Jacob Bryce's Blog, page 3
December 5, 2015
White Pride is Racist, But It's Also Kinda Not...
Last night I was scrolling through Bookface and I came across this delightful little cartoon:
#ButtHurtWhitePeopleI read this and my immediate thought was, "Awww... they want to be the victim. Cute!" And then it got me thinking about how this is rather common concern among certain Caucasian United States citizens, and that they truly believe they are some sort of victim of the reverse racism myth when it comes to pride in who they are.
And I started to wonder about why that is? Why do some consider it racist to be a proud white person? Well, the answer I decided on kind of sits on the fence. It is and it isn't, it just depends on the language you use.
Let's be honest and realistic, "white pride" is associated with "white power" which the basic chant of racism. That's just how the term is used. Google the term "white pride" if you'd like. There's a fiar bit of controversy. Then google Scottish pride. Then British pride. Then Irish Pride. Then German Pride. The first photos and memes and articles that you come across are not centered around race (although I did see one German article on how it's becoming less awkward to have pride in your German heritage).
I think the basic misunderstanding of the grouchy men and women who feel they are being persecuted for their white pride is that they're not paying attention to how they're communicating they're pride. I know quite a few white people, myself half-included (cause, you know, the whole half Mexican/ half European thing) who are more than happy to share their pride in the cultures they come from. But they're specific. "White pride" is an offensive term and that simply needs to be respected. But when the conversation turns to specifics and you're not generalizing with "White" then the offensive nature is removed from the context.
And this isn't about political correctness, which is something I find to be ridiculous and stupid and the wet dream of some sad group of people who think a personal philosophy should be social law and all naysayers exiled. It's about respect. It's about the simple idea of not being a dick. It's about being empathetic with the feelings and attitudes of entire cultures that have been shit on for way too long for the simple crime of not being pale enough to blend in white snow.
At least, these are just my thoughts. Perhaps this conversation in our culture can be fixed if we work on the way we're communicating our cultural pride.
November 14, 2015
The Four Assholes You See Posting During a Tragedy
In the wake of the Paris attacks I’ve been thinking about my favorite types of people during a tragedy:
Person A is angry because they don’t believe some of the grief is legitimate, so they decide to cry about it and tell the people that they’re insincere. This behavior is in all likelihood due to the fact that people aren’t paying attention to them, so whatever. Let the children cry.
Person B is upset that no one is paying attention to another incident and so rather than try to reference the other tragedy in the conversation, they decide to tell people what they should be thinking and feeling and focusing on. This tends to belittle both tragedies because it brings up a comparison of the two, when really all that needs to happen is the formation of a second conversation in addition to the first one. There’s no competing with a news story that’s gained momentum in mainstream media (journalism is still a business) but that doesn’t mean the second conversation can’t keep going and that doesn’t mean both conversations can’t be had at the same time, respectively.
Person C is usually crying out for some radical answer that can be broken down into the simple attempt to justify racism. For instance, treating refugees who are fleeing for safety as accomplices. That’s like blaming a wife who flees her abusive husband for some stupid public action the husband committed afterwards. Would it be preferred that the victims die at home so that others are not inconvenienced? No, it wouldn’t. Don’t be silly like Person D.
Person D is just silly and wants to get rid of guns or religion or whatever, as though something as like that is actually possible. Instead of focusing on the issue, which can be boiled down to a lack of human empathy and a complete disrespect for human life, they find whatever Bad Guy One has in common with Bad Guy Two and decide the common denominator needs be eliminated, even though BG1 and BG2 are basically apples and oranges. There’s no need to get rid of all fruit here. Just the specific rotten fruit.
And all of these people do little more that take a poo on the problem. So please, don’t be one of those sorts of people. Focus on love and empathy and sticking together in a time of crisis. Talk about Paris. Talk about Baghdad. Talk about everything that’s wrong. Just stop attacking other people for not reacting the same way as you.
Person A is angry because they don’t believe some of the grief is legitimate, so they decide to cry about it and tell the people that they’re insincere. This behavior is in all likelihood due to the fact that people aren’t paying attention to them, so whatever. Let the children cry.
