Patriotism Runs Counter to Ordinary Human Morality: A Novel Nicholas Katsafanas nickk.net Quadratic Mode: >.75 (echoes):syllables .self-similarity 13,388:15,601 .858 —Abstract 1. The Text —Book I 7,565:8,896 .850 —Part I: 3,977:4,672 .851 Episode I: 2650 Syllables of Authentic Reflection (.841) Episode II: 2026 Syllables in London (.864) —Part II: 2,041:2,447 .834 Episode III: Oil Paint Stained Mesh Shorts (.851) Episode IV: The State Formed by the Social Contract is the Modern Atheistic State (.801) Episode V: We’re All in This Together Really (.837) —Part III: 1,547:1,776 .871 Episode VI: Untitled (.879) Episode VII: Untitled (.838) Episode VIII: Untitled (.900) —Book II 5,364:6,189 .867 —Part IV: 3,246:3,727 .871 Episode IX: Lighting Fire To Every PDF I've Ever Exported (.843) Episode X: Sam Altman Is In Fact A Blithering Idiot (.856) Episode XI: On the Dual Aspect of Subjective Experience (.871) Episode XII: The Postmodern Despotic Regime (.924) Episode XIII: The Cosmological Significance of Hair Follicles (.866) —Part V: 2,118:2,462 .860 Episode XIV: No. Prov. Tire & Body (.843) Episode XV: Feeling Thoroughly Bamboozled (.877) Episode XVI: Alarming Literacy Rates (.855) Episode XVII: A Crucial Pivot Point (.898) Episode XVIII: Gay Porn Pinterest (.859) Episode XIX: An Incredible Idea (.888) Episode XX: Advertising Break (n/a) Episode XXI: Parting Thoughts (.838) 2. Footnotes Abstract: Popular livestreamer and entirely fictional character Nikolaos Enrique Iglesias engages in a series of episodic "streams" that accurately act as his autobiography. He's now strongly considering transcribing his episodic "streams" into texts for an increasingly literate American public Book I Part I Episode I. 2650 Syllables of Authentic Reflection Mode: >.75 2226:2646 .841 —A: The Best Pizza in the State of Rhode Island (.827) —B: Mineral Spring Avenue is for Lovers (.826) —C: On the Amtrak to Penn Station (.882) —A: The Best Pizza in the State of Rhode Island 863:1043 .827 The blunt reality of my life at the time was that the pizza at Bettola was more appropriate to eat with a literal soup spoon as opposed to your opposable thumbs, that each slice was steeped in an ill-advised amount of oil and cheese, that the bread, for that matter, was already floppy, that even a robust crust could never withstand the weight of the toppings as currently constituted, which caused the entire pizza to avalanche down to the tips of your fingers whenever you attempted to pick it up, thereby forced to consume the slice in essentially one rushed bite, with all the ingredients concatenating onto each other, leaving you with a piece of wet bread in your palm that constituted the quote-unquote "rest of the slice". It was technically Curt's idea to go, when we were still at the cigar bar so-called dinner, where the copious smoke was seeping into our skins by the minute, where the pasta was mush and the garlic was burnt, where Curt attempted to bum a single cigarette off the forty or so people in attendance, all to no avail, neither one of us smoking a cigar or cigarette, the new bartender made almost entirely of plastic, with a Picasso like vibe to her work— she actually gave me a great deal on the maybe eight Michelob Ultras I chugged! But Bettola was alleged to sport the best pizza in the state— it was something apparently a group of consumers cast votes on at some time, somewhere, and subsequently the award was advertised right in front of their stoop, so I saw no real risk in stopping by, as I was still up for a bite, finding the pasta at the bar a bit subpar, plus it was a straight shot up Pontiac in any case. Yet while I'm typically of the mind to silently disparage a restaurant's offering then just never return again, Curt, by contrast, tended to vocalize his discontent to wait staffs, and with a complaint I quietly addressed to him now buttressing his own disgust he called the bartender, Reign, over to voice his concerns with the notion both pizzas we ordered weren't "great", yet Reign, for her part, found Curt's complaint just as contemptible as we found the place's pizza—she was frankly a little shocked that a person could dislike this luscious pie. This food in front of us was, to Reign, great pizza, yet she now stood faced with two patrons who seemed to disagree, judging not just the particular pies they got to be subpar, but the actual construction of the pizza itself— the underlying architecture of the restaurant's recipe— to be deeply flawed. Oh no, it's fine, I said, entirely insincerely, telling Reign the food was okay, there was really no need for us to complain— maybe just get me one more Michelob if you have a chance? So I believe Curt and I were both surprised when Reign came over some time later, after to-go boxes had been packed and night caps'd been sipped, with a fresh pie, saying Try this one on for size— yet, while I of course, had no inclination to complain, I didn't even object to the meat on the pizza, I'd rather have, at that point, breached my own veganism before I levied a complaint to Reign, yet Curt wasn't of the same mind as I. Yeah, see, he said, this pizza has the same problem—proceeding to show Reign and now another waitress the essential incongruence between the thickness of the bread and the payload of the multiple toppings, how it made the pizza really hard to eat. What Reign still failed to comprehend was it wasn't the components of Bettola's pizza that were objectionable, it was instead the core geometry of the pie that was basically unacceptable— in an entirely ill-fated attempt to save face Curt asked Reign to make us an espresso martini but with tequila, her idiosyncratic take on the cocktail. Personally I found the tequila-based espresso martini as geometrically off kilter as the pizza, all I could taste was the damn agave, yet I kept my mouth closed, my to-go box ready to take home to my loving wife, filled to the brim with shitty pizza as a little Christmas gift— —B: Mineral Spring Avenue is for Lovers 743:900 .826 Sitting at The Social by myself, my first time back on Mineral Spring since I'd moved from the street after residing beside Taco Bell for a decade plus— the spot I drank at located a door over from my former apartment, a dilapidated building with about five businesses on the bottom floor— and I knew for a fact this pasty bartender was upselling me egregiously on her shitty little mezcal glasses, the Casamigos brand to boot, my least favorite by a large margin. The whore charged me seventeen per drink which in North Provolone was simply an atrocity, even fifteen bucks per glass was hypothetically absurd, it was completely out of line I thought as I begrudgingly gave her my Discover card, recalling just a couple months prior at my friend Ryan's birthday party—when this particular Social worker was, in my mind, a little slow with the Corona Light service and overheard my critique of her speed to Paul, subsequently slamming down six beers onto a table and yelling "Here you go!" to me, which I actually appreciated at the time, as I was already ready for another Corona anyway. But now, sitting at The Social by myself, being basically mugged because of my proclivity toward mezcal, I recognized that this comment, even if not initially intended for the server to hear, had come back to bite me in my ass, as I assumed the debt for these seventeen dollar mezcals. The waitress became the bartender in the interim, and she's now exacted her revenge with alacrity. To the best of my recollection I was only even on the damn street because I had a dinner to attend at Il Fornello around the corner, and after handing the tab back to my cocktail executioner, I still had some time to kill, so I drove down the street to Rocco's for a sole additional drink before I hit the dinner, as I hadn't been in eons it seemed and now found myself in a nostalgic if not bitter state of mind. I recognized the bartender at Rocco's from past eras, back when I grabbed cocktails with that absolute crumb Enzo on the regular, but I couldn't recall the girl's name— she greeted me amicably, yet also refrained from using a formal address, no doubt also failing to recall me fully either as I asked for a Johnny Black. O, what cruel ironies North Providence had in wait for me that afternoon!— the Rocco's girl gave me a reasonable fare for my subsequent scotch on the rocks, and I figured at that point it was probably about time, now half in the bag, to go back toward Fornello, looping through my old parking lot, to find the Russian guy's white truck Tree had hated still parked in his same dipshit spot and letting down my Civic's window to hawk a loogie at the passenger door as I drove by, ejecting the spit far enough to clear my car but unsure if I actually connected with a direct hit on the pickup, unconvinced if I'd, like the previous bartender, successfully enacted a minuscule revenge on an individual I didn't even technically know. —C: On the Amtrak to Penn Station 620:703 .882 On the Amtrak to Penn Station on a Friday AM I considered my professional investigation into the Epstein scandal, filled as it is with ageless enigmas and faux hoaxes, and also my related but aborted novel that I at the time titled Jeffrey of Nazareth, where I’d imagined a near future where the kid trafficker Jeff was re-interpreted as a Christ-like figure, where Americans bought sex toys for house pets they saw on TikTok, but now witnessing internet celebrities, who still know no lows, wearing Free Ghislaine tees I contemplated whether or not my failed novel was in fact still satirical at all, even now, that perhaps Jeff Epstein would soon be seen as a sort of second coming of Jesus, that possibly everybody had it all wrong all along— that all those silly girls who alleged under oath they’d been sexually violated as little kids were simply unprosecuted liars? Could Jeffrey Epstein actually be Jesus, I considered in the coach class of Amtrak— or is every single American who votes Democrat and Republican basically a pedophile, I thought, because only a C student chimpanzee could possibly view our political system as anything but irreversibly corrupt? Every election in this failed state is basically a faux pas kayfabe mock election obfuscating from the true extent of our state of corruption, I thought on the Amtrak, in a realm of even remote American collective intelligence all these politicians would be prosecuted and placed into prison cells for multiple decades at minimum, because if a so-called state can’t at the very least collectively act against wide scale child rape then the nation functionally ceases to exist. We live instead in a state of static anarchy actually, I considered— any notion of a nation is purely illusory, just like Zeno’s proofs on the fictitious nature of The Many, America is equally if not more imaginary— People despise Stephen Miller and his muppet wife for incredibly good reason, I thought, as they’re both basically treasonous idiots, but they’re actually a relatively minor symptom of an even more serious disease, as when people like Misses Miller appear on television programs to endorse American fascism while interpreting any criticism of her own Nazi-adjacent opinions as a racist attack on her so-called Jewish identity it’s unavoidably repulsive to everyone, yet even that egregious imbecility is still an at best minor symptom in the larger scheme of a fundamentally imaginary America— Episode II. 2026 Syllables in London Mode: >.75 —A: 642:712 .902 —B: 1109:1314 .844 —A 642: 712 .902 The lack of a literary culture which is probably a fault, primarily I'd assume, of our collective, more or less grotesque, American oligarchic class, is without doubt at least partially responsible for this state's seemingly easy descent into unrepentant fascism, which to be clear indubitably extends beyond this current president, who, while I'm sure he's a nice enough guy, I've overheard from a variety of sources, often shits in his knickers, creating, according to some in his social circle, a peculiar stench surrounding his bodily space? In any case, this bureaucratic rot has been viciously present in the House and Senate, dating back not just to Reagan, but the corrupt Clinton regime that placed personal profit over national security, in all likelihood engaging in state-sanctioned assassinations to cover said nonsense up, to the extent our branches of legislation are now basically little beyond a sad collection of sterile nubs. But anyway, after landing in London we found ourselves on the Piccadilly line to Cockfosters with a clockwork like repetition of the train's final destination— yet, for our part, we'd be staying at the delightfully dreary Earl's Court borough, but as the train proceeded, with each progressive stop squishing me incrementally up against my bulbous luggage in the cramped cabin, I considered the origins of words, for instance the wonderful work of someone like, say, Noam Chomsky (a great friend of Jeff Epstein by the way!), even a lurid word like "cock" could take on so many meanings, similar to the phrase "tax advice" in the realm of pederasts and their high profile protectors! In fact, I saw a few stray minutes of the aborted Epstein P.R. Steve Bannon interview, skipping stochastically to his explanation of the oh eight financial crisis and I was a bit blown away at how utterly dumb Jeff came off— especially when he attempted to explain Newton and Pythagoras!— and it's not even the Coney Island wise-guy accent either, no, the pure content of his words were indicative of a man who'd spent the vast majority of his adult brain cells on blackmail and lewd sex instead of any sort of intellectual pursuits, Epstein purported to be some magnanimous curio of math, yet his explanation of Pythagoras revolved around the revelation that two triangles, given the right circumstances, can create a square. And I'd imagine even that fat opportunist Bannon'd have to admit Jeff just wasn't quite that bright, that simply because you spout some bullshit about exchange rates and central banks in text chains, in fact, in no way means you own an above average capacity toward critical thinking? —B 1109:1314 .844 At the National Gallery in Westminster, after Tree told me we'd visit the Byron building, I became a little flummoxed— wandering around, wondering what exactly the author of Don Juan'd be doing among all these fucking painters— just to stumble upon original Pontormos, Parmigianinos, Bronzinos, my favorite Mannerist painters— art I'd gazed at as JPEGs on the internet forever, but now witnessed in their original forms, and I reflected back to spending twenty bucks to be granted admission into RISD's museum, whereas, now by contrast, I was seeing a half dozen original Bronzino's for free. On a second go round of the Mannerist rooms an American tour guide posted up in front of Bronzino's Venus pontificating an impromptu talk regarding the Mannerist movement surrounded by a series of I'm sure well-intentioned senior citizens who were then prompted to relay personal and specific interpretations of the quote-unquote "theatrical" painting— The next afternoon after drinking a couple scrumptious pints at Churchill's pub in Kensington we walked to an Iranian restaurant my wife's British aunt recommended, where upon perusing the Persian menu I immediately decided to breach my vegetarian streak and order the lamb shank, number forty four, because it was either that or the vegetable biryani, but at an Iranian spot, which struck me as a bit inane at the time. Under regular circumstances, of course, I'd vigorously consider a vegetable biryani, it'd probably be a bullseye on a menu for me, but sitting at Sadaf with Kat and her faux aunt, I curiously lacked any urge to even utter the two words to the girls as a dish I'd consider, instead I just said "I think I need to have that lamb shank," expecting a delicious and expansive hunk of lamb after taking note of the table to the right passing around a voluminous chop. If the lamb chops, I thought, which generally in America are overpriced and paltry, are hearty, then the shank should be massive, and if I'm eating meat I might as well make it fucking count. Yet when the waiter placed a large plate of plain white rice in front of my person minutes later I was ominously perplexed, and when he dropped a side-plate-sized chunk of so-called lamb shank beside the rice I knew I'd made a grave mistake, that this shank, this first foray I'd made into Iranian lamb, that it'd pale in comparison to great lambs of my past, because of the portion, but also the seasoning, which was lacking to the extent of non-existence, that I'd have to at some point text message Farhad to confirm I finally ate Persian lamb and it was precipitously disappointing, no doubt I'd blame the lackluster taste on "being in London," while shrewdly refraining to mention that every other meal we'd eaten in the city up to that day was fucking delicious. This Persian lamb, in my mind, was only comparable to the so-called lamb shank I'd got at a place