i’m jala (gmt +8) wow i’m so excited to be here wow i’ve been lurking on this group for so long and i took the chance to apply once i saw it. this is my quiet bub who’s Trying(TM) and i have her somewhat complete bio HERE but under the cut is a bit of a sparknotes version and some connection ideas to help with plotting hopefully (and i’ll have a proper wanted connections page up soon) - but really i’m up for all the plots!

STATS

full name: bailey yerin pyo

nickname(s): bay, bays, pyo

birthdate: 20th april 1999 (taurus)

hometown: san francisco, california / moved to portland when she was 10

gender: cis female

pronouns: she/her

languages: english, korean

orientation: graysexual biromantic

major: (eventually) media studies, with a literature minor

faceclaim: park sooyoung (joy)

distinguishable features: soft & sleepy like eyes, a beauty mark on her nose, a nick on the left side of her jaw

aesthetic: worn out sneakers, naps under the warm sun, surprising tenacity, oversized flannels, band-aids plastered on the skin, postcards meticulously stuck on walls, blending into the background, weathered copies of books, quiet but not blind, soaking in the bathtub until the water goes cold, long raven-coloured hair, smelling faintly of lavender.

( - ) blunt, anxious, lazy, stubborn, cynical, cannot handle pressure, selfish, quiet, insecure, overthinker 

( + ) tough, observant, warm, perceptive, poised, mature, headstrong, creative, quirky

THINGS TO KNOW

[ tw for mentions of anxiety disorders ]

bailey’s a scholarship student! by not so honest means but she’s genuinely doing pretty good since she’s actually putting in effort into making sure her life is in Check. she’s by no means a teachers pet, and just in general doesn’t... bring much attention to herself.

genuinely kind of has a talent for blending into the background and disappearing from situations she doesn’t want to be in - which really has helped as much as it’s damaged her young life. she’s mousy and quiet by default, usually reading or writing a whole bunch.

likes to nap in between classes in quiet and/or strange corners on campus as she progressively finds them. she likes to say she has a talent for sleep, which really it’s impressive how quickly she can sleep and how she can w wake up from naps at the right times

really, she’s trying this time to be more social and make friends. she’s put herself off from it for so long that she figures it’s time you know? it’s not like she has any particular difficulty with it (unless it’s in a large group setting ie: in front of classrooms then... whew) - bailey is genuinely a warm person when talked to albeit maybe a tiny bit blunt. she just happens to be in her own head a lot.

that being said she’s extremely calm - almost too calm that’s it’s really a way she copes to try and not be anxious constantly. it works, for the most part, thankfully and it’s been keeping her stable enough mental health wise. keeps her from any more college-dropping-out-inducing incidents with her anxiety. (that being said she’s Big Anxiety internally)

kind Notices things very easily. she’s an observer and have been since she was younger but since becoming quieter as she’s grown, it’s just become more heightened. it’s not like she voices out these things willynilly, but she likes to keep these things in mind. makes for good inspo when she’s writing tbh. 

her family fits snugly into the upper middle class tbh!  she has two younger sister, one who’s doing pre-medicine in an ivy league school, so a lot of the family funds are going into paying for that sister’s college. also her past of dropping out really has her parents not trusting her anymore - which was why she ended up in parker community college in the first place.

she’s really... like straight edge, completely by choice! she’s genuinely not interested in drinking or drugs it’s just not her thing? (she’s got enough on her plate tbh) she is trying to be more social and is trying to go to parties but she’s just been Struggling tbh it’s not really her scene? also partly why she is not that Experienced compared to her peers in intimate matters? the closest she’s had is a couple of “almosts” from high school that ended up going nowhere

a ho for all kinds of media - she’ll talk your head off about the things she’s watching/reading if ever explicitly given the chance. 

SONGS

i just by red velvet - that smidgen of hope, of (trying to) leave all past troubles and actually try now. the mindset bailey is trying to get into now that she’s in cape coral and moving on with her life! her attempt at being a proper adult now and for her to just leave the past behind. the contrast of the driving edm with the heavy-ish lyrics also feels like it’s very bailey in terms of her mind and thoughts.

busted & blue by gorillaz - the song's feel captures bailey’s vibe overall, it’s chill, slightly downer in tone, but has a hint of hope as well within the words. the lyrics, too, feel like they were written in her voice. kind of similar to how she’d write a poem, for example, especially during her very tumultuous period of life when she was in and out of school and truly starting to understand herself. It’s less a song that relates to her and more a song that emulates her in some ways.

class of 2013 by mitski - really explains her confusion and hesitance to grow into adulthood. it’s something she’s felt that she’s not suited for but life really doesn’t care about how she feels so she’s going to keep growing. so she ends up trying to cling on to years past even if there’s really nothing there for her anymore.  It’s really not helped by her rather poor mental health and the song doubles down on that feeling of progressively feeling more and more inadequate.

SOME LIGHT INSPIRATIONS: azusa nakano (k-on!), michelle (mcu spiderman), kat stratford (10 things i hate about you), eva kviig mohn (very early skam season 1), haruhi fujioka (ouran)

WANTED CONNECTIONS

someone who just kinda sees her y’know? probably a person who’s found her weird spots and they’re slowly like beginning to share these spaces and such. which would partly weird her out because she’s been so used to just making herself not be seen and has been very successful doing it for so long. but it’s obvious she likes it and wants this person around more.

pre-scholarship parker community college friend(s)! bailey would’ve definitely started Trying when she got to parker so possibly someone she grew close with then and them getting the scholarships together would’ve been great for bay because she’s not alone again lmao

old friends from when they were younger? maybe family friends? her dad has a pretty large reach tbh so it’s possible she would’ve accidentally known some people from even before this. 

someone to try and get her out more and Live A Little. can be ~corrupting~ her or a bad influence, but mostly just someone to drag her out of her room and be daring and bold! she can at the same time, be a calming presence for them to just chill out with her 

a crush! a few crushes! a flirtation! bailey crushes really easily tbh but she also gets over them just as quick so however you’d want to play it out i’m up for that!

ooOOH someone who’s very forward in flirting with her and bailey actually gets super flustered? like she just wouldn’t know how to deal with it and she’s not sure if she likes it or not (probably likes it a lot). but she’s just not used to this kind of attention that it throws her off big time.

a work out buddy lol she’s been pretty successful with consistently doing weekend jogging/walking so something could be built from there?

honestly any of the above can be combined with each other but either way: all the plots! gimme i would love theeemmmmmmm allll - frienships, romantic ships, antagonistic stuff, ALL OF IT.

[dcnativegal]

Day 55 of Pandemic, & I’m sick

Monday, May 4, 2020. Day 55 of the global pandemic (declared by World Health Organization on March 11th.) We as a planet hit 3,500,000 cases today, and 250,000 deaths. There are many more than that, but the planet doesn’t have enough tests.  But then, there was this announcement:

So obviously we’re in good hands. [Sarcasm alert.]

 The entire planet has slowed down, such that seismologists can detect the quieting of the earth: less shuddering of industry, cars, construction. Check out the drop in electricity usage:

Here’s a bit of perspective from Instagram:

The Lesbians of Paisley have been fertile ground for viruses. Valerie is nearly recovered from the viral pneumonia she was diagnosed with on March 26 at the emergency room at Lake District Hospital. She’d begun to feel feverish and achy, with violent coughing on March 15th, 2 days after what turned into my last day in my office at the hospital’s primary care clinic, and a day and a half after we’d dined with our friends Toni, Al, Bonnie and Bruce in person, sans masks. We began 100% isolation from the outside world the minute she felt sick. She recounted the ER adventure to a friend thusly: We drove in and they have organized a system that resembles getting on a [military] base after 9-11. We sat in the pickup at the checkpoint until a somebody in protective attire had taken my temp and saturation levels and asked a bunch of questions. Then they slapped a red sticker on the dash, told us to park in the ER lot and "don't get out of the pickup." Five hours later I had donated blood and been CAT scanned. I had two pneumonia shots that were current and two flu shots, also current. They checked the blood against 14 different virus strains and came up blank. The chest showed white lungs and my saturation levels were iffy. So they used one of the tests they had been sent, gave me antibiotics (just in case) and sent me home. Took me three days to sleep off all that fun.”

Me and Griffey the poodle waited in the pickup for her. At every sound, he got up from the passenger’s seat and looked at the ER entrance where she’d disappeared. No Valerie? Back to sleep. I walked him 3 times.      Hope, her RN daughter, told us that her flow through the ER was great practice in maintaining distance and perfect hygienic process through the CT scan, taking blood, even pushing her food on a tray to her. Lake Health District Hospital is prepared, and still, technically speaking, zero cases in the county.

I was so anxious about her health, her ability to breathe, that I gave up all thought of working from home. I listened to her breathing and coughing, brought her tea, and finally, asked her to write out her last will and testament. She did, and put it away. I figured, her kids are wonderful and won’t fight about stuff but, better for her to express her wishes, even if the paper wouldn’t be legally binding.

Apparently, I get the FrankenDodge (the pickup which has hit one too many deer and who’s grill is sewn together by wire). I’ll take it but I’d much rather have her.

We waited 10 days for the nasal swab results. While we waited, she got better. Never had that cytokine storm, nor that respiratory crash. Storms and crashes; pretty apt words for the medical horror of end stage COVID-19. Once her test came back negative, despite the warning of her PCP who says that nasal swabs miss between 30 and 47% of positive cases, I was able to go to town on the 10th of April, get some software downloaded onto the computer so I could work from home, and hit Safeway while wearing a mask. I also dropped off one of Valerie’s homemade masks to a friend, along with some toilet paper illustrated with Trump’s kissy face. The moment of levity was greatly appreciated.

I started feeling lousy six days after my jaunt to Lakeview (April 16th). Cough and release of gook high up in my chest. Headache. No fever. Who knows if I have COVID-19. We listen to a British gentleman, Dr. Campbell, daily, as he reviews what’s going on globally, and he interviewed a woman who had exactly my illness course, before she moved on to fever and gastrointestinal symptoms. She never got tested. Too much hassle. Which is so ridiculous, criminal really, and in the USA, a direct result of American hubris and incompetence. Fine. Anyone with any symptoms of any illness is isolated until we have a vaccine and treatment, is my prediction. I’m still feeling shitty, though better. Started taking antibiotics just in case and in the hopes of recovering SOMEDAY.

 My son Jonah and his girlfriend June escaped just in time the terrible plight of New York’s COVID19 deluge of infections and hospitalizations. They’ve been in Baltimore at June’s mother’s beautiful home. He spent his 26th birthday in the basement because they were still in quarantine. See adorable picture, below. Now they’re allowed upstairs, enjoying the quiet. Apparently, writing and directing music videos is not an essential service during a pandemic, but he’s writing pitches and living off the most recent lucrative gig with Kesha, thank goodness.

One of the most moving things that is happening in the USA during this time is the 7pm clapping ritual for medical workers and first responders in New York City, in all the boroughs:

There’s a firefighter in DC who’s going to hospitals and nursing homes to play the bagpipe.

That’s where my daughter Clara lives, in DC, but right now she’s staying with a friend in Laurel, MD, since her group house dynamics are stressful and had a symptomatic guest at last report. She’s working from home to make sure the Latinx school children are getting the tutoring they need now more than ever. We worry about her husband Jose and his country, Guatemala, since there are COVID-19 cases down there, and refugees seeking asylum are being dumped there, with and without the virus. Over 700 cases in Guatemala as of today. We hope he will get to the USA this year. However, Trump referred to it as a shithole country, which doesn’t bode well.

My sister and her husband are well, thankfully. They work fulltime from home in the company of Pepper the cat and Darcy the chocolate lab. Yuuki, 25, stays there, too, mostly in their room; they are out of work and applying for unemployment. Kohji, age 28, works from home in DC and makes more money as a web designer than I ever will after 34 years as a social worker, but who’s counting. (I remember well the admonition of a field instructor back in 1987: don’t go into social work for Power, Pay or Prestige.) His girlfriend is probably out of work; she works for a nonprofit that plants trees in DC. Probably not essential work right this very minute. Makoto, 23, is out of quarantine and looking for something to do; he’ll be a senior at the University of Delaware this fall. As far as I hear on Facebook and email, the rest of the folks with whom I share DNA are well. So that’s good. I worry about my Aunt Mary Lee who is 87. But she says not to:  she’s fine and her ritzy retirement community in McLean, VA is on “lockdown.”

Psychologically, in the experience of quarantine and ‘social distancing’, there’s me, and then there are my clients.

My moods go up and down, but a little further down than usual. The terror that Valerie might die of COVID-19 has passed, but I figure I will always need therapy.  I have “Facebook messenger” video chats with my therapist, Darcy of Bend, every other week now, which helps. Having ‘Generalized Anxiety Disorder’ and a tendency toward major depression, I find therapy to be a corrective. A bimonthly tune up. Without it, I naturally veer toward negativity and neurosis, and a hypervigilance that served me well when I was a child, but is exhausting, overwrought and over-thought as an adult.

Psychologically, Valerie is always fine. Seriously. She was once told as a young woman by a therapist who’d tested her with the MMPI (the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory) that she was outrageously and puzzlingly normal. Now that she’s feeling mostly well again from the pneumonia, she’s been tearing up the joint, fixing the sump pump that apparently keeps this little house from drifting down main street on the wetlands it’s built on. Digging out the leaves from our irrigation ditch, chopping and clearing the wood from our front yard.

The BEFORE picture:

The AFTER Picture.

 And this happened one morning in March. Just a cattle drive past our front door.

Valerie’s planning a garden at her daughter’s place, which has a deer-proof fence and lots of sun up on the hill above us. A delivery of horse manure is scheduled, and the garden bed has been rototilled. Val’s granddaughter Jessica and her husband Alan are living up there now, working from home for their Portland-based gigs. They’re almost finished the 14-day quarantine since they moved down here. The new normal: anytime anyone leaves one locale for another, they disappear into strictest quarantine, not to leave their abode. Groceries are delivered to the doorstep. A recent day turned out to be Jess’ 25th birthday: I’d bought a canvas bag with a picture of a pug on it, like her dog Archie, and Valerie found something gluten free flour mix with fresh jam to give her. Birthday gatherings are suspect at the moment.

Here’s a lovely idea for quarantined birthday celebrations:

What a kind and generous offer.

Even in isolation, Val and I do socialize, on zoom. The one pictured below is church.

We ‘visit’ with our fellow parishioners from St. Luke’s on Sunday evenings. Then we say Compline together, from the Book of Common Prayer. My favorite prayer of all time is this one from that service.

Yes, shield the joyous. Because joy is fleeting.

Our writers’ group, Easy Writers, ‘meets’ on zoom every Monday now. I wrote this bit about my yarn for the prompt, ‘write something in your home that means a lot to you.’

I am doing a great deal of crochet and a little knitting.

Yarn is my comfort and my joy. It is the raw material I create blankets and scarves and hats with. My tools are hooks and needles made from wood and plastic and metal. My fingers are also my tools.

Some of the yarn is like cotton candy: spun mohair from a goat is said to have a ‘halo’ or ‘aura’ because of the gentle cloud of color you can see an inch or two away from the spun thread. Some yarn is like twine: you can see every string of ply. My favorite is merino wool and single ply. A unity of color that will not split. All for one and one for all, the fuzzy stuff is twisted and bound into a single string of strength…

My clients are stressed out. The pandemic adds a layer to the stress they were already experiencing. I listen and knit, from within the cocoon of the yarn room which my folks can see behind me.  One of my clients wanders about with her phone in her hand while I get slightly dizzy. I like this kind of counseling since I get a glimpse of my clients’ homes. Reminds me a little bit of being a geriatric care manager. You can tell a lot about a person from their home. From my home you can tell that I have a lot of yarn, and I work multiple projects at a time because there are piles of them alongside my recliner.  

One of the sad weights of being present for my clients is their level of estrangement for most if not all social connections, especially people with whom they share DNA. And every single one has what is called in the mental health world “complex PTSD” from multiple traumatic experiences.  I sit with them, on the phone or via video. I hope to model for them what Carl Rogers called ‘unconditional positive regard.’ I breathe deeply to release my own distress at their sadness. We explore one tiny step toward reducing their isolation, the sense of trust. All during a pandemic where other people could be carrying a potentially deadly virus.

