Ben Kline

Random thought from AWP:

Rodney Jerkins' production and songwriting in Whitney's "If I Told You That" is everything that was amazing about late 90s music. That bridge! Whitney's late career vocal grit and acrobatics!

Put his foot in it for sure!

Humans have lost the whole plot of "let people be."

Friday night drag/ballroom runways down the center aisle by the cards or forgetaboutit.

iambic tetrameter ass stick

Every time I see a clip, I think "there's enough of us wishing and hoping and praying for it, it's amazing that it doesn't happen" and then I remember the universe is random AF, despite its love of circles, spheres and pattern formations.

...sigh

I'm only doing 2 full days of AWP. My last time was the full 4 day onslaught and I wanted to sleep for a week after...but had to return to a full work week. Learned that lesson.

May you all travel safely, arrive safely, see everyone you want to see in person, and, I hope, meet someone who wows you.

Kuwait's air defense system, which it buys from US companies, shot down 3 American planes. My tax dollars just shot down my tax dollars.

because she's stood close enough to catch the stench!

That, or it's his normal skin condition uncovered by the pancake. Those shirt collars likely chafe nonstop! Whichever, just unsanitary!

The final rejection came in today for a manuscript I abandoned last year.

So long, Erma.

Crazy orange Grandpa really is a vessel for the worst people. Netanyahu. Vought. Leo. Miller. Bannon. Rubio. Per that nyt "interview"

OMG this made me cackle!

Listening to LUX again this morning and wow.

"Porcelana" is such a hymn!!!

When the contest guidelines say "emerging writers with a 1500+ print run for their book(s)" and I try to math if I've even had 1500 copies of the five volumes I've published lol. Pretty sure it's closer to 850 total.

Social media created this nonsense idea that not exposing yourself to hatred is isolationist. Choosing to not spend your free time with bigots isn’t living in a bubble. I don’t need to know what’s going on at X. I won’t be smarter or more knowledgeable or empathic by being there. Neither will you.

A friend and I were just talking about all the great music that came out in 2016.

a quick change to avoid detection as a teen has turned into anti-surveillance and facial rec tactics. Who knew.

Went for a latte this morning and the barista commented on my haircut: "You change your look a lot."

I resisted replying, "Because I'm making sure the AI doesn't recognize me easily."

Said, "Thanks" instead.

What started as a Madonna-lite interest in different versions of myself as well as

I know so many studied voices are saying that sort of thinking is nonsense and alarmist but I don't know I feel like you can always go to the most awful impulse to predict the maga behavior

And who is controlling it at the presidential election time?

Did Anthropic see the plans for some SHIELD murder machines and say "we saw this movie?" Altman swooped in because "there's no Cap to stop me." Because that statement about the surveillance and the fully autonomous weapons should scare all of us. Imagine where this technology will be in 2 years

Picture of Marjane Satrapi alongside a quote from her. The quote reads: The world is not divided into countries. The world is not divided between East and West. You are American, I am Iranian, we don't know each other, but we talk together and we understand each other perfectly. The difference between you and your government is much bigger than the difference between you and me. And the difference between me and my government is much bigger than the difference between me and you. And our governments are very much the same... - Marjane Satrapi, Iranian-French graphic novelist

Thinking about this quote from Persepolis creator Marjane Satrapi again.

This LDE posturing and gamed violence. It's not a distraction; it's part of the plan. Pillage. Ruin. Divide the world into fiefdoms. Make us serfs. Live on their private islands and bunkers. The show "Paradise" is prophetic. Starting to worry humanity is toast. Gonna go off and make art n stuff.

It would be cool to have a legislature that acted to defend its own constitutional prerogatives and, maybe as a treat, the interests of the people it represents too.

the former host of celebrity apprentice and the former host of fox & friends weekend are launching bombs and destabilizing the world for generations all because voters decided their biggest issue was a trans kid playing jv tennis with their friends 4 states over

The Gunshine State Visit the post for more.

Have you read "The Gunshine State" by @joeyhedger.bsky.social from our latest issue yet? It's about going home again, old acquaintances, and who gets to be a hero.

"I don’t trust puns. It’s like they’re always pretending to mean something more but never do."

variantlit.com/the-gunshine...

stopping it, even though they'll be able to just hoover up the river water for their own purposes. Yeesh.

Talked to my dad last night. Random call from him. In between the weather (we are farm people) + cousin updates, a discussion about bigtech trying to open THREE enormous data centers along the Ohio River in the tip end counties. Apparently most of the land is owned by old railroad. Locals split on

A day with no meetings on my work calendar...I can catch up on emails! Yippeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

If we launch a war with Iran, send the incels.
They can man-maxx bro-up roughtough the old fashioned way.

🙄