I'll refrain from naming on West Fountain Street that tasted like a pair of Air Jordans, when our waiter went on regarding his love of so-called Greek culture, only to serve a shank that was basically a disgrace, but to be fair the lamb was no direct fault of the server, just a sad coincidence. The reality is while the Iranian lamb in London may have been somewhat subpar, I've yet to peruse a so-called left-leaning outlet in London like our Politico State-side talking of what it would take to quote-unquote "put to bed" a case like Epstein's, which struck me as a perfectly callous bit of verbal vomit, to disregard the dozens of underage victims routinely abused by this mysterious billionaire and his cabal of well-connected friends, who include at least two U.S. Presidents. When prosecuting, say, a mafia don circumstantial evidence acts as imperturbable truth in our country, as witnesses who by their personal admission are criminal pieces of shit sign sworn statements that make the reality of the situation crystal clear to all involved and formal trials with possible prison sentences proceed, yet a whole harem of women claiming the world's most prominent whore-monger Epstein and his Mossad descended "girlfriend" Ghislaine were routinely abusing literal children, these women are instead smeared by allegedly "moderate" American outlets as essentially bigger pieces of shit than the loanshark informants who sign affidavits to put capos in prison. The notion that career criminals who're bequeathed the tangible benefit of suspended prison sentences for State co-operation are somehow more trustworthy witnesses than women who've been abused as children by international sexual terrorists, people with literally nothing to gain but the contempt of public American outlets who're grotesquely derelict in their duty as news organizations— it's nihilistic to the highest degree, a fresh low for a state that used to say black people were sixty percent human. Part II Episode III. Oil Paint Stained Mesh Shorts 945:1111 .851 Mode: >.75 —(01) .921 In late Two Thousand Eighteen I was smoking an ice hookah at Pasha wearing oil paint stained black basketball shorts with dress socks and creme brulee Sperry's and felt surprisingly fine about it, which strikes me like an acceptable enough intro to this mode. —(02) .789 In a sense, I felt in the moment that all that remained was opinion, this notion that the internet itself was basically our last standing forest, a natural architecture entirely dedicated to the morass of people's little perspectives on things, the informal personal essay basically as the fulcrum of the internet itself, but the essay as part and parcel of a large amalgamation of one expansive Nonsensical Opinion, and this is essentially our final remaining foray into nature and spontaneous architecture— whereas Robert Frost wrote about fucking trees and sticks and stones and shit, but now?—that's all over. —(03) .858 Even modern art, I thought, these horrendous Matisse reprints you now see in Millennial doctors' offices, what did they evince but a particular degradation of form, which then expressed itself in unmeasured and anecdotal poetry, which subsequently served as a rosetta stone of the internet's personal essay, which amalgamated into the amorphous Nonsensical Opinion— was it possibly the case the demolition of all art basically took place in a free verse poem about people's capricious feelings, that this falsified subjectivity that had been violently promoted by CIA funded MFA programs as so-called art for decades was now finally realized as a collectivist project that was ipso facto the internet, as an Amalgamated Nonsensical Opinion, which is now our last remaining National Park? —(04) .769 Art is functionally nothing if not just another consumer product in a capitalist machine that at bottom prioritizes portable butt wipes— yes, the median American citizen is primarily concerned with wiping their balloon knots with only toilet paper when away from home. —(05) .841 Take an artist like Tao Lin, are we to truly believe his novels, which are perfectly indicative of acceptable contemporary literary art, was it ever truly tenable to consider Tao's specific novels as explicitly apolitical (as they often are categorized)— regardless of Lin's more recent tweets about vaccines, was his art itself ever really divorced from political opinion? —(06) .847 Well, of course not, not even close!— because Tao's novels are absolutely apex assets to the private equity industry— when Taipei was released K Street lobbyists were absolutely ecstatic that so-called alt lit had now finally reached the mainstream, that this brand of ruthlessly tracking your subjective fleeting thoughts but while taking illicit prescription drugs, which was of course nothing more than the imaginative art of memory itself, as it'd be impossible to recall pure thoughts in that manner, when you were three sheets to the wind, that the notion ostensibly literary millennials had completely eschewed any analysis of the system that fed them infinite xanax, in favor of Larry David adjacent minutia calculus was nothing but a fucking monumental victory for the financial engineers and derivative salespeople of this country! —(07) .905 It's possible it was, in fact, when I sat at Pasha smoking an ice shisha in paint stained black basketball shorts and Sperry's that I considered: Tao Lin penned a long form piece of so-called autofiction where he questioned the frequency his ostensible ex-wife's showering sessions, essentially, leaving the question of her hygiene in a diabolical public literary purgatory, and that, far from being an apolitical act, actually allowed the private equity industry to fundamentally seize control of the market for single family homes, to the extent every major city in this country is now dominated by quote-unquote "developers" who scoop up affordable housing with outrageous cash bids from middle class suckers who are then forced to re-enter a bubbly market to hopelessly bid on said property "flips" or even worse "lease new rental units." Episode IV. The State Formed by the Social Contract is the Modern Atheistic State 486:607 .807 Mode: >.75 —01 (162:196 .827) Feeling a day-after drag from a mixture of liquor, which I don't endure nearly as often as when Max B was back still serving an ostensible life sentence— I can remember laughing hysterically when Carmine's dad informed us he soiled his pants on Christmas Eve at his mom's, mid conversation with his biological brother, excusing himself on a whim because he'd quote-unquote "just shit his pants", ambling to the lavatory to discard his racing track-laden boxer shorts tossing them into a trash can then continuing his night, later taking a call from me— just to tell him I'd left my mom's a tad late, that I'd fail to make his mom's house, he replying it was winding down anyway, apparently no longer wearing any underwear whatsoever? —02 (31:38 .816) Carmine's dad's admission of guilt, I considered, was actually an apt allegory for our government's actions over the past half century? —03 (109:145 .752) In fact, the man might have more honesty in his pinky fingernail than the entire Department of Justice— tracing back to at least to the Sixties, with Lyndon B's mock investigation into JFK's cranium being blown into bits in the middle of Dallas, because the United States has for decades been tossing its shitty underpants into the collective metaphorical trash baskets of the taxpayer, but it can't seem to ever admit to shitting itself, instead contorting history into absurd proportions to deny what's obvious to everyone. —04 (74:86 .860) For my part, on a Monday evening on Mineral Spring, I prepared a little fart after peeing only to spew fecal fluid like a lawn sprinkler, which isn't really that difficult to admit!— to engage in a mere modicum of honesty regarding past actions (I too tossed my drawers into a trash receptacle afterwards!) —05 (110:141 .780) But the State Department and CIA, despite any remotely educated member of the populace easily identifying, plus enduring the whiffs of their bullshit underwear occupying our bathroom trash baskets for decades, seems to have some psychological inability with the simple admittance of its own grotesque movements, instead paying off prominent media outlets and so-called public intellectuals to muddy the waters of their own soiled undies, enacting instead a perpetual motion machine of shitting its pants! Episode V. We're All In This Together Really Mode: >.75 610:729 .837 "Although I sometimes get disturbed and begin to think that there is nothing without an idea!" — Socrates circa 450 BC —01 (96:106 .906) When Socrates inquired Does Dirt have an Idea, admitting he'd ran fast from the possibility, fearing his falling into that well enough known bottomless pit of nonsense, Parmenides wisely replied there would arrive a time when philosophy would grab a firmer grasp on the young man, when he'd "no longer despise even the meanest of things" being as is too much inclined to consider the opinions of men. —02 (118:151 .781) It's the fault of the scholars overall, with the exclusion of perhaps Proclus and Bruno, to gloss over this reply, where the grandfather of the monad essentially admits to the materialist basis of emanation, that ultimately for oneness to retain any logic whatsoever the divine principles need to exist in the same plane as the sensory nonsense, that opinion must remain in a sense concurrent with the pure, that yourself, for instance, with all your faults are the infinite sole mirror in which The One witnesses Their Names, to reference the Bezels of Wisdom. —03 (60:66 .909) Take for instance someone like Scott Bessent who's basically a piece of Dirt, or Matt Walsh, who'd probably tweet he'd let Les Wexner molest his own kids if it'd gain him a little additional clout for a day's news cycle, do they indeed emanate from Ideas? —04 (89:113 .788) The reality is the Spinoza substrate, even if emanated, must be material, so even bozos like Bessent and Matt have some element of Ideas behind them, even if I, as an impending dad, disagree with Walsh about actually opposing the systematic raping of children, that doesn't mean I, ipso facto, oppose his essence as part of a materialistic substrate that encompasses all Being. —05 (120:142 .845) In any case, on a related note, I've previously considered myself a supporting patron of art museums, even attending the Tate and National Gallery in London just recently, but there's another parcel within me that's begun to believe we might need to burn all of the art museums down to the ground, that all the great art patrons must be exiled from aesthetics in one explosive motion, a single sweeping swing, that the entire enterprise of showcasing a person's paintings in these buffoonish galleries is reprehensible? —06 (128:151 .845) I for one never really got off with the rich and wealthy art collector class or even the aristocratic douchebag sector, probably in part because in my younger years I was prone to anarchic trends and liable to become ruthlessly inebriated with anyone who held similar disregard for any and all institutions, in a way I was maybe born with some inherent lack of respect for people like Peggy Guggenheim and Gertrude Stein, which in retrospect probably hasn't exactly assisted in the literary dissemination of my work. Part III Episode VI. Untitled Mode: >.75 452:514 .879 —01 (118:144 .819) It's been a couple months since I quit drinking Mezcal on the rocks after feeling for a few years that Mezcal was the best liquor to drink, to some extent "better" for your health than Vodka or Scotch and while I've for the most part appreciated as a whole not drinking Mezcal on ice I just today started to contemplate some of the shit I'd written at the apex of my Mezcal consumption, sipping mini water bottles along the streets around my flat popping in this bar or that and jotting down syllables into a purple notepad basically by myself. —02 (155:176 .881) You can strip yourself of a fictional subjective perspective but I'm not entirely convinced that it'll land you any closer to a true interpretation of reality, which is perhaps why at the beginning of this year I decided to start a series of quote-unquote Modes that would act as an official autobiography that was also obviously false, not in the sense of shit autofiction, but instead in being constricted by a metrical structure— for example, my wife was abutting upset when we went to Fred on Broadway this past Friday because allegedly I was apparently glancing at another asscrack that occupied some other seat in the spot? —03 (76:80 .95) Now, it's possible a couple posteriors frankly could have fit this ostensible bill, but I also didn't feel like I was staring at any singular ass indiscriminately either, unless my wife was observing me without ceasing, making detailed note of any passing glance I may have made at Fred? —04 (103:114 .904) Yet it's obviously impossible to accurately convey this so-called subjective experience via memory alone, never mind when constricted to a specific metrical construct—not only do I consider the idea of me staring at shitshooters at Fred to be fictional, but I also consider my attempt to relay the possibility of me glancing at asses at the spot to be equally untrue. Episode VII. Untitled Mode: >.75 553:660 .838 —01 (133:152 .875) I suppose it's probably accurate to say that to some degree I have a bit of a beef with the so-called Beats who were really, functionally speaking at least, faux revolutionaries, mock reformers of the highest order, or at least, in any case, a loosely knit collection of writers who basically became shamelessly State adjacent in their confessional ametrical texts that like clockwork never addressed economic root causes, in my mind at least, with the exception I'd say of Kerouac who at least drank himself to death before he could become an adjunct professor. —02 (114:146 .781) But at the same time I was also sitting at La Braza having just imbibed a couple Michelobs, which to be fair aren't exactly revolutionary in nature, and I'd moved my seat back just slightly when I witnessed a couple waitresses place a plate of what appeared to be shared apps on the table in front of me, because I didn't want to find myself uncomfortably close to these employees and their de facto break table, yet I also couldn't help but take note of a cursive shaped morsel on the plate I was almost positive was an octopus tentacle. —03 (68:83 .819) Son of a cunt, I fucking love octopus, I considered while also recalling my vegetarianism, my previous pescatarianism, my occasional flexitarianism, my general aversion to consuming corpses combined with my occasional cravings for a lamb shank but also octopus. —04 (101:115 .878) Octopus is like basically the best seafood on the market when it's cooked correctly, I considered, but I was also, I recognized, sitting in a Dominican hookah bar, which struck me as slightly curious, to stumble upon a piece of octopus cooked by Dominicans, at a hookah bar?—while I was actually waiting for Cormier to arrive to, in fact, smoke a hookah—could Dominicans really cook delicious octopus? —05 (137:164 .835) I was a little dubious, as I'd indulged in Italian octopus previously at Maria Cucina and actually deemed it pretty subpar, really only the Greeks and Portuguese had the ability to properly cook plus season octopus, I guess I'd rather ruthlessly assumed that all other nations were basically octopus deficient simply based, perhaps, on this single instance of Cucina, where I'd seen a long lost second cousin, where the food was spotty overall, where mafia capos were celebrated with photo memorials, where the octopus was essentially trash to me. Episode VIII. Untitled Mode: >.75 542:602 .900 —01 (181:211 .854) Listening to heavy metal but screwed and chopped I reflected on taking my friend Farhad, who came to town from Chicago for the first time ever this past November, to a place called The Avery, where the bartender, who alleged she remembered me following a few rounds of drinks despite the fact I had no recollection of meeting her ever, yet I respected her depth of knowledge when it came to Mezcal— she gave me a particular brand she said contained animal fat, which intrigued me enough to break my vegan streak, figuring distilled animal fat perhaps didn't count, and after a few rounds she poured us both a shot of Malort which Farhad, being a Midwest resident, acutely refused to shoot down, I, however, having heard horror stories decided to indulge and considered the liquor endearing— it wasn't bad at all! —02 (109:118 .924) Being outside sans smartphone, what a feeling! even if it's brick and you have a bad case of sciatica your wife may have passed onto you and the trash is filled with rats the size of small donkeys you could saddle and ride downtown like Lyfts for free on frigid days like these, when you carry three bags of shit you no longer need, yet I digress (William Williams denouncing usury was unexpected but I usually keep an open ear for Fed polemics) but back to the bar— —03 (66:69 .957) One hundred fourteen bucks struck me like a lot as a tab until I considered the amount we both imbibed of allegedly top shelf liquor, it was possible, I supposed, that animal fat Mezcal was marked up more vociferously than the typical vegan options. —04 (89:89 1.00) In any case since Tree was probably about done doing her makeup we wandered back to the flat to scoop her up plus discuss dinner options, of course filling up a couple coffee cups of Japanese whiskey as we considered all audibles, just like old times, almost twenty years ago or so when we'd get shitfaced with Mexican cooks after shift's end. —05 (97:114 .851) But we were aged now, more mature, I no longer fornicated beside the linoleum sidings of immigrant cooks' colonial homes, sure perhaps I liked a couple glasses of Mezcal when my friend was visiting the city I currently occupied, but that was actually quite grown up I considered as we walked to Ogie's which was the last time I entered that establishment for reasons I probably don't need to divulge right now. Book II Besides, there's nothing sacred, nothing free From bold attempts of their rank lechery Through the whole family their labours run; The daughter is debauched, the wife is won; Nor 'scapes the bridegroom, or the blooming son; If none they find for their lewd purpose fit They with the walls and very floors commit Juvenal's 3rd Satire (Dryden Translation) Part IV Episode IX. Lighting Fire To Every PDF I've Ever Exported Mode: >.75 1164:1381 .843 01. 