It’s no wonder I’m pawing mohair out of screen for my own comfort.

Sometimes I email clients links or articles on how to keep their spirits up, or about good things that are happening instead of the dire predictions they’re listening to or watching. There is much to share that is hopeful.  I sent one to a client on creative ways to care for everyone and she shot back:

“I believe this is Liberal rhetoric. 

Esp the paragraph below:

 This current emergency provides the possibility for a new emergence—the birthing of a truly civil civilization dedicated to the well-being of all people and the living Earth. “

Oh well. We can’t have a truly civil civilization dedicated to the well-being of all people, now can we?

Sigh.

 Brilliant writing is being penned right now, since the entire planet’s human inhabitants are barely one degree of separation away from this virus, which is apparently ‘barely alive’ and therefore hard to kill, as it spreads onward to make millions miserable and hundreds of thousands die.

I’m saving articles from The Atlantic, The NY Times, and the Washington Post, and following a historian named Heather Cox Richardson who writes a daily blog called Letters from an American. In a recent post she writes:

“The big news … has been the ‘protests’ of state governors’ stay-at-home orders and mandatory business closings to try to contain the novel coronavirus …These protests are a classic example of trying to control politics by controlling the national narrative. The protests are backed by the same conservative groups that are working for Trump’s reelection. …These are not spontaneous, grassroots protests. They are political operations designed to divert attention from the Trump administration’s poor response to the pandemic. Even more, though, they are designed to keep the American public divided so that we do not protest the extraordinary economic inequality the pandemic has highlighted.

These protests have diverted the national conversation by turning a national crisis into partisan division along the lines the Republican Party has developed since the 1980s... The change of subject protects not just Trump but also the ideology at the heart of his Republican Party. Since 1981, Republicans have argued that the economy depends on wealthy businessmen who know best how to arrange the economy—the makers-- and that it is vital to protect their interests. Under their policies, wealth in America has moved upward. The pandemic has highlighted how these policies have removed economic security for ordinary people. They cannot pay their bills, and they might well turn against an ideology that uses our tax dollars to bail out corporations while they must risk their lives to pay their rent.”  [Emphasis mine]

I am so glad someone smarter than me can reveal the interconnections of what’s going on politically.

There is food for thought on Facebook and Instagram: in the guise of a rewrite of Mary Oliver’s Wild Geese, this poem.

Mary Oliver for Corona Times (after Wild Geese)

by Adrie Kusserow

You do not have to become totally zen, You do not have to use this isolation to make your marriage better, your body slimmer, your children more creative. You do not have to “maximize its benefits” By using this time to work even more, write the bestselling Corona Diaries, Or preach the gospel of ZOOM. You only have to let the soft animal of your body unlearn everything capitalism has taught you, (That you are nothing if not productive, That consumption equals happiness, That the most important unit is the single self. That you are at your best when you resemble an efficient machine). Tell me about your fictions, the ones you’ve been sold, the ones you sheepishly sell others, and I will tell you mine. Meanwhile the world as we know it is crumbling. Meanwhile the virus is moving over the hills, suburbs, cities, farms and trailer parks. Meanwhile The News barks at you, harsh and addicting, Until the push of the remote leaves a dead quiet behind, a loneliness that hums as the heart anchors. Meanwhile a new paradigm is composing itself in our minds, Could birth at any moment if we clear some space From the same tired hegemonies. Remember, you are allowed to be still as the white birch, Stunned by what you see, Uselessly shedding your coils of paper skins Because it gives you something to do. Meanwhile, on top of everything else you are facing, Do not let capitalism coopt this moment, laying its whistles and train tracks across your weary heart. Even if your life looks nothing like the Sabbath, Your stress boa-constricting your chest. Know that your antsy kids, your terror, your shifting moods, are no less sacred than a yoga class. Whoever you are, no matter how broken, the world still has a place for you, calls to you over and over announcing your place as legit, as forgiven, even if you fail and fail and fail again. remind yourself over and over, all the swells and storms that run through your long tired body all have their place here, now in this world. It is your birthright you be held deeply, warmly, in the family of things, not one cell left in the cold.

-Adrie Kusserow

 Not one cell left out in the cold. Yes.

There is so much to be grateful for. I have a place to live, and even while paying off my bankruptcy debt, I have plenty. Enough that I can make small donations here and there. Here’s one cause I found: supporting foster children who were in college and now have no place to go. (Terrible visuals for the logo: it’s “Together We Rise.”)

Soon, the nights of below freezing temperatures will pass, and both Lesbians of Paisley will be healthy at the same time.  Perhaps I’ll get my Tricycle-for-Grownups serviced and toodle around for exercise. Perhaps the Stitch & Bitch knitting/crochet gatherings will resume, maybe in a park for physical distance and social connection.

And maybe I’ve already had Covid-19, and so has Valerie. Looks like 50-70% of all the people on the planet, not quite 8 billion humans so maybe 4 to 6 billion people, need to catch this thing in order to give our species herd immunity. Or WILL catch it because we have no way to stop it, only to slow the infections so that health care is not overwhelmed. We live and Love in the Time of Coronavirus, to paraphrase Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I maybe a libtard, a snowflake, a lily-livered liberal, who’s heart bleeds. But I agree with this sentiment, found on Facebook, our American ‘commons’:

Love absurdly and abundantly, my people. And wash your hands. 

[long-arm-stapler]

S2 EP1: Miquela Davis

Maira (00:00):

Hello! Uh, welcome to Long Arm Stapler, a podcast about zines, back with season two, after a long hiatus. Today, I am joined by Miquela Davis and I will let you introduce yourself.

Miquela (00:33):

Hi, I'm Miquela Davis and I'm super excited to be on this podcast with you today.

Maira (00:40):

Awesome. I'm really looking forward to starting to record again. Um, like I mentioned, I took a 16 month break from recording just because the world was a lot and uh, yeah, February 2021 back in action. Yeah. So I have with me, um, two of, one of your, your book, pup provisions, a copy of Miq's mix volume two a music themed zine. Do you want to talk about either of those or anything you've been working on lately.

Miquela (01:21):

Um, I actually liked those choices that you already have, um, because those are actually my favorite things that I've done. Um, the, the favorite things that I've published at least, um, which is funny, cause I also make a comic called cool dog that some people may have picked up, at like zine fests, but I really loved the Miq's mix. Uh, I made two of them, but the second one is my favorite because it features a bunch of like music themed comics and illustrations, and just has the loose theme of music. And then put provisions is the most recent thing that I made and that's like an actual book. Um, and it has illustrations of different dog breeds, um, in alphabetical order, along with snacks that start with the same letter as the dog breed, if that makes sense. Yeah. So that one took me. How long did it take me to draw? I think I did like a drawing every day for that. And it started as a drawing, um, exercise for me. And then I decided to compile it into a book because people wanted it. And then, um, I wanted to kind of get back into zine making, but it ended up being more of a like actual published. It's more nice looking.

Maira (02:34):

You have like a hard cover.

Miquela (02:37):

Yeah. I just, I just went on like Shutterfly and got it published that way. Oh, so it's still DIY, but it's it's way nicer quality than my like Xerox stuff.

Maira (02:47):

Yeah. I have not ventured into the world of anything but Xerox, but it's exciting. Yeah. What do you, I remember seeing your daily drawing challenges and I was like, Oh, this is really cool. I love dogs. I love snacks. Um, and then you were like, I'm going to make a book. I was like, all right, I'm going to get a copy. Um, I think my favorite is D for docs and I'm a little biased because I have a dachshund.

Miquela (03:17):

Yes. And your dachshund is adorable.

Maira (03:20):

and she's very much like your dog. Yeah.

Miquela (03:23):

Yeah. I feel like our dogs are such kindred spirits and like they've never met, but I feel like they have a connection it's like weird.

Maira (03:32):

Yeah. They would probably hang out in the dog park. Yeah. So, so far I've only ever interviewed people in the Bay, in my living room. Um, so this is exciting because obviously we're not in the same place right now. Um, you are based in Southern California yes. And pre COVID. Or can you talk about like the zine scene pre COVID?

Miquela (04:00):

Yeah, definitely. I could talk about the zine scene pre zine scene here. Really? How far back do you want me to go? I'm sure. I remember growing up and like I heard about zines through a book from my uncle when I was like 16 and he went to school with Mark Todd, um, who wrote, co-wrote a book called what you mean? What's a zine? Um, so they were like college buds and Mark Todd is I think still based in LA and he's an artist there with his partner, Esther Pearl Watson. And so they're both zine makers. They decided to make this book about how to make scenes. And so, because I heard about it that way, there was like nothing in orange County that was Xen based. As far as I saw at the time I had to go to like LA I saw some zines in like some record stores every so often, but it wasn't really a thing here.

Miquela (04:58):

And I gravitated towards Portland, Oregon because of that, I was like, Oh, I'm going to get out of orange County. I'm going to get out of Southern California and head towards where I saw zines being made at the time. And this was like early two thousands. Um, so then when I came back from living in Portland, that was around 2014, 2015, and I don't know how the orange County zine Fest came to be, but it popped up, I believe in 2014, I wasn't at the very first one and the very first zine Fest. I don't even remember where that was held, but then I found them and I applied to the second one, I believe in 2015. And I've been involved with the OC zine fest ever since. Um, I participated in it that one, uh, and the long beach one. And I sort of just found that there were a bunch of zine Fests popping up and I was able to find them through social media. Uh, social media was like a huge player in me getting involved in it. I don't think I would have been able to find it otherwise.

Maira (06:04):

Yeah. I have a similar experience with social media. I got into zines through tumblr and I really wasn't able to find zine fests nearby until, I mean, obviously I started looking for them and we have a few in the Bay area, but like Instagram and back when I used Facebook were very helpful in like finding zines.

Miquela (06:31):

Yeah. And the Bay area too was like one of those places when I was like a teenager or a young adult, like now I'm 30. So like I'm talking like, you know, 10 years ago, I feel like 10 years ago the Bay area had more, but you probably would know that more than me, but I, I feel like, you know, 10 years ago there was at least that community there.

Maira (06:53):

Yeah. I mean EBABZ, um, the East Bay alternative Book and zine Fest that I helped organize. This was our 11th year. And so, and I didn't even start getting involved in that until 2014, I believe. Um, that was the first time I ever tabled. Was at EBABZ 201- It doesn't sound, it doesn't sound right. But I think it's true. Yeah. Yeah. I, I'm learning more about the Bay areas and seeing more and more like every, not every day, but every time I go looking for stuff and it's really cool that there are so many zine fests everywhere. Um, and a lot of them have been able to pivot to online, which I think is really cool over the last year.

Miquela (07:42):

Yeah. That's been really cool to see and you're right about like these zine scenes that have been around, but then you just find out more about them. Like I found that too. It's like, Oh, you really stayed underground. Like, I'm only hearing about like these scenes that have been in existence for a long period of time, but it's like, we're only really hearing about them through like the internet and then word of mouth. Once you get involved, you're like, Oh, there's been like a zine Fest in the inland empire for years. I had no idea. It's cool. I like it.

Maira (08:15):

Yeah. zines, I think has always been very word of mouth for me. Um, and I liked that about them. Just, they're not super commercial. I mean, I, I feel like nobody's really in zines to make money.

Miquela (08:31):

No, it's for the love of them for sure.

Maira (08:33):

Yeah. And so I like the they're still predominantly, I don't know if they're still predominantly underground events because you know, they do get publicity, but I like, I love actually just how DIY things have stayed.

Maira (08:54):

Yeah. Even in the internet age with social media and then also like even programs where you can make, zines more digital. I love seeing artists make zines, still this kind of like old school Xerox machine, um, the risograph, like that's become super popular. I've seen with zines and that's kind of like an older art form, but it's become new again.

Maira (09:20):

Yeah. There's a lot of, um, riso like presses in the Bay area and it all looks so cool. I don't make art zines, so I guess, or at least make zines aren't predominantly like featuring art. And so I haven't kind of dipped my toes into that yet, but it seems like a really cool process. Just you have to like separate the images by color, I guess.

Miquela (09:50):

I'm not that familiar with it either. So I think you're right. Yeah. You have to separate it and you have to have them like, it's, it's kind of like, screen printing from my understanding and I, I don't even understand screen printing. I'm like very basic.

Maira (10:04):

Yeah, same. I don't, I feel like I don't put enough thought, like, I don't think ahead enough when I'm drawing to separate things by color. It's just like

Miquela (10:15):

Same.

Maira (10:17):

Let me take a Sharpie to a piece of paper. Yeah.

Miquela (10:20):

Yeah. I'm like, I just got a pen and a paper and that's usually how I make all of my zines. I just like sit down and I, I just draw and then I will compile it together later on. Um, you know, maybe I'll cut out like a page or two, if I'm like, nah, this doesn't really work, but it's just like pen paper. Don't really put much thought into it. And then bam just release it.

Maira (10:41):

Yeah. Sometimes it's best to like, not put that much thought into it in my own experience.

Miquela (10:47):

It's raw!

Maira (10:47):

Yeah. It's, I mean, I've definitely made zines where it's very, like, I don't know. I made a zine once that was writing. I did for a creative writing class. And so that was more polished, I guess, than anything else I've done. But it's usually just me kind of sitting at my computer, treating it like a live journal entry and just printing it out, stapling it together and letting people read it.

Miquela (11:17):

That's so cool too. Like just letting it be this like free flowing thought process. And like, I've always admired like the way that you make your zines because like, they're just so personal too.

Maira (11:31):

Yeah. I, I got started with perzines and I didn't really venture into like fanzines or anything with like drawings of my own until the last few years. But perzines are really like where I got my start, I guess.

Miquela (11:49):

Yeah. And I think that's how we met too, was like, I was drawn to your more personal zines and I was like, that's really cool. That's cool of you to like put yourself out there, like that.

Maira (12:00):

Yeah, I love to overshare on the internet, so why not do it with paper and some staples?

Miquela (12:06):

Exactly.

Maira (12:07):

Yeah. Because we met at a zine Fest. I think. I don't remember which one

Miquela (12:12):

I don't remember either. I was like sitting here and trying to think I'm like, I know it was at a zine fest. Like that's how we know each other. That's how we ended up here. But it's been, it's been a while and it's like one of those things where like, I've seen you now at so many, I feel where I can't remember like the first one either.

Maira (12:29):

And I remember the last long beach zine Fest that was held in person. We, it was like a power block of my table, my friend Andi and then you. And that was fun.

Miquela (12:42):

That was so much fun.

Maira (12:45):

And then my car broke down. So it was like fun up until heading home. Um, it was a disaster and I was like, wow, I wish I could just stay in Long Beach Zine Fest for a little while longer and not be living a nightmare. But

Miquela (13:00):

Yeah, I remember that too. I remember like seeing your Instagram posts and I was like, no, we were having so much fun.

Maira (13:10):

Yeah. Um, but you know, shit happens. Um, my car works again, so it's all good. Yeah. What else you've got, you've got an art show coming up that you're curating.

Miquela (13:24):

I Do. Yeah. Speaking of like zine fests and stuff. Like I miss them so much, but yeah. I curate an art show every year now since 2018. Um, I used to have a space that I could do it out of that my friend ran called riff mountain. And, um, I would curate art shows there every so often, but this crushes one is the one that I've done every Valentine's day for the past, like four years now. And the one coming up is the first virtual one, just because I was like, you know what? I've been wanting to get an art show together somehow during this whole COVID time period. But this one is special just because I was like, I can't not have crushes happen just because like, it means so much to me personally, the first year I did it, I co curated with a fellow artist. Uh, Meg Gonzalez, who is a local, you know, Southern California artists. And I think they've reached, you know, further than just Southern California. Like they're, I don't know. Like they just seem like a really, uh, poppin' artist, like more and more people are finding them. And I, I love that for them.

Maira (14:34):

Bug Club Supreme. Yes.

