COVID 19 - The Vital Need for Community
“Communities are tough to come by in this isolated quarantined world. They provide a common space and activities for their members. Throughout good and bad, small collectives provide support nets for us. But, with the Covid-19 outbreak, we’ve struggled to maintain close communities and it feels like the groups I’ve helped lead and strengthen are weakening. Humans are social creatures and depriving us of meeting others is criminal. Still, these times are temporary, and for the greater good, we must maintain our focus on spending time with others.”
COVID Quarantine Journal Day 7
“It’s been a week since I joined the quarantine with the rest of the masses. I’d been driving through the apocalyptic wasteland from Chicago. Not much was out of the ordinary. My companion and I were able to order food at restaurants and drink beer, but this time, in the parking lot. Throughout our journey, we only “dined-in” once in North Platte, Nebraska. Returning home, I hardly noticed anything after the first few days of no social activity.” [652 words]
King David's Top 6 Activities During Quarantine
“As the apocalypse continues, there’s a pretty good chance you’re starting to experience cabin fever after a week in isolation. You’re lonely, dying of boredom, and long for the contact of another human. We’re social creatures and need social stimulation to live meaningful lives. This lonely lifestyle is going to last until at least May if not longer. What can you do to mitigate these feelings of isolation that you’re experiencing?”
North Central Roadtrip!
Greetings, wonderful constituents! Your King is asking for assistance here as he’ll be traveling across the country with Faraz. Yes, that Faraz, from the first time I drove out to LA . An earlier supporter of the kingdom, he’s offered to accompany me again.
Sweet Land Opera: A Delightful Feast
“I was asked by a patron and constituent to review Sweet Land. They even bought me a ticket. I know little about opera and have only seen a few in my life, but I was happy to fulfill my constituent’s request and accept their gift. This performance was far different from any opera I had ever seen. It took an entirely new approach by combining two operas into one, converging at vital parts of the story. Sweet Land shows how history repeats itself from the Pilgrims to the Wild West and how the natives extend their generosity to European colonists time and time again, and are always met with fierce cruelty and betrayal.”.
Young People Love Bernie Sanders: A Guide for Baby Boomers
“Baby Boomers can’t seem to understand why Bernie Sanders is appealing to so many young people. I’ve been a Bernie supporter for 5 years and I’m here to tell you why. I’m going to try my best to be friendly and cordial. I won’t yell and I won’t try and convince you to change your vote.”
Marijuana. Good? Bad?
“Welcome to 2020: Marijuana is becoming legalized state after state. Right now, you can use marijuana recreationally in eleven states and with a doctor's recommendation in 33 states. Strangely enough, Marijuana is still technically illegal under federal law, but then, the FDA has approved cannabinoid derived medications, like Marinol, Cesamet and Epidiolex. As Weed becomes legal across the country, you are going to see and hear more about it. How do you filter the good, the bad, and the ugly about marijuana? Well, that’s where this series on recreational drugs comes in.”
King David's Preferred 5 Breweries to check out in Los Angeles
“A brewery is an integral part of a community and creates a microcosm among its patrons. As society continues to become less reliant on organized religion, breweries will continue to prosper. King David’s compiled a list of his favorite breweries”
The OQP Philosophy
“With the advent of my 30th birthday, I reflected. I asked myself, why didn’t I get that PhD? How much money am I blowing on booze and take out? Was moving to California the right choice? Why am I always agitated and emotionally drained? These thoughts translated into realizing I’m not happy and I won’t be happy without making some changes. There are good days, bad days, and days where I feel stuck and unable to make significant strides. When memes of fat cats don’t make you happy, it’s time to make some changes, but how? My realization first came through a conversation with a friend.” [780 words]
How I saved $156 in Under an Hour
“I first heard of BillSmart on the Startalk podcast. It was a difficult service for me to understand. I thought it would be an algorithm or chat bot that talks to my bank’s customer service department, similar to the “complainer app”, Paribus, which I also love to use. While Paribus uses a bot to message customer service for online purchases, BillSmart actually has a human on a 3-way call with you to help save you money.” [407 words]
King David’s Winter Reading List
I’ve always enjoyed hearing about Barack Obama’s Summer Reading list and why shouldn’t I have a winter reading list? Books are great all times throughout the year. So far, I’ve only read a couple of his recommendations, but I’m glad Barry and I can find common ground in Haruki Murakami’s novels, among other policies. Trump, on the other hand…
Parable of the Sower: A Must Read
Parable of the Sower is a warning. African American science fiction writer, Octavia Butler, wrote this in 1993, as a tale of what the future will be if climate change is not halted. Its narrator and protaganist, Lauren writes a series of journal articles of her thoughts, experiences, and violence, and eventually forms her own religion from her journal [509 words].
Laughs: Counseling and Abrasive Adolescents
“At the main office, the teacher thanked me for coming and stated with vigor, “He’s the most oppositional and disrespectful kid I’ve ever seen. His parents are monsters and I can never finish anything in my classroom with him around!” I ensured the teacher that this was not my first crisis call and that I was well prepared to deal with a 6-year old. Eh, maybe he was 5. It doesn’t matter. I only ever took one childhood development class in college, so 5 or 6, who cares?” [646 words]
2020: Onward to Salvation
Here’s my New Year’s Resolutions for 2020. I think many of my readers will be able to relate.
We Need Universal Healthcare! My Healthcare Spending 2018-2019
“But, King David, why didn’t you buy a better health insurance plan? King David, why weren’t you able to negotiate the costs down? You shouldn’t have gone to the ER! You should have done your research. It’s your fault you’re broke.” I’ve heard it all.” [760 words]
The Holidays are Coming: Should you give your racist family the time of day?
“Their crime is hardly in daily microaggressions or misgendering, but in empowering nationalist bigots like Stephen Miller and Miller’s erection for white nationalism, who has actively worked to create policies to harm and create second class citizens of minority populations. Your relatives allowed this to happen and made a grave error. When you make mistakes, there are repercussions.” [444 words]
Devil May Care: All Together
This is my story of moving to Los Angeles. [3300 words]
“We passed Joshua Tree National Park where I would head with a former partner 2 years later. The Salton Sea was about an hour southeast of Joshua Tree. I’d make a trip to the Salton Sea and Salvation Mountain with another wonderful person in 2017. We’d explore the bizarre anarchism of Slab City and navigate the East Jesus art gallery in the empty yet serene desert”