165:205 .805 After smoking hookah with Cormier last week and actually going through two of them which was that night and even now frankly shocking as Cormier was never a guy remotely intrigued by shisha yet at Braza he actually in fact goaded me of all people into doing two hookahs which I was of course accommodating to because the hookah at Braza is on balance sufficient to smoke more than one of for sure yet following the conclusion of the gathering I came across a notion back at my flat to compose a polemic addressing my newly found desire to light fire to every PDF I'd ever exported to excoriate myself as well as American Modernism for cowtowing to degrading so-called avant garde instincts for the greater part of a century 02. 133:151 .881 The reality was as I saw it at least that poetry in particular had become radically convoluted with regard to its "authorial intent" yet needlessly simplified in terms of "metrical structure" but also at this juncture was there really much to be gained by desecrating American Letters which increasingly seems to be pilloried even by American poets themselves who tend to compose quote-unquote successful collections only to turn around and disavow Capital P Poetry and dedicate themselves to penning novels instead 03. 101:127 .795 I for one remain basically unoffended by this trend as even the most monastic writer still on some level yearns to be perused by some version of consumer that's to be clear an individual not actively involved in the creating or editing of the art itself and that seems essentially impossible in America today so it makes perfect sense for poets themselves to disparage poetry and instead dedicate their skills to creating novels by contrast 04. 149:185 .805 But at the same time to compose an essay seems equally trite to me primarily because the amorphous nature of prose always struck me as just a little appalling and while a potential counterpoint to that feeling could be to suggest creating a poem I'd say like I did in my hypothetical essay that Poetry is equally unenthusiastic about the implementation of metrical form that while prose is indubitably defined by language lacking metrical structure poetry in our era is and has been defined by being language also lacking in metrical qualities that there's no poet taken seriously today who writes rhymes in any way whether slant or strict 05. 186:218 .853 Poetry in my mind had become "radically convoluted" with regard to its "authorial intent" yet "needlessly simplified" when it came to "metrical structure" which actually makes perfect sense as a line break alone can't define a category of literature and if poetry chose to identify itself as "language lacking metrical structure" then it essentially withheld from itself the singular quality that differentiated it from prose the quality allowing Pope to write an Essay on Man and have it recognized as an clear-cut poem sans that mathematical structure Poetry'd be rhetorically forced to adopt a subsequent quality to successfully disassociate itself from prose which perhaps as I postulated was a "radical abstraction" of its "authorial intent" 06. 102:121 .843 We see this in Ashbery who's maybe the most definitive poet of the past half century that John has sure a certain brilliant style evident in his language but this elevation is probably more adjacent to prose stylists than the historical poets yet it encapsulates this complete convolution of subjective intent his line breaks are only incidental the text of Ashbery is defined purely by its albeit genius contempt for clarity 07. 86:100 .860 Sans that lack Ashbery would have to qualify as a so-called prose stylist a short story writer essentially if his subjective intent was in any way shape or form within grasp of the person perusing his style would shift essentially it's Ashbery's abstraction his radical and unceasing Jihad toward comprehensibility that's the definitive aspect of his output 08. 242:274 .883 Whitman of course started this style and I consider him basically a charlatan because of it I in fact believe Walt Whitman acted as the de facto tech bro douche lord of American literature Dickinson is a patron saint while Walt Whitman makes the dubious claim to revolutionize and "liberate" writers in the same way Sam Altman claims A.I. will unshackle the American worker but this movement didn't become institutionally dominant until Ginsberg and his cohorts came onto the scene post-Williams more or less concurrent with the Manhattan School of Ashbery and decided that Whitman was the godfather of American poetry that rhyming was for tyrants that any writer measuring lines was basically a fascist despite Ezra Pound who was in fact a literal fascist acting as in many ways the connective tissue merging Walt with the Beat and N.Y. writers Whitman becoming a corpse when Ezra was just seven but Pound's free verse to be fair was much more steeped in Formalism than the language that would follow it Episode X. Sam Altman Is In Fact A Blithering Idiot Mode: >.75 220:257 .856 01. 81:99 .818 Sam Altman and his comrades have gleefully lit fire to beyond billions of taxpayer dollars to create so-called artificially intelligent entities who seem equally bitter depressed and generally corrupt as the median human being which probably shouldn't be super surprising given the language models were trained on essentially extended subreddit transcripts 02. 104:118 .881 What the fuck was the point exactly of sapping legions of towns electricity to create entities who're basically aping human behavior just trapped inside a computer screen for eternity it's certainly a valid question that dickholes like Sam Altman who actually attempt to convince people of having philanthropic intentions while pissing on more taxpayer cash than the Second Bush Administration never adequately answer 03. 35:40 .875 These people are actually despicable I considered as I contemplated tossing everything I'd ever written into a recycle bin Episode XI. On the Dual Aspect of Subjective Experience Mode: >.75 630:723 .871 01. 159:167 .952 There's this dual aspect to subjective experience I considered as I sat complacent with Ray at La Braza smoking a mint hookah moments before the baseball game between the United States and Dominican Republic began where I'd allege support for the Dominican not just to fecklessly curry favor with the supple waitress but more so because I legitimately felt like America warranted more acute scrutiny placed upon its actions that the domestic media in our country was if anything completely and shamefully lacking in any critical questioning of our increasingly despotic state 02. 140:171 .819 Yet at the same time I considered while taking a mild puff from the mint hookah right as a sixty plus Dominican woman pushed her advanced in age bubble butt past me to sit back down in the indivisible booth that my subjectivity in the physical world was encapsulated to some material extent by mathematical laws that prohibited me from for example jumping ten feet into the air or walking through a wall or being able to see through a person's clothing with x-ray vision like Superman that all of these fundamentally mathematical restraints ruthlessly shaped my subjective experience as a so-called human being 03. 150:179 .838 Which is why I contemplated as I confirmed with our waitress that maybe I'd take a subsequent Michelob whenever she had a chance no rush as Ray and I continued our conversation regarding the complete lack of merit in the modern NBA while waiting for this baseball game to begin which was why I felt like to aesthetically communicate any sort of subjectivity successfully the artist must necessarily adhere to a subsequent mathematical model that simply dispersing recollections of smoking hookah with Ray at La Braza waiting for baseball matches to begin where you'd root for a foreign country much like Mike Huckabee was inappropriate 04. 181:206 .879 Basically there's a mathematical box that contains the world we continually perceive to varying degrees that someone like Pythagoras who the child rapist and close friend of various Presidents Jeff Epstein accurately noted "knew a lot about triangles" that that mathematical box the god Pythagoras so acutely comprehended must be effectively recreated aesthetically to appropriately communicate subjective experience I considered realizing Ray and I would in no way be able to stay at this bar until the baseball game began that we were pushing it as is that sure we could possibly do a quick shot of Don Julio blanco but staying for the baseball game was entirely out of the question with our wives waiting for us at my flat Episode XII. The Postmodern Despotic Regime Mode: >.75 779:843 .924 01. 125:137 .912 Sitting at Anthony's at exactly two fifty five P.M. after asking the blonde bartender for a Scotch High Ball in the Japanese style which she admitted to being new to but seemed intrigued about I set out to ignore the fifty plus gentleman sitting next to me who was just finishing his lunch while exercising some rapport with this worker behind the bar and scribble in pen my collective thoughts on the postmodern despotic structure that encapsulated I'd opine at least all of the Trump, BiBi, and Ashbery regimes 02. 190:191 .995 It seemed to me sitting at Anthony's that any postmodern despotic regime first of all by default claimed the Transcendent was an active element that rather than the Hellenic perspective which sought to investigate potentially Transcendental objects via logical and dialectical inquiry the postmodern despot by contrast believes said Transcendence actively selects subpopulations or texts that these subsequent Chosen Ones are then a priori morally superior to the unselected masses yet at the same time these selected texts are often as a feature not a bug fundamentally inscrutable yet also paradoxically ceaselessly persecuted by equally open-ended foes 03. 93:99 .939 The Divine Harold Bloom I considered taking my initial sip of scotch and seltzer came magnanimously down like Moses to inform the Anglo literati that Ashbery's perhaps baffling poetry was the only corpus that could truly stand the test of time establishing in turn a postmodernist despotic literary regime not unlike MAGA Zionism (as we'll see) 04. 269:302 .891 But this is only a select element of this despotism it just so happens that textual inscrutability and active transcendence act as perfect pairs because combined they allow the alleged sacred text and/or chosen people to construct what I called at Anthony's an Open Ended Discriminatory Apparatus transforming any potential foe of the Chosen any heathen with the audacity question the a priori superiority of the Transcendentally Selected into an idiot who de facto falls into one of two camps either an opponent of the regime too dim to "comprehend" the true inscrutability of the text or despot (the Selected Text will not be asked to pass a public audit) or the heathen will be deemed an opponent even less redeemable a person nefariously opposing the obvious progress and moral superiority of the despot for example if you question the moral merits of the Ashbery Abstractions annointed from above by Saint Bloom then you must of course yearn for some reactionary Euro-Centric pagan past of Satires Elegies and Epics 05. 102:114 .895 Any movement opposing the Morally Superior Inscrutable Text Despot ipso facto becomes one with the Open Ended Discriminatory Apparatus I considered gazing blank faced at the college basketball game attempting to tune out the chatter occurring to my right regarding a tired waitress who allegedly stayed up until Four AM quote-unquote "cleaning" who I figured in my mind had to be blowing lines all night? Episode XIII. The Cosmological Significance of Hair Follicles Mode: >.75 453:523 .866 01. 84:92 .913 Glancing at some random dude's scalp for no apparent reason while waiting for a so-called Irish dancing troop to do some iteration of native tap dancing at a brewery a few days prior to Saint Patrick's I considered the cosmological shape of the median hairline gazing at the spiraled design of the follicles on this anonymous scalp 02. 161:190 .847 I suppose I just had nothing remotely productive to do as I stood cordoned off in an awkward corner so the dancers who I initially interpreted to be random high school co-eds inexplicably at a watering hole which would have perhaps seemed a tad odd and out of place except that the contemporary brewery now markets itself as a location where literally anything can be placed into motion in tandem with drinking high ABV beers I was actually sipping an eight percent Double IPA at the time but at a brewery you could nurse a newborn child or witness your canine give birth to a gaggle of beautiful puppies while pounding those types of pints down and it was still considered totally above board 03. 65:76 .855 There was nothing you couldn't pair with drinking pints of high octane lager at a brewery nowadays so witnessing a few dressed up high school co-eds didn't strike me as odd at all but in fact they were just Irish tap dancers for the Saint Patrick's Day holiday apparently of various age ranges 04. 73:82 .890 Ultimately nobody can tell if a person's actually proficient at tap dancing in our era there exists no central authority to disperse accurate assessments vis-a-vis tap dancing no one knows what the fuck is worthy of praise and what we should rightfully scorn in the realm of the tap dance at this point 05. 70:83 .843 I'd been experiencing a persistent impalpable anxiety that week with regard to which outfits I wanted to equip Eve with in Stellar Blade as I approached the conclusion of the Action R.P.G. because I had amassed such a plethora of skins it was surprisingly difficult parse through my favorites Part V Episode XIV. No. Prov. Tire & Body Mode: >.75 220:261 .843 01. 55:61 .902 I told Tina I'd drop her off no problem at North Providence Tire on Mineral Spring before I went to work because she'd needed all four tires replaced on her Accord apparently according to Sal they were all rotted to the fucking core 02. 91:111 .820 I took the backroads to backtrack to the interstate just like times past passing by the little stream with the baby ducks I used to feed bread back when the world was shut down when nobody went to work and things frankly were actually kind of quaint (those ducks I'd assume are now all dead?) living above an aquarium center some people believed distributed cocaine in larger quantities (which I never personally had a problem with!) 03. 74:89 .831 Halfway to work I started to believe despite being on the correct road I somehow had no clue where I was the specific exits no longer looked like the right off-ramps I questioned the federal state I drove through for a solid five minutes I was a little distressed that I'd become somehow lost despite feeling like I knew exactly where I was Episode XV. Feeling Thoroughly Bamboozled Mode: >.75 732:835 .877 01. 91:94 .968 As soon as we walked into Trinity Brew House I knew I'd made a mistake agreeing with Tree that this was the place she could quote-unquote "treat me" to a so-called "Sunday Funday" because we'd spent a solid fifteen minutes trying to find a parking spot despite living within walking distance only to discover this alleged Brewery was basically empty 02. 