Miquela (14:37):

Yeah. They're, they're super cool. And so we co curated the first crushes show together. And then the second one I did myself last year I did with another artist, uh, Chantal Elise, who's just under like Chantal Elise art on, uh, Instagram. And then this year I'm just doing it myself and I'm doing it virtually. So like, it's going to be interesting. I'm super excited to see what happens, but we're basically going to do kind of like a live stream. I asked other artists to make like short videos of themselves and talk about themselves in their work. I only got one so far, so I might not be like super prevalent throughout the show, but my whole idea is that because we're going virtual, I would like to showcase artists more than you can do at a traditional art show. Like usually you're there and you're looking at their work, but you don't really get to know the artists behind it and like the story behind the work or the deeper meaning of it, like, you're just getting your own interpretation. So I was like, what can we do differently? Because it's going digital this time. And that's why I tried to include that in the like submission form.

Maira (15:50):

Yeah. It seems like it's going to be really cool. Um, what are you like hosting it on a specific platform or

Miquela (15:59):

I think we're going with youtube. I say we, because my roommate is helping me out with it. Um, we've been testing out different forms of software and I think YouTube might be where we end up. I initially was thinking like just a zoom call and I would like put together some sort of like, um, a slideshow or something, but that's, I don't know if that's really gonna work out. Um, so I actually don't know yet. We're still working out like, which one's going to be the best one for the whole show and for people to participate in, but also kind of be like an audience because the whole idea is like, we want it to be participatory, but also like where you're kind of watching a show happen, but have it partially recorded and partially in real time.

Maira (16:49):

Okay, that kind of Makes sense To me.

Miquela (16:51):

Yeah. I'm like, it's, it's a lot, like, it makes sense in my mind, like the recorded part would be, we have images of people's artwork and we would be, you know, showing that for like a few minutes at a time. And then maybe between each piece, like visual piece, we would have a recording of an artist talking about themselves and their work, kind of like an introduction to their work before we show it. Um, I know we have a couple live readers of poetry. We don't have a confirmed DJ set yet, but we have some recorded music that we can play. And if anybody during the show would like to, you know, maybe do any sort of live reading or live music or something, we're open to that as well. So that's the mix between like the recorded and then the live stuff.

Maira (17:38):

Oh, cool. Um, and so that's gonna be on Valentine's day, correct?

Miquela (17:42):

Yes. On Valentine's day still don't have a time sorted either. Like a lot of this happened now looking back and like, Oh, I kind of did this last minute. I wasn't really thinking of like a lot of the work that's going to go into making it digital because I'm so used to like doing it in person and kind of like winging it, you know, like day of it's like, all right, well, I know that I have all these artists signed up and I've done it for a few years now and everything's kind of just worked out, but now with the digital aspect to it, like I'm not super technologically, like I'm proficient, but I feel like a lot of these programs that I'm looking at, I'm like, I don't understand like this whole like live feed and putting in microphones and all this stuff like having, um, you know, the screen switch between one from another, like, it's, it's a lot, it's pretty daunting. So we also have a lot of artists tuning in, or like submitting stuff from other parts of the world.

Maira (18:39):

Oh wow.

Miquela (18:39):

Like that part has been really interesting to me this year. I think, because it's been opened up to being like, Oh, this is online. I don't have to like ship anything. I just have to send an email with some photos of my work. If I want to, I've gotten people from like the Netherlands. I've gotten people from the UK submitting work. So that's been really, really cool. And I want to make sure that they're included too, as part of like the little live stream that we do. So I'm trying to figure out like a good time for that and see if we can like record something for people to view later on if they can't make it

Maira (19:14):

Cool. And people still have time to submit, um, To that, correct?

Miquela (19:21):

Yeah. As of recording this right now? Um, yes. So the deadline is February 10th.

Maira (19:28):

Okay. Yeah, I can include, um, cause it was like a Google submission form. Yeah?

Miquela (19:35):

Pretty much. So the way that the submission process is working right now, like that's basically how I get people's names and then information. And I make like a spreadsheet of what they tell me that they're going to submit. So then that way I can keep track of it. But then to actually submit after that, they still have to send me like photo either photos of their visual work, or if they want to take a video, maybe you made a sculpture or something and you want to show it off. Like you can just take your phone out and like walk around the sculpture and get all these cool angles on it. And just like send me a video clip. Um, I'm really open to like any medium. Cause it seems like any one is possible. So yeah, people can just still submit that then to my email. And then my email, I don't mind giving it out. It's just MIQ U I D e e@gmail.com.

Maira (20:24):

Cool. And yeah, I will post that in the show notes as well. Um, so if people are interested in submitting, they can, I am excited about it because I have, I've made a sculpture sort of thing, which I haven't really done before. Um, but I submitted it and it's really cute and I'm excited for other people to see it.

Miquela (20:48):

Yeah. I'm very excited for it too.

Maira (20:52):

Yeah. I just haven't like made, I haven't really done any art stuff in the last year, so I've, that's, I mean, that's not true, but it feels true. Like, I haven't, I don't feel like I have much art to show for the last year, but it was really cool, like working with my hands again and just gluing all of those tiny hearts. I was going to sew them, but I was like, that's so much work.

Miquela (21:20):

That's so much more work. Wow. Yeah.

Maira (21:23):

And I have a crush on hot glue. So I was like, okay,

Miquela (21:27):

There you go. It's perfect.

Maira (21:29):

Yeah. It's a good tie in, um, for those of you wondering, I made a Crunchwrap Supreme filled with hearts.

Miquela (21:35):

It's incredible.

Maira (21:37):

Yeah. I'm really excited. I submitted something to the show last year too. And it was one of the first times I've ever like submitted my art anywhere.

Miquela (21:48):

Really? I didn't even know that. Yeah. You've submitted last year and I was like super excited about it. Cause you like mailed me your work.

Maira (21:54):

Yeah, that was, I think aside from the long arm stapler show that we did in September of 2019, that was like maybe the second or third time I'd ever shown my work in like a show setting. And so that was really exciting. And I remember you posted like videos of the show in person and photos. And I was just like, I think it was, it was on Valentine's day again. And I was just on my phone, like kind of ignoring my boyfriend. And I was like, look at my work, look at my work. I was really excited about it.

Miquela (22:31):

I love that! Oh my God. That is so cool. Yeah. I was super happy to have you participate, but I had no idea. And I had also seen that show that you did up there. Um, the long-arm stapler one that looked super cool too.

Maira (22:45):

Yeah, that was my first, uh, time running a show and also being in a show, I guess, we recorded, the last time we recorded this podcast actually was like at the close of that show. So it's been an interesting time to like think back on it and really reflect on how cool it was. And like we had, it was mostly people from the Bay. Um, we had someone from, I can't remember where they live, but they're on the East coast. They submitted work two people from Southern California submitted work. And one of them was actually came up with their kids to see the show opening night. So that was really exciting too.

Miquela (23:30):

That's so cool.

Maira (23:31):

Yeah. And like I had just recently started at my current job and some of my coworkers came out and my like family came and it was, it was really cool.

Miquela (23:42):

That's awesome.

Maira (23:44):

I can't wait to be able do that again.

Miquela (23:47):

Yeah. That's been a major thing and like, yeah, once you do that, like, cause you said that it was your first time, like being in a show and then making a show, like putting on a show. That's why we started even doing crushes like that. I think that was my first time to like showing my work in a sort of like not gallery setting. Cause like I wouldn't call it necessarily gallery. It's like a DIY space, but having like an art show sort of feel where it's like, all right, I'm putting a bunch of things on the wall and showing off people's work and it's hard to get into like galleries or I don't know, just like art shows in general. I feel like don't really happen much. How is it up there? Like, are there more art shows that happen kind of similar to the one that you put on?

Maira (24:32):

Honestly, I don't know. Just cause I'm not like super tuned into the art world, I guess. Um, just cause I mostly like my, my medium is predominantly zines. Um, so that was another cool thing about the show was it was all zine themed. Um, but my friends are opening a gallery in Oakland actually, um, called crisis club and they're going to do shows there once it's safe. And I'm really excited about that because I feel like in the last few years, the amount of DIY spaces in the Bay has kind of dwindled. Um, it's exciting to like see that revival happening, even if it's slow going. And even if we can't have access to these spaces for awhile.

Miquela (25:30):

Yeah. Like I'm hoping after this is all over, we see kind of like a Renaissance in a way of like artistic expression, you know, having these sort of DIY spaces and um, cause yeah, there's at least down here they're really non-existent. Um, but I know like in the Bay area, like I would hear about them either growing up or like even recently, like I saw your friend's space, um, just through your Instagram and I was like, Oh, that looks cool. So yeah. I'm just hoping that we see more once this is all over.

Maira (26:06):

Yeah. And I think especially because people would just been sitting at home making art or at least I hope they've been sitting at home making art.

Miquela (26:14):

Yeah. The sitting at home, especially.

Maira (26:16):

Yeah. If you're making art good for you, but like please sit at home. Um, but yeah, I'm really excited to kind of see what art, like physical art spaces are like in a post COVID society.

Miquela (26:33):

And I think too, we're going to be starved for socialization. So it would be interesting to see like art shows become more of an inclusive thing.

Maira (26:42):

I agree. What else? Uh, are you working on anything else right now?

Miquela (26:47):

I have a lot of ideas floating right now. I know that's like, that could mean anything. Um, I do want to make more cool dog, but I'm just kind of like, he's an interesting character for me. I sometimes will get ideas for cool dog and then sometimes there'll be like, I want nothing to do with cool dog. I want to like work on other stuff, but I know that he's what the people want. Um, but I find it hard, harder and harder now just because I'm like, what is cool? Like, he's kind of like a weird problematic character because like a lot of times like his coolness is, is like something that I don't necessarily agree with. Um, like he, I dunno like the fact that he like smokes cigarettes and like seemingly doesn't like care about other people. Like he just cares about the sake of being cool. Like that's not actually cool. So there's like lots of questions like surrounding it. Like it's very like philosophical for me now. Whereas like it just started as like, this is a stupid comic thing that I'm just going to do for the hell of it. And then it like turned into like this character that I have to actually think about. And that's what makes me be like, I don't even want to think about it. I don't even want to make it, but I can't let him go either. So that's a long way of me just saying like, yeah, there may be more cool dog in the future. I definitely want to work more on zines but yeah, quarantine, you know, I'm just kind of taking a break, especially after making pup provisions that took a lot of energy, but I also would really like to make a memoir like graphic novel about the early two thousands and like my first year of high school. So that's been something that I've been working on slowly.

Maira (28:31):

Oh cool. We're the same age. So that was probably what like 20, 2004.

Miquela (28:35):

Yes, exactly. It was. So I'm thinking like, yeah, like 2000. Yeah, actually it would take place in 2004 because I was going to say the end of eighth grade, beginning of high school. So yeah, 2004.

Maira (28:49):

What a time to be alive.

Miquela (28:49):

Yes. And especially now, like I think like I've revisited that time period a lot and I'm like, man, what a great time. And I'm thinking of actually ending it when I discover zines, which was when I was like 16, like 15, 16. So I think it would be cool to make like a zine about my life, like discovering zines.

Maira (29:10):

Oh yeah. That sounds really cool.

Miquela (29:13):

Yeah. Like I would want it to eventually be compiled in a graphic novel, but I'm thinking, yeah. I might just start out doing like short snippets of stories in zine form, but then they could be, uh, combined together into like, I don't know what it's called. Just like a graphic- Yeah. Yeah. Like an anthology of like all these collected stories that take place during that period of time.

Maira (29:36):

Awesome. Uh, you have a Patreon.

Miquela (29:39):

Yes.

Maira (29:40):

You do like monthly stuff with.

Miquela (29:43):

I do. Yeah. So that's another thing that I've been consistently working on. I started it, I want to say in the beginning of 2020, I can't even remember now. Um, but then it's kind of evolved into now. I've gotten into a groove of like I send out monthly, um, things through the mail depending on like what tier people are on. Um, so I send out like pictures of my dog. Um, all the tiers are like named after her. Uh, so she's got like pegs pen pals. I send out clay pins that I make, I have yet to send out any zines, but that's just because I'm like, uh, what kind of zine should I make and send out? I don't know. I find that I like hold myself back from like making zines a lot because I'm a little bit of a, like a perfectionist when it comes to them, but I just need to do it. I just need to like make a little like one page zine or one piece of paper. So it'd be like six pages and like mail it out. But yeah, people get stuff in the mail if they want or they get access to like exclusive sketches and drawings and like random things that I'm doing. Kind of like, uh, a little bit of a journal. And then now I have a podcast where I talk about music and that's like exclusive to my Patreon for now.

Maira (30:54):

That's exciting.

Miquela (30:56):

Yeah. Thanks.

Maira (30:57):

I started a Patreon. Apparently I tried to make one in June of last year, but did nothing with it. Um, so in preparation for, cause I, I really want to just dive back into this podcast and kind of do more with it than I was before. Cause I think it was like one, every couple of months when I felt like it, I would just have people come over to my apartment and shoot the shit Essentially. I started listening to old episodes and transcribing them cause I wanted to make them more accessible and.

Miquela (31:34):

Oh that's cool.

Maira (31:34):

That was a very time-consuming process. Um, but I am still working on, uh, months later. Yeah. I remembered just really enjoying like the, the word that's coming up for me is prescribed hanging out time.

Miquela (31:51):

Oh yeah.

Maira (31:53):

Like it's a good way to like ease back into socializing because the only person I've really seen in the last however many months is my boyfriend. Um, because we live together and so it's like talking to people is hard?

Miquela (32:09):

Yeah. Talking, talking to people is hard. And I think too, like podcasting it's like, you kind of have a theme, like you have something to already talk about, so you're not sitting there like, well, how's it going with you? It's like, I don't know. I've been stuck in my house for 10 months. How's it going?

Maira (32:25):

To be fair I've done that also this episode.

Miquela (32:27):

Yeah.

Maira (32:30):

But it's fun. And I forgot how fun it was. And so I made a Patreon. I don't know what I'm going to do with it yet. Cause I've already, you know, I've got an Etsy where I sell my zines and stuff and I've got like a Ko-Fi, um, that I.

Miquela (32:44):

I haven't heard of that one. What is that one?

Maira (32:47):

It's just like a, it's a cute little site where you can buy someone a coffee, um, and just send them like three bucks and.

Miquela (32:56):

That's cool.

Maira (32:56):

Yeah, it's, it's cute. I was using it a lot at the beginning of last year because I was, I kind of realized that like I was putting in a lot of time to like zine stuff and it was kind of becoming a full time job, just, you know, organizing fests and organizing the art show and doing the podcast. I was already working a full-time job. And so it was just kind of draining and I was like, you know, it'd be really cool if people wanted to buy me a coffee for this. And so I found this website and it was cool. It's a nice way to like, I think it's kind of like Patreon and you can connect with other creators and uh, do like tiered stuff. It's I think it's basically the same. Yeah. You can do like one-off payments instead of like monthly.

Miquela (33:52):

That's cool. Yeah. That's like the one thing about Patreon where I'm Like I don't, I don't know, like I don't expect people to like want a monthly subscription unless it's for like, you know, the monthly mail outs. Like that's really the only one where I'm like, yeah, if you want something mailed to you every month, that's cool. But it would be cool if Patreon could also have like a one-time payment, which I guess you can do it just feels weird, you know?

Maira (34:19):

Yeah. I, at this time don't feel like I do anything monthly enough to warrant a Patreon, but that's also me kind of trying to kick my own ass into doing something monthly, I guess. I don't even know.

Miquela (34:38):

It's a lot.

Maira (34:38):

Yeah. I, I mean, cause you make all these things out of clay and take photos of peg and send them out.

Miquela (34:46):

Yeah. And I make, uh, usually I've been making, um, what is it called? Oh my God. I'm totally blanking on it. Block printing.

Maira (34:54):

Oh cool.

Miquela (34:55):

So I usually do like a, uh, at least original piece of art included too. And then if I include zines in the future, like yeah. Like I try to have like a few pieces of art within each package and it takes like days for me to do, like, it does become like a job. So I get totally get what you're saying. Whereas like, if you're doing these things, just for the love of it at the same time, you're like, Oh, I'm using my time to devote to this thing where like, it's hard because we live under capitalism and we're like, how can I pursue this? And still feel like I'm not, I don't know, like accomplishing something is the wrong word, but like it's hard. It's hard when like it becomes like it when it feels like a job.

