Z.

They don't show animals getting theirs in nature documentaries anymore. Anymore, the courting male is rejected. The hunting predator is evaded. Scene after scene of animals denied and deprived. I understand that in life, an individual experiences an outsized portion of failure compared to success. But let's not forget that life exists because of the success stories. Dwelling on failed hunting and reproduction efforts in these nature shows feels existentially perverse. Sometimes the most exciting and memorable things you can do in life is nothing. Think of all the opportunities you took. The ones that worked out for you, you don't even think about, because those are behind you now. Think about the ones you took that failed. You don't think of those because you've worked hard to move past your mistakes. The ones you think about are the opportunities you had but didn't take. Those are the ones that are actually useful to you, nowadays, because you can really think ...

"Hey, you feeling good?" "Yes, I am!" "Great. Because other people are suffering and dying while you're here feeling good." "Oh." "Yeah, 'Oh.' Don't feel so good now, do you?" "No, I don't." "Wanna help those people?" "Yes, but how?" "Destroy the entire system that makes you feel good." "Really?" "Yes." "How will that help them?" "First of all, how dare you ask questions. That's privilege. Second, dismantling the system will help them because the system that benefits you is also the same system that makes them feel bad." "Really?" "Yes, really. Frankly, I find it annoying you keep asking for clarification after everything I tell you. You really should just believe me-- it'll make this all much simpler for both of us." "But, how would destroying what makes me feel good help them?" "Okay, let me br...

Bathroom stalls. The men's bathroom, for the uninitiated, is a place in our culture where the essence of the masculine is simply and efficiently distilled down to its core characteristics. I've stood outside the women's bathroom, waiting for women I've known. In past lives, I've even been employed to clean and maintain restroom facilities, affording me a behind-the-curtain look at the defining features of both restrooms. Even when unoccupied, the women's bathroom, comparatively, is a warm and affectionate place. I've observed, with curiosity, that it isn't altogether uncommon to see two women enter as strangers but come out chatting like birds descending from a telephone wire. You can make friends in the women's restroom. There's understanding, there-- a mutual interest. It's a place where society has told women where they can go and feel safe long enough to relieve themselves, and that's a comfort in times such as these. The men's re...

This cat has been coming here for years now and I'm starting to realize, I don't think he has any money.