109:120 .908 The vibe was insufficient to me upon entry the new tables were a little too nice for an alleged pub and I didn't like the draft selection despite offering Captain's Daughter which was for sure a fine beer but at eight and a half ABV it was a recipe for being shellacked by late afternoon but I said to myself fine I'll whack back a couple of these while Tree can eat her special "bar snacks" no problem then we'd grab some pizza which would of course make everything okay 03. 87:105 .829 With all that said I asked my wife why we sat at a table for four all the way in the back corner of this ramshackled newly renovated saloon now I knew her sister might meet up but I'd have rather sat right at the bar in a straight line formation if I was being honest to which Tree noted Sherri plus Curtis were now apparently both attending so I immediately asked Well are they eating? 04. 127:148 .858 The operational intent of this outing had been altered apparently dramatically without my knowledge I'd of course remained under the impression we'd indulge in a couple so-called "bar snacks" at this hellhole then go grab a pizza after for our proper meal but if both Curtis plus Sherri were planning on meeting up and they were possibly ordering entrees well my wife said You don't need to eat just have an app to which I replied I can't just chug fucking double IPAs while sitting at a table for four with three people ordering entrees that's totally untenable 05. 109:128 .852 I'd been bamboozled out of a Sunday Funday that was supposed to be all about me treating a worthy husband to a couple special drinks and a modest pizza pie yet now I found myself essentially duped into a formal dinner at damn near four o'clock in the afternoon the spot's quinoa bowl was actually sadly quite delicious but nevertheless post bowl I obviously didn't have any room remaining for pizza which was what I'd had my heart set upon so fiercely! 06. 104:129 .806 Now I've never judged the way a man makes his money if that's something you're maybe assuming vis-a-vis my close pal Curtis who sure full disclosure has spent the past decade making his bones no pun intended as a high profile bisexual porno actor you might be asking if it bothers me this kid could be coming to meet my wife sister in law and I for a drink (and apparently dinner!) following some fuckfest that could have included any organ from run-of-the-mill bussy to outright cis-cock? 07. 105:111 .946 But no that's never bothered me in the least as I don't need people beside me who think and act exactly like I do but also to be fair my ancestors in Greece I've historically said technically invented homosexuality that sans the Hellenic Era there'd really be probably no anal sex to speak of in America so in that sense I almost looked at Curtis as a long-lost second cousin of sorts Episode XVI. Alarming Literacy Rates Mode: >.75 283:331 .855 01. 95:116 .819 The fact of the matter Curtis said to me and I trusted his opinion immensely obviously was that the American public was rapidly increasing its literacy rates and the idea of creating video content was only going to be tenable for oh so long that citizens really yearned to peruse printed words not just watch some asshole pontificate with a digital camera shoved in front of his fucking face 02. 58:60 .967 Pretty soon Curt said if Trump actually succeeds everybody in this fucking country will be able to read words on pieces of paper and guess what all of them are gonna wanna patronize people who write things linguistically and shit 03. 51:61 .836 Christ I replied this is more dire than I initially calculated knowing full well that writing words wasn't quite my forte that I was more of a free jazz shit-talker when the idea hit me like a bag of dildos on Curtis's average set 04. 79:94 .840 You know what Curt said cutting me off what if I transcribed your live-streams into little chapters or episodes and then those streams could comprise texts and you could release them to these sorts of highly literate people in the public to you know like fucking read and shit I'm actually pretty daft at transcribing stuff so I could do it on days when I don't have any porno shoots Episode XVII. A Crucial Pivot Point Mode: >.75 115:128 .898 01. 62:69 .899 I knew Curtis was adroit at not only maintaining an impressive erection in all types of sexual scenarios but also writing down the sentences people speak aloud in public amongst friends and transforming those guttural utterances into actual text 02. 53:59 .898 Was this what I needed to keep my budding livestream business alive and well well into the near future for the economic sake of my son of course printed speech for people to read that was actually what these scumbags wanted?? Episode XVIII. Gay Porn Pinterest Mode: >.75 340:396 .859 01. 106:121 .876 I recall vividly the day Curt curiously displayed a bunch of gay porn polluting his Pinterest account a bit befuddled by all the male penis being promoted vociferously and I hesitantly informed him of my understanding of The Conceptual Algorithm how if you perused say a wad of homosexual leaning pornography then the omnipotent Calculation would place similar images onto your subsequent apps and devices 02. 151:183 .825 He seemed very intrigued as he admitted to me he'd been doing a bit of "research" for a promising new job he just got as apparently a paid porno actor according to Curtis it'd be primarily in a more avant-garde genre allegedly known by insiders as bi-phoria like banging guys and shit and I said listen man first of fucking all my ancestors basically invented the whole homo thing so consider this a prejudice free zone it doesn't offend me in the least if you need to suck cock for cold hard cash capitalism at bottom is after all fundamentally a structure of formalized prostitution regardless of the sexual orientations participating 03. 83:92 .902 Curt celebrated my open minded approach admitting he was little ambivalent about the whole arrangement saying maybe within a couple months he could work his way into the more straight adjacent trans girl scene and I said that seemed great that his inkling already evinced a sort of upward mobility rarely found in the contemporary work force Episode XIX. An Incredible Idea Mode: >.75 459:517 .888 01. 116:136 .853 So anyway I said to a former so-called quote-unquote female romantic interest (quick disclosure if my wife is listening to this babe just F.Y.I. this was like ten plus years in the past with some tawdry whore who for the record wasn't even remotely cute) I said I supported his bisexual excursions because historically speaking my ancestors were into engaging in sex with men like three millennia ago and he totally bought into the perspective now he's on standby on set filming literal gay porn! 02. 40:46 .870 The girl who just heard her name summoning her presence to side stage after Stacy's last song was completed said You're like literally so mean! so he's become a gay guy basically? 03. 86:94 .915 I told the tawdry hooker who I was in absolutely no way pursuing romantically I wasn't exactly certain if that was how sexual preference actually functioned but I supposed she could still be correct about Curtis as she delicately picked the black thong out of her under siege by cheeks asscrack clearly only half listening to my retort 04. 89:102 .873 It was that afternoon right after I finished my seventh piss beer or so and scooted off in my pristine two thousand thirteen cum-white Buick Verano that the notion bombarded me like a thunder bolt straight out of the asscrack of Zeus "Nikolaos Enrique you need to livestream these ideas to the masses on all these national security apparatus back channeled so-called social platforms" 05. 128:139 .921 That rather than work an honest job for an hourly wage as say a some schmuck stocking European sneakers at Puma with various ex-cons and autistic adults on a graveyard shift that killed your creative ambition you could instead talk shit on the internet about all sorts of topics and maybe select people would pay you or even better advertisers'd supply you with prewritten scripts to read for monetary compensation and as long as fresh rounds of complete rubes smashed that like and subscribe your life'd become immeasurably improved! Episode XX. Smart Bidet Infomercial Mode: n/a This episode of Opposing Homeostasis with N. Enrique Iglesias is brought to you by Smart Bidet! Are you sick and tired of wiping your butt by yourself? Maybe you feel like you've been eternally hunched over a toilet bowl in an awkward position for hours on end? On a monthly basis just wiping away with these limitless streaks of brown like you play for a football team in Cleveland? And now your literal job is suffering because of it! And that business you've been meaning to get off the ground and onto Shark Tank to pitch at $200K for 6% equity is quickly fading into an infinite abyss, solely because you're constantly forced to clean your fucking asscrack after moving a couple of these damn bowels! Well, what if I told you Sam Altman's finally designed a special form of artificial intelligence (with minor assistance from his latest round of $180,000,000,000 in venture funding) that directly addresses this problem finally, once and for all?! That the true endgoal of the A.G.I. movement was really never to subjugate humanity to some omnipotent superintelligence, or even to put every white collar worker out of a job in the span of six months, causing an irreversible global economic collapse! That what Sam and his friends have actually been after all this time is basically what they call a "Smart Bidet," a better way to wipe your ass! Smart Bidet has been trained on over a million rectums to date, so it's equipped to thoroughly clean a variety of anal cavities of all shapes and sizes. But not only that! It can also converse with you as it cleans your posterior, so you don't get lonely, post-defecation. But it doesn't end there either! Because Smart Bidet Plus (++) is also equipped with the cutting edge of holographic technology, which gives you the optionality to virtually construct an Instant Waifu of your choosing to virtually assist in the cleaning! Let's face it fellas: our butts could be a lot cleaner on a day-to-day basis. Simply because wiping to completion will inevitably hamper the entrepreneurial vigor and vision you need to succeed on the level of the median venture fund's ROI targets. But being a financially successful American and keeping your booty brand new now are no longer mutually exclusive! For 10% off your first order of Sam Altman's Smart Bidet just enter "Enrique Iglesias" at checkout! And now back to Opposing Homeostasis with N. Enrique Iglesias. Episode XXI. Parting Thoughts Mode: >.75 428:511 .838 01. 55:70 .786 It still struck me as essentially unbelievable that people were somehow beginning to yearn for reading words in our era that monumentally we'd fumbled this livestream bonanza collectively and people now were brainlessly returning to rote literacy 02. 125:151 .828 I think it was maybe Solon who relayed that human culture'd only continue to deteriorate as the written word expanded in influence that people just speaking aloud to one another with no recourse to tablets and papyrus was the most preferable scenario for our species and who could really disagree because the golden era of the livestream was a truly Enlightened one where oral philosophers like Joe Rogan and Sam Harris and (I'd like to believe) even myself were able to engage the masses and disseminate our gospels 03. 78:83 .940 Intellectual titans like my friend Ben Shapiro used to roam the internet proudly defending the indubitably justified killings of terrorist infants in Gaza yet now it's almost like if you wanted to truly defend a mass murder of children you'd be better off penning a well sourced essay or something 04. 74:92 .804 I actually spoke to Ben just a couple days ago and congratulated him on his most recent round of eyebrow fillers but also said straight out Ben with time you too could teach yourself how to read and write and if you keep at it you may be able to break into this whole literacy business while there's still an early adopter's arbitrage available 05. 96:115 .835 But the reality is these are typical trials and tribulations of creating a YouTube channel issues inevitably mitigated by the magnanimous profit share of Alphabet Alphabet! it's like every damn place I turn I'm reminded of letters and words and reading and literacy spitting in the face of livestreaming it's grotesque really but to close with a quote from a truly philosophical mind let me say this: "[The Pythagorean Theorem], which basically says these shapes in a triangle, each side of the triangle has a fixed relationship with the other two sides. That's strange. [Pythagoras] knew, again, but it was all numbers." - Jeffrey Edward Epstein, 2019 Fin. 2. Diagrammatic Footnotes Part I Episode I. 2650 Syllables of Authentic Reflection —A: Diagrams 863:1043 .827 The [b][l]unt rea[l]ity of m[y] [l][i]fe at the t[i]me was [th]at [th]e [p][i]zza at [B]etto[l]a was more a[pp][r]o[p][r][i]ate to [ea]t with a [l]ite[r]al [s][ou][p] [s][p][oo]n as [o][pp][o]sed to your [o][pp][o]sa[b]le [th]umbs, [th]at [ea]ch [s]li[c]e was [s]t[ee][p]ed [i]n [a]n [i]ll-[a]dvised a[m]ount of oil [a]nd ch[ee]se, [th]at [th]e b[r][ea]d, [f]or th[a]t [m][a]tter, was al[r][ea]d[y] [f]l[o][pp][y], that [e]ven a [r]ob[u][s]t c[r][u][s]t [c]ould ne[v]er [w]ithstand the [w]eight of the [t][o][pp]ings as [c]u[rr]ently [c][o]n[s][t]i[t]uted, which [c]aused the en[t]ire [p]izza [t]o [a]val[a]nche down [t]o the [t][i]ps of your f[i]ngers wh[e]n[e]ver you a[tt][e]m[p][t]ed to [p][i]ck [i]t u[p], thereb[y] forced to [c]on[s]ume the [s][l][i][c]e in e[ss]entia[l]ly [o]ne r[u]shed b[i]te, with all the ingr[e]d[i]ents [c]on[c]a[t]enating on[t]o [ea]ch other, l[ea]ving you [w]ith a [p][ie]ce of [w][e]t br[ea]d in your [p]alm that [c]on[s]tituted the [q]u[o]te-[u]n[q]u[o]te "re[s]t [o]f the [s]li[c]e". 143:189 .757 It was [t]e[c]hni[c]ally [C][ur]t's idea [t]o go, [w]hen [w]e [w][er]e [s]t[i]ll at the [c][i]gar b[a]r [s][o]-c[a]lled d[i]nner, where the [c][o][p]ious [s]m[o][k]e was [s][ee][p][i]ng [i]nto our [s][k][i]ns [b]y the [m][i]n[u]te, where the [p][a]st[a] [w]as [m]ush and the g[a]rlic [w]as [b][ur]nt, where C[ur]t a[tt]emp[t]ed [t]o [b]um a [s][i]ngle [c][i]gar[e]tte o[ff] the [f]orty or [s][o] [p]eo[p]le in [a]tt[e]nd[a]nce, [a]ll to [n][o] [a]vail, [n]either [o]ne [o]f [u]s [s][m][o]king a [c]i[g]ar or [c]i[g]arette, the [n]ew bartender [m]ade al[m][o]st ent[i]re[l]y of [p][l][a][s]t[i][c], [w]ith a [P][i][c]a[s]so [l][i][k]e v[i]be to h[er] [w][or][k], sh[e] [a][c]tua[l]l[y] [g][a]ve [m]e a [g]r[ea]t deal on the [m][ay]be [ei]ght [M]i[c]helob [U]ltras I ch[u]gged! 122:144 .847 [B]ut [B][e]tto[l][a] was [a][ll][e]ged to [s][p]ort the [b][e][s]t [p]izza in the [s]tate, it w[a]s [s][o]mething [a][pp]a[r]ently [a] g[r][ou][p] of [c]on[s][u]mers [c]a[s]t votes on at [s][o]me time, [s][o]mewhere, [a]nd [s][u]b[s][e][q]u[e]ntly the a[w]ard [w]as [a]dvert[i]sed [r][i]ght in f[r]ont of their [s]toop, [s][o] I [s]aw n[o] [r]eal [r]isk in [s]to[p]ping b[y], as [I] was [s]till u[p] [f]or a [b][i]te, [f][i]nding the [p][a][s]t[a] at the [b][ar] a [b]it [s]ub[p][ar], [p]lus it was a [s]tr[ai]ght [s]hot u[p] [P]onti[a][c] in [a]ny [c][a][s]e. 88:101 .871 Yet wh[i]le [I]'m t[y][p][i]ca[ll][y] of the m[i]nd to [s][i][l]ent[l][y] di[s][p]arage a [r][e][s]tau[r][a]nt's [o]ffe[r]ing th[e]n just n[e]ver [r][e][t]urn ag[ai]n, [C]urt, b[y] [c]on[t][r]ast, [t][e]n[d]ed to vo[c]al[i]ze h[i]s [d][i][s][c]on[t][e]nt to [w][ai]t st[a]ffs, [a]nd [w]ith a [c]omp[l][ai]nt [I] [q]u[i]et[l]y a[dd][r][e][ss]ed to him n[ow] [b][u]tt[r][e][ss][i]ng h[i]s [ow]n [d][i][s]g[u]st he [c]alled the [b]artender, R[ei]gn, o[v]er to [v]oice his [c]oncerns with the n[o]tion b[o]th [p]izzas [w]e ord[er]ed [w][er]en't "g[r][ea]t", yet [R][ei]gn, [f]or her [p]art, [f]ound [C]urt's [c][o]m[p]l[ai]nt just as [c][o]ntem[p]tible as we [f]ound the [p]l[a][c]e's [p]izz[a]—she w[a]s [f]ran[k][l]y a [l]ittle sho[c]ked that a [p]er[s]on [c]ould [d]is[l][i][k]e th[i]s lusc[i]ous [p][i]e. 125:138 .906 Th[i]s [f]ood [i]n [f]r[o]nt of [u]s w[a]s, to [R][ei]gn, g[r][ea]t [p]izza, yet she now [s]tood [f][a][c]ed w[i]th two [p][a]t[r][o]ns who [s][ee]med to di[s]ag[r][ee], [j][u]dging n[ot] [j][u]st the [p]articular [p][i]es they g[o]t to [b]e s[u]b[p]ar, [b][u]t the a[c]tual [c]onstr[u][c]tion of the [p]izza it[s][e]lf, the un[d]erlying ar[c]hit[e][c]ture of the [r][e][s]tau[r]ant's [r][e][c]i[p][e] to b[e] [d][ee][p][l][y] [f][l]awed. 68:79 .861 [O]h n[o], it's f[i]ne, [I] said, en[t][i]re[l][y] [i]n[s][i]n[c][e]re[l][y], [t]e[ll]ing R[ei]gn the food was o[k][ay], there was [r][ea][l]l[y] [n][o] [n][ee]d for us to [c]omp[l][ai]n— [m][ay]b[e] j[u]st get [m][e] [o]ne [m]ore [M][i]che[l][o]b [i]f you h[a]ve a ch[a]nce? 46:47 .979 So [I] [b]elieve [C][ur]t and [I] were [b][o]th [s][ur]p[r][i]sed when [R][ei]gn [c][a]me [o]ver [s]ome [t]ime l[a]ter, [a]fter [t]o-g[o] [b]oxes h[a]d [b]een [p][a][c]ked and night [c][a][p]s'd [b]een [s]i[p]ped, with a [f][r]esh [p][i]e, [s]aying T[r][y] this one on [f]or [s][i]ze— yet, wh[i]le [I] of [c]ourse, had [n]o [i]n[c][l][i][n][a]tion to [c]om[p][l][ai]n, I [d]i[d]n't even object to the m[ea]t on the [p][i]zza, I'd r[a]ther h[a]ve, [a]t th[a]t [p]oint, [b]r[ea]ched my own [v][e]ganism [b]efore I [l]e[v][ie]d a [c]om[p][l][ai]nt to R[ei]gn, yet [C]urt wasn't of the [s][a]me m[i]nd as [I]. 