Maira (35:36):

Yeah. And unfortunately It's also, like I feel as artists, we feel under capitalism, we feel inclined to like monetize our hobbies in order to get by.

Miquela (35:51):

Oh totally.

Maira (35:52):

It sucks. We want to just make art for fun, but it feels like all my time has to go into like hustling.

Miquela (36:02):

Oh totally. Like that was my whole thing with like even getting into zine making and getting into all of this is I was like, Oh, I already make comics. And this is just a fun way for me to distribute them, to like my friends and like get my work out there and just make people laugh. But then it turned into something as I got older where I was like, but this is all that I love to do and all that I know how to do. And like, guess, I've got to make money off of that somehow. So yeah. It definitely sucks.

Maira (36:32):

Yeah. At this point I'm just trying to pay for paper and ink.

Miquela (36:37):

that's the whole thing is like materials too. It's like, yeah, it would be cool to have like one of those fancy like risographed zines, but it costs money for materials.

Maira (36:46):

Yeah.

Miquela (36:47):

I could totally see you doing like a, I mean you could do like stickers monthly or something like included with like a mini zine that could even be just like a monthly thing for Patreon.

Maira (36:58):

Oh yeah. I love making those one sheet zines. Um, I was looking at- so something I've been doing lately for the past month or so is I've been looking at photos from that specific day in my phone. So from like years prior.

Miquela (37:16):

Oh, that's cool.

Maira (37:16):

And the other day, a few years ago, um, there was a zine library opening at the Oakland LGBTQ community center. And apparently I made a zine of just drawings of animals in cowboy hats, which.

Miquela (37:33):

That's amazing,

Maira (37:35):

Yeah it was super cute. I took pictures of some of them. And I think that zine, I didn't make any copies. So it only lives in that library. Um, if it's even still there, but I love making one-offs and I actually made one during EBABZ. Um, I was feeling really discouraged about selling my art and making art. And so I made one that was like, even if no one buys your art, you're still an artist. Um, and it was, it was nice. It felt good to just get things out onto a little sheet of paper. And I just bought a scanner and color printer for cheap, but now I have my own next to my desk. So.

Miquela (38:19):

that's a life changer.

Maira (38:21):

Yeah. There was a time period where I was like, okay, I can't make anything because I cannot copy it. Um, but now I can.

Maira (38:31):

That's so cool. Yeah. Like, and that alone, I mean, I know we were talking about how like it's hard right now to like create stuff, but like you're at least building up to like having a bunch of things where you're like, all right, well, I'm prepared to create now. Just got to feel like creating and not be crushed by like having to monetize it. And I think like returning to just like creating for the sake of creating is like so hard.

Maira (39:00):

Yeah. I bought a bunch of colored paper. Um, that I'm determined to do something with, but I also don't want to force it because like, like we've been saying it sucks to feel forced into creating art for money.

Maira (39:15):

Yeah, artist problems.

Maira (39:19):

Artist problems, truly, I am taking a block printing class on zoom tomorrow though. Um, which I'm pretty excited about because it's not really something, well, that's not true. My friend Kristen taught me how to carve stamps, um, with like easy cut rubber a few years ago. And I made like a taco bell stamp, which is pretty on brand for me, but I'm taking a class tomorrow and I'm excited to like, have someone show me how to do it. And I got a bunch of speedball ink and yeah, I'm excited to have that space to like make stuff that doesn't feel, it's kind of forced because I signed up for it. But,

Miquela (40:06):

But sometimes like, Oh, sorry,

Maira (40:10):

No go ahead.

Miquela (40:10):

I was going to say like, sometimes like, you know, that sort of force where like it, but it's more community built. It's like, okay, I'm kind of forced to do that just because I signed up for it. But like for some reason, taking a class like feels different than just like, alright, I feel forced to do this because like I have to do it for monetary gain or like, I need to feel like I'm being productive. And it's more of like a societal pressure versus like in a class there's like that community sense of it where you're like, Oh, that's so cool. I get to be like taught this by somebody who knows a lot about it. And that's been one of the like greatest things about this period of time, like during COVID and all the lockdowns and stuff is like being able to take classes online still is, has been like a godsend.

Maira (40:58):

Yeah. Are you still teaching the zine making class?

Miquela (41:02):

Um, I'm teaching, Well, I had a couple of workshops, um, where it was zine making. And then right now it kind of transferred into I'm teaching. I am still teaching, but it's like an afterschool program where we're making these like little animal field guides. So they already had like a pre-made book. Um, and then they fill it out with like animal drawings that we do each week and it's been so much fun. And then I'm taking a class through my work, um, with a different artist who's doing just kind of drawing essentials and just having that like set aside time each week to devote to art is like major

Maira (41:40):

The animal guide sounds cute as hell.

Miquela (41:43):

It's so cute. Yeah. But my students are like a huge thing that's been like keeping me creative. Um, cause we also do, I do a weekly thing called doodle hour and that's actually, uh, open to anyone and it's free. Um, it's all ages, but for the most part I have like kids in the class and I think that like deters adults, like I've had some adults pop in, but like I try to really make it for everyone. And it's just a fun time to be like goofy and imaginative. And I try to come up with like silly prompts and stuff. Like, you can just draw on your sketchbook, um, and be around like a bunch of fun kids that come up with like really silly things. And so like, that's been major too, for me. It was just like, I feed off of their like innate creativity sometimes. Cause I'm like, you haven't been ruined by capitalism yet.

Maira (42:34):

Stay that way, please.

Miquela (42:35):

Yeah. Yeah. That's like one of the hardest things being an art teacher is like seeing these kids and just kind of like realizing like as an adult so much is beaten out of us. Like not to get like super depressing, like as an artist, like looking at them as artists and like remembering back to like when I was their age and I felt like there were so many more possibilities and like I would just make for the sake of making, um, which is something that we've already like kind of talked about, like we're struggling with, but then like these kids, it's like, you give them like one tiny crumb of something and then they just like run with it. And I'm like, how do you do that? Like please, how do I tap into that resource again?

Maira (43:21):

It feels like something that needs to be like relearned.

Miquela (43:25):

Yeah. So like taking a class, that's all going back to like you taking a class. Like I was kind of saying like, that's so cool that you're doing that because like giving yourself that time, like hopefully that will get you into more of that mindset, a little, or like kind of retrain your brain to be in that creative mode

Maira (43:42):

In the same vein. I took like an art 101 class at my local community college last semester. And that was, it was the same thing where it like put me in a mindset of like, yes, it was for a grade, but it felt very like, because it's not, I'm not working towards a degree right now. I'm just kind of taking it for fun. And so it was really cool to just kind of get loose and like make stuff. And so I'm taking another art class through the same community college this semester and it's a site-specific installation,

Miquela (44:17):

Woah

Maira (44:19):

But we don't really have any sites. Uh, cause.

Miquela (44:22):

that's fascinating.

Maira (44:24):

Yeah. I'm really excited to see how it's gonna play out. And like I'm really excited to make Stuff.

Miquela (44:30):

Sounds like that's cool. Like that's totally something you can use too for putting on shows.

Maira (44:35):

Yeah. That's I think what I'm most using it for gain down the road, but definitely just like farming ideas at this point, which I'm really excited about.

Miquela (44:46):

That sounds awesome. And that's just through the local community college there.

Maira (44:50):

Yeah. Uh, shout out to Ohlone College, uh, their art department.

Miquela (44:56):

That's rad.

Maira (44:56):

Yeah. I'm excited. Uh, do you have anything else that you want to plug or talk about?

Miquela (45:05):

Um, no, that's pretty much it. I feel like, yeah. Talked about the art show. I mentioned like the class I'm teaching, but I didn't even mention like where it is, but I guess you can put that in like the description.

Maira (45:17):

Yeah. Thanks so much for doing this. I know it was like really short notice. Um, and technology is weird and kind of hard, but it's been fun.

Miquela (45:29):

No, this was awesome. I loved, uh, you know, catching up with you a little bit and like yeah. Hearing about the things that you're working on too. Like it's nice to just sit and talk like with a fellow artist who just gets it. Like, I I've been very isolated away from like any sense of like an art community. So like this was really cool and I, yeah, I really loved talking with you.

Maira (45:52):

Yeah. And it's, it's also just a very different vibe from like seeing something on Instagram and being like, all right, I like this, but it's cool to like interact on a different plane, I guess.

Miquela (46:05):

Totally.

Maira (46:06):

Yeah. Well again, thank you. Um, this was great and yeah, stay tuned for more long-arm stapler, uh, more often this year and that's all for me.

[alecthemovieguy]

Demetri Martin: An ‘economic’ comic

Demetri Martin is a stand-up comic known for a unique mix of observational humor, one-liners, jokes about language, drawings and music. His brand of humor earned him a spot as a writer on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” and as a contributor on “The Daily Show.”

As an actor he’s appeared on such shows as “House of Lies” and “New Girl,” and in film, most notably as the lead in “Taking Woodstock.” “Dean,” his first film as writer, director and star, is set for release this summer.

I interviewed Martin for The Conway Daily Sun and The Portland Phoenix, which published abridged versions of the interview. Here’s the complete transcript of our nearly 30-minute conversation.

A lot of stand-ups make a point of using transitions to have their sets flow, but you do a series of non-sequiturs. Is that an intentional choice?

Yeah. From the get go for me, I wanted to do stand-up, I think, because I really just like jokes. Once I started writing them, I would (have the most fun) coming up with stuff, kind of just brainstorming and daydreaming. Part of the game for me has always been to write the most economical jokes I can in terms of how many words they use. Now, I’ve been doing it awhile and I’ve loosened up a bit and I am a little more conversational, but I still like that game of writing the shortest jokes I can. When I am on stage I can do as many as I can in the time that I have, so I usually wind up with not doing a lot of segways or anything. I just go from joke to joke.

But it does seem to have a lyrical flow even though it is a collection of random jokes, do you carefully choose the order in which they go?

Yeah. By the time I shoot a special or record an album, I have a pretty good sense of an order that I like, just over time. When I am writing jokes, it really is pretty random. Then they start to coagulate or whatever the word is into certain little chunks. Sounded kind of gross, but you know what I am saying. A flow kind of emerges where I say  “You know, I think that joke goes better here for whatever reason.” “I’m not going to do that in the first five minutes.” And then maybe these jokes are structurally similar so I won’t have them near each other. Things like that dictate the order a little bit, but one of the nice things about doing a collection of jokes is that I am not really bound to any order. There is not really a sequence there but things kind of emerge.

You studied law, so how did that influence or shape your comedy?

Well, it definitely drove me into comedy because two years in law school was enough for me it. It showed me that it wasn’t a good fit. Even after the first year, early into the first year I felt like “Ah, this is not that existing to me.” But I really didn’t know what else to do with my future or my career or whatever. Luckily, I was in New York and there were comedy clubs, so I said, “You know what? Maybe I can try that.”

In terms of the study of law, I liked studying the history of jurisprudence, how a law is shaped through court decisions. I still kind of find that interesting. I don’t know if that had any direct impact on my stand-up. But there is that logical element to studying law and making arguments — certainly the LSAT in preparation for law school. There are different kinds of logic problems, logical reasoning problems. I don’t know, maybe there’s some relationship between that and writing jokes and structuring jokes.

Yeah, because you clearly have a love of language. You’ve written in palindromes. So, what is it about language that fascinates you the most?

Well, I realize that at some point, palindromes are pretty arbitrary. I don’t have any specific connection to palindromes. It is not like I come from a family that has them or something or know anyone who is really into palindromes. You know, there are people that do them, but it was not like I was brought up with palindromes. But I think, after thinking about it for some years, one of the things I like about palindromes is that, in a weird way, they are related to simplicity. Because, to make a palindrome, you follow just a very simple rule but things get difficult and complicated really quickly. I think that is one of the things I like about it. It is simple to understand what the rule is but yet it is really difficult. It gets complex pretty quickly when you follow that rule.

Then just practically, traveling so much over the years as a comedian for my work — alone — has led me to different activities that really help me pass the time when I am on these planes, sitting in airports. I am not in a band. I don’t travel with other people. I don’t have a road manager, anything like that, so it is me and a carry-on bag. I read books, I listen to my music and I draw, but sometimes, if I am on a six-hour flight, honestly, trying to write a palindrome is really difficult. It makes time vanish. I get so engrossed in it. It is arguably pointless. There’s not really an application for it, but the process is kind of enjoyable.

How did you develop your style?

Well, Steven Wright I’ve mentioned in interviews before, was my favorite comedian when I was growing up, when I saw comedy on TV in the ’80s. I still love his comedy. I think he’s such a brilliant comedy and joke writer. I liked Gary Larson a lot, too, as a kid. “Far Side” always made me laugh. It might have been one of the first things, if not the first thing, that made me laugh from just looking at it on a piece of paper. Those two influences and certainly my father, who was not a comedian but he was a funny person. Those were three things that probably shaped or became my style.

Then over time, as much as I wanted to be like Steven Wright, I can’t. I’m not him. I can’t be him. I can’t write like him. I think myself emerged out of that. I still tell short jokes because I gravitate towards that. But I like drawing. I am not great at it, but I’ve liked drawing since I was a kid.

Music came later. I listen to music all the time but no one in my family played instruments and I didn’t grow up music or anything. But somewhere along the way, I wanted to see if I could learn how to play music. It is not only fun but useful to material and ideas. What happened was I started headlining and doing longer shows on the road, I found that it was an interesting way to break up my material, for me to put things together, maybe combine some of the material with drawings, maybe combine some of it with music. Even tell stories sometimes because it could be a little more narrative and that helped diversify my presentation, I guess you could say. For shows that are over 75 minutes or if I’m stage for 90 minutes, it is not just a list of jokes, it is something more happening.

Do you remember the first time you ever got a laugh?

You mean not in stand-up, just in life?

Just in life. First memorable time when you are like “Oh, they are laughing at me and it’s a good thing that they are laughing at me.” I don’t really remember the first time. I remember vaguely … well, this certainly wasn’t the first time but when I was a junior in high school I went to this summer program called the Governor’s School on Public Issues in the state of New Jersey where I am from. That program had 100 students from around the state. We were all students that got good grades and we applied for this and we were chosen to be in it. We got to spend a month on a college campus. We took these classes and had discussions.

Anyway, the people that ran it were really cool, and they really wanted to foster a sense of community, so at the end of it, they had a bulletin board and they stapled a paper bag with each student’s name on it and everyone was encouraged to write notes to each other and just leave it in their bag. And then when you left you got to take your paper bag. You could read your notes on your way home or when you got home or whatever. What was interesting was it was the first time in my life where I had a situation like that where there were all these notes from a bunch of people my age. And every note said that “You’re really funny” or “You’re a funny kid” or “You’re the funniest kid I met” or something like that. It was really interesting. It was “Oh wow, that’s interesting, I’m considered funny. That’s cool.” So, that was kind of late. I was like 16, 17 at that point, but it did have an impact on me because it made me feel like maybe I am funny.

One of your earlier jobs, in comedy at least, was writing for “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” what was that like?

That was great. That was a job I really wanted, and that was a coveted job in New York in the comedy scene there because there weren’t that many of those positions and people didn’t leave that job often. It was a really good place to work. It was great because, first off, Conan is great to work for. Jeff Ross, who is executive producer of the show, is also great. They are two genuinely nice people and they treat their staff well. So, it was really cool having a boss that I respected and liked who was really smart and really funny.

The other writers were great and one of the great things about that show is if you’re a sketch writer, so not monologue, but if you’re writing the sketch pieces, you get to not only write your bit, but you get to direct it if you’re shooting any kind of footage for it, you get to cast it, you get to work with the different departments — costumes or props or art. So, you’re getting a little crash course in directing in a sense and producing comedy, so I loved that about it.