Person B is upset that no one is paying attention to another incident and so rather than try to reference the other tragedy in the conversation, they decide to tell people what they should be thinking and feeling and focusing on. This tends to belittle both tragedies because it brings up a comparison of the two, when really all that needs to happen is the formation of a second conversation in addition to the first one. There’s no competing with a news story that’s gained momentum in mainstream media (journalism is still a business) but that doesn’t mean the second conversation can’t keep going and that doesn’t mean both conversations can’t be had at the same time, respectively.
Person C is usually crying out for some radical answer that can be broken down into the simple attempt to justify racism. For instance, treating refugees who are fleeing for safety as accomplices. That’s like blaming a wife who flees her abusive husband for some stupid public action the husband committed afterwards. Would it be preferred that the victims die at home so that others are not inconvenienced? No, it wouldn’t. Don’t be silly like Person D.
Person D is just silly and wants to get rid of guns or religion or whatever, as though something as like that is actually possible. Instead of focusing on the issue, which can be boiled down to a lack of human empathy and a complete disrespect for human life, they find whatever Bad Guy One has in common with Bad Guy Two and decide the common denominator needs be eliminated, even though BG1 and BG2 are basically apples and oranges. There’s no need to get rid of all fruit here. Just the specific rotten fruit.
And all of these people do little more that take a poo on the problem. So please, don’t be one of those sorts of people. Focus on love and empathy and sticking together in a time of crisis. Talk about Paris. Talk about Baghdad. Talk about everything that’s wrong. Just stop attacking other people for not reacting the same way as you.
October 31, 2015
Halloween Blog. Life Blog. Anti-Black Friday Blog.
Boo!
It's Halloween today and the hippy and I are doing something very special. We'll be attending a wedding today, for two very lovey people. And since it's a Halloween wedding and Cody and Jessica are not lame as fuck, costumes are happening.
I'm just going to leave this here and remind you
that gender bending costumes are a thing.
It's also a day for movies and candy, and I plan to enjoy the wedding and come home to experience one of my absolute favorite films of all time:
Literally nothing scared me more as a child than this scene from John Carpenter's Halloween.
Except this bitch.
Happy Halloween, Reader. I hope yours is as lovely as mine.
And time for an author update:
Oh dear, it's November as of tomorrow, which means it's time to continue to stop shaving and time to continue to write a novel. But this year I am going to get into the spirit of things and give NaNoWriMo a go. I've got a passion project in the works that I've been putting off because it's way too long of a story and I'm focusing on building my career at the moment, starting with shorter, neater works. But with the day job about to slow down a tic and the need to save money rising, why not spend November in a furious state in which I try to get a finished first draft of a novel two or three times the size of She Sees Metaphors done? Not exactly massive when compared to other novels out there, but seeing that She Sees Metaphors is just shy of 70k words, Tales of Timeless Springs will be around the 50k word mark- assuming I don't go all Stephen King on its ass -and my anthology of short stories will probably compare to the two (Surprise! I'm releasing an anthology!), a 150k to 200k novel is sort of a big deal me.
I write for audiences that don't have all day. People like me who love to read but have busy jobs, relationships and other vocations that eat away at their time. (Mine in this case happens to be writing.) So giving a project of that length my full attention has been difficult, because I can easily produce my next novel and the anthology to follow, and maybe even the novella I want to release next, in a similar time frame (when you don't take the art work and proof readings into account). So yes, this November I am going to go all out and give NaNoWriMo a shot, to see if I can produce a larger body of work in a short frame of time. Of course, NaNoWriMo will actually be NaNoWriMos, because I'm not going to pretend that I won't be carrying this project into the Shitmas Holiday. (Of course, I knock on the American consumer holiday of Christmas, not the Christian celebration because there is most certainty a difference.)
What else? Oh! Yes. Timeless Springs!
My next novel, Tales of Timeless Springs, is an urban fantasy that I plan to start the final draft of in January. Here, along with Ralph Bakshi's films, is what I plan to read and take my inspiration from.
Feel good reading.
In short, the book centers on a prostitute and her lover, a street gambling addict, and their journey to get out of a city that will not let them leave, because there is no exit.