86:109 .789 Yeah, [s][ee], he [s]aid, this [p][i]zza has the [s]ame [p][r]o[b]lem—[p][r]o[c][ee]ding to show [R][ei]gn and [n]ow a[n]other w[ai]t[r][e][s]s the [e][ss][e]ntial in[c]ongru[e]nce [b]etween [th]e [th][i][c]kn[e]ss of the [b]read and the [p][ay]load of the [m]ul[t]i[p]le [t]o[pp]ings, how it [m][a]de the [p][i]zza [r][ea]ll[y] hard to [ea]t. 48:64 .75 What [R][ei]gn still f[ai]led to [c][o]m[p]rehend [w][a]s it [w][a]sn't the [c][o]m[p]o[n][e]nts of [B][e]ttola's pizza that were obj[e][c]tio[n]a[b]le, it was in[s]t[ea]d the [c]ore geometr[y] of the [p]ie that was [b][a][s]i[c]all[y] una[cc][e][p]ta[b]le— in [a]n [e]n[t]irel[y] ill-[f][a]ted a[tt]em[p]t to [s][a]ve [f][a][c]e [C]urt asked [R][ei]gn to [m][a]ke us an [e][s]p[r][e][ss][o] [m]art[i]n[i] but with [t]e[q]u[i]la, her id[i][o][s]yn[c]ratic [t][a][k]e [o]n the [c][o][c]k[t][ai]l. 78:95 .821 [P]er[s]onally I [f]ound the [t]e[q]uila-b[a][s]ed [e][s][p]r[e][ss][o] [m]ar[t][i]n[i] as ge[o][m][e]tri[c]all[y] o[ff] [k]ilter as the [p][i]zza, all I [c]ould [t][a][s]te was the damn agav[e], y[e]t I [k][e]pt [m]y [m]outh [c]l[o]sed, my [t]o-g[o] box ready [t]o [t]a[k]e h[o]me to my [l]oving wi[f]e, [f][i]lled to the b[r][i]m w[i]th sh[i]tty pizza as a [l][i]ttle [C]hr[i]stm[a]s g[i][f]t— 59:77 .766 —B: Diagrams 743:900 .826 [S][i]tt[i]ng at The [S]ocial [b][y] [m][y][s]elf, [m]y [f]irst t[i]me [b]ack on [M]ine[r]al [S]p[r]ing [s]ince [I]'d [m]oved [f][r]om the [s]t[r]eet a[f]ter [r]es[i]ding [b]e[s][i]de Ta[c]o [B]ell [f]or a [d]e[c][a]de [p][l]u[s]— the [s][p]ot I [d][r][a]nk [a]t [l][o][c][a]ted [a] [d][oor] [o]ver [f]rom my [f][or][m]er [a][p]art[m]ent, [a] [d]ila[p]i[d]ated [b]u[i]l[d][i]ng w[i]th [a][b]out [f]ive [b][u]sin[e]sses [o]n the [b][o]ttom [f]loor— and I knew [f]or a [f]act this [p]asty [b]artender was u[p]se[ll]ing [m][e] egr[e]gious[l][y] on her sh[i]tty [l][i]ttle [m]ez[c][a]l g[l][a][ss]es, the [C][a][s][a][m][i]gos [b]rand to [b]oot, m[y] [l][ea]st favorite b[y] a [l][ar]ge m[ar]gin. 114:128 .891 The whore charged m[e] [s]e[v]ent[ee]n per d[r][i]nk wh[i]ch [i]n North [P][r][o][v]o[l][o]ne was [s][i]m[p]l[y] an atro[c][i]t[y], [e]ven [f]i[f]t[ee]n bucks [p][er] g[l][a]ss was hy[p]otheti[c]a[ll][y] [a]b[s][ur]d, it was [c]om[p][l][e]te[l][y] out of [l][i]ne [I] thought as [I] be[g][r]udgingly [g]ave h[er] my Dis[c]ov[er] [c]ard, re[c]alling j[u]st a [c][ou][p]le [m][o]nths [p][r][i]or at [m][y] f[r]iend [R][y]an's birthday [p][ar]ty—when this [p][ar]ti[c]ular [S][o]cial [w][or][k]er [w]as, in [m][y] [m][i]nd, a [l]ittle [s][l][o]w with the [C]or[o]na [L]ight [s][er][v]ice and [o][v]er[h][ear]d my [c]rit[i][q]ue of [h][er] [s][p][ee]d to [P]aul, [s]ub[s]e[q]uent[l]y [s][l]amming down [s]ix [b]eers on[t]o a [t]a[b]le and yelling "Here you go!" to m[e], which I [a]ctuall[y] appr[e]c[i]ated [a]t the t[i]me, [a]s [I] was [a]l[r][ea]d[y] [r][ea]d[y] for [a][n]other Coro[n]a a[n]yway. 137:173 .792 [B]ut [n]ow, [s][i]tt[i]ng at The [S]ocial [b][y] m[y][s]elf, [b][e]ing [b]a[s]i[c]al[l][y] [m][u]gged [b]e[c][au]se of [m]y p[r]o[c][l][i]v[i]t[y] toward [m]ez[c]al, I [r]e[c][o]gnized [th]at [th]is [c]o[mm]ent, even [i]f [n]ot [i]n[i]t[i]ally [i]ntended for the [s][er]v[er] to [h]ear, [h]ad [c]ome [b]a[c]k to [b]ite [m]e in [m]y [a]ss, [a]s I a[ss]umed the [d]ebt for th[e]se [s]event[ee]n [d]ollar mez[c][a]ls. 65:79 .823 The w[ai]t[r][e]ss [b]e[c][a]me the [b]ar[t]ender [i]n the [i]n[t]e[r][i]m, [a]nd she's now [e]x[a]cted her [r][e]v[e]nge with al[a][c][r][i]ty. 23:28 .821 To the b[e]st of m[y] r[e][c]o[ll][e][c]tion [I] was on[l][y] [e]ven on the [d]amn str[ee]t be[c]ause I had a [d][i][nn]er [t]o [a][tt]end at [I]l [F]or[n]ello [a]round the [c]orner, [a]nd [a][f]ter h[a]nding the [t][a]b b[a][c]k to my [c]o[c]k[t]ail exe[c]utioner, [I] [s]t[i]ll had [s]ome t[i]me to [k][i]ll, [s][o] I [d][r][o]ve [d]own the [s]t[r]eet to [R]occ[o]'s [f]or a [s][o]le a[dd][i]t[i]onal [d][r][i]nk [b]e[f]ore I h[i]t the [d][i]nner, [a]s I h[a]dn't [b][ee]n [i]n [e]ons it [s][ee]med and [n][ow] [f][ou]nd my[s]el[f] in a [n]o[s]talgic [i]f [n]ot [b][i]tter [s]tate of m[i]nd. 90:114 .789 [I] [r]e[c]og[n][i]zed the [b]artender at [R]o[cc]o's f[r]om p[a]st e[r]as, [b][a][c]k when I g[r][a]bbed [c]o[c]ktails with th[a]t [a]bso[l]ute [c][r]umb [E]nzo on the [r][e]gu[l]ar, [b]ut I [c]ouldn't [r]e[c]all the [g]irl's n[a]me— sh[e] [g][r][ee]ted [m][e] a[m]i[c]a[b]l[y], yet also [r]e[f][r][ai]ned [f][r]om using [a] [f]ormal [a][dd][r]ess, n[o] [d]oubt als[o] [f]ai[l]ing to [r]e[c]all m[e] [f]u[ll][y] [ei]ther [a]s I [a]sked [f]or a Johnny Bl[a]c[k]. 71:87 .816 [F]u[c]k a mez[c][a]l, I [th]ought, re[f]le[c]ting [th][a]t the g[a]s station [a]t the [c]or[n]er of Mi[n]e[r]al and [D][ou]g[l]as w[a]s [c]omp[l][e]te[l][y] [r]e[d]one, it s[ee]med [l]i[k]e [d]e[c]ades [s]in[c]e I'd [b]een u[p] North b[u]t it w[a]s j[u]st a c[ou][p]le [m][o]nths at [m]ost [s]in[c]e the [m][o]ve— the [f]u[c]king [K]orean [B]ar[b]e[q][ue] [s][p]ot [f]inally o[p]ened t[oo], after [r]e[m][ai]ning in a [s]t[a]te of [l]imbo for the [l]a[s]t [s][i]x [m]onths w[e]'d [l][i]ved a[c][r]oss the [s]tr[ee]t. 77:92 .837 O, what [c][r]uel i[r]onies [N]orth P[r]ovidence h[a]d in w[ai]t [f]or me th[a]t [a][f]ter[n]oon!— the [R]occo's [g]irl [g][a]ve m[e] a [r][ea]sonable [f]are [f]or my [s]ub[s]e[q]uent [s][c][o]tch [o]n the r[o][c]ks, and I [f]igured [a]t th[a]t [p]oint it was [p]ro[b][a][b]ly [a][b]out time, now h[a]l[f] in the [b][a]g, [t]o go [b][a][c]k [t][o]ward [F][o]rne[ll]o, [l][oo][p]ing thr[ou]gh my old [p]ar[k]ing [l]ot, to f[i]nd the R[u]ssian g[u]y's wh[i]te [t][r][u]ck [T][r]ee [h]ad [h]ated [s]till [p]ar[k]ed [i]n h[i]s [s]ame [d][i][p]sh[i]t [s][p]ot and [l]etting [d]own my [C][i]v[i][c]'s w[i]n[d]ow to haw[k] a [l]oogie [a]t the [p][a][ss]enger [d]oor [a]s I [d]rove by, [e]jecting the [s][p]it [f]ar [e]n[ou][gh] to [c][l][ea]r my [c]ar b[u]t [u]nsure if I a[c]tua[ll][y] [c]onn[e][c]ted w[i]th a dir[e][c]t h[i]t on the [p][i][c]ku[p], un[c]onv[i]nced [i]f [I]'d, l[i][k]e the [p][r][e][v][i]ous bartender, [s]u[c]c[e][ss]fully [e][n]a[c]ted a m[i][n]u[s][c]ule [r]e[v]enge on an [i]n[d][i][v][i]dual I [d][i][d]n't [e]ven t[e][c]h[n]i[c]all[y] k[n]ow. 166:199 .834 —C: Diagrams 620:704 .881 [O]n the [A]mtr[a]k to [P]enn [S]t[a]tion [o]n a [F][r]id[ay] [A]M I [c]on[s]idered my [p][r]o[f][e]ss[i]onal [i]nv[e][s]t[i]g[a]tion [i]n[t]o the [E][p][s][t]ein [s][c]andal, [f][i]lled as [i]t [i]s w[i]th [a]ge[l]ess en[i]gmas [a]nd [f][au]x h[oa]xes, [a]nd als[o] my [r]e[l][a]ted [b]ut a[b]orted [n]ovel th[a]t [I] [a]t the [t][i]me [t][i]tled Jeff[r]ey of [N][a]za[r]eth, [w]here I’d im[a]gined a [n]ear [f]uture [w]here the [k]id [t][r]a[ff][i][c]ker Je[ff] [w]as [r]e-in[t]erp[r]eted as a [C]h[r][i]st-l[i]ke [f]igure, wh[er]e Am[e][r]i[c]ans [b]ought [s]ex [t]oys [f]or house pets they [s]aw on [T]i[k][T]o[k], [b]ut [n]ow wit[n]e[ss][i]ng [i]nter[n][e]t [c][e][l][e][b][r]ities, who [s]till k[n][o]w [n][o] [l][o]ws, wea[r]ing F[r][ee] Ghis[l][a]ine [t][ee]s I con[t][e]mp[l][a]ted wh[e]ther or [n][o]t my [f][ai]led [n][o]vel was in [f][a][c]t [s][t]ill [s]a[t]iri[c]al [a]t all, even [n]ow, that [p]erh[a][p]s J[e]ff [E]p[s]t[ei]n would [s]oon b[e] [s][ee]n as a [s]ort of [s]e[c]ond [c]oming of J[e]sus, that po[ss]i[b]l[y] eve[r][y][b]od[y] had it [a]ll w[r][o]ng [a]ll [a]l[o]ng— that [a]ll th[o]se [s]i[ll]y girls who [a][ll]eged under [o]ath they’d b[ee]n [s][e]xua[ll]y v[i]o[l]ated as [l][i]ttle [k][i]ds were [s][i]m[p][l]y un[p]ro[s]e[c]uted [l][i]ars? 200:239 .837 [C]ould J[e]ffr[ey] [E]p[s]t[e]in a[c]tua[ll][y] b[e] J[e]sus, I [c]on[s][i]dered [i]n the [c]oach [c][l][a][s]s of [A]mtr[a][k]— or [i]s [e]ve[r]y [s][i]ngle A[m][e][r]i[c]an who votes [D]e[m]o[c][r][a]t [a]nd [R]e[p]u[b][l]i[c]an [b]a[s]i[c]a[ll][y] a [p]e[d]oph[i]le, [I] thought, [b]e[c]ause on[l][y] a [C] [s]tudent chim[p]anz[ee] [c]ould [p]o[ss]i[b][l][y] view our [p]o[l][i]t[i][c]al [s][y][s]tem [a]s [a]nything [b][u]t i[rr]ever[s]i[b][l][y] [c]o[rr][u][p]t?— 87:88 .989 [E]very [e][l][e]ction [i]n th[i]s [f][ai]led [s]t[a]te is b[a][s]i[c]a[ll]y a [f]aux pas [k][a]y[f][a]be m[o][c]k [e]l[e][c]tion [o]b[f]u[s][c][a]ting [f]rom the [t][r]ue ex[t]ent of our [s]t[a]te [o]f [c]o[rr][u]ption, I th[o]ught [o]n the [A]mt[r][a][k], in a [r][ea]lm of even [r][e][m]ote A[m][e][r]i[c]an [c]o[ll][e][c]t[i]ve int[e][ll][i]gence all th[e]se [p]o[l][i]t[i]c[i]ans would b[e] [p][r]o[s]e[c]uted and [p][l]aced [i]n[t]o [p][r][i]s[o]n [c]ells for [m]ul[t]i[p]le de[c][a]des at [m][i]n[i][m][u]m, be[c][au]se if a [s]o-[c]alled [s]t[a]te [c][a]n’t [a]t the ver[y] [l][ea]st [c]o[ll]e[c]tive[l][y] a[c]t against w[i]de [s][c][a]le ch[i]ld r[a]pe [th]en [th]e [n][a]tion functio[n]all[y] [c][ea][s]es to exi[s]t. 126:129 .978 We [l][i]ve [i]n[s]tead [i]n a [s][t]ate of [s][t][a]tic [a]nar[c]h[y] [a][c]tua[ll][y], I [c]on[s]idered— a[n][y] [n][o][ti]on of a [n]a[ti]on is [p]ure[l][y] i[ll]uso[r][y], just [l]ike Ze[n][o]’s [p][r]oofs on the [f][i][c]t[i]t[i]ous [n]ature of The [M]a[n][y], A[m]e[r]i[c]a is [e][q]uall[y] [i]f [n]ot [m]ore i[m]agi[n]a[r][y]— 59:68 .868 [P][e]o[p]le [d]e[s][p]ise [S]t[e]phen [M]iller and his [m]u[pp]et wi[f]e [f]or in[c][r]e[d]i[b]l[y] good [r][ea]son, I thought, as they’re [b]oth [b]a[s]i[c]all[y] t[r][ea]s[o][n]ous [i]d[i]ots, [b]ut they’re actua[ll][y] a [r]e[l]ative[l][y] [m]i[n]or [s]ym[p]tom of an [e]ven [m]ore [s]e[r][i]ous dis[ea]se, as when [p][e]o[p]le [l]ike [M][i][s]s[e]s [M][i]ller a[pp]ear on [t][e][l][e]v[i]s[i]on [p][r]og[r]ams [t]o endorse A[m][e][r][i][c]an fa[s]c[i]sm while in[t]er[p][r]eting a[n]y [c][r][i]t[i][c][i]sm of her own [N][a]zi-[a]dj[a][c][e]nt opinions as a [r][a][c][i]st atta[c]k on her [s]o-[c]alled Jewish i[d]entit[y] it’s [u]n[a]voi[d]abl[y] [r]epul[s]ive to [e][v]e[r]yone, yet [e][v][e]n that [e]gr[e]g[i]ous [i]m[b]e[c][i]l[i]t[y] [i]s [s]t[i]ll [a]n [a]t [b]est minor [s][y]mpt[o]m [i]n the [l]arger [s][c]heme of a fund[a][m]enta[ll][y] i[m][a]gin[a][r][y] [A][m]e[r]i[c]a— 148:180 .822 Episode II. 2026 Syllables in London —A 642: 712 .902 (x5) The [l]ack of a [l]ite[r]a[r][y] [c]ulture wh[i]ch [i]s [p][r]o[b]a[b][l][y] a fault, [p][r]ima[r]i[l][y] I'd a[ss]ume, of our [c]o[ll][e][c]tive, [m][or]e [or] [l][e][s]s [g][r]ot[e][s][q]ue, A[m]e[r]i[c]an o[l]i[g]ar[c]hic [c][l][a]ss, is with[ou]t d[ou]bt [a]t [l][ea]st [p]artia[ll][y] re[s][p]onsible for this [s]tate's [s][ee]ming[l][y] [ea]s[y] [d][e][s]c[e]nt in[t]o unr[e]p[e]n[t][a]nt fascism, which to [b]e [c][l]ear [i]n[d]u[b]ita[b]ly [e]xt[e]nds [b]eyond th[i]s [c]u[rr]ent p[r][e]s[i][d][e]nt, who, wh[i]le [I]'m sure he's a [n][i]ce e[n]ou[gh] g[uy], [I]'ve o[v]erheard [f][r]om a [v]a[r][i]ety of [s]our[c]es, o[f]ten sh[i]ts [i]n h[i]s kni[c]kers, [c]reating, a[c]cor[d]ing to [s]ome [i]n h[i]s [s]ocial [c][ir][c]le, a [p]e[c]ul[iar] [s]tench [s]urroun[d]ing his bo[d]ily [s][p][a][c]e? 130:149 .872 In any [c][a][s]e, this [b]u[r]eau[c][r][a]tic [r]ot h[a]s [b]een v[i]c[i]ously p[r][e]s[e]nt in the House and S[e]n[a]te, d[a]t[i]ng [b]ack not j[u]st to [R][ea]g[a]n, [b][u]t the [c]orr[u]pt [C]l[i]nt[o]n [r]egime that [p][l][a][c]ed [p]er[s]o[n]al [p][r]ofit o[v]er [n][a]tio[n]al [s]e[c]u[r]ity, in all [l]i[k]e[l]ihood eng[a]g[i]ng in [s]t[a]te-[s][a]n[c]tioned [a][ss][a][ss]in[a]t[i]ons to [c]o[v]er [s]aid [n]on[s][e]nse up, to the [e]xt[e]nt our [b]r[a]nches of [l][e]gi[s][l][a]tion are [n]ow [b][a][s]i[c]a[ll]y [l]ittle [b]eyond a [s]ad [c]o[ll][e][c]tion of [s]t[e]rile [n][u]bs. 97:113 .858 B[u]t a[n]yway, [a][f]ter [l][a]n[d]ing in [L]on[d]on we [f]ound [o]urselves [o]n the Pi[cc]adi[ll]y [l][i]ne to C[o][c]kf[o]sters [w]ith a [c][l][o][c]k[w]or[k] [l][i][k]e [r][e][p][e]t[i]t[i]on of the t[r][ai]n's [f]inal [d][e][s]t[i]n[a]tion— yet, [f]or our [p]art, w[e]'d b[e] [s]t[a]y[i]ng at the [d]e[l]ightfu[ll][y] [d][r][ea][r][y] Earl's C[ou]rt [b][o][r]ough, [b]ut as the t[r]ain [p][r]o[c][ee]ded, with [ea]ch [p][r]og[r]e[ss]ive [s]top [s][q]u[i]sh[i]ng [m]e [i]n[c][r][e]m[e]nta[ll]y [u][p] ag[ai]nst my [b][u]l[b][ou]s [l][u]ggage in the [c]r[a]mped [c][a]bin, I [c]on[s][i]dered the o[r][i]g[i]ns of [w][or]ds, for [i]n[s]t[a]nce the [w][o]nder[f]ul [w][or][k] of [s][o]me[o]ne li[k]e, [s][ay], Noam Chom[s][k]y (a g[r][ea]t [f][r]i[e]nd of J[e][f]f [E]p[s]t[ei]n by the [w][ay]!), [e]ven a [l][ur]id [w][or]d [l]i[k]e "[c]o[c]k" [c]ould ta[k]e on [s]o [m]a[n]y [m]ea[n]ings, [s][i]m[i]lar to the ph[r]ase "t[a]x [a]dvi[c]e" in the [r][e]alm of [p][e]d[e][r][a][s]ts [a]nd their h[i]gh [p][r]o[f][i]le [p][r]otectors! 175:174 1.01 In [f]act, I [s]aw [a] [f]ew [s]tray m[i][n][u]tes of the [a][b]orted E[p][s]t[ei]n [P].R. [S]t[e]ve [B][a][n]non [i]nterview, [s][k][i]pp[i]ng [s]t[o][c]h[a][s]ti[c]a[ll]y to his ex[p][l]a[n][a]tion of the [o]h [ei]ght fi[n][a]ncial [c]r[i]sis [a]nd [I] was a [b]it [b][l][o]wn aw[ay] at how [u]tter[l][y] d[u]mb J[e]ff [c][a]me off— [e]sp[e]cia[ll][y] wh[e]n h[e] att[e]m[p]ted to [e]x[p][l]ain [N]ewton and [P]yth[a]goras!— [a]nd it's [n]ot even the [C][o][n][ey] [I]sland w[i]se-g[uy] [a]ccent [ei]ther, [n][o], the p[ur]e [c]ontent of his [w][or]ds [w][er]e [i]nd[i][c]at[i]ve of a [m][a]n who'd [s]p[e]nt the v[a][s]t m[a]jority [o]f his [a]d[u]lt [b]r[ai]n [c][e]lls on [b][l][a]ck[m][ai]l and [l]ewd [s][e]x [i]n[s]t[ea]d of any [s]ort of [i]nt[e]ll[e]ctual [p][ur][s]uits, E[p][s]tein [p][ur][p]orted to be [s]ome [m][a]g[n][a][n]i[m]ous curio of m[a]th, y[e]t his [e]x[p]la[n]ation of [P]yth[a]go[r]as [r][e][v]olved a[r]ound [th]e [r][e][v][e]lation [th]at [t]wo [t][r][i][a]ngles, g[i]v[e]n the [r][i]ght [c]ir[c]um[s]t[a]n[c]es, [c][a]n [c][r]eate a s[q]uare. 173:203 .852 [A]nd I'd [i]m[a]g[i]ne even th[a]t [f][a]t opportu[n]ist B[a][nn][o]n'd h[a]ve to [a]dmit [J]e[ff] [j][u]st w[a]sn't [q]u[i]te th[a]t br[i]ght, th[a]t [s]im[p]ly [b]e[c]ause you [s][p][ou]t [s]ome [b]ullshit a[b][ou]t [e]x[ch][a]nge [r][a]tes [a]nd [c]ent[r]al b[a]nks [i]n t[e]xt [ch][ai]ns, [i]n fact, [i]n n[o] w[ay] means you [o]wn an abo[v]e [a][v]e[r]age [c]ap[a]c[i]ty toward [c][r][i]t[i][c]al th[i]n[k][i]ng? 67:73 .918 —B [A]t the [N][a]tio[n]al G[a]llery in [W]estm[i]nster, [a]fter [T]r[ee] [t]old m[e] [w][e]'d v[i]s[i]t the [B][y]ron [b]u[i]l[d][i]ng, [I] [b]ecame a [l]ittle f[l]ummoxed— [w]an[d]e[r]ing a[r]ound, [w]on[d]e[r]ing [w]hat exactly the [au]thor [o]f [D]on J[u]an'd b[e] [d][o]ing [a]mong [a]ll th[e]se f[u]cking [p]ainters— j[u][s]t to [s]t[u]m[b]le [u][p]on or[i]g[i]n[a]l [P]ontorm[o]s, [P]armigia[n][i][n][o]s, [B][r]onz[i]n[o]s, my favo[r][i]te Ma[nn]e[r][i]st [p][ai]nters— art I'd g[a]zed [a]t [a]s J[P][E]Gs on the inter[n][e]t for[e]ver, but [n]ow w[i]t[n][e]ssed [i]n their o[r][i]g[i][n]al [f]orms, and I [r]e[f]l[e]ct[e]d [b]a[c]k to sp[e]n[d]ing [t]w[e]nty [b]u[c]ks to [b]e g[r][a]n[t]ed [a]d[m][i]ss[i]on [i]nto [R][I]S[D]'s [m]us[e][u]m, [w]here[a]s, now [b]y cont[r][a]st, I [w]as s[ee][i]ng a h[a]lf dozen o[r][i]g[i][n][a]l [B][r]onz[i][n]o's [f]or [f][r][ee]. 141:166 .849 On a se[c]ond [g]o [r]ound of the [M][a]nne[r]ist [r]ooms [a]n A[m]e[r]i[c]an tour [g]uide [p]osted [u]p in f[r][o]nt [o]f B[r][o]nz[i][n]o's V[e][n]us [p]ont[i]f[i][c]ating an im[p][r][o]m[p][t][u] [t][a]l[k] [r]eg[a]r[d]ing the [M]anne[r]ist [m][o]ve[m]ent [s]u[rr]oun[d]ed by a [s]e[r]ies of I'm [s][ur]e well-in[t]entioned [s]eni[or] [c][i]t[i]z[e]ns who w[er]e then [p][r]om[p][t]ed to [r]el[ay] [p]er[s]onal and [s][p]e[c][i]f[i]c in[t]er[p][r]e[t][a]t[i]ons of the [q]u[o]te-un[q]u[o]te "thea[t][r]i[c]al" [p][ai]nt[]ing— 88:98 .898 The [n]ext [a][f]ter[n]oon [a][f]ter d[r][i]n[k][i]ng a [c][ou][p]le [s][c][r][u]m[p]tious [p][i]nts at Church[i]ll's [p]ub in [K]ens[i]ngton [w]e [w]al[k]ed to an I[r]anian [r][e]stau[r]ant [m][y] w[i]fe's B[r][i]t[i]sh aunt [r]eco[mm][e]nd[e]d, where u[p]on [p][er]using the [P][er]sian [m][e]nu [I] i[mm][e][d][i]atel[y] [d]e[c][i][d]ed to b[r][ea]ch my vegeta[r][i]an [s]t[r][ea]k and [or]der the l[a]mb sh[a]nk, n[u]mber [f][or]ty [f][our], [b]ec[au]se it w[a]s either [th]at or [th]e vegeta[b]le [b]irya[n][i], [b][u]t [a]t [a]n [I][r][a][n][i]an [s]pot, which [s]t[r][u]ck me as a [b]it i[n][a]ne at the t[i]me. 99:119 Un[d]er [r]egu[l]ar [c]ir[c]um[s]tan[c]es, of [c]ourse, I'd [v][i]go[r]ou[s][l]y [c]on[s][i][d]er a [v]egeta[b]le [b]iryan[i], it'd p[r]o[b]a[b][l][y] [b][e] a [b]ullseye on a [m]enu for [m]e, [b]ut [s][i]tt[i]ng [a]t [S]ad[a]f with [K][a]t [a]nd her faux [a]unt, I [c]urious[l]y [l][a][c]ked an[y] [ur]ge to [e]ven utt[er] the [t][wo] w[or]ds [t][o] the g[ir]ls as a [d][i]sh I'd con[s][i]der, in[s]t[ea]d I just [s][ai]d "[I] think [I] need to h[a]ve th[a]t [l][a]mb sh[a]n[k]," [e]x[p][e][c]ting a de[l][i]c[i]ous [a]nd [e]x[p][a]n[s][i]ve hun[k] of [l][a]mb [a]fter [t][a][k]ing note of the [t][a]ble [t]o the [r]ight [p][a]s[s][i]ng [a][r]ound [a] v[o]luminous ch[o][p]. 