Issues Tag

To get the full effect of this post please listen to this song while reading. “The subway breaks everyone and afterwards many are strong in the broken places.” -Ernest Hemingway/Rachel Harrison. Taking public transit is a struggle. Despite the perks of never having to worry about gas or car payments and insurance, the subway tests humans in unspeakable ways.   Stranger Danger Being trapped in an enclosed space with hundreds of complete strangers daily is not ideal to say the least. More often than not these strangers possess alternative views onRead More

I’m not a football fan. I have no desire to watch games on TV, and if drug to a live game, I will promptly grab the strongest drink that I pass and enjoy myself in that way. Football, for me, means alcohol and socialization, not watching a game. But, when something like Michael Sam’s media coverage is plastered on my Facebook and Twitter, I have to pay some attention; it’s the price of wanting to stay current. So naturally, I have some opinions. Apparently, Michael Sam was recently compared toRead More

If you would have asked me ten years ago if I would have done most of my socializing online, I would have given you an emphatic no (and probably would have thrown the nearest drink in your face).  While everyone was busy glitzing up their MySpace profiles, I wagged my finger in the background swearing that social media would never take off.  Well, you can’t be right about everything.  There’s no getting around it, our lives today are inexorably tied to a little social network that you may have heard of. Read More

Netflix is a fickle friend. It’s difficult to resist falling victim to a Netflix addiction. It’s so easily accessible and not to sound like the stereotypical bad influence in a D.A.R.E. ad but…everyone is doing it.   Phase 1: Discovery With all this talk about Netflix I might as well see what’s up. Sometimes I like to have the TV on in the background while I do other stuff like clean my apartment or check Facebook.   Phase 2: Experimentation Top picks for me? Why thank you, Netflix. You’re so sweetRead More

Before I start here, let me be clear: I’m an ardent supporter of gay rights. I believe that being gay is no more of a choice than being white, black, brown, or blue. I believe that gay people are absolute equals in society, and should be treated accordingly. I’ve voted in support of gay marriage every chance I’ve had. And perhaps most on-point, I believe that a gay football player is just as qualified to be in the NFL as a heterosexual player. And that brings us to Michael Sam.Read More

Humans, as a species, are so unbelievably different from one another.  Each of us is unique, so much so that we can never predict how any one person will react in a given situation. Now, some might say that this doesn’t mean anything but I’m starting to think it might.   Life and Death Every living thing on Earth makes decisions based upon instinct.  Humans have evolved to the point that our “instinct” is no longer our sole reasoning to the choices we make.  We are consciously aware that, oneRead More

As a member of the millennial generation, I was raised with a certain unhindered access to the Internet. Along with the cat videos, dancing babies and as one of the few people who remember what a dial-up tone sounds like, I’ve also strayed into the NSFW depths of the web more than once.  Yes, I’ve consumed my fair share of hardcore pornography.  Ever since I was 12-years-old and knew how to use Google, my search history may have turned a few sniggering heads at the NSA.  You’d think that onceRead More

Getting dumped is something I have become well acquainted with during the past couple of years.  I like to blame it on my stint teaching English in Thailand, where an ex-pat lifestyle boasted an environment unsuitable for fostering skills to sustain a relationship and which resulted in a lot of strangers tongues in my mouth on island parties.  When I returned to the U.S. I went out with a lot of men that I was incompatible with, who I catered to, and who were only interesting after a whiskey sour or five.  I didn’t knowRead More

Since embarking on my career, I’ve gained somewhat of a reputation for myself as “that guy who’s reading instead of doing his job.”  It’s true.  While the grips are rigging and the director is doing a walkthrough with the actors, I often tuck myself into a corner somewhere and pop open a book.  None of that Kindle nonsense either – I flip through page after page of properly bound, warm-scented paper, fresh from my latest Barnes & Noble excursion or pilfered from my friends’ bookcases.  I’ll find myself so deepRead More

Please note: It is highly recommended that you step off your Pussy Riot pedestal prior to reading this article. Now, ladies: We do not shed all responsibility for our actions the moment we start drinking. Responsible adults are able to make responsible decisions. “I was SO drunk” is not an excuse. You do not become a victim the moment you suck down your first vodka tonic. Women love to blame men for just about everything that happens during a night out, but let’s be honest—you know your limit and ifRead More

College life has always carried a certain image.  Sure, there’s the prestige, honor and the promise of higher learning, but deep down we all think of one thing whenever our alma mater is brought up. Blame National Lampoon, Revenge of the Nerds or any movie ever made about college, but overall, the media presents the best four years of our lives as the most wasted years of our lives.  Depending on who you are, where you are, or what frat you’re in, that may or may not be the truthRead More

As of Monday, The LA Times published an article condemning a resolution passed by the UC-Santa Barbara Academic Senate intended to ensure that students would receive notice of “triggering” content before it appears in a classroom. The title of this article is “Warning: College students, this editorial may upset you.”   …I am upset. Upset at the victim-blaming that this perpetrates. Upset at the lack of sympathy for our fellow humans who have undergone traumatic events. Upset at the manner in which the writer dismisses the need for trigger warningsRead More

If I had a nickel for every time someone chalked up a series of bad decisions to “daddy issues” I’d probably be rich.  A whole Diet Coke rich.  That’s a lot considering every striptease is met with a series of *tsk tsk tsks* and a general inquiry as to where that woman’s father was.  I’m not going to get into a discussion about the parental effects on a child’s decision to disrobe for a living–which I, for the record, believe is a perfectly valid and intelligent way of putting oneselfRead More

Barbecue sauce, weekend benders, porn, television, movies, Hulu. What do these all have in common? In reasonable doses they can add new dimensions of fun and texture to your life, but too much and the law of diminishing returns kicks in. What’s delicious? Hot wings and barbecue. What’s disgusting? One wing in a tub of Stubb’s. This is what personal media has become to me: a constant binge of distraction. Let me clarify something. I’m 28. I’m in the doldrums of the twenty-something. I’m now filling the void which wasRead More

… but someone has to do it. For those of you who know what I’m talking about, you get it. For those of you who don’t, well you’re about to learn. Serving is not a glamorous gig. No person in their right mind thinks to themselves growing up “yep I want to wait on other people who are ungrateful and rude.” Seriously, what I’m trying to understand about the other side of the fence is one simple thing: Why are people so rude to servers? That is the one thing I’mRead More