Featuring a cast of characters that include a bartender who can raise the dead, a brothel running witch who likes to torture and consume children, a librarian whose dead wife won't stop nagging him, a violent gangster who employs an equally violent talking cat, and all sorts of creatures that you don't want to meet outside the pages of fiction, this book is going to be quite the fun little tale to write. I am very excited. Tales of Timeless Springs is set for a 2017 release.
And this anthology?
I have a lot of short stories and one novel sitting about that I haven't had any serious plans to do anything with. It's not that I don't like them or think they're bad, but a heavy portion of them are grounded, deep, deep into the realm of realism, and honestly, I wanted to make some semblance of a name for myself in genre before releasing anything that contains normal people in the normal world doing things that they find normal, but maybe (hopefully) are not. So next year when I am not working on the last draft and edits of Timeless Springs, I am going to polish and rewrite these stories and the one novel, and put them together in a lovely package that I will be proud to stamp my name of. (And for those of you thinking: meh, don't worry, there's still plenty of supernatural in there to enjoy.)
So there you have it. That's all I've got for you now, lovelies. It's about time for me to start getting into a Sailor outfit, made for me by the hippy, and turning my hair yellow. Stay safe-ish. Eat lots of candy. Get blindingly drunk with someone you love, or maybe just respect, and make it a night worth remembering when our society turns into a bunch of Black Friday loving cunts who have no respect for anyone other than themselves are easily exhibits A through zz on why retail workers should be allowed to use free speech and not be fired for it.
Do I hate holiday shoppers? Yes, yes I do. They're all fucking sheep. Filthy dirty swine who deserve nothing nice at the end of the day. Is this you? Am I speaking of you and hurting your little snowflake feelings? Good. I love it. Have some respect for the abused working class and stay home you selfish mother fucking ass twat piece of filthy fucking shit scum.
The rest of you, Happy Halloween and lots of love!
It's Halloween today and the hippy and I are doing something very special. We'll be attending a wedding today, for two very lovey people. And since it's a Halloween wedding and Cody and Jessica are not lame as fuck, costumes are happening.
I'm just going to leave this here and remind you that gender bending costumes are a thing.
It's also a day for movies and candy, and I plan to enjoy the wedding and come home to experience one of my absolute favorite films of all time:
Literally nothing scared me more as a child than this scene from John Carpenter's Halloween.
Except this bitch.Happy Halloween, Reader. I hope yours is as lovely as mine.
And time for an author update:
Oh dear, it's November as of tomorrow, which means it's time to continue to stop shaving and time to continue to write a novel. But this year I am going to get into the spirit of things and give NaNoWriMo a go. I've got a passion project in the works that I've been putting off because it's way too long of a story and I'm focusing on building my career at the moment, starting with shorter, neater works. But with the day job about to slow down a tic and the need to save money rising, why not spend November in a furious state in which I try to get a finished first draft of a novel two or three times the size of She Sees Metaphors done? Not exactly massive when compared to other novels out there, but seeing that She Sees Metaphors is just shy of 70k words, Tales of Timeless Springs will be around the 50k word mark- assuming I don't go all Stephen King on its ass -and my anthology of short stories will probably compare to the two (Surprise! I'm releasing an anthology!), a 150k to 200k novel is sort of a big deal me.
I write for audiences that don't have all day. People like me who love to read but have busy jobs, relationships and other vocations that eat away at their time. (Mine in this case happens to be writing.) So giving a project of that length my full attention has been difficult, because I can easily produce my next novel and the anthology to follow, and maybe even the novella I want to release next, in a similar time frame (when you don't take the art work and proof readings into account). So yes, this November I am going to go all out and give NaNoWriMo a shot, to see if I can produce a larger body of work in a short frame of time. Of course, NaNoWriMo will actually be NaNoWriMos, because I'm not going to pretend that I won't be carrying this project into the Shitmas Holiday. (Of course, I knock on the American consumer holiday of Christmas, not the Christian celebration because there is most certainty a difference.)
What else? Oh! Yes. Timeless Springs!