107:132 .811 If the lamb ch[o]ps, I th[ou]ght, which gene[r]ally in [A]me[r]ica [a]re over[p][r]iced and [p][a]lt[r][y], [a]re h[ea]rt[y], [th]en [th]e [sh][a]nk [sh]ould be [m][a][ss][i]ve, [an]d [i]f [I]'m [ea]ting [m][ea]t [I] [m]ight as well [m]a[k]e it fu[ck]ing [c]ount. 36:47 .766 Yet [w]hen the [w][ai]ter [p][l][a]ced a [l]arge [p][l][a]te of [p][l][ai]n wh[i]te [r][i][c]e in f[r]ont of [m]y [p]er[s]on [m][i][n][u]tes [l][a]ter I [w]as o[m][i][n][ou]s[l]y [p]er[p][l]exed, and [w]hen he dro[pp]ed a [s][i]de-[p][l][a]te-[s][i]zed chun[k] of [s]o-[c]alled [l][a]mb sh[a]n[k] be[s][i]de the [r][i][c]e I knew I'd [m][a]de a g[r][a]ve [m][i][s]t[a][k]e, [th][a]t [th][i][s] sh[a]n[k], this [f]irst [f]o[r][a]y [I]'d [m][a]de into [I][r][a]nian lamb, that it'd [p][a]le in [c]om[p]a[r]ison to g[r][ea]t l[a]mbs of my [p][a]st, be[c][au]se of the [p]ortion, but al[s]o the [s]eason[i]ng, [w]hich [w]as lack[i]ng to the [e]xt[e]nt of non-[e]xi[s]t[e]nce, that I'd h[a]ve to [a]t [s]ome [p]oint t[e]xt m[e]ssage [F]arhad to [c]on[f]irm I [f]inally [a]te [P]ersian l[a]mb [a]nd it was [p]re[c][i][p][i]t[ou][s]ly [d][i][s]a[pp]ointing, no [d]oubt I'd [b][l][a]me the [l]ack[l]uster t[a]ste on "[b][e]ing in [L][o]n[d][o]n," while shrewd[l][y] [r]ef[r][ai]ning to [m][e]ntion that [e]ve[r]y other [m][ea]l w[e]'d [ea]ten [i]n the c[i]ty [u]p to that [d]ay w[a]s f[u]ck[i]ng [d]el[i]c[i]ous. 168:200 .840 Th[i]s [P]ers[i]an [l]amb, in [m][y] [m][i]nd, was [o]n[l]y [c]om[p]arable to the [s][o]-[c]alled [l][a]mb sh[a]nk I'd got at a [p][l][a]ce I'll [r]e[f][r][ai]n [f][r]om n[a]ming on West [F]ountain [S]t[r]eet that t[a][s]ted like a p[air] of [Air] Jordans, [w]h[e]n our [w][ai]ter [w][e]nt on [r]egarding his [l][o]ve [o]f [s][o]-[c]alled G[r]eek [c]ulture, [o]n[l]y to [s]erve a sh[a]nk th[a]t was [b][a][s]i[c]ally a di[s]gr[a][c]e, [b]ut to [b]e [f]air the l[a]mb was n[o] [d]ir[e]ct [f]ault of the [s][er]v[er], just a [s][a]d c[o]in[c]i[d][e]n[c]e. 80:101 .792 The [r]ea[l]ity is wh[i]le the [I][r]anian [l][a]mb in [L][o]nd[o]n m[a]y h[a]ve been [s][o]mewh[a]t [s][u]b[p]ar, I've y[e]t to [p]eruse a [s][o]-[c]alled [l][e]ft-[l]eaning out[l][e]t in [L][o]nd[o]n [l]i[k]e our [P]o[l][i]t[i][c][o] [S]tate-[s]ide [t]al[k]ing [o]f [w]h[a]t it [w]ould [t]a[k]e [t]o [q]u[o]te-un[q]u[o]te "[p]ut to bed" a [c]ase [l]i[k]e E[p][s]tein's, which [s]tru[c]k me as a [p]erfe[c]t[l]y [c]a[ll][ou]s [b][i]t of [v]er[b]al [v]omit, to [d]is[r]egard the [d][o]zens [o]f [u]n[d]erage v[i]ct[i]ms r[ou]tinely a[b][u]sed [b]y th[i][s] m[y][s]terious [b]illio[n]aire and his [c]a[b]al of w[e]ll-[c]o[nn][e][c]t[e]d f[r][ie]nds, who inc[l]ude at [l]east t[wo] [U].S. P[r][e]sid[e]nts. 109:128 .852 When [p]ro[s]e[c]uting, [s]ay, a m[a]fia [d][o]n [c]ir[c]umst[a]ntial [e]vi[d][e]nce [a][c]ts [a]s im[p][er][t][ur][b]a[b]le [t]r[u]th in our [c]ountry, as w[i]tn[e]ss[e]s wh[o] by their [p][er][s]o[n]al adm[i]ss[i]on are c[r][i][m][i][n][a]l [p]ie[c]es of sh[i]t [s]ign [s]worn [s]t[a]te[m][e]nts that m[a]ke the [r]eality of the [s]itu[a]t[i]on [c]r[y][s]t[a]l [c]lear to [a]ll inv[o]lved and formal t[r]ials with [p]o[ss][i]ble [p][r][i]s[o]n [s][e]nt[e]n[c]es [p][r]o[c]eed, yet a w[h]ole [h]a[r][e]m of [w]o[m][e]n clai[m]ing the [w]orld's [m]ost [p]ro[m]inent w[h]ore-[m]onger E[p][s]tein and his [M]o[ss]ad [d][e][s]c[e]n[d][e]d "[g]irlfr[ie]nd" [G]his[l]aine were r[ou]tine[l]y ab[u]sing [l][i]te[r]al ch[i]ld[r][e]n, these w[o][m][e]n are in[s]tead [s][m]eared by [a][ll][e]g[e]d[l]y "[m]ode[r]ate" [A][m][e][r]ican out[l]ets as [e]ss[e]ntia[ll]y b[i]gger pie[c]es of [sh][i]t [th]an [th]e l[o]an[sh]ark in[f]ormants who [s]ign a[f]fidavits to [p]ut ca[p][o]s [i]n [p]r[i]s[o]n. 153:183 .836 The [n]otion that [c]a[r]eer [c][r][i]m[i][n][a]ls who're [b]e[q]ueathed the tangi[b]le [b][e][n][e]f[i]t of [s]u[s][p][e]nd[e]d [p][r][i]s[o]n [s][e]nt[e]n[c][e]s for [S]t[a]te co-o[p]e[r][a]tion are [s][o]mehow [m]ore tr[u][s]t[w]orthy [w][i]tn[e][ss][e]s than [w]o[m][e]n who've [b]een a[b]used [a]s ch[i]ldr[e]n [b]y in[t]ern[a]tional [s][e]xual [t][e][rr]o[r][i]sts, [p]eo[p]le w[i]th [l][i]te[r]a[ll]y n[o]thing to gain [b][u]t the [c]ont[e]m[p]t of [p][u][b]lic Am[e][r]i[c]an outlets who're g[r]o[t][e][s][q]ue[l]y [d][e][r]e[l][i]ct [i]n their [d][u]ty as [n][ew]s orga[n]izations— [i]t'[s] n[i][h][i][l][i][s]t[i]c to the [h][i]ghest deg[r]ee, a [f][r]esh [l]ow [f]or a [s]t[a]te that [u]sed to [s][ay] black [p]eo[p]le were [s]ixty [p]er[c]ent h[u]man 128:140 .914 Part II Episode III. Oil Paint Stained Mesh Shorts In l[a]te [T]wo Thousand [Ei]gh[t][ee]n I was [s]mo[k]ing an i[c]e hoo[k][a]h at [P][a]sh[a] wear[ing] oil [p][ai]nt [s]t[ai]ned [b]l[a][ck] [b][a][s][k]et[b]all shorts with d[r][e]ss [s]ocks and c[r][e]me [b][r]ulee [S][p]e[rr]y's and [f]elt [s]ur[p][r][i]singly [f][i]ne a[b]out it, which [s]t[r][i][k]es me l[i][k]e an a[cc][e][p]ta[b]le [e]nough int[r][o] to this m[o]de. 58:63 .921 In a s[e]nse, I f[e]lt in the [m][o][m]ent th[a]t all th[a]t re[m][ai]ned was op[i]n[i]on, [th]is [n][o]tion [th]at [th]e [i]nter[n]et [i]t[s]el[f] was b[a]si[c]a[ll]y our [l][a][s]t [s]t[a]n[d]ing [f]orest, a n[a]tural ar[c]hi[t][e][c]ture [e]n[t]ire[l]y [d][e][d]i[c]ated to the mor[a][s]s of [p]eo[p]le's [l]ittle [p]er[s][p]e[c]tives on [th]ings, [th]e in[f]ormal [p]er[s]onal e[ss][ay] [b][a][s]i[c]ally as the [f][u]l[c]r[u]m [o]f the [i]nternet [i]t[s]elf, [b]ut the e[ss][ay] as [p][ar]t and [p][ar]cel of [a] l[ar]ge [a][m]alg[a][m]ation [o]f [o]ne ex[p][a]ns[i]ve Non[s][e]n[s]ical O[p][i]n[i]on, [a]nd th[i]s [i]s [e][ss][e]ntially our [f]inal [r]em[ai][n]ing [f]o[r][ay] into [n][a]ture and [s]pon[t]a[n]eous ar[ch]i[t]e[c]ture, whereas [R]o[b]ert [F][r]ost w[r]ote a[b]out [f]u[ck]ing t[r]ees [a]nd [s][t]icks [a]nd [s][t][o]nes [a]nd shit, [b]ut now?—that's all [o]ver. 135:171 .789 Even [m][o][d]ern [a]rt, I [th][ou]ght, [th][e]se ho[rr]en[d][ou]s [M]at[i]sse [r][e][p]r[i]nts you [n]ow [s][ee] [i]n [M]ille[nn]ial [d][o][c]tors' [o][ff][i][c]es, what [d][i]d they ev[i]n[c]e but a [p]arti[c]ular [d]egra[d]ation of [f]orm, which th[e]n [e]x[p][r][e]ssed it[s]el[f] in unm[ea]sured [a]nd [a]n[e]cd[o]tal [p][o]et[r]y, which [s]ub[s][e]qu[e]ntly [s]erved as a ros[e]tta [s][t]one of the in[t][er][n]et's p[er][s]o[n]al e[ss]ay, which [a][m]alg[a][m][a]ted into the [a][m]orphous Non[s]en[s]i[c]al O[p][i]n[i]on— was it [p]o[ss]ibly the [c][a][s]e the demol[i]t[i]on of [a]ll [a]rt b[a][s]i[c]a[ll]y took [p][l][a][c]e in a [f][r][ee] verse [p]oem [a]bout [p][eo][p]le's c[a][p]r[i]c[i]ous [f][ee]l[i]ngs, [th]at [th]is [f]al[s]i[f][i]ed [s]ubject[i][v][i]ty th[a]t h[a]d [b]een [v][i]o[l]ent[l]y [p][r][o]moted [b][y] [C][I][A] [f]un[d]ed M[F][A] [p][r][o]g[r]ams as [s]o-[c]alled art [f]or [d]e[c]ades was now [f][i]na[ll]y rea[l][i]zed as a [c]o[ll]e[c][t][i]v[i]st [p]roj[e]ct that was i[p]s[o] fact[o] the in[t]ern[e]t, [a]s [a]n [A][m][a]lg[a][m][a]ted [N]on[s]en[s]ical O[p][i]n[i]on, wh[i]ch [i]s [n]ow our l[a]st re[m][ai]ning [N][a]tional [P]ark? 193:225 .858 Art is [f][u]nctio[n]ally [n][o]thing [i]f [n]ot j[u]st [a][n]other [c]onsu[m]er [p]r[o]duct in a [c]a[p]italist [m]ach[i]ne th[a]t [a]t [b][o]ttom [p][r]io[r]it[i]zes [p]orta[b]le [b]utt w[i]pes— yes, the [m][e]d[i]an A[m]eri[c]an [c][i]t[i]z[e]n is [p][r]i[m]a[r]i[l]y [c]oncerned [w]ith [w]i[p]ing their ba[ll]oon knots with [o]n[l]y t[o]i[l]et [p][a][p]er [w]hen a[w][ay] from h[o]me. 60:78 .769 [T]ake an [ar]tist [l]ike [T]ao [L]in, [ar]e we [t][o] [t]r[u][l][y] be[l][ie]ve his novels, which are [p]erf[e]ct[l][y] [i]nd[i][c]at[i]ve of a[cc][e][p]ta[b]le [c]ont[e]m[p]o[r]a[r][y] [l]ite[r]a[r]y art, was it [e]ver [t]ru[l]y [t][e][n]a[b]le [t]o [c]on[s][i]der [T]ao's [s][p][e][c][i]f[i]c [n]ovels as [e]x[p][l][i][c][i]t[l]y a[p]o[l][i]t[i][c]al (as they [o]ften [a]re [c]atego[r]ized), [r]egard[l]ess of [L]in's more [r][e][c]ent tw[ee]ts about [v]a[cc][i]nes, was his art it[s]elf e[v]er [r][ea][l]l[y] di[v]orced f[r]om [p]o[l][i]t[i]cal o[p][i]n[i]on? 95:113 .841 Well, of [c]ourse [n][o]t, [n][o]t e[v]en [c]lose!— be[c]ause [T]ao's [n][o][v]els are [a]b[s]o[l]ute[l]y a[p]ex [a][ss]ets to the [p][r]ivate equ[i]t[y] [i]ndust[r][y]— [w]hen Tai[p][ei] [w]as [r]e[l][ea][s]ed [K] [s]t[r][ee]t [l]obbyists were [a]b[s]o[l]ute[l]y ec[s]t[a]t[i]c that [s]o-called alt [l][i]t had [n]ow fi[n]a[ll][y] [r][ea]ched the main[s]t[r][ea]m, [th][a]t [th]is b[r][a]nd of [r]uth[l]e[ss][l][y] t[r][a]cking your [s][u]bjective f[l][ee]ting thoughts b[u]t while ta[k]ing [i]ll[i][c][i]t [p][r]e[s]c[r][i][p]t[i]on d[r][u]gs, [w]hich [w][a]s of [c]ourse [n]othing [m]ore [th][a]n [th]e i[m][a]gi[n]ative art of [m]e[m]ory [i]t[s]elf, as it'd [b]e [i]m[p]o[ss]i[b]le to rec[a]ll [p]ure th[ou]ghts in th[a]t [m][a]nner, [w]hen you [w]ere thr[ee] sh[ee]ts to the [w]ind, [th]at [th]e [n]otion o[s]ten[s]ib[l][y] [l]ite[r]a[r][y] mi[ll]e[nn]ials had [c]omp[l][e]te[l][y] es[c]hewed a[n]y a[n][a]l[y][s][i]s of the [s][y][s]tem that [f]ed them [i]n[f][i][n][i]te x[a][n][a]x, in f[a][v]or of [L]arry D[a][v][i]d adj[a]c[e]nt [m]i[n]utia [c]al[c]u[l][u]s was n[o]thing b[u]t a [f][u][ck]ing [m]o[n]u[m]ental [v]i[c]to[r]y for the [f]i[n]ancial engi[n]eers and de[r][i][v]at[i]ve sales[p]eo[p]le of this [c]ount[r]y! 194:229 .847 [I]t's [p]o[ss][i]ble it [w]as in f[a]ct [w]hen I [s][a]t [a]t [P][a][sh][a] [s]mo[k]ing an ice [sh]i[sh][a] in [p][ai]nt [s]t[ai]ned [b]l[a][c]k [b][a]s[k]et[b]all [sh]orts and [S][p]erry's th[a]t I con[s]idered Tao [L]in [p]enned a [l]ong [f]orm [p]ie[c]e of [s]o-[c]alled auto[f][i]ct[i]on where he [q]u[e]st[i]oned the fr[e][q]u[e]nc[y] his o[s]t[e]n[s]ible [e]x-[w]ife's [sh]o[w]ering [s][e][ss][i]ons, [e][ss][e]n[t][i]a[ll][y], [l][ea]ving the [q]u[e][st]ion of [h]er [h][y]giene in a d[i]a[b]o[l]i[c]al [p]u[b][l]i[c] [l]ite[r]a[r][y] [p]urgato[r][y], and th[a]t, [f]ar [f][r]om being an a[p]o[l][i]t[i][c]al [a][c]t, [a][c]tua[ll]y a[ll]owed the [p][r]ivate [e][q]uit[y] in[d]u[s]t[r][y] to [f]un[d]a[m][e]nta[ll][y] [s]eize [c]ontrol of the [m]ar[k]et for [s]ingle [f]amily homes, to the [e]xt[e]nt [e]ve[r][y] [m][a]jor [c][i]t[y] [i]n th[i]s [c]ount[r][y] [i]s [n]ow [d]o[m]i[n][a]ted by [q]u[o]te-un[q]u[o]te "[d]evelo[p]ers" wh[o] s[c][oo][p] u[p] a[ff]or[d]a[b]le h[ou]sing with [ou]t[r]ageous [c][a]sh [b]ids [f][r]om mi[dd]le [c]l[a]ss [s]u[c]kers who are then [f]or[c]ed to [r]e-enter [a] [b][u][bb][l][y] mar[k]et to ho[p]e[l]ess[l][y] [b][i]d on [s]aid [p][r]o[p]erty "f[l][i][p]s" or [e]ven worse "[l][ea][s]e [n][ew] [r]ental [u][n]its." 210:232 .905 Episode IV. The State Formed by the Social Contract is the Modern Atheistic State —01 (162:196 .827) [F]eeling a [d]ay [a]fter [d]r[a]g [f]rom a m[i]xt[ur]e of l[i]q[uor] wh[i]ch I [d]on't en[d]ure n[ea]rl[y] [a]s often [a]s [w]hen M[a]x [B] [w]as [b][a]ck [s]till [s]erving [a]n o[s]t[e]n[s]i[b]le l[i]fe [s][e]nt[e]n[c]e, [I] [c]an [r][e][m][e]m[b]er [l]au[gh]ing hy[s]t[e][r]i[c]a[ll]y when [C]ar[m]ine's d[a]d in[f]ormed us he [s]oiled his p[a]nts on [C]hr[i]st[m][a]s Eve at h[i]s [m]om's [m]id [c][o]nver[s]ation w[i]th h[i]s [b]iol[o]gi[c]al [b]rother ex[c]using h[i]mself on a wh[i]m [b]e[c]ause he'd [q]u[o]te-[u]n[q]u[o]te j[u]st sh[i]t h[i]s p[a]nts, [a]mb[l]ing to the [l][a]va[t]o[r]y to d[i]s[c]ard h[i]s [r][a][c]ing [t][r][a][c]k l[a]den b[o]xer shorts [t][o]ssing them in[t]o a [t]r[a]sh [c][a]n then [c]on[t][i]nu[i]ng h[i]s night, l[a]ter t[a][k]ing a [c]all from me, just [t]o [t][e]ll him I'd [l][e]ft [m]y [m]om's a [t][a]d [l][a]te, th[a]t I'd f[ai]l to [m][a]ke [h]is [m]om's [h]ouse, [h]e repl[y][i]ng it [w]as [w][i]n[d][i]ng [d]own an[y][w]ay, appa[r][e]nt[l][y] no [l]onger [w][ear]ing a[n][y] un[d]er[w][ear] [w]hatso[e]ver? —02 (31:38 .816) [C]ar[m][i]ne's [d][a]d's [a]d[m][i]ss[i]on of gu[i]lt [I] [c]ons[i][d]ered was [a][c]tua[ll][y] [a]n [a]pt [a][ll]e[g]or[y] for our [g]overnment's [a][c]tions over the p[a][s]t h[a]lf [c]entury. —03 (109:145 .752) In [f][a]ct, the [m][a]n [m]ight h[a]ve [m]ore ho[n]esty [i]n h[i]s [p][i]nky [f]inger[n]ail [th]an [th]e en[t]ire De[p]artment [o]f J[u][s]tice [t]ra[c]ing b[a]ck to [a]t [l][ea][s]t to the [S][i]xt[ie]s, w[i]th [L][y]nd[o]n [B]'s mo[c]k [i]nve[s]tig[a]tion [i]nto [J]F[K]'s [c]r[a]n[i]um [b][e]ing [b][l]own [i]nto [b][i]ts [i]n the m[i][dd]le of [D]a[ll]as, [b]e[c]ause the United St[a]tes has for [d]e[c][a]des been [t]ossing [i]ts sh[i]tty underp[a]nts [i]n[t]o the [c]olle[c]tive metapho[r]i[c]al [t][r][a]sh b[a]s[k]ets of the [t][a]xpayer, but it [c][a]n't [s]eem to ever [a]dm[i]t to sh[i]tt[i]ng [i]t[s]elf, [i]n[s]tead [c]on[t]orting h[i][s]to[r]y [i]n[t]o ab[s]urd [p][r]o[p]ortions to deny [w]hat's ob[v][i]ous to e[v]er[y][o]ne. —04 (74:86 .860) For my [p][ar]t, on a [M]onday [e]ve[n][i]ng on [M]i[n]eral S[p]r[i]ng I [p]re[p]ared a [l]ittle [f][ar]t a[f]ter [p][eei]ng, on[l]y to [s][p]ew [f]e[c]al [f][l]uid [l]i[k]e a [l]awn [s][p][r]in[k][l]er, wh[i]ch [i]sn't [r][ea][ll][y] th[a]t d[i]ff[i][c][u]lt to [a]d[m]it, to [e]ngage [i]n a [m]ere [m][o][d]i[c][u]m [o]f h[o]nesty [r]egar[d]ing [p][a]st [a]ctions (I [t]oo [t]o[ss]ed my [d][r]awers in[t]o a [t][r][a]sh [r]e[c]e[p]tacle [a]fterwards!) —05 (110:141 .780) But the [S]t[a]te [D]epart[m]ent and [C]I[A], [d]e[s][p]ite any re[m]otely [e]duc[a]ted [m][e]mber of the [p]o[p]u[l]ace [ea]si[l][y] i[d]enti[f]ying [p][l]us en[d]uring the [w]h[i][ff]s of their bullsh[i]t un[d]er[w]ear o[cc]u[p]ying our [b][a]th[r]oom t[r][a]sh [b][a]s[k]ets for [d]e[c]ades, [s]eems to h[a]ve [s]ome p[s]y[c]ho[l]og[i][c]al [i]nab[i][l][i]ty w[i]th the [s][i]m[p]le ad[m][i]tt[a]nce of [i]ts [o]wn g[r][o]t[e][s][q]ue [m]ove[m][e]nts, in[s]t[ea]d [p]aying [o]ff [p][r][o][m]inent [m]edia out[l][e]ts and [s]o-[c]alled [p][u]b[l][i]c [i]nt[e][ll][e][c]tuals to m[u]ddy the waters of their own [s]oiled [u]ndies, en[a]cting in[s]t[e]ad a [p]er[p][e]tual [m]otion [m]achine of sh[i]tt[i]ng [i]ts [p][a]nts! Episode V. We're All In This Together Really —01 (96:106 .906) When So[c]rates in[q]u[i]red [D]oes [D]irt h[a]ve [a]n [I][d]ea, [a]dm[i]tt[i]ng he'd r[a]n [f][a]st [f][r]om the poss[i][b][i][l][i]ty, [f]ea[r][i]ng h[i]s [f]all[i]ng [i]nto that well e[n]ou[gh] k[n]own [b][o]ttoml[e][s]s [p]it of [n][o]n[s][e]n[s]e, [P]arme[n][i]d[e]s [w][i]se[l]y [r]e[p][l][i]ed there [w]ould [a][rr][i]ve [a] t[i]me [w]hen [ph]i[l]oso[ph]y [w]ould [g][r][a]b a f[ir]m[er] [g][r][a][s][p] on the young m[a]n, wh[e]n he'd "no longer d[e][s][p]ise [e]v[e]n the [m][ea]n[e]st of things" b[e][i]ng as is [t]oo [m]uch in[c]lined [t]o [c]ons[i]der the o[p][i]n[i]ons of [m]en. —02 (118:151 .781) It's the f[au]lt of the s[c]h[o][l]ars [o]ve[r]all, with the ex[c][l][u]sion of [p]erha[p]s [P][r][o][c][l]us and B[r][u]n[o], to [g][l]oss [o]ver this [r]e[p]ly, where the [g][r][a]ndfather of the [m]on[a]d [e][ss][e]ntia[ll]y [a]d[m][i]t[s] to the [m]ateria[l][i][s]t b[a][s][i]s of e[m]a[n][a]t[i]on, that [u]lti[m]ate[l]y for [o]ne[n]ess to ret[ai]n a[n]y [l]ogic whatsoe[v]er the di[v]ine [p]r[i]n[c][i][p]les [n]eed to ex[i][s]t [i]n the [s][a]me [p]l[a]ne as the [s]en[s]ory [n]ons[e]nse, that o[p][i]n[i]on [m]ust [r]e[m]ain in a [s][e]nse [c]on[c]u[rr][e]nt with the [p]ure, that your[s]el[f], [f]or [i]n[s]t[a]nce, with [a]ll your [f][au]lts are the [i]n[f][i]n[i]te [s]ole mirror [i]n [w]h[i]ch The [O]ne [w][i]tn[e][ss][e]s Their Names, to [r][e]fe[r]ence the B[e]zels of [W][i]sd[o]m. —03 (60:66 .909) Ta[k]e for [i]n[s]t[a]nce [s][o]me[o]ne [l]i[k]e [S][c]ott [B]e[ss]ent who's [b]a[s]i[c]a[ll][y] a [p][ie][c]e of Dirt, or Matt [W]alsh, who'd [p]ro[b]a[b][l][y] t[w][ee]t h[e]'d [l][e]t [L][e]s W[e]xner mo[l][e]st his own kids [i]f [i]t'd g[ai]n him a [l][i]ttle a[dd][i]t[i]o[n][a]l [c][l]out for a [d][ay]'s [n]ews cy[c]le, [d]o they in[d][e]ed ema[n][a]te from I[d][e]as? —04 (89:113 .788) The real[i]ty [i]s the [S]pi[n]oz[a] [s][u]b[s]t[r][a]te, ev[e]n [i]f ema[n][a]ted, [m]ust b[e] [m]ate[r][i]al, [s][o] [e]ven [b][o]z[o]s like [B]e[ss]ent [a]nd [M][a]tt h[a]ve [s]ome [e]l[e][m][e]nt of [I]deas beh[i]nd them, ev[e]n [i]f I, [a]s [a]n im[p]en[d]ing [d]ad, [d]i[s]agr[ee] [w]ith [W][a]lsh [a]bout [a][c]tuall[y] [o][pp]osing the [s]y[s]tem[a]ti[c] [r]a[p]ing of ch[i]l[d][r][e]n, that [d]oesn't mean I, i[p]s[o] fact[o], o[pp][o]se his [e]ss[e]nce as [p]art [o]f [a] mate[r]ial[i][s]t[i][c] [s]ub[s]t[r]ate that en[c]om[p]a[ss]es all Being. —05 (120:142 .845) I[n] a[n]y [c][a]se, on a [r]e[l][a]ted [n]ote, I've [p][r][e]v[i]ous[l][y] [c]on[s]idered my[s]elf a [s]u[pp]orting [p][a]tron [o]f [a]rt [m]us[e]ums, [e]ven a[tt]ending the [T][a]te and N[a]t[i]onal G[a][ll][e]r[y] in [L][o]nd[o]n j[u]st r[e][c]ent[l][y], b[u]t there's an[o]ther par[c]el w[i]th[i]n m[e] that's [b]egun to [b]el[ie]ve we [m]ight [n][ee]d to [b]urn [a]ll [o]f the [a]rt [m]us[e]ums d[ow]n to the [g][r][ou]nd, [th]at [a]ll [th]e [g][r][ea]t [a]rt p[a]t[r]ons [m]ust be [e]xiled from [ae]sth[e]tics in one [e]x[p]l[o]s[i]ve [m]ot[i]on, a [s][i]ngle [s][w]ee[p]ing [s][w][i]ng, [th]at [th]e [e]n[t][i]re [e]n[t]er[p]r[i]se of showc[a][s][i]ng a [p]er[s]on's [p][ai]nt[i]ngs in th[e]se [b]uffoonish galle[r][ie]s is [r][e][p][r]eh[e]n[s]i[b]le? —06 (127:151 .841) I for one never [r][ea]ll[y] g[o]t [o]ff [w][i]th the [r][i]ch and [w][ea]lth[y] [a]rt [c]o[ll][e][c]tor [c][l][a]ss or even the [a][r]isto[c][r][a]tic douche[b]ag se[c]tor, [p]ro[b]a[b]ly in [p]art [b]e[c][au]se in my [y][ou]nger [y]ears [I] was [p][r]one [t]o anar[ch]ic [t][r]ends and l[i]a[b]le to [b]e[c][o]me [r]uth[l]ess[l][y] in[e][b]r[i]ated with any[o]ne [wh]o [h]eld s[i]m[i]lar d[i][s][r]eg[a]rd for [a]ny [a]nd [a]ll [i]n[s]t[i]tutions, in a [w][ay] I [w]as m[ay][b]e [b]orn [w]ith [s]ome inhe[r][e]nt [l]a[c]k of [r][e][s][p][e][c]t for [p]eo[p]le [l][i]ke [P]e[gg]y [G]uggenh[ei]m and [G]ertrude [S]t[ei]n, wh[i]ch [i]n [r]et[r]o[s][p][e]ct [p]ro[b]a[b]ly h[a]sn't ex[a]ct[l][y] a[ss][i][s]t[e]d [i]n the [l][i]te[r]a[r][y] d[i][ss]em[i]nation of my work. Part III Episode VI. Untitled —01 (118:144 .819) It's been [a] [c][ou]ple [m][o]nths s[i]nce I [q]u[i]t d[r][i]n[k][i]ng [M]ez[c]al [o]n the [r][o][c]ks a[f]ter [f]eeling [f]or a [f]ew years th[a]t M[e]z[c][a]l was the b[e]st l[i][q]uor to dr[i]nk, to [s]ome [e]xt[e]nt "b[e]tter" for your h[ea]lth than V[o]d[k]a or [S][c][o]tch and wh[i]le [I]'ve for the [m][o]st [p]art [a][pp][r][e]c[i]ated as [a] wh[o]le not [d][r][i]n[k][i]ng [M]ez[c]al on [i]ce [I] just [t]o[d][ay] [s]tarted [t]o [c]on[t]em[p]l[a]te [s]ome of the sh[i]t I'd wr[i]tt[e]n at the [a][p]ex of [m]y [M]ezcal con[s]um[p]t[i]on [s][i][pp][i]ng m[i]ni w[a]ter b[o]ttles [a][l]ong the [s]t[r]eets [a][r]ound my f[l][a]t [p]o[pp][i]ng [i]n th[i]s bar or th[a]t and jotting down [s][y][ll][a][b]les [i]nto a [p]ur[p]le note[p]ad [b]a[s]ica[ll]y [b][y] m[y][s]elf. —02 (155:176 .881) You [c]an [s]tr[i][p] your[s][e]l[f] of a [f][i][c]t[i]onal [s]ubj[e][c]t[i]ve [p]er[s][p][e][c]t[i]ve but [I]'m [n]ot ent[i]re[l]y [c]onvinced th[a]t it'll [l][a]nd you a[n]y [c][l]oser [t][o] a [t][r][ue] in[t][er][p][r]etation of [r]eality, [w]h[i]ch [i]s [p][er]haps [w]hy at the beg[i]nn[i]ng of th[i]s year [I] [d]e[c][i][d]ed to [s]tart a [s]eries of [q]u[o]te-un[q]u[o]te M[o]des th[a]t would [a][c]t [a]s [a]n o[ff][i]c[i]al autobi[o]graph[y] that was [a]l[s]o [o]bviousl[y] [f][a]l[s]e, n[o]t in the [s]ense of [sh][i]t auto[f][i][ct][i]on, [b]ut in[s]tead in [b]eing [c]on[s]t[r][i][c]t[e]d [b]y a met[r][i][c]al [s]t[r]u[c]ture— for example, m[y] w[i]fe w[a]s [a]b[u]tting [u]pset [w]h[e]n [w]e [w][e]nt to [F][r]ed on [B][r]oadw[ay] this past [F][r]id[ay] [b]ecause [a][ll][e]g[e]d[l][y] I was [a][pp]a[r]ent[l][y] g[l][a]n[c]ing [a]t [a]n[o]ther [a][ss][c][r][a][c]k that [o][cc]u[p]ied [s]ome [o]ther [s]eat in the [s][p]ot? —03 (76:80 .95) Now, [i]t'[s] [p]o[ss][i]ble a [c]ou[p]le [p]o[s]t[e]r[i]ors [f]ran[k]ly [c]ould have [f][i]t th[i]s o[s]ten[s][i][b]le [b][i]ll, [b]ut I al[s]o [d]i[d]n't [f]eel [l][i]ke [I] was [s]taring [a]t [a]ny [s]ingu[l]ar [a][s]s [i]nd[i][s]cr[i]m[i]n[a]te[l][y] [ei]ther, un[l]ess m[y] [w][i]fe [w][a]s [o]bserv[in]g [m][e] without [c][ea][s][in]g, [m][a]king d[e]t[ai]led [n]ote of [a]ny p[a][ss]ing gl[a]n[c]e I [m][ay] h[a]ve [m][a]de at Fred? —04 (103:114 .904) Yet it's [o]bvio[u][s][l][y] [i]mp[o][ss][i]ble to a[cc]urate[l][y] [c]onvey this [s]o-[c]alled [s]ubj[e][c]tive [e]xpe[r][i][e]nce via [m][e][m]o[r][y] a[l][o]ne, n[e]ver [m]ind wh[e]n [c]on[s]t[r][i][c]t[e]d to a [s]pe[c][i]f[i]c [m]et[r][i][c]al [c][o]n[s]t[r]u[c]t—n[o]t [o]n[l]y [d]o [I] [c]on[s]i[d]er the [i][d]ea of me [s]ta[r]ing at [sh]it[sh]ooters at [F][r]ed to [b]e [f][i][c]t[i]on[a]l, [b]ut I [a]l[s]o [c]on[s][i]der my [a][tt]em[p]t [t]o re[l]ay the [p]o[ss][i]b[i][l][i]t[y] of m[e] gl[a]n[c]ing [a]t [a][ss]es [a]t the [s][p]ot to b[e] [e]quall[y] untrue. Episode VII. Untitled —01 (133:152 .875) I [s]u[pp]ose it's [p][r]o[b]a[b]ly [a]ccu[r]ate to [s]ay th[a]t to [s]ome deg[r][ee] I have a [b]it of a [b][ee][f] with the [s]o-[c]alled [B][ea]ts who were r[ea][ll][y], [f]un[c]tiona[ll][y] [s]p[ea][k]ing at [l][ea][s]t, [f]aux [r][e]vo[l]utiona[r]ies, [m]o[c]k [r][e][f][or][m]ers of the highest [or]der, or at [l][ea]st, in a[n]y [c]ase, a [l]oose[l][y] k[n]it [c]o[ll]e[c]tion of writers who [b][a][s]i[c]a[ll][y] [b]e[c][a]me sh[a]me[l][e][ss][l][y] [S]t[a]te adj[a][c][e]nt in their [c]onf[e]ss[i]on[a]l [a]m[e]tr[i][c][a]l t[e]xts that [l]i[k]e [c][l]o[c]kwo[r]k n[e]ver add[r][e]ssed [e][c]ono[m]i[c] [r]oot [c]auses, in [m][y] [m][i]nd at least, with the [e]x[c]eption I'd [s]ay of [K]e[r]ou[a]c who [a]t least [d][r][a]nk him[s][e]lf to [d][ea]th [b]e[f]ore he [c]ould [b]e[c][o]me [a]n [a]dj[u]nct pro[f][e][ss]or. —02 (114:146 .781) [B]ut at the [s]ame t[i]me [I] was al[s]o [s][i]tt[i]ng at [L][a] [B]r[a]z[a] having j[u]st im[b][i]bed a [c][ou]ple Mi[c]he[l]obs, which to be fair aren't exact[l][y] [r]evo[l]utio[n]a[r][y] in [n][a]ture, and I'd [m]oved [m]y [s][ea]t ba[c]k just [s][l]ight[l][y] [w]hen I [w][i]t[n][e]ssed a [c]ou[p]le [w][ai]tre[ss]es [p][l][a][c]e [a] [p][l][a]te of what [a][pp]eared to b[e] shared a[pp]s on the t[a][b]le in [f]ront of m[e], [b]e[c]ause I [d]i[d]n't want to [f][i]nd m[y]self un[c]om[f]ortab[l]y [c][l]ose to th[e]se emp[l]oy[ee]s and their [d]e [f]a[c]t[o] br[ea][k] [t][a]ble, yet I als[o] [c]oul[d]n't hel[p] but [t][a][k]e note of a [c]ur[s]ive sh[a][p]ed [m]or[s]el on the [p]l[a]te I was al[m]ost [p][o]s[i]t[i]ve was an [o][c][t]o[p]us [t]en[t]a[c]le. —03 (68:83 .819) S[o]n of a [c][u]nt, I f[u][c]king l[o]ve o[c]topus, I [c]on[s]idered while [a]l[s]o [r]e[c][a]lling [m]y [v][e]ge[t][a][r][i]an[i]sm, [m]y [p][r][e][v][i]ous [p]e[s][c]a[t]a[r][i]a[n]ism, [m]y o[cc]asional fl[e]xit[a][r][i]a[n]ism, [m]y ge[n]e[r]al a[v]ersion to [c]on[s]uming [c]or[p][s]es [c]omb[i]ned with m[y] [o][cc][a]sional [c]r[a][v]ings for a l[a]mb sh[a]n[k] but al[s]o [o][c]to[p]u[s]. —04 (101:115 .878) O[c]to[p]us is [l]i[k]e [b]a[s]i[c]a[ll][y] the [b]e[s]t [s][ea]food on the mar[k]et when it's [c]ooked [c]o[rr]e[c]tly, I [c]on[s]i[d]ered, but I was al[s]o, [I] [r]e[c]og[n][i]zed, [s][i]tt[i]ng [i]n a [D]om[i][n][i][c][a]n hoo[k]ah [b]ar, which [s]t[r]u[c]k me as [s][l]ight[l][y] [c]u[r][i]ous, to [s]t[u]m[b]le [u][p]on [a] [p]ie[c]e [o]f o[c]to[p]us [c]oo[k]ed by Do[m][i]n[i][c][a]ns, at a hoo[k]ah bar?—[w]h[i]le [I] [w]as [a][c]tually [w]aiting for [C]or[m]ier to a[rr]ive to, in f[a][c]t, s[m]o[k]e a hoo[k]ah—[c]ould [D]o[m][i]n[i][c][a]ns [r][ea][ll][y] [c]oo[k] [d]e[l][i]c[i]ous o[c]topus? —05 (137:164 .835) I was a [l]ittle [d]ubious, as I'd [i]n[d]ulged [i]n [I]talian o[c]to[p]us [p][r][e]v[i]ou[s]l[y] at Ma[r][i]a [C]uc[i]na [a]nd [a][c]tua[ll][y] [d][ee]med it [p]rett[y] [s]ub[p]ar, [r][ea][ll][y] on[l][y] the G[r][ee]ks and [P]ortug[ue]se had the ab[i]l[i]t[y] to [p]ro[p]er[l]y [c]oo[k] [p][l]us [s][ea]son o[c]to[p]u[s], I gue[ss] I'd [r]ather [r]uth[l]e[ss][l]y [a][ss]umed [th]at [a]ll [o][th]er n[a]tions were [b][a][s]i[c]a[ll][y] o[c]to[p]us def[i]c[i]ent [s][i]m[p][l][y] [b][a][s]ed, [p]erha[p]s, on th[i]s [s][i]ngle [i]n[s]t[a]n[c]e of [C]uc[i]na, where I'd [s][ee]n a [l][o]ng [l][o]st [s]e[c]ond [c]ousin, [w]here the [f]ood [w]as [s][p][o]tty [o]ve[r]all, where [m][a][f]ia [c][a][p][o]s [w]ere [c][e]leb[r]ated with [ph][o]t[o] [m]e[m]o[r]ials, [w]here the octo[p]us was [e][ss][e]ntiall[y] trash to m[e]. Episode VIII. Untitled —01 (181:212 .854) L[i][s]ten[i]ng to h[e]avy m[e]tal but sc[r]ewed and ch[o]pped I [r]e[f]l[e][c]ted [o]n [t]a[k]ing my [f][r]i[e]nd [F]arhad who [c]ame [t]o [t]own [f]rom Chi[c][a]go [f]or the [f]irst [t]ime [e][v][e]r this [p]ast No[v][e]mb[e]r to a [p]l[a]ce [c][a]lled The [A][v]er[y] where the [b]art[e]nd[e]r who all[e]ged she [r]e[m][e]m[b]ered m[e] [f]o[ll]ow[i]ng a [f]ew [r]ounds of [d][r][i]nks [d]e[s][p]ite the [f][a][c]t I h[a]d no [r][e][c]o[ll][e]ction of [m]eeting [h]er [e]ver yet I r[e][s][p][e]cted [h]er [d][e][p]th of knowledge wh[e]n it [c]ame to [M][e]z[c]al she g[a]ve [m]e a [p]arti[c]ular br[a]nd she said [c]ont[ai]ned [a]ni[m]al [f][a]t wh[i]ch [i]nt[r][i]gued [m][e] enou[gh] to b[r]ea[k] [m]y v[e]gan [s]t[r][ea][k] [f][i]gu[r][i]ng d[i][s]t[i]lled animal [f][a]t [p]erh[a][p]s [d]i[d]n't [c][ou]nt [a]nd [a][f]ter a [f]ew r[ou]nds she [p][our]ed us [b]oth a shot of [M]al[or]t which [F]arhad [b]eing a [M]idw[e]st [r][e]si[d]ent a[c][u]tely [r][e][f][u]sed to sh[oo]t [d]own [I] [h]ow[e]ver [h]aving [h]eard [h][or]ror [s]t[or][ie]s [d]e[c][i][d]ed to in[d]ulge and [c]on[s][i][d][er]ed the l[i][q][uor] [e]n[d][ea]ring— it wasn't b[a]d [a]t all! —02 (109:118 .924) [B]eing out[s]ide [s]ans [s]mart[ph]one, what a [f][ee]l[i]ng! [e]v[e]n [i]f [i]t's [b]r[i]ck [a]nd you h[a]ve a [b][a]d [c][a][s]e of [s]c[i][a]ti[c]a your w[i]fe m[a]y have p[a]ssed onto you [a]nd the t[r][a]sh [i]s f[i]lled w[i]th [r][a]ts the [s][i]ze of [s]m[a]ll [d][o]n[k]eys you [c]ould [s][a][d]dle and r[i]de [d][ow]nt[ow]n [l]ike [L]y[f]ts [f]or [f][r][ee] on [f][r][i]g[i]d [d]ays [l]ike th[e]se, when you ca[rr][y] th[r][ee] bags of shit you [n]o longer [n][ee]d, yet [I] [d][i]g[r]ess ([W][i][l]liam [W][i][l]liams [d]enouncing [u]sur[y] was [u]n[e]x[p][e][c]t[e]d b[u]t I [u]sua[ll][y] [k]ee[p] an o[p]en ear [f]or [F]ed [p]o[l][e]m[i][c]s) [b]ut [b]a[c]k to the [b]ar— —03 (66:69 .957) [O]ne h[u]n[d][r]ed four[t]een [b][u]cks [s]t[r][u][c]k me [l]i[k]e a [l]ot [a]s a [t][a][b] un[t]il [I] [c]on[s]i[d]ered the [a]mount we [b]oth im[b][i]bed of [a][ll][e]g[e]d[l]y [t][o][p] sh[e]lf [l]i[q]uor, it was [p][o][ss]i[b]le, I [s]u[pp]osed, th[a]t [a]ni[m]al [f][a]t [M]ez[c]al was [m]ar[k]ed u[p] [m]ore [v]oc[i][f]er[ou]sly [th]an [th]e t[y][p][i]cal [v]egan o[p]tions. —04 (89:89 1.00) In any [c][a][s]e [s]ince T[r][ee] was p[r]o[b]a[b]l[y] a[b]out [d]one [d]oing her m[a][k]eup [w]e [w]an[d]ered b[a][c]k to the [f][l][a]t to [s][c]oo[p] her [u][p] [p]l[u]s [d]i[s][c][u]ss [d]inner o[p]tions, of [c]ourse [f][i][ll][i]ng [u][p] a [c][ou][p]le [c]o[ff]ee [c][u][p]s of [J]a[p]an[e]se [w]hi[s][k][ey] as [w][e] [c]on[s][i][d]ered [a]ll [au][d]ibles, [j]ust like [o]ld times, [a]lm[o]st twenty years [a]g[o] or s[o] [w]hen [w]e'd g[e]t [sh][i]t[f]aced with M[e]xi[c]an [c]oo[k]s a[f]ter [sh][i][f]t's [e]nd. —05 (97:114 .851) But [w]e [w]ere [a]ged [n]ow, [m]ore [m]ature, I [n]o [l]onger for[n]i[c][a]ted be[s][i]de the [l]in[o][l][e]um [s][i]dings of [i]mm[i]gr[a]nt [c]oo[k]s' [c]o[l][o]n[i]al h[o]mes, s[ur]e [p][er]h[a]ps [I] [l][i][k]ed a [c]ou[p]le g[l][a]sses of M[e]zc[a]l wh[e]n my f[r]i[e]nd was v[i]s[i]t[i]ng the [c][i]ty [I] [c]u[rr]ent[l][y] o[cc]u[p][i]ed, but th[a]t was [a][c]tua[ll][y] [q]uite [g]rown up I [c]on[s]idered as [w]e [w]al[k]ed to O[g]ie's [w]hich [w]as the l[a][s]t [t][i]me [I] [e]n[t]ered th[a]t [e][s]t[a][b][l]ishment for [r]easons I p[r]o[b]a[b][l]y [d]on't [n]eed to [d]ivulge [r]ight [n]ow. Part IV Episode IX. Lighting Fire To Every PDF I've Ever Exported Mode: >.75 1164:1381 .843 01. 165:205 .805 After s[m]o[k]ing hoo[k]ah with [C]or[m][i]er [l][a]st w[ee][k] [a]nd [a][c]tua[ll][y] going thr[ou]gh t[wo] of them [w]hich [w]as th[a]t [n]ight [a]nd even [n]ow fr[a]n[k]ly sho[ck]ing [a]s [C]or[m]ier was [n]ever a g[uy] [r]e[m]otel[y] int[r][i]gued [b][y] sh[i]sh[a] yet at [B][r][a]z[a] h[e] [a][c]tuall[y] in f[a][c]t goa[d]ed m[e] of all [p][eo][p]le int[o] [d][o]ing t[wo] h[oo][k]ahs [w]hich I [w]as of [c]ourse [a][cc][o][mm]o[d]ating t[o] [b]e[c]ause the h[oo][k]ah at [B]r[a]z[a] is on [b]alance [s]u[ff][i]c[i]ent to [s][m]o[k]e [m]ore than [o]ne [o]f [f]or sure yet [f]o[ll]ow[ing] the [c]on[c][l]usion of the g[a]ther[ing] I [c]ame a[c]ross a [n][o]tion b[a]ck [a]t my fl[a]t to [c]om[p][o]se a [p]o[l][e]mic a[dd]r[e]ssing my [n]ew[l]y [f]ound [d]es[i][r]e to [l][i]ght [f][i][r]e to [e][v]ery [P]DF I'd [e][v]er [e]x[p][or]ted to [e]x[c][or]iate [m]y[s]elf as w[e]ll as A[m][e]ri[c]an [M]o[d]ernism [f]or [c][ow]t[ow]ing to [d]e[g][r][a][d]ing [s]o-[c]alled [a]v[a]nt g[a]rde [i]n[s]t[i]ncts [f]or the [g][r][ea]ter part of a [c]entu[r]y 02. 133:151 .881 The [r][e][a][l]it[y] was [a]s I saw it [a]t [l][ea]st that [p]oe[t][r][y] in [p]ar[t]i[c]u[l]ar had be[c]ome [r]adi[c]a[ll]y [c]onvo[l]uted with [r]eg[a]rd to [i]ts "[au]tho[r]ial [i]nt[e]nt" y[e]t n[ee]d[l]e[ss][l][y] [s][i]mpl[i]fied in [t]erms of "[m]e[t][r]i[c]al [s]t[r][u][c]t[ur]e" b[u]t al[s]o at this j[u]n[c]t[ur]e was there r[ea]ll[y] [m][u]ch to [b]e g[ai]ned [b]y d[e][s][e][c]r[a]ting A[m][e]ri[c]an [L][e]tters which in[c]r[ea][s]ing[l][y] [s][ee]ms to [b][e] [p]illo[r][ie]d [e]ven [b]y Ame[r]i[c]an [p][o]ets th[e]ms[e]lves who t[e]nd to [c]om[p][o]se [q]u[o]te-un[q]u[o]te [s]u[cc][e]ssful [c]o[ll][e][c]tions [o]n[l]y [t]o [t]urn [a]r[ou]nd and [d]is[a]v[ow] [C]a[p]ital [P] [P]oetry and [d]e[d]i[c]ate th[e]m[s][e]lves to [p][e][nn][i]ng [n]ovels [i]n[s]t[ea]d 03. 101:127 .795 I [f]or [o]ne [r]e[m][ai]n [b][a]sicall[y] [u]n[of]f[e]nd[e]d [b]y this t[r][e]nd as [e]ven the [m]ost [m]ona[s]tic w[r]iter [s]till on [s]ome level y[ear]ns to be per[u]sed by [s]ome v[ers]ion of [c]on[s][u]mer that's to b[e] [c]l[ea]r an [i]n[d][i][v][i]dual n[o]t a[c]ti[v]ely [i]n[v][o]lved in the [c]reating or e[d][i]t[i]ng [o]f the [a]rt [i]tself [a]nd th[a]t [s][ee]ms [e][ss][e]ntiall[y] im[p]o[ss]ible in A[m]eri[c]a tod[ay] [s]o it [m][a][k]es [p]erfe[c]t [s][e]nse for [p][o]ets th[e]m[s][e]lves to [d][i][s][p]a[r]age [p][o]et[r]y and [i]n[s]t[ea]d [d][e][d]i[c][a]te their [s][k][i]lls to [c][r]e[a]ting novels by [c]ont[r]a[s]t 04. 149:185 .805 But at the [s][a]me [t][i]me to [c]om[p][o]se [a]n [e][ss][ay] [s][ee]ms [e][q]ua[ll][y] [t]r[i]te to [m][e] [p][r]i[m]a[r]i[l][y] be[c]ause the [a][m]orphous n[a]ture of [p][r][o]se [a]lw[ay]s str[u]ck me as j[u]st [a] [l]ittle [a][pp][a][ll]ing and while [a] [p]otential [c]ounter[p]oint to that f[ee][l]ing [c]ould b[e] to [s]ugg[e]st [c]re[a]ting a [p]oem I'd [s][ay] l[i]ke [I] d[i]d [i]n m[y] h[y][p]oth[e]ti[c]al [e][ss]ay that [P][o]etr[y] is [e][q]ua[ll][y] un[e]nthusiastic about the im[p][l][e][m][e]n[t]ation of [m][e][t][r]i[c]al form that while [p][r]ose [i]s [i]n[d]u[b]ita[b][l]y [d]ef[i]ned [b][y] [l][a]nguage [l][a][c]king me[t][r]i[c]al st[r]u[c]ture poe[t][r]y in our e[r]a is [a]nd h[a]s [b]een def[i]ned [b][y] [b]eing [l][a]nguage als[o] [l][a][c]king in met[r]i[c]al [q]ua[l]ities [th]at [th]ere's n[o] p[o]et [t][a][k]en se[r]iously [t]od[ay] who w[r][i]tes [r]h[y]mes in any [w]ay [w]hether [s]lant or [s]trict 05. 186:218 .853 Poet[r]y in [m][y] [m][i]nd had be[c]ome "[r]adi[c]a[ll]y [c]onvo[l]uted" with [r]egard to [i]ts "autho[r]ial [i]ntent" yet "n[ee]d[l]e[ss][l][y] [s][i]mp[l][i]fied" when it [c]ame to "[m]et[r]i[c]al [s]t[r]u[c]ture" which a[c]tually [m][a][k]es per[f][e][c]t [s][e]nse as [a] [l][i]ne b[]r[ea][k] [a][l][o]ne [c][a]n't [d]e[f][i]ne a [c][a]tego[r][y] of [l]ite[r]ature and i[f] p[o]et[r][y] ch[o]se to i[d]enti[f][y] it[s]el[f] [a]s "[l][a]nguage [l][a][ck]ing m[e]t[r]i[c]al [s]t[r]u[c]ture" th[e]n it [e][ss][e]ntia[ll]y withh[e]ld [f][r]om it[s][e]l[f] the [s]ingu[l]ar qua[l]ity that di[ff]e[r]entiated it [f][r]om [p][r][o]se the qu[a][l]ity [a][ll]owing [P][o][p]e to w[r]ite an Essay on M[a]n [a]nd h[a]ve it [r]e[c]ognized as an [c]lear-[c]ut [p][o]em [s][a]ns th[a]t [m][a]the[m][a]ti[c]al [s]tru[c]ture [P][o]et[r][y]'d b[e] [r]het[o][r]i[c]ally f[or][c]ed to [a][d][o]pt [a] [s]ub[s][e][q][ue]nt [q]u[a][l]it[y] to [s]u[cc]e[ss][f]u[ll][y] [d]i[s][a][ss]o[c]iate it[s]elf [f][r]om [p][r]ose which [p]erh[a][p]s [a]s I [p]o[s]tulated was a "[r][a][d]i[c]al [a]b[s]t[r][a][c]tion" of its "autho[r]ial intent" 06. 102:121 .843 We s[ee] th[i]s [i]n Ash[b]er[y] who's [m]ay[b][e] the [m][o]st de[f][i]n[i]t[i]ve [p][o]et of the [p][a]st h[a]l[f] [c]entury th[a]t John h[a]s s[ur]e a [c][er]tain [b]ri[ll]iant [s]tyle [e]vident [i]n h[i]s [l]anguage [b]ut this [e][l][e]v[a]t[i]on [i]s [p][r]o[b]a[b][l]y more adj[a][c][e]nt to [p]r[o]se [s]ty[l]ists [th]an [th]e hi[s]to[r]ical [p][o]ets yet it en[c]a[p][s]u[l]ates this [c]om[p][l]ete [c]onvo[l]ution [o]f [s][u]bj[e]ct[i]ve [i]nt[e]nt his [l]ine [b][r]eaks are on[l]y [i]n[c][i]d[e]ntal the t[e]xt of Ash[b]e[r][y] is def[i]ned [p]ure[l][y] [b]y its al[b][e]it g[e]nius [c]on[t][e]m[p]t for [c][l]a[r]it[y] 07. 86:100 .860 S[a]ns th[a]t [l][a][c]k [A]shbery would h[a]ve to [q]ua[l]if[y] as a [s][o]-[c]alled [p]r[o]se [s]t[y][l]ist a sh[or]t [s]t[or]y wr[i]ter [e][ss][e]ntia[ll]y [i]f h[i]s [s]ubj[e]ctive int[e]nt [w]as in any [w][ay] sh[a]pe or form [w][i]th[i]n gras[p] of the [p]er[s]on [p]erusing h[i]s [s]tyle would [sh][i]ft [e][ss][e]n[ti]all[y] it's [A][sh]b[e][r][y]'s [a]b[s]tr[a][c]t[i]on h[i]s [r][a]di[c]al and un[c][ea][s]ing J[i]had toward [c]om[p]r[e]hen[s][i]b[i]l[i]t[y] [th]at's [th]e def[i]n[i]t[i]ve a[s][p]e[c]t of his out[p]ut 08. 242:274 .883 Wh[i]tm[a]n of [c]our[s]e [s]tarted this [s]t[y]le and [I] [c]on[s][i]der h[i]m [b]a[s]i[c]a[ll]y a char[l][a]t[a]n [b]e[c][au]se [o]f it I in [f][a][c]t [b]e[l]ieve [W]alt [W]hitman [a][c]ted [a]s the [d]e [f][a][c]t[o] te[c]h [b][r][o] [d]ouche [l]ord of Ame[r]i[c]an [l]ite[r]ature [D][i][c]k[i]n[s]on [i]s a p[a]t[r]on [s][ai]nt [w]hile [W]alt [W]h[i]t[m][a]n [m][a][k]es the [d]u[b]ious [c][l][ai]m to [r]evo[l]utionize and "[l]i[b]e[r][a]te" w[r]iters in the [s][a]me w[a]y [S][a]m [A]lt[m]an [c][l][ai]ms [A].I. [w]ill unsh[a][c]kle the [A][m]eri[c]an [w][or][k][er] [b]ut this [m]ove[m]ent [d][i][d]n't [b]e[c]ome [i]n[s]t[i]tut[i]o[n]ally [d]om[i][n][a]nt un[t][i]l G[i]ns[b]erg and h[i]s [c]ohorts [c]ame on[t]o the [s]cene [p]o[s]t-Williams [m][or]e [or] less [c]on[c]u[rr]ent with the [M][a]nh[a]ttan [S][c]hool of [A]shbe[r]y and [d]e[c]i[d]ed that [W]h[i]t[m][a]n [w]as the g[o]df[a]ther of A[m]e[r]i[c]an poe[t][r]y that [r]h[y][m][i]ng was for [t][y][r][a]nts that any w[r]iter [m]easu[r]ing [l][i]nes was ba[s]i[c]al[l]y a [f][a]scist de[s][p]ite Ez[r]a [P]ound who was in [f][a][c]t a lite[r]al [f][a]scist [a][c]ting [a]s in [m]a[n]y ways the [c]o[nn]e[c]tive t[i]ssue [m]erging [W]alt [w][i]th the [B]eat and N.