The thing I didn’t like about it, the hours were kind of unpredictable. Some nights we’d stay until midnight and other nights we’d stay until like 8:30. You never knew when you were going to get out. It was really hard to do stand-up and do the job at the same time. So, I had to make a choice and I ended up leaving the job which I never imagined I’d do just because I wanted to keep pursuing stand-up, so I quit.

But you were part of an award-winning season in terms of writing, so you got that.

Yeah that was cool, yeah. I got a trophy.  

You were a correspondent for “The Daily Show” for several years and did a segment called “Trendspotting.” If you were to do a “Trendspotting” segment now, what do you think it you’d do it on?

That’s an interesting question to me because the world has changed and of course it does change, but even in the time since I did that segment. To me that was kind of a joke, the idea of trendspotting, but trending is now clearly a very common verb that people use all the time. I don’t even know, I’d probably — I like to read design blogs a lot for whatever reason, I guess it is because my wife is a commercial and interior designer, so she’s gotten me more into the world of design. So, it would probably wind up being something too dry. It would be something with design and sustainable. Everything is sustainable. A lot of 3-D printing. Stuff like that.

It is interesting how in just like a decade how much has changed. Like I watched your bit on social networking and it was all focused on Myspace and, of course, Myspace is gone.

Right. It is crazy. It is long gone. That seems like a different lifetime and it really wasn’t that long ago.

Unlike a lot of comedians, you’ve actually gotten to work with a two-time Oscar-winning director on “Taking Woodstock.” So, what was it like working with Ang Lee?

That was a great job. I was excited to get that role. It was pretty intense. It was super educational. I am not a trained actor. Ang is clearly one of the great directors we have in our time. I knew I was in for an interesting ride, and I was because Ang told me in the beginning of rehearsing, shortly after I got the part, he said “You know all the comedy you do, I’m not interested in that. I picked you as an actor.” And he told me point blank “Your job is to know your lines, be well-rested and be prepared and be able to adjust. I give you direction, I need you to be able to adjust.” He said “Your job is to give me options.” He said a lot of other things, but that was thing that stayed with me. Educational because I’m used to writing and performing my comedy and perspective, so this was a different assignment. And he did me a big favor because he taught me a lot about acting and filmmaking. But it was pretty intense. You know, I wasn’t working in a coalmine but, still, everyday I was on that set taking direction, learning how to do things and then there was a whole movie that was waiting for me to get a scene right. It was so different than stand-up because you are on your own, this was part of a larger creative ecosystem.

Right because your character, in many respects, is the straight person that is reacting to all this insanity around him, so it is very much is kind of the opposite of your impulses as a comic.

You’re absolutely right. It was a difficult thing to manage and also to learn. It is not my work. It wasn’t my movie. I didn’t direct it. I was hired to be a part of it, so I had to do my best to help Ang execute his vision in that movie as kind of a straight man in a sense reacting to, yeah, everything going on around me. It was really cool because it is a period film. As an actor it was a very great challenge. Not that it is that hard to play a gay character, if you’re not gay, but also there is some work there. I wanted to be sensitive to who that person was, who I was portraying and do my best to make this person three dimensional and become a character as much as I could. Of course, I don’t have a big range as an actor, so I did my best.

Did you learn anything from Ang Lee that you applied to directing “Dean?”

Yeah, I think so. Well, first on Ang’s movie and the few other films or TV series I’ve been cast in, you learn quickly how collaborative the whole experience is and how much trust is required. People really have to trust each other, and the other departments have to work together and, as an actor, you have to trust your director and everybody, really. So, that was something I thought of really in the process of making my own movie. This is not just getting people to help me execute my story or my vision or whatever you want to call it. It is finding people to work with who I can trust who will hopefully trust me, so it is really about finding collaborators. Whether it is hair and makeup, whether it is your DP, props, everybody, it is a big deal. Now, my movie was such a small budget, it made it all the more important. I’m sure on a huge movie, it is always important, but my experience with low-budget, I thought “Jeez, I really don’t have any time or money to waste.” You’ve got to just maximize every dollar and minute, so if you have good collaborators it is a lot easier to do. If you don’t, it just makes it so much harder.

What was it like not only acting with but directing such great acting veterans as Kevin Kline and Mary Steenburgen?

It was great. I got lucky for sure because both of them were such lovely people to work with and I didn’t know either of them before we worked together. Now, being on the other side of this movie, I can see how lucky I got. It doesn’t always work out that way. You can get someone to be in your movie and they can be difficult or they're afraid. As a first-time director, you’re really asking people for a lot because there is no proven track recorded. They are taking a big risk. Kevin and Mary did a lot more for me than I did for them, so I will be forever grateful to them no matter how the movie does. If it is some big hit then great, but even if not, they still helped me actually get my movie made.

But, yeah, working with them was great because they were patient, and again, I keep using the word collaborative, but it is really the best word for it because even in doing a scene, you’re really making it happen together. I tried to stay out of their way because they have so much more experience than I do, but then, at times, I asked “Can I have it this way?” or “Can we just try this line this way?” and things like that. It was very harmonious, especially given how little time we had. They didn’t have a lot of takes to do their scenes because we had to shoot so much each day in order to get the movie done, so there were only a few takes for each set-up with the camera but even given that it worked out really nicely.

“Dean” seems semi-autobiographical. How much of Demetri is in Dean the character?

It is autobiographical I guess you’d say in terms of its emotional storytelling or the emotions underneath the story, but it is pure fiction otherwise. I like the idea of making up a story and telling a made-up story but I also like the idea of making something that is grounded and is emotionally real. That is really what I tried to do with the movie. There’s nothing in there from my life. I can’t think of anything that is real, except that the character is an illustrator and even that, I’m not an illustrator. I’ve had a book of drawings and my second one will come out in the fall, but that certainly doesn’t make me an illustrator.

I am a comedian who likes to draw and I like to act but knowing real illustrators and seeing their work, I can’t tell those people I am an illustrator. I am comedian, but I thought it would be interesting to make the character an illustrator and focuses on that kind of work rather than a comedian or actor or something. So, that is pretty autobiographical as like a little sliver of who I am. And I lost a parent when I was young. I lost my dad, so for the movie I made it my mom. I really did want to fictionalize it and not and end up telling literal tales about my life. It just didn’t seem interesting. But, yeah,  if you see the movie, you see “Oh, yeah that seems like Demetri” because I’m not really disappearing it some different character, it is more like, “OK, here’s my sense of humor and now let’s put it into this character and tell a story.”

In 2006, you pitched a movie to DreamWorks called “Will.” Whatever happened to that? Did it basically become “Dean?”

No, that’s totally different movie. I sold that to DreamWorks. I did some drafts, some rewrites of the scripts for that. And then it ended up at Paramount and it got greenlit for like a week in maybe like 2010, somewhere around there. I thought the movie was going to get made and then it fell apart and didn’t get made. Then another director got attached to it a few years ago and I did another rewrite of the movie. It still didn’t get made. As with many projects in Hollywood, it may just die a slow, terrible death. I have a little, tiny shred of hope that maybe it’ll get made but I’m not holding my breath anymore.

It is partly why I made “Dean” because naively I thought when I sold it, “Oh my God, I’m going to get a movie made and it’s going to be at a studio. This is exciting.” And then my heart slowly got broken each successive rewrite that I did. I got paid for it, so I can’t complain about it but, at some point, I realized I am going to stop waiting for that to be my ticket into movies and just start making my own. And “Dean” was my first attempt at it. And it is not a high-concept movie. It is a low-budget movie. It is truly an independent film. I’m glad I did it and I want to make more of them. I hope someday I’ll have adequate budget, not like the biggest budget in the world, but enough that I’m not asking every single person who works on the movie to do me a favor because that’s pretty much what happens when you make a really small movie.

And going back to your drawings, obviously you’re not an illustrator, you’re not doing comic books, but if you were to create a comic book superhero character, what would that character be?

Well, I’d probably have to think for a while to come up with something really good but my first thought would be, maybe this is just me getting a little bit older, but I think if someone who had the power to change perception, his own perception and the perception of others, that in itself would be a pretty interesting superpower. I often feel like reality is just really what you spend your time thinking about or paying attention to. There’s certainly reality beyond that but for each of us, it just seems like perception is such a powerful filter. It might save my character and everyone a lot of effort and time if a lot of it took place in their mind instead of flying around and borrowing shit up and everything. Pretty boring answer. But yeah that’s my first thought. Maybe that’s why I am a comedian. It is more about ideas. But I think there’s something in there.

Perception Man.

Exactly.

Or Preconceived Notion.

Or Perceptor.

[this-blog-should-not-exist]

It’s been what, two weeks? One week?

A surprising amount has happened since my last post, idk where to start. So much has been on my mind as well

Last I had said was my last time I saw J I think, which was last Wednesday, the 18th. After that we had just snap chatted for a while. This past Friday I actually had another date with a guy I met on Tinder that I’ll call G, he was a close call to J. So I had told him on Thursday the night before I was going to meet him up in Easton that I was already also talking to another guy. I just wanted to be honest with him because I didn't want to just lead him on and then disappear after the date if it went south. He said that he respected my honesty and that not many guys would do that. So all in all Friday came and we met in Easton at Barnes and Noble. He’s really cute actually, a bit cuter than J but I wasn’t going off that I was going off personality. We ended up spending quite some time at Barnes and Noble talking about comics and books we’ve read and a few other random things. After that we went to get some food at Chipotle and sat outside and talked. We had talked for hours really until it got dark. We got along really well actually, we had so much in common. Books, the way we thought about things, movies and video games. He was like a walking meme too it was fun. But I just didn't feel a spark. Im not sure why I didn’t. Was it because I was already so invested with J? I had been talking to J for about a week longer than G but like I said J was a little more aggressive. G seemed like me, he was softer, gentler and passionate. After we finished talking I had drove him home since he went to college at OSU in Columbus, I didn't want him to have to take the bus home that would’ve taken forever when I could just drive him. I dropped him off and that was the night. I went back home and we said goodnight on snapchat and that was that. The next afternoon he was asking if I had made a decision between him or J and I had chose J because like I said, I for some reason just didn't feel a spark with G. Idk why. I said Id still like to be friends of course because I mean he’s a pretty cool dude, I like him. But since then we’ve talked a little less which I mean is understandable as well. We keep our streak going and make a little talk but thats about it. I hope he’s doing well, I saw today that he had unmatched me on Tinder.

That day though, Saturday I had managed to finally pay off 5,000 that I had owed my college that I went to out in Portland Oregon. I am so so so relieved now, Ive been working so much since this past June to pay off that debt because since I owed them 5,000 they wouldn’t release my transcript which meant i couldn't apply to transfer to a college back here. But now that its paid off I can set all that up this week because I believe my deadline to apply for spring classes is the 30th of this month. 

After that day, I had picked up a shift on Sunday because my friend C was actually going up to Cleveland to see a guy HE’S been talking to on Tinder as well so that was fun. I worked Sunday, C got back that afternoon, he said it was an really good time. The guy he is talking to is 23, a musician and finishing his masters in Cleveland. They fit together really well he had said. Im glad, C had never really had a relationship before and I hope this goes well for him. He hasn't had the best of luck with guys or girls really in the past. Just a lot of hookups, which I guess works for him, whatever floats his boat. Im glad he's met someone though. But so I picked up his shift on Sunday, gone to the Band Competition back in my hometown because two of my friends were helping set up for their high school band who were preforming at my high school. So I got to go around see a bunch of my old friends again which was so nice. Ive missed seeing all them in high school and that. After the band perfomance we had a work meeting that night at the bowling alley downtown, then I left and went back up to Columbus to see J. He had really been wanting to see me, and I had missed him a bit. 

So I got up there about 9, we got in bed and played on our laptops until about 3am. We had talked the week before to go to the botanical gardens the next day, possibly head out to Easton and go to one of his coworkers house for a cookout. Well none of that happened because I didn't sleep well that night so I woke up about noon but I didn't want to wake him up yet because I wanted to let him sleep. Plus whenever I say with a friend or anyone and I wake up first I feel terrible because I feel bad waking the other person up. What if they’re not ready to wake up? What if they didn’t sleep well either? What if they are a heavy sleeper and don’t wake up? Will they be grumpy when I wake them up? Will they actually be awake when I wake them up or will it take then another half hour to actually get out of bed? But so I didn't end up waking J up until about 3pm which of course he didn't like because we didn't end up having time to do anything. We had gotten a shower together, gone out to town because he was hungry and also wanted to return this game he had gotten. Well we get out to town, he began to get annoyed because he couldn't make up his mind one which game to trade it in for then didn’t know where he wanted to eat. I felt back because he was getting so annoyed at himself and it was my fault because I should've waken him up earlier so we had time to do stuff. Because also that day I had to go down to Athens at 7 because I was signing a least for a house with C, and another one of my friends we’ll call Jo. So J took us back to his apartment I grabbed my stuff and left for Athens, signed the lease, came back up to Columbus, went to the cookout with J, met some of his coworkers, they were fun. I felt a little out of place because of how young I was. Everyone else was over 21 and some were married couples with kids. It was still a good time, I had a few jello shots which I was a little disappointed they didn't get me anywhere even buzzed. But we had left about 2 hours in, got home about midnight and I watched J play Fallout 4 until about 2am, we had drank a little back at his place too but I still didn't even get tipsy. When I drink I drink to get drunk, because when Im drunk the most that happens is I get a little off balanced. I can still talk and think straight its just my center of gravity is a bit off and it makes things fun to me. But so we had gone to bed then. I got up today about 9am, we took a shower and I left and went straight to work.

So much has happened this past weekend, so many good things as well. Nothing ever usually goes this well for me. Me and C felt the same way and were joking that something is just gonna come crashing down on us, because life has never been so nice, me him and Jo are all talking to someone, we got a house, I paid off college. Everything is just going to smoothly. Part of me like I said is waiting, something is going to happen I'm afraid. Something bad but I don’t know what or when. But part of me is also thinking you know what if this is it? Have I finally got my life on track? After years of struggle and trial have I got things going the right way? But what do I do about J? I still have this feeling with him. Am I just enjoying the romantic attention and dealing with his aggressiveness for the sake of the romantic attention? Could I do better? Am I just holding onto him until I make it down to Athens? I just still have so many doubts about things

[nancydhooper]

Randazza: Nothing is Straight in Boston

By Marc J. Randazza

Boston was home to a "Straight Pride" rally. Unsurprisingly, a bunch of idiots showed up to protest the other idiots, and idiocy ensued. It seems to have all been fixed now. So, here's the story.

Straight Pride Ralliers – Super Happy Fun America – Really? What is the point?

Yes, the straight pride group is really called "Super Happy Fun America." One could say "Super Gay Fun America" would be a synonym?

On one level, I'm ok with these clowns. That's what America is — the right to march down the street proclaiming whatever you want. I'm pretty proud to be a native Masshole – and part of that Masshole pride comes from the fact that Massachusetts was the first state to say "Dood, what the fahk paht of EQUAL do you not fahkin' undastand? If you can get married, so can the queahs if they wanna. Peary-id." See Goodridge v. Dept. of Public Health, 798 N.E.2d 941 (Mass. 2003).

Some have asked what the purpose of the parade was, but, that is beside the point. I don't like it when someone asks me why I want to have an AK-47. My answer is "because it is my constitutional right to, and that's all I have to say." Same with "why don't you want your home randomly searched?" Or, "why do you need to say this shit?" If the answer is "because it is my Constitutional right," then that's that.

Of course, you know the reason why there was a "straight pride" rally. There's the sorta dumb perspective of someone who does not understand why there might be a need for a "black pride" event, but a "white pride" event sends a really different message. If you're that stupid, go read something else. We're not going to wait for you to catch up.

Ok, fine… if the day comes that gay people kick the shit out of you for liking pussy… and you get arrested for enjoying pussy… and you maybe even get lobotomized or put in a mental asylum, and all of a sudden you're like "what the fuck, I WAS FUCKING BORN THIS WAY, LEAVE ME ALONE!" Yes, then maybe we might need a straight pride rally. Until then, lets chill.

But, the way shit is, we only "need" a straight pride rally because we "need" the entire texture of thoughts and ideas to be put in the marketplace of ideas. So, I wholeheartedly support these clowns right to beclown themselves.