My next novel, Tales of Timeless Springs, is an urban fantasy that I plan to start the final draft of in January. Here, along with Ralph Bakshi's films, is what I plan to read and take my inspiration from.
Feel good reading.In short, the book centers on a prostitute and her lover, a street gambling addict, and their journey to get out of a city that will not let them leave, because there is no exit.
Featuring a cast of characters that include a bartender who can raise the dead, a brothel running witch who likes to torture and consume children, a librarian whose dead wife won't stop nagging him, a violent gangster who employs an equally violent talking cat, and all sorts of creatures that you don't want to meet outside the pages of fiction, this book is going to be quite the fun little tale to write. I am very excited. Tales of Timeless Springs is set for a 2017 release.
And this anthology?
I have a lot of short stories and one novel sitting about that I haven't had any serious plans to do anything with. It's not that I don't like them or think they're bad, but a heavy portion of them are grounded, deep, deep into the realm of realism, and honestly, I wanted to make some semblance of a name for myself in genre before releasing anything that contains normal people in the normal world doing things that they find normal, but maybe (hopefully) are not. So next year when I am not working on the last draft and edits of Timeless Springs, I am going to polish and rewrite these stories and the one novel, and put them together in a lovely package that I will be proud to stamp my name of. (And for those of you thinking: meh, don't worry, there's still plenty of supernatural in there to enjoy.)
So there you have it. That's all I've got for you now, lovelies. It's about time for me to start getting into a Sailor outfit, made for me by the hippy, and turning my hair yellow. Stay safe-ish. Eat lots of candy. Get blindingly drunk with someone you love, or maybe just respect, and make it a night worth remembering when our society turns into a bunch of Black Friday loving cunts who have no respect for anyone other than themselves are easily exhibits A through zz on why retail workers should be allowed to use free speech and not be fired for it.
Do I hate holiday shoppers? Yes, yes I do. They're all fucking sheep. Filthy dirty swine who deserve nothing nice at the end of the day. Is this you? Am I speaking of you and hurting your little snowflake feelings? Good. I love it. Have some respect for the abused working class and stay home you selfish mother fucking ass twat piece of filthy fucking shit scum.
The rest of you, Happy Halloween and lots of love!
October 26, 2015
Something To Celebrate
I'm sitting in my bedroom right now, a small glass of wine in hands, and a kink in my neck that might require a massage therapist. And it's all wonderfully good, because the second draft of Tales of Timeless Springs is done.
It's been an incredibly fun novel to write. Nothing like She Sees Metaphors. (And by 'nothing' I mean, a completely different kind of novel with a completely different plot.) It's more of an urban fantasy than speculative fiction. It's also shorter, maybe by 15,000 words or so, which I guess is unusual for fantasy, but fuck it. I enjoy shorter works.
So far, the plan is to take a short break and then spend next year writing and editing it. 2017 is going to be my release date. I think that's very reasonable.
It's been an incredibly fun novel to write. Nothing like She Sees Metaphors. (And by 'nothing' I mean, a completely different kind of novel with a completely different plot.) It's more of an urban fantasy than speculative fiction. It's also shorter, maybe by 15,000 words or so, which I guess is unusual for fantasy, but fuck it. I enjoy shorter works.
So far, the plan is to take a short break and then spend next year writing and editing it. 2017 is going to be my release date. I think that's very reasonable.
October 2, 2015
September 9, 2015
An Evening At The Robin Theatre *updated*
That. Was. Fucking. Awesome.
I had the extraordinary experience to give a reading and signing at The Robin Theatre in Lansing, which was without a doubt the most charming and beautiful venue I've had the privilege to perform in, let alone simply be in.
The venue was small and intimate. The questions were beautiful. The people were even more beautiful. I have never felt so honored in my life. I am truly speechless. So thankfully, Kim Ferguson of BlueFerg Photography has provided photographs and video of the event for me to share here.
Let me repeat that:
ALL PHOTOS AND VIDEO ARE COPYRIGHT 2015 KIM FERGUSON OF BlueFerg PHOTOGRAPHY
REO Town is certainly looking up these days,
and a bright future is ahead, I think.
