Bathing in the Sunlight of My Inner Forest
Art by Hiro Isono
Nothing too crazy to report this week. The strange thing about life in LA, I feel like I’ve been rediscovering old parts of myself year after year. It’s funny how you can get stuck in the confines of a routine and you forget the small things that bring you joy like a hike or fresh piece of fruit or the splash of color in a mundane space.
I’m a very driven person and incredibly self-disciplined. I’m one of those people who could eat the same thing week after week, but I still take time to shake things up here and there. You know I mentioned Operation Comfort last week so I bought myself a lil money tree to add some life to my apartment. Small steps add up to big results with time.
Once upon a time, I used to be a plant dad. I took care of a multitude of plants and it brought me great joy. Attribute it to my Capricorn placements, but the ritual of watering, pruning, and talking to the plants always relaxed me and got rid of my anxiety.
Now that I have a new plant to take care of and nuture, I feel more settled…
RIP Akira Toriyama
I was sad to hear Akira Toriyama, the Japanese manga artist who created Dragon Ball, passed away recently. Pretty crazy since this was the first anime I ever watched. Picture lil Grant rushing home from Catholic school to watch every episode. If I missed an episode, I would be pissed the entire week. I’m sure every kid remembers seeing Goku going Super Saiyan for the first time, an enthralling experience. I would google Super Saiyan 6, 7, and 8, feeling like I discovered the holy grail. And don’t get me started on Vegeta, hard-headed but always committed to getting stronger and taking out the opps. Anyway, RIP Toriyama. I salute you.
Bullet Tooth Love
If you have a book out, you know reviews can be a dime a dozen and I learned to expect everything and nothing when opening one up. It’s cool to know my books can connect with someone young or someone like Becky who seems to a mumbling 70-year-old grandma. I’m happy she hasn’t experienced depression, gang violence, or entities that feed off death & violence. These types of reviews warm my heart my 35 year old heart.
Writing Updates
Project Bunny Bloodbath is still flowing forward. I’m not exactly sure how it ends, but it will work itself out. My books tend to do that like a sculpture coming out of raw clay.
Currently Watching: Love, Death & Robots Season 3 & True Detective Season 4: Night Country & Ballers Season 5
Currently Reading: Cosmic Horror Monthly #3 & Less Than Zero by Brett Easton Ellis and Bedlam by Charlene Elsby & Bad Foundations by Brian Allen Carr & Clown in a Cornfield by Adam Cesare
Currently Smoking: Quiet aka no weed this week
Listening: The Danny Brown Podcast, Back from the Borderline, The Higherside Chats, Agitator, Mutual Aberration Society, Victory Light, and Lost Xplorers
Kenny Mason is one of my favorites when it comes to the younger generation of rap artists. “Jumpin In” is deceptively fun and catchy to the point you almost overlook the substance inside his verses. Soulful production and Mason reminiscing on the dangers of growing up in Atlanta is the perfect recipe for success.
Trunk rattling vibes from Germ with the chaotic cut “CC.” I too need hella space at times so I feel you Germ.
Robb Bank$ travels to Jamaica and jumps off the porch with “KOFFING.” He does his usual thing, but those Evil Empire drops somehow elevates this song ten-fold. I wish more artists worked with DJs from the mixtape era.
Until next time…
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