The Counter-Protesters

Idiots too. Yes, I would like to invoke "The Inverse Charlottesville Speech Rule." That is when you say: "There were very dumb people on both sides."

If you want something so pre-discredited as a "straight pride rally" to fail, the best thing you can do is ignore it. Personally, I wish there could have been a very organized counter-protest where they just got 1,000 guys to put on sparkly sequined dresses and feather boas to watch, clap, and just yell "WE LOVE YOU, YOU'RE FABULOUS!" at the entire parade. That would have been a resounding victory for the pro-equality crowd. But, y'know, nobody fuckin listens.

So, those who got angry about this parade? Congratulations -they gave them at least part of their win. But, hey, they get to express their ideas too.

Along with them were the dipshits with the bandanas on their faces – trying to be all "we're just anti-fascists." No, they're fascists. Don't tell me that they're "anti-fascist" just because that is what's in the name. By that measure, The Democratic Republic of North Korea is a "democracy."

The Police

TThey arrested violent protesters, as they should — and maybe as they should teach their counterparts in Portland and Berkeley how to do. But, they also arrested non-violent protesters. And, since I haven't reviewed any of the film of those arrests, I'll give them a pass — civil disobedience might have its place, but you still might have to get a ride to the police station and a little bit of paperwork.

The DA

The Suffolk County DA is sorta awesome in this case, because she tried to drop all the charges against the non-violent protesters. But, things got weird.

Context: She has pledged not to prosecute "minor" crimes like trespassing, shoplifting, drug possession, and resisting arrest. On one level, I like that. I really wish that prosecutors would be a little more discerning in filling the prison pipeline. But, this is just might going to result in the "inverse broken windows" situation. Already, some dumbass decided he could shoplift with impunity because he heard about her policy. (source) Unfortunately for that dumbass, he didn't realize that he was shoplifting in a different jurisdiction. Oops.

The DA decided to drop all the non-violent charges connected to protests at the straight pride rally. I am going to presume she did this for an enlightened reason – that if a citizen is expressing him or herself in a non-violent way, then maybe we don't need to crush them with the weight of the state. I do question whether she would have done the same had the political polarity of the offenders been reversed. But, that's just a question right now. She has not yet had the opportunity to prove me right or wrong. So, let's give her the benefit of the doubt.

The Trial Judges

Every day, prosecutors walk into court and say "your honor, we would like to noll pros these charges." If the defendant does not want the charges to proceed (naturally) and the prosecutor does not either, then that's the end of the story. Even if the prosecutor is doing it for a bad reason (not that she was) then that's that. She is elected by the people. She speaks for the people. The people, through her voice, say "this person's conduct is ok with us, let it go."

But, two judges have said "LOL, no" (paraphrased). They refused to let the state drop the charges. (source)

To make things even weirder, the Prosecutor appealed to the Supreme Judicial Court to drop the charges. I have to say, I have never seen a case where a prosecutor appealed to try and let defendants off the hook.

And, the decision came down just a few minutes ago. FIGGITY FIRST, MUTHAFUCKAS!

The Decision – Commonwealth v. Roderick Webber

Supreme Court Justice Gaziano just issued his decision – and the result is no surprise – he upheld the prosecutor's discretion to drop the charges.

Primarily, it was a separation of powers issue. Under Art. 30 of the Massachusetts Constitution, the prosecutor has exclusive jurisdiction over whether to prosecute a case or not. (Op. at 3).

The trial court judge apparently resisted because of the Massachusetts Victim's Bill of Rights, which gives a victim of a crime the right to have some input into dropping a case. The judge took the position that the victims were "Super Happy Fun America," whose First Amendment rights were impeded. (Op. at 4) I can sorta see that point, at least from an emotional perspective.

But, as Justice Gaziano pointed out, in a disorderly conduct case, the "victim" is the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and not a particular citizen. Same logic applies if you wind up getting in a bar fight and neither of you really want to press charges — you didn't just do something to each other, you also violated the Commonwealth's peace.

But, even if that were not so, the trial court would have still lacked the authority to force the Commonwealth to press forward. Because separation of powers.

Justice Gaziano did specify that there were cases supporting some curtailment of prosecutorial discretion – but only if there is a "scandalous" misuse of authority. You know, bribes or shit like that. Nothing like that seemed to be even remotely going on here – but good to know that there's at least that level of control.

Accordingly, all of the charges that the prosecutor sought to drop are dropped and the arrestee's record is expunged.

Conclusion

All in all, the chips seem to have fallen where they should – but not in a way that doesn't at least make me want to exercise a bit of vigilance.

I like that the state and city did not interfere in the parade, despite the fact that 90% of the community would have loved to see the Super Happy Fun America people rounded up and put in camps. The Commonwealth and the city of Boston seem to have protected the marchers' First Amendment rights.

Protesters got in the way a few times, and the police removed them. This is what the police should do – lest Boston become a "heckler's veto" city like Berkeley or Portland. The District Attorney seems to have done the right thing by using her discretion to only prosecute those who engaged in violent acts. And, while I was initially horrified at what the trial judge did, after reading the Opinion, I see the trial court's position: Think about another time and place — maybe Alabama during the civil rights movement. Imagine a group of locals wants to beat the shit out of some civil rights protesters, and the local prosecutor just says "no crime here." So, yeah, I would like to see some oversight of charges being dropped. But, if we do not respect the separation of powers, the judiciary can get out of control too. The judge is supposed to be impartial – not taking sides.

But, I do hope that if this kind of thing happens again, the politics of those involved is not the determinative factor.

And, y'know … picking Boston as a place to have a parade to stick a finger in the eye of gay rights? Well, that's not exactly how we do it. Nevertheless, I think there's plenty of room in the cradle of liberty for everyone's ideas. I just know which ideas are going to win in the marketplace of ideas. And it isn't Super Happy Fun America's ideas.

Copyright 2017 by the named Popehat author. from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8247012 https://www.popehat.com/2019/09/09/randazza-nothing-is-straight-in-boston/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

[generouslyteenagealpaca-blog]

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My boyfriend got into an accident 2 weeks ago. Basically it was a 5-car pileup. The two cars in front of my boyfriend left the scene because they had no damage. The lady (Lexus driver and Allstate insurance carrier) who actually hit a Toyota Corolla (Traveler's Insurance carrier), which in turn hit my boyfriend's Ford Escort is not returning phone calls and did not give a statement to Allstate. She did give a statement to the Corolla's insurance company but basically claimed that the Corolla hit the Escort then hit her Lexus, which makes no sense because the Corolla didn't back up! He got estimates on his bumper from the Allstate and Travelers insurance companies which came back between $1100-$1600. He just wants to do a cash in lieu and get it fixed by a friend of his. Is it possible for him to just go after the Corolla's insurance company or does he have to continue to wait for the Allstate's policy holder to respond back to Allstate?!""

Car insurance and Traffic accident in Germany?

Is it necessary to have car insurance? Who do you report accidents to after they happen? Do you need to register your cars? Do you take a test to get your license? What is the legal limit for driving while intoxicated? How do they measure blood alcohol? Breathalyzer? Blood? Can you refuse to take the test? Do lawyers get involved in accident cases? What are penalties for driving without a liscence or being insured? Do you have judges, juries or both?""

Car Insurance prices???????????????

I am turning 18 soon and will take the written exam. After that, I will try to get a licence. Now my question is, for a first time driver at 18 years old, how much would car insurance usually cost for a '97 Nissan Altima with I'd say no more than 10-20 hours of driving per week? I also have good grades and I think some insurance companies give you up to 15% off for that. Thanks!""

I only have liability insurance and was hit by another car?

I only have liability & when the other guy hit me he ran away on foot leaving the car. I made a police report and they gave me the other party's info. Now his insurance is saying they can't help me until they know who was actually driving his car. What can I do to get my car fixed because it is not drivable? Can I get a rental car? Can his insurance deny me completely if they don't find the driver?

Car insurance?

I have only liability insurance. If I rented a car will liability only insurance cover the car if I got in an accident or do I need to have full coverage?

""Im getting quotes for well over 4,000 for car insurance is this right?""

Im getting quotes for well over 4,000 for car insurance is this right? My grandson is 17 and has passed his Advanced driving test. He has a VW Polo. Would he be able to be put on my insurance as I have 5 years no claims. Would this lower his by much? He has also been driving cars/tractors around a farm since he was about 13 would this make a difference? Thanks""

Around how much will car insurance be for me?

hi, im going to get an rsx soon, im 19 in california, and i was wondering how much insurance would be around for me? full coverage would be how much? and the cheaper one is how much? ( dont know name )""

Austin Texas Cheap car insurance quotes zip 78742

Austin Texas Cheap car insurance quotes zip 78742

Car insurance quote reduction?

My quote for this year was 1200 as I'm a 18 yr old, male student but I was just wondering how much cheaper it should be with a years no claims under my belt as I'm just a month away from it.""

Car insurance?

Does your car insurance have to be under the title holder's name? And as far as that goes...does the title have to be in the name of the person with the loan? If it does, can there be another person on the title who isnt part of the loan?""

Will a first time speeding ticket in Missouri effect my insurance and i have Statefarm insurance?

Will a first time speeding ticket in Missouri effect my insurance and i have Statefarm insurance?

What are the cheapest auto insurance companies for young drivers?

What is the cheapest major auto insurance company for a 19 year old male, with no violations or accidents? Going to be buying first car in the next couple weeks and need insurance. Getting a much older used car so I don't car much about comprehensive and such, just want state minimum coverage (20/40/15 in IL) to be legal. I've seen quotes from Progressive, Geico, The General and Safe Auto. So far, geico has been considerably the lowest. I checked various models I was looking at, on average progressive was about $100/mo, the General and Safe Auto were around $120 and geico I saw the lowest as $45/mo ranging up to $80/mo (but I've already eliminated that car- a ford probe that sold before I could test drive) I'm wondering if anyone knows of any other major companies with lower rates, otherwise I'm obviously going with geico. Right now my options are down to a mitsu eclipse or a camry/corrolla/accord (something of that nature, whatevers on the lot and priced right) The eclipse from geico I believe was around 60-70, I imagine the camry would be more in the 45-50 range. Any companies with rates lower?""

Cruiser vs. Sportsbike Insurance?

I am 18 years old and looking to buy my first motorcycle. I like both styles of motorcycles but was wondering which type would be easier on my wallet. I am assuming a sports bike would be more expensive but how much more? Input would be great.

Does anyone know an insurance company that will insure expensive cell phones?

AT&T will not insure its own cell phone if it costs too much money. (phones like the Iphone, Tilt, and Duo, among several others) Any phone above $300 dollars before contract and ...show more""

Car Insurance Down Payment?

I just purchased a car insurance plan and there was a down payment necessary which was about double the plans monthly cost, it totaled about 270 total and the plan is 130 a month. I was wondering if the down payment I paid would go toward next months payment as well so I wouldn't have to pay for that month or would i eventually get my down payment back? Thanks in advance.""

Insurance company that insures expensive cars?

I'm 18 years old, but I have a lot of money. I'm looking to buy a Bentley, or a Rolls Royce, maybe even something a little faster like a Ferrari. Buying the car is not the problem, the problem is more along the lines of I'm 18 and I'm going to need car insurance. Does anybody know of any insurance companies that will insure an expensive car? I've talked to Geico and esurance, and neither of those companies insure exotic and overly-luxury cars, and it makes it even harder because I'm 18. Could somebody help me?""

Car accident no insurance?

Long story short- we were in a car accident because this lady was trying to turn left over a double yellow line into the gas station and we hit her from behind. Well we didnt have car insurance at the time because my hubby was out of work for 3 months and you pick and choose your bills at that time. So, the cop gave us a ticket and we did a little damage on her car. Her insurance company called and said we are supposed to pay 1500.00 to fix her bumper. Well they said that we can pay a big lump-sum now and they wont take us to court or we can do payments. NOW- i understand that we need to pay for her damages, my question is that can they garnish my husband wages now that he is back at work. Or if we go to small claims court will the cost will be more then what they are offering? I DO NOT think she had that much damage. I took many photos.""

New car financed through Honda Canada . I want to buy liability and life insurance .?

Can you purchase life and disability Insurance with a company of your choice to get a cheaper rate or do you have to purchase through dealer.

How an insurance brokeage business works?

i want to know how an insurance brokeage works in simple points please!!!! thank u!

Can you pay car insurance monthly without extra charges?

Most car insurers charge a direct debit fee up to 30% APR if you pay monthly - are there any free ones (or at least cheaper ones)?

What happens if you get pulled over and get a ticket for no insurance?

OK so I just got pulled over this morning for not having any insurance and I had no idea I did not have it. For one the car is not mine its my boyfriends and for two his mom was the one that had insurance on it and dropped it without telling me, so I had no idea. I just went and got insurance on it like an hour after I got the ticket, so will the ticket be dismissed, if not what will happen and how much will this all cost?""

Cheapest car insurance?

Cheapest car insurance?

Mustang Car Insurance?

I am wondering what cost more to insure, a 2000 Ford Mustang Red v6 or a 2003 Chevy Silverado 2500HD reg cab. V8 For a 16 year old driver?""

Where can I compare legal malpractice insurance like car insurance quotes?

I am a new lawyer and need to get receive coverage. Any attorneys out there know how much I'll pay? Who has good rates?

What types of policies have been losing money for insurance companies?

Are property insurance policies in Florida (Hurricane area) still costing insurance companies? Any other kinds?

How long until you need car insurance??

We are buying a car tomorrow, how long do we have until we have to get insurance..is there a time frame.? we live in California if that helps out any..We do not have any insurance and are planning on buying a used car from a dealership. i tried looking online for quotes but i need the info for the car first..i dont have it..i dont even know which car im getting all i know is i got ten thousand for a car.""

What's the cheapest new car in terms of insurance?

Strictly in terms of insuring the vehicle, which new vehicle would be the cheapest? Preferably an SUV, but a sedan would do as well.""

Where do I get insurance if I am a driving instructor?

Where do I get insurance if I am a driving instructor?

Temporary car insurance in uk?

can you get short term car insurance in the uk for like say a few months??? reason being is i have my everyday car but... have my toy i would like to use maybe few months of a year.

Second driver insurance car?

Hi I'm 17 and I'm about to do the driving license and I will be added to a car as a second driver and the first driver has about 20 years of experience of driving and discounts I would like to ask how much there would be to pay for the insurance is it going to be double the price or more ? any answers are welcome and I would like to know what would be the price range I will need to pay.

What do car insurance companies use to determine car value?

I just bought a 2008 used car. I bought GAP insurance (pays the difference between what the car is worth and the amount of the loan if the car is totaled) for $600. I have 30 days to cancel the insurance for a full refund (to my finance company). Do insurance companies use Kelly Blue Book retail value, private sale or trade-in value to determine the value they will pay for a totaled car? If they use retail or private sale, I can cancel and be okay if I get totaled, but if it is trade in, I will be $3000 in the hole with no car.""

Are insurance rates high for classic cars?

Are insurance rates high for classic cars?

Being stopped by police for no car insurance?

I was pulled over by the police today for having no insurance, I did have fully comp on another car (which I have no sold) but was advised by the insurance that I can drive ther cars (but was not told that had to belong to someone else) I am now being charged with no insurance and I have had a clean licence for over 10 years. Is there anything I can do or will I just put this down to experience""

Austin Texas Cheap car insurance quotes zip 78742

Austin Texas Cheap car insurance quotes zip 78742

How can i get lower car insurance for my newly passed girl friend ( UK )?

my girlfriend has just her driving test 2 weeks ago im getting her a car tomorrow, ive been checking through loads of insurance sites trying to find her the cheapest possible is there any tips and tricks what to enter on these sites they ask so many strange question, or should i insure the car than just add her as a named driver? or do you know off any cheap sites.""

How much is car insurance for a 18 year old male in CA?

I'm 18 years old, get good grades, and I'm buying a new Nissan Versa (in Magnetic gray). The car's going to be about 14k total (out of the door price). I'm wondering which car insurance company I should go for, and what a good price would be. My parents are debating whether I will be added to their insurance plan, or if I will get it sepatetely. Does anyone have input on this? Thanks~""

""Health insurance for young, healthy people?""