I nearly pooped myself when I saw this,
Fun fact: I have no idea what I'm writing.
Favorite movie on a t-shirt.
Sometimes, she misses the derp-de-derp.
This is lovely. I am a total sucker for
black and white with a dash of color.
Tough crowd.
And so, what's next?
Well, I'm Going To Shut Up. It's about time that I let She Sees Metaphors float around out in the world and just go back to writing. I've made myself unavailable at the day job two days a week, which I intend to use as solid writing days from now until Tales of Timeless Springs is ready to be talked about in more detail. Until then, stay tuned and see you around.
*EDIT*
Videos were taken by Blue Ferg Photography. They have been uploaded to YouTube, but just in case you're not interested in going there and would rather see the video here, well.... here you go:
Where do you see yourself and your novels going?
Now that this novel is complete, how do you feel about it?
Manuscript
How long have you been writing?
Favorite part of writing:
Editors and friends:
Drinking sober:
Dedication:
Cover art:
Are your characters real people?
I had the extraordinary experience to give a reading and signing at The Robin Theatre in Lansing, which was without a doubt the most charming and beautiful venue I've had the privilege to perform in, let alone simply be in.
The venue was small and intimate. The questions were beautiful. The people were even more beautiful. I have never felt so honored in my life. I am truly speechless. So thankfully, Kim Ferguson of BlueFerg Photography has provided photographs and video of the event for me to share here.
Let me repeat that:
ALL PHOTOS AND VIDEO ARE COPYRIGHT 2015 KIM FERGUSON OF BlueFerg PHOTOGRAPHY
REO Town is certainly looking up these days, and a bright future is ahead, I think.
I nearly pooped myself when I saw this,
Fun fact: I have no idea what I'm writing.
Favorite movie on a t-shirt.
Sometimes, she misses the derp-de-derp.
This is lovely. I am a total sucker for black and white with a dash of color.
Tough crowd.And so, what's next?
Well, I'm Going To Shut Up. It's about time that I let She Sees Metaphors float around out in the world and just go back to writing. I've made myself unavailable at the day job two days a week, which I intend to use as solid writing days from now until Tales of Timeless Springs is ready to be talked about in more detail. Until then, stay tuned and see you around.
*EDIT*
Videos were taken by Blue Ferg Photography. They have been uploaded to YouTube, but just in case you're not interested in going there and would rather see the video here, well.... here you go:
Where do you see yourself and your novels going?
Now that this novel is complete, how do you feel about it?
Manuscript
How long have you been writing?
Favorite part of writing:
Editors and friends:
Drinking sober:
Dedication:
Cover art:
Are your characters real people?
An Evening At The Robin Theatre
That. Was. Fucking. Awesome.
I had the extraordinary experience to give a reading and signing at The Robin Theatre in Lansing, which was without a doubt the most charming and beautiful venue I've had the privilege to perform in, let alone simply be in.
The venue was small and intimate. The questions were beautiful. The people were even more beautiful. I have never felt so honored in my life. I am truly speechless. So thankfully, Kim Ferguson of BlueFerg Photography has provided photographs and video of the event for me to share here.
Let me repeat that:
ALL PHOTOS AND VIDEO ARE COPYRIGHT 2015 KIM FERGUSON OF BlueFerg PHOTOGRAPHY
REO Town is certainly looking up these days,
and a bright future is ahead, I think.
I nearly pooped myself when I saw this,
Fun fact: I have no idea what I'm writing.
Favorite movie on a t-shirt.
Sometimes, she misses the derp-de-derp.
This is lovely. I am a total sucker for
black and white with a dash of color.
Tough crowd.
And so, what's next?
Well, I'm Going To Shut Up. It's about time that I let She Sees Metaphors float around out in the world and just go back to writing. I've made myself unavailable at the day job two days a week, which I intend to use as solid writing days from now until Tales of Timeless Springs is ready to be talked about in more detail. Until then, stay tuned and see you around.
I had the extraordinary experience to give a reading and signing at The Robin Theatre in Lansing, which was without a doubt the most charming and beautiful venue I've had the privilege to perform in, let alone simply be in.
The venue was small and intimate. The questions were beautiful. The people were even more beautiful. I have never felt so honored in my life. I am truly speechless. So thankfully, Kim Ferguson of BlueFerg Photography has provided photographs and video of the event for me to share here.
Let me repeat that:
ALL PHOTOS AND VIDEO ARE COPYRIGHT 2015 KIM FERGUSON OF BlueFerg PHOTOGRAPHY
REO Town is certainly looking up these days, and a bright future is ahead, I think.
I nearly pooped myself when I saw this,
Fun fact: I have no idea what I'm writing.
Favorite movie on a t-shirt.
Sometimes, she misses the derp-de-derp.
This is lovely. I am a total sucker for black and white with a dash of color.
Tough crowd.And so, what's next?
Well, I'm Going To Shut Up. It's about time that I let She Sees Metaphors float around out in the world and just go back to writing. I've made myself unavailable at the day job two days a week, which I intend to use as solid writing days from now until Tales of Timeless Springs is ready to be talked about in more detail. Until then, stay tuned and see you around.
September 3, 2015
I'm Going To Shut Up Soon
In less than 24 hours I'll be standing in front of an audience and reading a chapter of She Sees Metaphors to them. If it goes well, I'll be laughing and spending time with them, chatting and engaging in dialogue until it's time for us all to get the hell out of the theatre.
And then what?
Well, She Sees Metaphors will have been promoted about as well as my time and budget will allow. And so with the end of the release party comes the end of me trying to get the word out about my lovely little debut.
I will go back to blogging semi-regularly. I will start working on Tales of Timeless Springs full time (the second draft is coming along wonderfully). I will just let She Sees Metaphors be out there, doing its little thing. If I can worm my way in to conventions or readings, then yes, of course I'll get out there and promote. But sadly, the capital city doesn't have much of an indie author scene.
It's nice. I'm not going to pretend otherwise. Talking about She Sees Metaphors and researching how I can promote it and get copies sold is time consuming. I miss just writing. I miss the part of the trade where I'm not a salesman. It's important, but it's also depressingly not creative. (Not to mention frustrating, because a lot of promotional companies want an absurd amount of money, sometimes just to Tweet about you. Fuckers.)
And so, soon I am going to shut up and get back to work. I have a small, semi-insane goal of getting Timeless Springs out late, late next year. I'm going to pursue that.
And then what?
Well, She Sees Metaphors will have been promoted about as well as my time and budget will allow. And so with the end of the release party comes the end of me trying to get the word out about my lovely little debut.
I will go back to blogging semi-regularly. I will start working on Tales of Timeless Springs full time (the second draft is coming along wonderfully). I will just let She Sees Metaphors be out there, doing its little thing. If I can worm my way in to conventions or readings, then yes, of course I'll get out there and promote. But sadly, the capital city doesn't have much of an indie author scene.
It's nice. I'm not going to pretend otherwise. Talking about She Sees Metaphors and researching how I can promote it and get copies sold is time consuming. I miss just writing. I miss the part of the trade where I'm not a salesman. It's important, but it's also depressingly not creative. (Not to mention frustrating, because a lot of promotional companies want an absurd amount of money, sometimes just to Tweet about you. Fuckers.)
And so, soon I am going to shut up and get back to work. I have a small, semi-insane goal of getting Timeless Springs out late, late next year. I'm going to pursue that.
September 2, 2015
I'm On The Radio!
I was on the radio today.
It was a lot of fun.
The interview was done to promote the release party at The Robin Theatre this Friday.
Yeah... that is all.
It was a lot of fun.
The interview was done to promote the release party at The Robin Theatre this Friday.
Yeah... that is all.
August 29, 2015
I Saw A Movie Last Night or, On Depression
I don't think the pills are working. Not as well as they were late last year, when I decided to embark on a socially acceptable clinical drug dependency in the hopes that I could finally wake up without an overwhelming sense of fear and a cripplingly sad cloud following me around like some sad sack of poo follows the Kardashians on Twitter.