I'm trying to find a health insurance plan made for someone like me- 26, male, non-smoker,non-drinker, currently at ideal weight, regularly exercises, no health conditions, no prescriptions, etc. I mostly want something that'll cover check-ups with maybe a small co-pay, and then has a high deductable for a broken bone/ sports injury etc. Everything available at my job seems to cater to the chronically ill/ older/ heavy prescription user. private plans are to much per month. This is why I decline medical benefits, year after year! I know any of these plans would be helpful in the case of serious injury- just in case. But none seems to offer any tangible benefits like, I don't know, 2 doctor visits a year? Every plan requires that I exhaust my deductable first- I'll never spend 250-1000 a year for doctors visits! I'm guessing, based on cost that a high deductable plan is best for my broken bone scenario- but how can then screw me out of seeing a doctor just to get a check up?""

How much is the average Business Owner's Policy?

I am specifically interested in what the BOP costs would be for a bar in Georgia.

Can a 17 yr old get there own dental insurance?

Can a 17 yr old get there own dental insurance?

How much would car insurance be monthly for a 2007 CLK350 Cabriolet?

for a 16 year old?

Is there insurance you can get that will cover pregnancy?

I just found out that I am pregnant and I don't have insurance and I make to much for State covered insurance. Is there an insurance company out there that covers pregnancy now?

Would having a fake nitrous system in my car increase insurance rate?

Would having a fake nitrous system in my car increase insurance rate?

What is the cheapest way for me to pay for car insurance?

I'm 17 years old, and I recently passed my G2 exam...soo happy :) but now I dont have insurance to drive. So I asked my dad and he said I could get it, but I would have to pay myself. I totally understand that but I don't understand how the car insurance policy works. I took driver's ED with my school and I know that my insurance price is lowered because of that and I'm girl so my insurance would be less expensive than guys but I would like to know what the cheapest way for me to pay for insurance is.""

What kind of car for cheapest insurance?

I'm 23

Affordable health insurance in NYC?

Hi, I am 30 years old and my wife and I had a combined income of approx $62,000 for 2006. In august of this year I will be quitting my full time job and going back to school full time. My current salary is $50,000. I anticipate making no more than $20,000 while in school and not being able to get health insurance through work. My income for 2007 will screw up my chances of getting most federal aid for the first year and will probably exclude me from healthy NY as well. Insurance through school is about $600 a month. I've gotten quotes of $513 to $1200 a month for my wife and I. All I want is catastrophic coverage in case either of us have any major problems or I have an accident while riding my motorcycle (a means of transportation, not a toy). These online quotes are driving me crazy. Where is the best place for me to look for something that will cover these specific conditions and how much should I expect to pay? Thanks in advance!!""

What's a sensible sporty/fast car for a young driver?

I'm 19, 2 years driving experience. I've had two 1.6 escorts and find they are completely gutless. I'm looking for a faster, more sporty car that isn't going to kill me on insurance. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!""

I cancel my car insurance because I sold my car.?

I was told by the car insurance company that I have my car insurance that I would have a laspe in my insurance. I was also told that I would not be able to purchase insurance with another company. Why is this? Why should I keep my insurance if I don't have a car and won't be purchasing one for awhile?

This is about car insurance?

Ok. i have a direct debit set up with swinton for my car insurance every 26th of the month. This december I got paid on the 18th and i have left no money in there for my direct debit to come out when they took it out on 29th decemeber. I didnt realise this happened until friday 29th january and got a phonecall form them telling me they are cancelling my car insurance. I was angry as I had no letters to confirm this and no phonecalls. My phone is broken and I had changed my address (which i have given them about 10 times) they said there was nothing i could do and cancelled my insurance. They have now told me that because i havent paid that its been sent to the debt collectors and is a criminal offence!!! My argument is they did not change my address even after I had told them time after time. Is there anything I can do, or if anyone has any advice what I do now. I have set up a new insurance now but its 8 more than my last one!!""

Insurance companies messed up!?!?

Over three years ago, a pick-up truck crushed the entire back-side of my van. Of course, it wasn't my fault and I took care of the situation by calling the truck driver's insurance company. However, when I was going through my auto insurance profile, I saw something weird, a driving history stating that I was at-fault for that accident three years ago. It's very weird because I claimed an accident not on my insurance company, but the truck driver's. What can I do to fix this? Was I paying more premium because of this mistake? Thank you""

The least expensive type of life insurance is _____.?

whole-life insurance term insurance endowment life insurance limited-payment life insurance

What will happen if i dont pay my car insurance this month?

I am a student and find it financially. I recently had to get my car repaired so I now do not have enough money to pay my insurance this month (192.10) I was thinking of asking if I can skip this month and request double payment this month? What are the consquences of not paying the insurance for a month. My friend believes it can damage the policy and they may ask for the full ammount? Im with quinn direct

When do you qualify for health insurance?

Is it normal for an employee to require a year of service as a fulltime employee to get health insurance?

Affordable motorcycle insurance?

I live in Michigan and currently have motorcycle insurance w/Progressive. Unfortunately, they only offer an annual rate at $230.00. Living in the midwest, I only ride the bike for 5 to 6 months if I'm lucky. Do you know of a reputable insurance carrier that offers monthly or 3 to 6 months coverage??? Its ridiculous to pay for an entire year when I barely ride for half. Thanks!""

International health insurance question. ????

I'm planning on moving to Finland this March-October and have been looking online for health insurance while I am away from the US. Can anyone recommend some companies which offer good coverage, but is also affordable?""

Insurance stuff?

I have a first insurance right now, and medicaid as a second insurance. My husband still has a job but his contract is being taken over by another company, will medicaid cover the bills until i get his new insurance started?""

What's the average car insurance cost in Ireland?

Hi everyone, I'm planning to move from Canada to Ireland next year and I was wondering what would be an average cost for a basic car insurance? I have had a valid Canadian G2 license for about 3 years, as well as a Romanian (EU) full license for 8 years. I'm 26. The car would be a small car, and the region either Dublin or Cork. I'm not looking for an exact quote, I'd just like to know what you are paying for your car and your experience, so to get an idea of what to expect. Thanks.""

Classic car insurance companies?

Classic car insurance companies?

Temporary car insurance for under 21s?

I want to take out temporary car insurance in the UK, who will do this for someone who is under 21? Thanks""

Do you have to get insurance as soon as you get your license?

I plan on going to get my drivers license in a few weeks (hopefully I pass!) and I've been told you have to have insurance right away. I'm currently on my parents plan with my permit but it's not costing them anything. Their agent said to immediately notify her once I get my license. Could she have said this just because she thought I would be getting a car? I don't plan on getting a car anytime soon but drive my parents cars occasionally. So will the insurance go up any if I don't have my own car that needs to be insured? If so will it be a lot? All answers will be greatly appreciated, because my parents are trying to make me put off getting my license because their car insurance is sky high already because of all the tickets & wrecks my brother has gotten in & I really want my license! Thanks in advance!""

Austin Texas Cheap car insurance quotes zip 78742

Austin Texas Cheap car insurance quotes zip 78742

How to get insurance coverage when between jobs?

My wife had her own health insurance with her previous employer, and I have my own with my employer. We do not have kids. She started a new job, but probation period for benefits is 3 months. She worked for a dental office of 5 employees, so I don't think COBRA is an option for her plus it's really expensive. Is it possible to add her to my work insurance plan for only 3 months mid calendar year?""

Does filing a claim raise auto insurance rate?

My car was vandalized while I slept. Luckily my car shut itself off when it did not recognize the key. I filed a claim with the insurance. I had comprehensive coverage. When it was time to renew, my rates increased. What is the point of having insurance if you are discouraged from filing a claim? I thought if it was not my fault, my rates do not increase?""

I need car insurance help... now......?

ok... i was thinking of getting insurance on a 1998 5 door ford fiesta 1300cc.... i am 18 (male) and only had my full license a few months... trying to get an answer out of any insurance company is..MURDER.. i go through pages of junk just to click get quote and then there is a list of 50 questions... i need... an... estimate... i dont wanna see ONE link to another website... speak in numbers please =]... and... state if it is monthly or yearly!!... because i got answers that say... 1000... and im like... is that a month =o??.... so yer... average or estimate insurance for me!!... gee thx =].... i feel this is in clear violation of the age discrimination act but warever....

""Car insurance,Legality of this?""

Ive been checking quotes out,im going down as a second driver.The main driver doesnt own the vehicle,i do,when it gets to details about me as a second driver it asks if i own my own vehicle,i do and its the vehicle im insuring but it doesnt actually have that as an option.Am i in any way voiding my insurance,i dont think i am but i want to make sure. Anybody with the knowledge out there?! :)""

Which car insurance is the cheapest and the best of all?

I know there are alot of car insurance out there and I want to know which one is cheap and reliable. I heard Geico is good, can someone confirm it, are there any other good one besides Geico?""

How much would bike insurance cost me per year?

I'm 22, looking to get a Ninja 250, am going to complete a Motorcycle Safety Foundation course, and have a clean record. What would be a reasonable, average price I'd be looking at for either basic or full coverage?""

""After a year of insurance, i heard it gets a little cheaper the next year. is this true?

i also heard if you get car insurance it will be cheaper after you had motorcycle insurance.

How much do i have to pay for my insurance? i just got my license!?

im 17 years old. i don't know my credit score. i got my license 1 week ago. and i dont have a car i am going to drive my moms kia sedona 2004. and i want to have infiniti insurance thats what my parents have please help me out?

On average how much is horse insurance for a 5yr old 16hh Thoroughbred Show Jumper for example?

I'm trying to calculate expanses for when I get my own horse. I will most likely be getting a Thoroughbred around 5 to 8 years of age. I will have him/her for Show Jumping purposes including competing. On average how much will insurance cost for this horse?

Insurance question?

Well I'm under 18 and don't live with my parents. my job doesn't offer dental or health insurance. I need to go to an orthodontist to get a check up, and I may need some kind of retainer, braces etc because of jaw pains. Is there a way you can make payments without insurance? Or get some kind of plan? If I can't do anything until I'm 18 what kind of insurance should I get? thanks!""

How long after a DMV hearing will your insurance be notified ?

I recently had my DMV hearing am in the process of getting a sr-22 with another insurance company . I am not the primary holder of my current insurance I want to avoid their rate to go up or for them to find out . How many days do I have to cancel my current insurance before they cancel me .?? Please help ?

What is the best health insurance in NY?

In the boroughs...NOT most affordable best... JUST the best, anywhere accepts.""

How much would insurance cost for a yamaha r6?

I'm 16, male, and I live in va. And the insurer would be gieco. Thanks""

Fend off bullying car insurance suit?

i was involved in a car accident. i was at the wheel and the insurance company that insures the car has placed me at fault. i am not the owner, but claim that i had permission from the owner to use the car and therefore, under california law, should not be liable for the damages. the owner is fully insured. i tried to settle this by paying for the deductable. shortly after i submitted a check to the owner he changed his statement to his insurance company and claimed that he in fact hadnt given me permission to use the vehicle (I have a scanned copy of the check with clearing information from my bank). i am now being threatened by two insurance companies: 1) the insurer of the other party involved (this claim is on me, the owner, and his insurer) & 2) the insurer of the car i was driving. what are my options? how can i attempt to prove that he did give me the necessary explicit or implicit permission to use his automobile?""

Insurance- dui-?

if i get convicted of a dui- my insurance will go up correct, the question i have is how long will i be paying the higher premium? 10 years? 5 years? 1 year? and also what is the avergae price it goes up considering i am 23 years old no tickets or accidents till the dui accident(hit a tree) live in southern california and drive a mustang gt i pay 160 with the accident right now(i think i paid 100-125ish before the accident. thanks""

What Exactly Is Life Insurance?

What I mean is... If my Mom has life insurance on me, then when exactly do I receive the money? And can I spend it on whatever I want??""

Can you add car insurance after an accident?

i hit my friend tonight but i never added insurance to my truck that i bought two weeks ago. I called the 24 hour insurance support and told them that i had bought the truck tonight and they said i am covered for 3 days but i have to call my agent tomorrow to set up all the coverage and payments. If i call the agent in the morning and tell them i got into an accident will i be covered? i live in IL.

Should a 22 year old buy life insurance?

Okay, my friend who is 22 years old has a dead end job does not have a family of his own and is still attending college was asking me if he should buy life insurance, I think he shouldn't but what those everyone else think. Let me know""

What happens after you buy car insurance online?

Just curious as I'm planning on buying a years insurance for the first time in my life (I'm 17) from the post office website. Either that or could I pay at my local post office branch? I'm so close to getting my own car and then insuring it seems so simple that every time I think of it I start to physically shake!!! Thanks!

No health insurance...

I don't have health insurance but have started to worry about needing to get a mammogram because I have a spot that worries me. Is there anything I can do to have it checked out?

Pittsburgh car (auto) insurance?

Where can I get auto insurance in Pittsburgh? What do you recommend? I bought a car recently and I'd like to find a cheap way to insure it.

What companies would offer me the cheapest car Insurance?

So currently I have my car insure with Nation Wide and montly payment is $61 for liability. Is there any other company that would offer me a cheaper insurance fee? I have a Honda EX 2000. 2 doors.

Will My Insurance go up?

The other driver reported the accident on his insurance company but we decided that we'll settle the damages outside the insurance company to prevent my rates from going up. The other insurance company is contacting me now. Does it mean that my insurance company knows about the accident and will raise my insurance rates even if we dont settle this insurance to insurance?

Insurance on Subaru STI?

I was curious roughly how much it cost for insurance on a Subaru STI? It would also be nice if people stated there insurance company, driving record, age group, and the state they live in? Thanks""

Help finding very very cheap car insurance please?

i live in florida (miami) is there anyone that can give me a legit site that provides me car insurance for the cheapest price possible? what i mean by legit is no scams or anything, and an address where i can personally go to visit the insurance agency for the papers.""

Austin Texas Cheap car insurance quotes zip 78742

Austin Texas Cheap car insurance quotes zip 78742

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/fresno-california-cheap-car-insurance-quotes-zip-93727-craig-cabrera/"

[junker-town]

Snubbed NBA players react on social media after All-Star announcements

A few names were surprisingly left off the All-Star reserves, and they were not happy about it.

The 2018 NBA All-Star Game reserves were announced on Tuesday evening, which means a bunch of talented players who did not get voted in were big mad on social media after the announcement.

Here are some of those players, in order of what they said:

Andre Drummond

Drummond is having one of the best seasons of his career, averaging 14 points, a league-best 15 rebounds, a career-high 3.9 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.2 blocks per game. He’s stuffed the stat sheet for the Pistons all season long, so he was rightfully upset when he wasn’t tabbed an All-Star on Tuesday.

Guess I gotta start doing back flips after every point I score to get attention around here! Lmao on to the next

— Andre Drummond (@AndreDrummond) January 24, 2018

Gotta be fuckin kidding me lol

— Andre Drummond (@AndreDrummond) January 24, 2018

Here’s the thing: the Pistons started out the season red-hot, but have since cooled off. They’ve fallen out of the playoff picture at ninth in the East after owning a 15-8 record to start the season. Coaches are responsible for voting in the reserves, and they weigh team record just as much as they do stats.

If the Pistons hadn’t slid to below .500, Drummond might very well be an All-Star this year. Instead, Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis and Kevin Love were named front court reserves in the East. It’s kind of tough to put Drummond ahead of any of those guys, despite the awesome season he’s having.

Paul George

PG-13 didn’t say too, too much about being snubbed as an All-Star out West, but Russell Westbrook absolutely lit into the voters (hi, coaches!) after the Thunder beat the Nets on Tuesday.

Russell Westbrook called it “outrageous” that Paul George was not named an All-Star: pic.twitter.com/62vmKKbFSx

— Royce Young (@royceyoung) January 24, 2018

“Unbelievable. I think it’s just outrageous, in my opinion,” Westbrook said, according to ESPN’s Royce Young, reportedly closing his eyes and shaking his head. “I don’t know who else made the team but got four people from one team, you’ve got guys complaining about getting snubbed until they get in, you’ve got guys just talking about it all the time.