I've been in the depression game long enough to know the difference between boredom, depression, and being legitimately sad over something. Lately I've been feeling the middle option, as life is far too exciting and fulfilling right now for me to be anything else. I've got a BOOK RELEASE PARTY coming up, a very humble but nevertheless still noteworthy number of positive reviews, a good job, a good apartment, the best girlfriend potatoes can buy, but still, I feel down. I feel alone. And I feel afraid.
At times like this, I find the best measure of dealing with it is to escape for a little while. I was alone at home, the hippy off doing hippy belly dance things, and feeling about as low as Hannibal's ratings on NBC (which is hands down the biggest crime against art to recent memory). So I decided to get off my ass and take myself out on a date.
The movie was The End of the Tour, and it was a pleasant movie. I've never read anything by David Foster Wallace, but I have always found him to be interesting. There was something so awkward and beautifully strange about him in his interviews that I found to be charming. I thought Jason Segel did a wonderful job, and I hope he does more serious work in the future. Even if Bret Easton Ellis disagrees.
The movie started out with Lex Luther getting a phone call about Wallace's death, which thankfully they did not show. I can't handle suicide in movies, television, or anything really. It hits me like rape joke. It's ugly and vicious and I can't stand it.
Even though I never met Wallace, watching the movie, I was once again reminded of how not alone I really am when it comes to depression. When I hear of suicides, I often wish I could pull them back and hold them and remind them that they didn't have to go that route and it's okay.
The most recent example is Conrad Roy III, the young man who was suffering from suicidal thoughts that his girlfriend encouraged. Let me just say that one more time. She fucking encouraged him. And he did it. One article I read posted some of the conversation and it's hands down the most disgusting thing I've read. You can search for it if you wish.
So what am I getting at? If you or someone you know are suffering from depression, please, please, please know that you're not alone and there are a fuck ton of us out there who know exactly what you're going through. It's an alienating sickness, but it's not isolated. And do not for one second think that you can send me a message and I won't listen.
If you're struggling with suicidal thoughts, give this number a call: 1-800-273-TALK
Trust me, you can do worse in life than to give seeking a help a shot.
I've been in the depression game long enough to know the difference between boredom, depression, and being legitimately sad over something. Lately I've been feeling the middle option, as life is far too exciting and fulfilling right now for me to be anything else. I've got a BOOK RELEASE PARTY coming up, a very humble but nevertheless still noteworthy number of positive reviews, a good job, a good apartment, the best girlfriend potatoes can buy, but still, I feel down. I feel alone. And I feel afraid.
At times like this, I find the best measure of dealing with it is to escape for a little while. I was alone at home, the hippy off doing hippy belly dance things, and feeling about as low as Hannibal's ratings on NBC (which is hands down the biggest crime against art to recent memory). So I decided to get off my ass and take myself out on a date.
The movie was The End of the Tour, and it was a pleasant movie. I've never read anything by David Foster Wallace, but I have always found him to be interesting. There was something so awkward and beautifully strange about him in his interviews that I found to be charming. I thought Jason Segel did a wonderful job, and I hope he does more serious work in the future. Even if Bret Easton Ellis disagrees.
The movie started out with Lex Luther getting a phone call about Wallace's death, which thankfully they did not show. I can't handle suicide in movies, television, or anything really. It hits me like rape joke. It's ugly and vicious and I can't stand it.
Even though I never met Wallace, watching the movie, I was once again reminded of how not alone I really am when it comes to depression. When I hear of suicides, I often wish I could pull them back and hold them and remind them that they didn't have to go that route and it's okay.
The most recent example is Conrad Roy III, the young man who was suffering from suicidal thoughts that his girlfriend encouraged. Let me just say that one more time. She fucking encouraged him. And he did it. One article I read posted some of the conversation and it's hands down the most disgusting thing I've read. You can search for it if you wish.
So what am I getting at? If you or someone you know are suffering from depression, please, please, please know that you're not alone and there are a fuck ton of us out there who know exactly what you're going through. It's an alienating sickness, but it's not isolated. And do not for one second think that you can send me a message and I won't listen.
If you're struggling with suicidal thoughts, give this number a call: 1-800-273-TALK
Trust me, you can do worse in life than to give seeking a help a shot.