”But the guys that deserve it — should be in — are not. I just don’t understand. Doesn’t make any sense.”

Thunder head coach Billy Donovan was also disappointed that one of the league’s premier two-way players missed out on the All-Star game.

Billy Donovan told ESPN he was disappointed Paul George wasn't named an All-Star because he is "without question one of the 12 elite players in the West." pic.twitter.com/iqPkwXPTf1

— Royce Young (@royceyoung) January 24, 2018

“I’m really disappointed, and my comments aren’t to take away from any player, but to me he’s one of the best players in this league,” Donovan said via ESPN’s Royce Young. “He’s played as one of the best players in the league. He may be the best two-way player in the league. He’s even a better person and I know that has nothing to do with the All_Star ballot, but I was just disappointed because if they’re picking the 12 elite players in the West, 12 elite in the east, he is without question one of the 12 elite players in the West.”

Carmelo Anthony was also denied an All-Star tab, but he understood it was part of the sacrifice that came with heading to OKC.

Carmelo Anthony on Paul George not making the All-Star team, as well as his own All-Star streak coming to an end: “Coming here I knew this would be a sacrifice, a full sacrifice for me not a half sacrifice and this is part of that sacrifice.” pic.twitter.com/zJldIe4awu

— Royce Young (@royceyoung) January 24, 2018

As for George, he appeared a little disappointed, but was stood by one sentiment: it is what it is.

Paul George on not making the All-Star team, says “it is what it is” and that he has “bigger goals and bigger dreams.” pic.twitter.com/jvmXKW7j4t

— Royce Young (@royceyoung) January 24, 2018

“It is what it is. I wasn’t an All-Star, to whoever was the voters,” George said. “Whoever made the list or everybody that thought the same, I wasn’t an All-Star apparently. Life goes on. I got a second half when I came here, I think Melo said the best, it’s something that us being in the East, it’s easier for us because we were holding our teams, pretty much putting the teams on our back night-in and night-out. But it is what it is. When I came here, there were bigger dreams and bigger goals. And what I have to look forward to is trying to win a championship.”

“I got a longer break in-between the season now.”

Paul George is an interesting case. He’s one of the league-leaders in hustle stats, including deflections and loose balls recovered, and he owns the second-most steals in the league behind Westbrook. Couple those defensive stats with 21 points on impressive three-point shooting percentages on a team that has surged to the fifth seed in the West, and you’d think you have an All-Star on your hands.

But George missed out. Jimmy Butler was fully deserving of his All-Star nomination leading the Timberwolves to the No. 3 seed after years of missing the playoffs. Westbrook himself took a slot as a reserve when he lost out as a starter to Harden and Stephen Curry. Thompson, another two-way perimeter player, will almost always have a slot as a two-way wing as long as the Warriors continue their sheer dominance of the league. And Lillard got the nod this season, and deservedly so, after years of getting overlooked.

Someone had to be on the outside looking-in. Unfortunately, this time that was Paul George.

Chris Paul

CP3 didn’t speak for himself, but his All-Star starter teammate James Harden went on Instagram after the reserves were announced, questioning how Paul could be snubbed when he’s having an amazing season for a Rockets team with the NBA’s second-best record.

James Harden takes his opinion about Chris Paul’s All Star snub to Instagram (via @jharden13/Instagram) pic.twitter.com/WGpyMPdnUr

— Alykhan Bijani (@Rockets_Insider) January 24, 2018

All things come full circle, and Paul edged out Damian Lillard as a reserve last season, even though Lillard was on a tear, averaging 27 points per game in Portland. Lillard, though, got the nod as a reserve this time, as did Klay Thompson, Jimmy Butler and Russell Westbrook. The West is just a tough place to play for guards, and Paul will have to watch from the sidelines as a result.

Lou Williams

No, the Clippers aren’t playoff bound this season, but Sweet Lou is the only reason the team is remotely competitive. Williams is averaging 23.5 points and five assists per game, shooting 40 percent from three and 90 percent from the line. He’s averaging 30 POINTS IN THE MONTH OF JANUARY, PEOPLE. THIRTY POINTS!

So rightfully, he’s got something to be mad about, too.

Lol

— Lou Williams (@TeamLou23) January 23, 2018

If there’s any exemption to the team record rule when voting for All-Stars, it’d probably apply to Williams. He’s proven to be one of the most crafty perimeter scorers the league has, and without him, the Clippers would be in shambles. Instead, they’re surprisingly intact for a team that lost Chris Paul last summer. But you can’t even think about giving Williams the nod when guys like Thompson, Butler, Westbrook and Lillard are in the picture.

Devin Booker

Booker is having another amazing season in Phoenix, averaging 25 points, 4.7 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game. Those numbers, if they hold, would put him in a distinguished group of NBA legends — including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Allen Iverson, Michael Jordan and current players like Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Derrick Rose and Carmelo Anthony — to post that stat line within their first three seasons in the NBA.

But Booker’s Suns are hot trash among the bottom three teams in the Western Conference, and you can’t really weigh someone’s numbers appropriately when their team isn’t competing in truly meaningful games.

Opinions over statistics

— Devin Booker (@DevinBook) January 24, 2018

Booker will definitely be an All-Star someday, and his time is in the near future. The Suns just aren’t good enough right now. That’s not an opinion. It’s a fact.

Goran Dragic

The Miami Heat have exceeded expectations yet again, and Goran Dragic is at the center of their successful early season. But he was not named an All-Star on Tuesday, and judging by his tweet, we know exactly where he’ll spend his break:

— Goran Dragić (@Goran_Dragic) January 23, 2018

Players are going to get snubbed every year, because someone is going to think they are an All-Star whether they get voted in or not. There are only 24 All-Stars for 30 teams. Maybe the fix is to open up the pool, or make a mid-season All-Star tournament.

Either way, guys are going to get mad every year. There’s nothing anyone can do about it, except watch them get mad and write about it. That seems to be a pretty fun way to handle things, right?

[museemagazine]

#WHM Olivia Bee

We’ll be tapping our incredible archives in support of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day and posting interviews from our Women issue throughout the month of March.

Olivia Bee an honest magic

Interview by Paula Rey

What was it like growing up in Oregon, which is rather far from major work-hubs such as LA and NY?

Oregon was magical and incredibly beautiful. You have a range of nature in Oregon – you have deserts, forests, rivers, lakes and even the ocean. A huge part of my childhood was going camping and being with my family in nature, which is so apparent in my work. I honestly didn’t even want to go to New York. Since I started working really young – at 15 – I didn’t want to move, so, I chose to stay in Oregon. A lot of people shoot in Oregon. There’s definitely a big artistic community there, but it’s a weird community. There is some part of Portland that really likes to stay comfortable, and doesn’t like it if you are successful. People make you feel bad for wanting to do big things. Life there is so much fun. It’s just so easy to drink with your friends, and sit on a porch and play music, which is what a lot of people want to do. But if I did that all the time, I’d get depressed. It’s too comfortable there and that’s the problem, but this is going to change because a lot of people are moving there now.

What was the first camera you ever owned and the last camera you shot with?

The first camera that I ever owned was a really shitty digital camcorder. Right now, I shoot a lot with a Contax T2 and G2, and a couple medium format cameras, like the Makina 67. I hate putting that in interviews. They’re so hard to get now because everyone is talking about them, and mine just broke.

As a photographer, what kind of moments hold magic for you?

I think that would be a moment that is mysterious and sensual, but also tells a story. Something that has a narrative, but doesn’t entirely give out the whole narrative is also magical. I am trying to make my work more narrative, and sometimes I feel I am learning everything backwards. I learned what my aesthetic was super early on and I had figured out what sorts of things I like photographing, but I wasn’t really aware of the stories until later. That’s a big transition now, where I am writing videos. So, now I’m like, “Oh, I have to plan all that out or else it’s not going to work.” So, that’s been like a big learning curve. Going back to your question, I like moments that are honest. It is like an honest magic and a magical kind of honesty that I look for.

When did you develop this feeling of honest magic and magical honesty?

I think it was something I started tapping into when I was 14. If you look at the project, Enveloped in a Dream – the first photos I was making – it’s about me and my best friend, and the world that we existed within, within us. I didn’t really know what I was making when I was 14. I mean, I was making choices, but they were totally subconscious. I really like things that glow and things that have magic inside them, that you can see from the outside, but I didn’t really put that together. I like how this aesthetic feels to me. Figuring out what it actually meant on an intellectual level came later.

You talk a lot about the authenticity and love that go into your photos. What do you think is the most authentic or honest photo you’ve taken?

Go to my project Kids in Love. It’s got a photograph of my little brother. That was taken after he jumped off a train, which he hopped on to when he was 13. He was just so fucked up and I was the only one he told what happened. He told my parents that he got into a bike accident, but I knew. And at that time, we were visiting my grandpa who was dying in Seattle. So, that’s my little brother at that age. I love him so much. Also, if you go to my Flickr profile, you’ll see a recent one of my ex-boyfriend. That’s right before we broke up and there is, like, a lot of heartbreak and longing, but also sensuality that hangs in that photograph. I’ve had distance from this photo so, at first, I thought to myself, “Maybe it’s just because you are seeing it that way.” But I really do think it feels heartbreaking in some slight sense, but also has a lot of love. And that’s exactly what was going on with us. He is wasted in that picture, and I was wasted when I took the picture. It was after a hard night, but we found this moment where we were still in love with each other. But there was something very wrong and that’s exactly how we were. He hates me now.

Nowadays, everyone is a photographer. How do you feel being part of the first generation of photographers to grow up and become an artist with the notion that everyone is curating and documenting their own life?

I think part of it is really amazing that there is so much content that is being created, so much weird shit because everybody is making stuff all the time. The thing is, if I was a photographer 20 years ago, when it wasn’t this normal for people to photograph everything, I wouldn’t be able to do what I am doing. Like, I wouldn’t be able to have this as my job. Instagram has helped me actually figure out what I want to take photos of. Posting on the internet is part of my process, not necessarily because I am taking into account all my Instagram comments or like what people are saying on Flickr, or how many views, but because it’s out in the world and I can take a step back from it. I am about to release my first book in spring and I don’t think I would’ve made it without posting photos on the Internet. I needed to let it go in order to put the pieces together.

People sometimes look at your age more than your work, but the truth is that being so young you’ve created some major work. So, tell me, how do you look back on the photos you took a few years ago?

I mean, I guess a part of me is like, ‘How did you make good pictures when you were 14?’ It’s still hard for me to wrap my head around the idea. I didn’t really know what I was doing, but I felt this thing, like it was my subconscious that took over and made me take all these pictures. That’s what it feels like. I was forced to be an adult so young. The part of me that became a photographer, that made photographs for money, for brands, had to grow up so young. I had to be like 30 when I was 14. But then this part of me that was making photographs for myself, it came with some kind of maturity, but I was still just being a stupid fucking kid. I never wanted to sacrifice my youth and make work about youth. Creating work that is about youth should come with being young. Like, it’s so obvious when an old person makes work about young people. It’s not the same. So, it’s really important that I am on the same level as all the people I photograph.

You used to do very DIY photoshoots. How did you find the transition to big sets and teams that work on a single shoot?

It kind of came naturally. The biggest problem I had was when I directing a commercial, and I was like, “I am not going to have a camera in my hands. I am just going to be telling people what to do. That’s such a problem.” And my high school boyfriend was like, “You have to view those people as your hands, just that they are more equipped hands.” And that really got me thinking, “OK. It is still my vision.” You can’t control everything, though I still try sometimes. Like, this project on my website, Viva Las Vegas; I styled the whole thing – I produced it, casted it, modeled in it, did the make up, I am not good at hair but I can do the hair, I did location scouting, I was the driver, and I did everything. I like getting super involved. This was a period when I didn’t have any jobs for like a couple of months, and I had this money, and I was like, “I need to make something great right now.” I had had the story in my head for like a while and I’d been really interested in Vegas. So, I went to Vegas last October and kind of got obsessed with the fiction of it and I started this train of thought about fiction, and people living in a fantasy, and love gone bad, and feeling like you love someone so much but you are so jealous of them that you want to kill them, and all the stuff that can be applied to narrative. So I was like, “OK. I need to put those feelings into a cliché landscape that is really poppy, American and weird.” So I did this.

Where do you feel the stretch of growing pains in your work? And how are you trying to evolve with it?

I am definitely trying to be like a 21-year-old woman, working as an adult. And I am constantly treated like a kid and an adult at the same time, on and off. I also look very young so, at the airport they are always like, “Are you traveling with your parents?” And I am like, “Agh! I am going to go shoot a fucking international shoe campaign.” But then being treated like an adult has its issues; there is so much pressure on me and it’s hard to deal with boys and relationships while I’m so busy. There is a lot of pressure on me. Especially when I was 16; since there are no laws concerning a 16-year-old photographer shooting for Nike, we kind of had to make them up. And there aren’t a lot of people to relate to, which is something I am still struggling with. I don’t relate to a lot of things that my peers are doing, so I am trying to like hangout with more people who understand what I am doing, but there is still some disconnect. I am stuck in this weird middle-phase right now. I am going to therapy a lot. It’s OK. I am growing up. I’ll be fine.

What are your fears or worries regarding your work for the next few years?

No one wants to make the same work all the time. I’ve been photographing my life since I was 14. But now my life is like…I mean, living in New York or in LA is a lot different than living in Oregon. I am not 17 anymore. Magical moments don’t happen all the time, where, like, we are on a bunch of drugs and in a beautiful place. I have to make that happen and if so, it feels like I am repeating things. So, it’s like a lot of planning and just being more strategic about things, and reaching for clients that I want. I am definitely thinking more about where I want my work to exist. I’m being smart about it, and there is so much I want to do. I could’ve had the opportunity to be an It Girl, but I wasn’t really interested. If I had Instagrammed the parties I’m at all the time, and really played out this persona, I could’ve done more. But I don’t think it would’ve being integral to what I believe in or to what my work is. When you’re a successful, young, female photographer, everyone just wants to pin you as a young, successful, female photographer and not even look at your work. I want people to be interested in what I’m making, the stories I’m telling, and my work.

Watching your videos on Youtube, it’s very evident you have quite a good ear for music. Do you still choose the music for the videos you shoot now, for example, in your Hermes campaign?

That’s my friend’s music. Her name is Krista Michaela. She is amazing, and we understand each other on, like, a celestial level. Writing videos is hard because you have to go backwards, and as stupid as it sounds, it was really hard for me to figure out the beginning, middle, and end. I have a video coming out actually, with this director, Matt Lambert. He’s amazing, dieLamb is his thing. He does stuff on relationships, gay and lesbian couples, and just fucking the gender binary.

What was it like planning the vision for a brand as classic as Anais Anais?

They wanted me to do the packaging for everything. Originally, I didn’t know how, but now that is one of the things that I do: re-invent the icons. I’d really like to get more opportunities to do that. I’ve done Roger Vivier, Hermes, and Anais Anais, and many more. I’m about to do a really awesome icon next week, which I can’t tell about you right now, but that is going to blow people’s minds. I am so excited. I love fucking with that stuff, re-bumping it, and making it new, but, like, still being true to the icon.

How do you keep shoot ideas and inspirations organized? What is a normal day in your life?

Oh my God, it’s never normal. In the last two months I’ve been to Sweden, Finland, Lebanon, Canada, China, Korea, Japan, Thailand, LA, Texas, Oregon, Utah, and New York. Nothing is normal. My head is really out of place. I really need some kind of stability and something to hang on to. I’m getting two apartments so I can figure this out. I really need my negatives all in one place again because right now some are in Oregon, some are here in my storage unit, and some are in my sublet in LA.

What do you see yourself doing in the next few years?

I would love make a feature in the next 5-10 years. I need to take some time off and just write it. But things are going crazy right now. I’ve been doing all this work in Asia and I’ve got a crazy month coming up, but it’s going to happen. I just have to be like, “No, agents, please don’t keep me busy right now. I just need to do me for a second.” Also, I would like to get a dog at some point.