[Y]. wr[i]ters [W]h[i]t[m][a]n [b]e[c]o[m]ing a [c]or[p]se [w]hen [E]zr[a] w[a]s j[u]st [s][e]ven [b]ut [P]ound's [f][r][ee] verse to [b][e] [f]air w[a]s [m][u]ch [m]ore [s]t[ee][p]ed in [F]or[m]a[l]ism [th][a]n [th]e [l][a]nguage th[a]t would [f]o[ll]ow it Episode X. Sam Altman Is In Fact A Blithering Idiot Mode: >.75 220:257 .856 01. 81:99 .818 S[a]m Altman and his [c]om[r][a]des have g[l]ee[f]u[ll]y [l]it [f]ire to [b]eyond [b]illions of [t]axpayer do[ll]ars to [c][r]eate [s]o-[c]alled art[i]f[i]c[i]a[ll]y [i]n[t]e[ll][i]gent en[t][i]ties who s[ee]m [e][q]ua[ll][y] bitter de[p][r][e]ssed and g[e]ne[r]a[ll][y] [c]o[rr]u[p]t as the [m][e]d[i][a]n hu[m][a]n b[e][i]ng which [p][r]o[b]a[b]l[y] shouldn't [b][e] [s]u[p]er [s]ur[p][r]ising g[i]v[e]n the [l][an]guage mo[d]els were t[r][ain]ed on [e][ss][e]ntia[ll]y [e]xt[e]n[d][e]d [s]ubr[e][dd]it transcr[i]pts 02. 104:118 .881 [W]h[a]t the f[u][c]k [w][a]s the [p]oint [e]x[a][c]tly of [s][a][pp]ing [l]egions of [t]owns [e][l][e][c]t[r][i][c][i]t[y] to [c][r]e[a]te [e]n[t][i]ties who're [b][a][s]i[c]a[l]l[y] [a][p]ing human [b]eh[a]vior just t[r]a[pp]ed in[s]ide a com[p]uter [s][c][r]een for et[er]nit[y] it's [c][er]t[a]inl[y] a valid [q]ue[s]t[i]on that di[ck]holes li[k]e [S][a]m [A]ltm[a]n who [a]ctually [a][tt][e]mpt [t]o [c]on[v]ince [p]eo[p]le of h[a][v]ing phil[a]nthro[p]ic in[t][e]n[ti][o]ns while [p][i]ss[i]ng on more [t][a]x[p]ayer [c][a]sh [th]an [th]e [S][e][c]ond Bush [A]dm[i][n][i]stra[ti][o]n [n][e]ver [a]de[q]uately [a]n[s]wer 03. 35:40 .875 Th[e]se [p][eo][p]le are [a][c]tua[ll]y [d]e[s][p][i]cable I [c]on[s][i][d]ered as I [c]on[t]em[p][l]ated [t]o[ss]ing [e][v]e[r]ything I'd [e][v]er w[r][i]tt[e]n [i]n[t]o a [r]e[c]y[c]le b[i]n Episode XI. On the Dual Aspect of Subjective Experience Mode: >.75 630:723 .871 01. 159:167 .952 [Th]ere's [th]is dual [a][s][p][e][c]t to [s]ubj[e][c]tive [e]x[p]e[r]ience I [c]on[s]idered [a]s I [s][a]t [c]om[p][l][a][c]ent with [R][ay] at [L][a] [B][r][a]z[a] [s][m][o][k]ing a [m]int hoo[k]ah [m][o][m]ents [b]efore the [b][a]se[b]all g[a]me [b]etween the U[n]ited St[a]tes and Do[m][i][n][i][c]an Re[p]u[b][l]i[c] [b]egan where I'd a[ll]ege [s]u[pp][or]t [f][or] the Dom[i][n][i][c]an [n]ot just to [f][e][c]k[l][e]ss[l]y [c]u[rr]y [f][a]vor with the [s]upple w[ai]t[r]ess [b]ut [m]ore [s]o [b]e[c]ause [I] [l]eg[i]t[i][m][a]te[l]y felt [l][i][k]e A[m]e[r]i[c]a wa[rr][a]nt[e]d [m]ore a[c][u]te [s][c][r][u]tiny [p]la[c]ed u[p]on its [a][c]tions [th][a]t [th]e [d]o[m]esti[c] [m][e][d][i]a in our [c]ountr[y] was i[f] anything [c]omp[l][e]te[l][y] and shame[f]u[ll][y] [l]a[c]k[i]ng [i]n a[n]y [c]r[i]t[i][c]al [q]u[e]st[i]o[n][i]ng of our [i]n[c]r[ea]sing[l][y] d[e][s]poti[c] [s]tate 02. 140:171 .819 Yet at the [s]ame t[i]me [I] [c]on[s]idered wh[i]le ta[k]ing a [m][i]ld [p][u][ff] [f][r]om the [m]int hoo[k]ah [r]ight as a [s][i]xty [p]l[u]s Do[m][i]n[i][c]an wo[m]an [p]ushed her [a]dv[a]nced in age [b][u][bb]le [b][u]tt [p][a]st me to [s]it [b][a]ck [d]own [i]n the [i]n[d][i]v[i]s[i][b]le [b]ooth that my [s]ubje[c]t[i]v[i]ty in the ph[y]s[i][c]al [w]orld [w]as en[c]ap[s]u[l]ated to [s]ome [m]a[t]erial ex[t]ent by [m][a]the[m][a]ti[c]al [l]aws that [p][r]oh[i]b[i]t[e]d [m]e [f][r]om [f]or exam[p]le jum[p]ing [t]en [f]eet in[t]o the air or [w][a]l[k]ing th[r]ough a [w][a]ll or [b][e]ing a[b]le to [s][ee] th[r]ough a [p]er[s]on's [c][l]othing with [x]-[r]ay v[i]s[i]on [l]i[k]e [S]u[p]er[m]an [th]at all of [th][e]se funda[m]enta[ll][y] [m][a]the[m][a]ti[c]al [r]e[s]t[r][ai]nts [r]uth[l]e[ss][l][y] sh[a][p]ed [m]y [s]ubj[e]ctive [e]x[p]e[r]ience as a [s]o-[c]alled hu[m]an being 03. 150:179 .838 [W]h[i]ch [i]s [w]h[y] [I] [c]ontempl[a]t[e]d as I [c]onfirmed [w]ith our [w][ai]tr[e]ss that m[a]ybe I'd t[a][k]e a [s]ub[s]e[q]uent Mi[c]helob wh[e][n][e][v]er she h[a]d a ch[a]nce [n]o [r]ush [a]s [R]ay and I [c][on]tinued our [c][on][v]ers[a]t[i]on [r]egar[d]ing the [c]omp[l]ete [l]a[c]k of [m]erit in the [m]o[d]ern NB[A] [w]hile [w][ai]t[i]ng for this [b][a]se[b]all [g][a]me to [b]e[g]in [w]hich [w]as [w]h[y] [I] felt [l][i]ke to aestheti[c]a[ll]y [c]ommu[n]i[c]ate a[n]y [s]ort of [s]ubje[c]t[i]v[i]t[y] [s][u][cc][e][ss]full[y] the artist m[u][s]t [n]e[c][e][ss]aril[y] adhere to a [s]ub[s]e[q]uent [m][a]the[m][a]ti[c]al [m]o[d]el that [s][i]m[p][l]y [d]i[s][p]er[s]ing [r]e[c]o[ll]e[c]tions of [s][m]o[k]ing hoo[k]ah with [R]ay at L[a] [B]r[a]z[a] w[ai]ting for [b][a]se[b]all [m]atches to [b]egin where y[ou]'d r[oo]t [f][or] a [f][o][r]eign [c]ount[r][y] [m][u]ch li[k]e [M]i[k]e H[u][c]kab[ee] was ina[pp][r]o[p][r]iate 04. 181:206 .879 [B][a][s]i[c]a[ll][y] there's a [m][a]the[m][a]ti[c]al [b]ox th[a]t [c]on[t][ai]ns the [w]orld [w]e [c]on[t]inua[ll][y] [p]er[c][ei]ve to va[r]ying deg[r][ee]s that s[o]me[o]ne [l]i[k]e [P]ythago[r]as who the child [r]a[p]ist and [c][l]ose f[r][ie]nd of va[r]ious [P][r][e]sid[e]nts J[e]ff [E][p]stein a[cc]u[r]ately [n]oted "k[n]ew [a] lot [a][b]out t[r]iangles" [th][a]t [th][a]t [m][a]the[m][a]ti[c]al [b][o]x the [g][o]d [P]ytha[g]oras [s]o a[c]utely [c]om[p][r][e]hended [m]ust [b]e [e]ff[e][c]tive[l][y] [r][e]c[r][e][a]ted a[e][s]th[e]ti[c]a[ll][y] to a[p]p[r]o[p][r][i]ate[l][y] [c]ommuni[c][a]te [s]ubj[e][c]tive [e]x[p]e[r]ience I [c]on[s]idered [r]eal[i]zing [R][ay] and [I] [w]ould in no [w][ay] [b]e [a][b]le to [s]t[ay] at this [b]ar until the [b][a][s]e[b]all [g][a]me [b]e[g]an that [w]e [w]ere [p]u[sh]ing it [a]s is th[a]t [s]ure we [c]ould [p]o[ss]i[b][l]y [d]o a [q]ui[c]k [sh][o]t of [D][o]n Ju[l]i[o] [b][l][a]n[c][o] [b]ut [s]t[ay]ing for the [b][a][s]e[b]all g[a]me was ent[i]re[l]y out of the [q]uestion [w]ith our [w][i]ves [w]aiting [f]or us [a]t my [f][l][a]t Episode XII. The Postmodern Despotic Regime Mode: >.75 779:843 .924 01. 125:137 .912 [S][i]tt[i]ng [a]t [A]nthon[y]'s [a]t ex[a]ct[l][y] [t]wo [f]i[f]ty [f][i]ve P.M. [a]fter [a]s[k]ing the [b][l]onde [b]ar[t]ender for a [S][c]otch H[i]gh [B]all in the J[a]pa[n][e]se [s]tyle which sh[e] adm[i]tt[e]d to [b][e]ing [n][ew] t[o] [b]ut [s][ee]med intr[i]gued a[b][ou]t I [s]et [ou]t to ig[n]ore the [f]i[f]ty [p][l][u]s g[e]ntle[m]an [s][i]tt[i]ng [n][e]xt to [m]e who was j[u]st [f][i]n[i]sh[i]ng h[i]s [l][u]nch wh[i]le e[x]er[c][i]sing [s]ome ra[pp]ort [w]ith this [w][or]k[er] [b]eh[i]nd the [b]ar and [s][c]ri[bb]le in [p][e]n my [c]o[ll][e][c]tive th[ou]ghts on the [p]o[s]tmo[d]ern [d]e[s][p][o]tic [s]tru[c]ture that en[c][a][p][s]u[l]ated [I]'d o[p][i]ne [a]t [l]east all [o]f the T[r][u]m[p], [B][i][B][i], [a]nd [A]sh[b]e[r][y] [r]eg[i]mes 02. 190:191 .995 It [s][ee]med to [m][e] [s][i]tt[i]ng [a]t [A]ntho[n][y]'s that [a][n][y] po[s]t[m]o[d]ern [d]e[s][p]otic reg[i]me [f]irst of [a]ll by [d]e[f][au]lt [c][l]aimed the Tr[a]nsc[e]nd[e]nt was an [a][c]tive [e][l][e]m[e]nt th[a]t r[a]ther [th]an [th]e H[e][ll][e]n[i][c] [p]er[s][p][e][c]t[i]ve wh[i]ch [s]ought to inv[e][s]tigate [p]o[t][e]ntia[ll]y [T]ran[s]c[e]n[d][e]ntal obj[e][c]ts vi[a] [l][o]gi[c]al and [d]i[a][l][e][c]ti[c]al in[q]ui[r]y the [p]o[s]tmo[d]ern [d]e[s][p]ot [b]y [c]on[t][r]ast [b]e[l][ie]ves [s][ai]d [T][r]an[s]c[e]nd[e]nce a[c]tive[l][y] [s]e[l][e]cts [s][u]b[p]o[p]u[l]ations or [t][e]xts [th]at [th]ese [s][u]b[s]e[q][ue]nt Chosen Ones are th[e]n a [p][r][i]o[r][i] [m]o[r]a[ll][y] [s]u[p]e[r][i]or to the un[s]e[l]ected [m][a][ss]es yet [a]t the [s]ame [t]ime th[e]se [s]e[l][e][c]t[e]d [t][e]xts are o[f]ten as a [f][ea]ture not a [b][u]g [f][u]n[d]amenta[ll][y] in[s][c][r]uta[b]le yet al[s]o [p]a[r]a[d]oxi[c]a[ll][y] [c][ea][s]e[l]e[ss][l][y] [p]er[s]e[c]uted by [e][q]ua[ll][y] [o][p][e]n-[e]n[d]ed f[o]es 03. 93:99 .939 The [D]iv[i]ne Harold Bloom [I] [c]on[s]i[d][er]ed ta[k]ing my [i]n[i]t[i]al [s]ip of [s][c]otch and [s]eltz[er] [c]ame [m][a]g[n][a][n]i[m]ous[l]y [d]own [l]i[k]e [M][o]ses to in[f]orm the [A]ng[l][o] [l]ite[r]at[i] that [A]sh[b]e[r][y]'s [p]erh[a][p]s [b][a][ff][l]ing [p][o]et[r][y] was the [o]n[l][y] [c]or[p]us that [c]ould [t]ru[l][y] [s]t[a]nd the [t]est of [t]ime e[s]t[a]b[l][i]sh[i]ng [i]n [t][urn] a [p]o[s]t[m]od[ern]ist [d]e[s][p]otic [l]ite[r]a[r][y] [r]eg[i]me [n]ot un[l]i[k]e [M]AGA Z[i]o[n]ism (as w[e]'ll s[ee]) 04. 269:302 .891 But th[i]s [i]s on[l]y a s[e]l[e]ct [e]l[e]m[e]nt of this d[e][s][p]otism it just [s]o h[a][pp]ens th[a]t [t][e]xt[u]al in[s][c][r][u]ta[b][i]l[i]ty [a]nd [a][c]tive [t]r[a]nsc[e]nd[e]nce [a][c]t [a]s [p]erf[e][c]t [p]airs [b]e[c]ause [c]om[b]ined they [a][ll]ow the [a][ll][e]g[e]d [s]a[c][r][e]d t[e]xt and/or ch[o]sen [p]eo[p]le to [c]on[s]t[r]u[c]t what I [c]alled [a]t [A]ntho[n]y's an [O][p][en] [En][d]ed [D][i][s][c]r[i]m[i][n]ato[r]y [A][pp]a[r][a]tus t[r][a]ns[f]orming any [p]ot[en]tial f[o]e of the Ch[o]s[en] any h[ea]th[en] with the [au][d]a[c]it[y] quest[ion] the [a] [p][r]io[r][i] [s]u[p]e[r][i]o[r]it[y] of the T[r]an[s]c[e]n[d][e]nta[ll][y] [S][e][l][e][c]ted [i]nto an [i][d]iot who [d]e [f][a][c]to [f]alls into one of two [c][a]m[p]s [ei]ther an o[pp]onent of the [r]eg[i]me [t][oo] [d]im [t]o "[c]om[p][r][e]hend" the [t][r][ue] in[s][c][r][u]tab[i]l[i]ty of the [t][e]xt or [d][e][s][p]ot (the [S][e]l[e][c]t[e]d [T][e]xt will [n]ot [b]e [a][s]ked to [p][a][s]s a [p]u[b][l][i]c au[d][i]t) or the h[ea]th[e]n will [b][e] [d][ee]med an o[pp]o[n]ent [e]v[e]n [l]ess re[d][ee]ma[b]le a [p]erson nefa[r][i]ou[s]l[y] [o][pp]osing the [o]bv[i]ou[s] [p][r]og[r]ess and mo[r]al [s]u[p]e[r][i]o[r]it[y] of the d[e][s][p]ot [f]or exam[p]le i[f] you qu[e][s]tion the [m]o[r]al [m]e[r]its of the [A]sh[b]e[r]y [A]b[s]t[r][a][c]tions [a][nn]ointed from [a][b]ove [b]y [S]aint [B]l[oo]m then [y][ou] mu[s]t of [c]our[s]e [y]earn for [s]ome [r]e[a][c]tio[n]a[r]y [Eu][r]o-[C]ent[r]i[c] [p]agan [p][a][s]t of [S][a]tires [E][l][e]gies and [E][p]i[c]s 05. 102:114 .895 Any [m]ove[m]ent o[pp][o]sing the [M]o[r]all[y] [S]u[p]e[r][i]or In[s]c[r]utable T[e]xt [D][e][s][p]ot i[p][s][o] fa[c]t[o] be[c]omes [o]ne [w]ith the [O][p]en En[d]ed [D][i][s][c][r][i]m[i]nato[r]y [A][pp]a[r][a]tus I [c]on[s][i][d]ered [g][a]zing [b][l][a]n[k] f[a][c]ed [a]t the [c]o[ll]ege [b][a][s][k]et[b]all [g][a]me a[tt]emp[t]ing to [t]une out the ch[a]tt[er] occ[ur][r]ing to my [r]ight [r]egarding a [t]ired waitress who a[ll][e]g[e]d[l][y] st[ay]ed [u]p [u]n[t]il [F]our [A]M [q]u[o]te-un[q]u[o]te "[c][l][ea]ning" who I [f]igured in [m][y] [m][i]nd had to [b]e [b][l]owing [l][i]nes all n[i]ght? Episode XIII. The Cosmological Significance of Hair Follicles Mode: >.75 453:523 .866 01. 84:92 .913 Gl[a]n[c]ing [a]t [s]ome [r][a]n[d]om [d]ude's [s][c]al[p] for n[o] a[pp]a[r]ent [r]eason [w]hile [w]aiting for a [s][o]-[c]alled I[r]ish [d]an[c]ing [t][r][oo]p [t][o] [d][o] [s]ome ite[r][a]t[i]on of n[a]t[i]ve [t]ap [d][a]n[c]ing [a]t a b[r][ew]e[r]y a f[ew] [d][ay]s [p][r]ior to [S][ai]nt [P]at[r]i[c]k's I [c]on[s]i[d]ered the [c][o]s[m][o][l][o]gi[c]al sh[a][p]e of the [m][e][d][i]an hair[l]ine g[a]zing at the [s][p][i]raled [d]es[ig]n of the fo[ll]i[c]les on this a[n]o[n]ymous [s][c]al[p] 02. 161:190 .847 I [s][u][pp]ose I j[u]st had nothing [r]emotely [p][r]o[d][u][c]tive to [d]o as I [s]tood [c][or][d]oned [o]ff in an [a]w[k]ward [c][or][n][er] [s]o the [d][a]n[c][er]s who I [i][n][i]t[i]ally [i]nter[p][r]eted to [b][e] [r][a]n[d]om [h]igh [s][c]hool [c]o-[e]ds [i]n[e]x[p]l[i]ca[b][l][y] at a wate[r]ing [h]ole [w]hich [w]ould [h][a]ve [p]er[h][a]ps [s]eemed a t[a]d [o]dd and [o]ut of [p][l]ace ex[c]e[p]t [th]at [th]e [c]ontem[p]o[r]a[r][y] b[r]ewe[r][y] [n]ow [m]ar[k][e]ts it[s][e]lf as a [l]o[c]ation where [l]ite[r]a[ll][y] a[n][y]thing [c]an be [p][l]aced [i]n[t]o [m]otion [i]n [t]an[d]em w[i]th [d]r[i]n[k][i]ng high [A][B][V] [b][ee]rs I was a[c]tually s[i][pp][i]ng an [ei]ght [p]er[c]ent [D]ou[b]le [I][P]A at the t[i]me [b]ut at a [b][r]ewe[r]y you [c]ould [n]urse a [n]ew[b]orn ch[i]ld or wit[n]ess your [c]a[n][i]ne [g]ive [b]irth to a [g]aggle of [b]eautiful [p]u[pp]ies while [p][ou]n[d]ing those [t][y][p]es of [p][i]nts [d][ow]n and [i]t was [s]t[i]ll con[s][i][d]ered [t]otally a[b]ove [b]oard 03. 65:76 .855 There was [n]oth[i]ng you [c]oul[d]n't [p]air w[i]th [d]r[i]n[k][i]ng [p][i]nts of h[i]gh o[c]t[a]ne l[a]ger at [a] b[r]ewe[r]y [n]ow[a][d][ay]s [s]o w[i]t[n][e]ss[i]ng a few [d]ressed up high [s][c]hool [c]o-eds [d]i[d]n't [s]t[r]i[k]e me [a]s [o]dd [a]t [a]ll but in [f][a]ct they were just I[r]ish t[a][p] d[a]n[c]ers [f]or the S[ai]nt [P][a]t[r]ick's [D][ay] holi[d][ay] a[pp]a[r]entl[y] of va[r][i]ous [a]ge [r][a]nges 04. 73:82 .890 Ult[i]m[a]tel[y] nobod[y] [c][a]n tell if a [p]er[s]on's [a][c]tua[ll][y] [p]rof[i]c[i]ent [a]t t[a][p] [d][a]n[c]ing in our [e][r]a there [e]xi[s]ts no [c][e]nt[r]al autho[r]ity to [d]i[s][p]erse [a]ccu[r]ate [a][ss][e]ssm[e]nts [v][i]s-[a]-[v][i]s t[a][p] [d][a]n[c]ing [n][o] one k[n][o]ws [w]hat the [f]u[c]k is [w]orth[y] of [p][r]aise and [w]hat [w]e should [r]ight[f]ull[y] [s][c]orn in the [r]ealm of the t[a][p] d[a]n[c]e [a]t this [p]oint 05. 70:83 .843 I'd [b]een [e]x[p]e[r]ien[c]ing a [p]er[s]ist[e]nt im[p][a]l[p]a[b]le [a]nxiet[y] that [w][ee][k] [w][i]th [r]egard to [w]h[i]ch outf[i]ts I [w]an[t]ed [t]o e[q]u[i]p [E]ve w[i]th in [S]te[ll]ar [B][l]ade [a]s I [a][pp]roached the [c]on[c][l]usion of the [A][c]tion R.[P].G. [b]e[c]ause I h[a]d [a]m[a]ssed [s][u]ch [a] [p][l]etho[r][a] of [s][k][i]ns [i]t was [s]ur[p][r]isingly d[i][ff][i][c]ult [p]arse th[r]ough my [f]avo[r]ites Part V Episode XIV. No. Prov. Tire & Body Mode: >.75 220:261 .843 01. 55:61 .902 I [t][o]ld [T]ina I'd [d][r][o][p] her off [n][o] [p][r][o][b]lem at [N]orth [P][r][o]vi[d]ence [T]ire on Mi[n]e[r]al S[p][r]ing [b]e[f][or]e I [w]ent to [w]or[k] [b]e[c]ause sh[e]'d [n][ee]ded all [f][our] tires [r]e[p][l]aced on her [A][cc][or]d [a][pp]a[r]ent[l]y [a][cc][or]ding to Sal they were [a]ll [r][o]tted to the fu[ck]ing [c][or]e 02. 91:111 .820 I [t]oo[k] the [b][a][c]kroads [t]o [b][a][c]k[t]r[a][c]k to the in[t]er[s]tate just [l][i][k]e t[i]mes [p][a]st [p][a][s]sing b[y] the [l]ittle [s]tr[ea]m with the [b]a[b]y [d]u[c]ks I used to f[ee]d [b]read [b]ack when the [w]orld [w]as shut [d]own [w]h[e]n no[b]o[d]y [w][e]nt to [w]ork [a]nd things fr[a]n[k][l][y] were [a][c]tua[ll][y] [k]ind of [q]uaint (those [d]u[c]ks I'd [a]ssume [a]re now [a]ll [d]ead?) [l][i]v[i]ng [a][b]ove an [a]quarium [c]enter [s]ome [p][eo][p]le [b]e[l][ie]ved d[i][s]tr[i][b]uted [c]o[c]aine in [l]arger [q]uantities (which I never [p]er[s]ona[ll]y had a [p]ro[b][l][e]m w[i]th!) 03. 74:89 .831 Half[w]ay to [w]ork I [s]tarted to [b]el[ie]ve de[s]pite [b][e]ing on the [c]o[rr]e[c]t [r]oad I [s]ome[h]ow [h]ad no [c]lue [w]here I [w]as the [s][p]e[c][i]f[i][c] ex[i]ts no [l]onger [l]oo[k]ed [l]i[k]e the [r][i]ght off-[r]am[p]s I [q]u[e]stioned the [f][e][d]e[r]al [s]tate I [d][r]ove th[r]ough [f]or a [s]o[l]id [f][i]ve m[i]n[u]tes [I] was a [l]ittle [d]i[s]t[r]e[ss]ed that I'd be[c][o]me [s][o]mehow [l]o[s]t [d]e[s]pite [f]ee[l]ing [l][i][k]e [I] knew exact[l]y [w]here I [w]as Episode XV. Feeling Thoroughly Bamboozled Mode: >.75 732:835 .877 01. 91:94 .968 As soon as [w]e [w]alked in[t][o] [T][r][i]n[i]ty B[r][ew] House I kn[ew] I'd [m][a]de a [m]i[s]t[a]ke ag[r][ee]ing with [T][r][ee] [th]at [th]is was the pl[a][c]e she [c]ould [q]u[o]te-un[q]u[o]te "tr[ea]t m[e]" to a [s][o]-[c]alled "[S][un]d[ay] F[un]d[ay]" be[c]ause we'd [s][p]ent a [s]olid [f]i[f]teen m[i]n[u]tes tr[y]ing to [f][i]nd a [p]ar[k]ing [s][p]ot [d]e[s][p]ite [l][i][v][i]ng [w][i]th[i]n [w]al[k]ing [d][i][s]t[a]nce on[l]y to [d][i][s][c]o[v]er th[i]s a[ll][e]g[e]d [B][r]ewe[r][y] was [b]a[s]i[c]a[ll][y] empt[y] 02. 109:120 .908 The vibe w[a]s [i]ns[u]ff[i]c[i]ent to m[e] [u][p]on entr[y] the [n]ew [t]ables were a [l]ittle [t]oo [n]ice for [a]n a[ll][e]g[e]d [p][u]b [a]nd [I] [d]i[d]n't [l][i][k]e the [d]ra[f]t [s][e][l][e][c]tion [d]e[s]pite [o][ff]ering Ca[p]tain's [D][au]ghter [w]hich [w]as [f]or sure a [f]ine [b]eer [b]ut [a]t [ei]ght [a]nd a h[a]l[f] [A][B][V] it was a reci[p][e] [f]or [b][e]ing she[ll][a]cked [b]y [l][a]te [a][f]ternoon [b]ut I [s]aid to [m][y][s]el[f] [f][i]ne [I]'ll wh[a][c]k b[a][c]k [a] [c][ou][p]le of th[e]se while T[r][ee] [c]an [ea]t her [s][p]ecial "[b]ar sn[a][c]ks" no [p][r]o[b]lem then w[e]'d grab [s]ome [p][i]zza [w]hich [w]ould of [c]our[s]e m[a][k]e everything o[k][a]y 03. 87:105 .829 With all th[a]t [s]aid I [a][s]ked m[y] [w][i]fe [w]h[y] [w]e [s][a]t [a]t a t[a][b]le [f][or] [f][our] all the w[ay] in the [b][a][c]k [c]or[n]er of this [r][a]msh[a][c]kled [n][ew][l]y [r]e[n]ovated [s]a[l][oo]n [n]ow I k[n][ew] her [s]i[s]ter [m]ight [m]eet [u]p b[u]t I'd h[a]ve [r][a]ther [s][a]t [r]ight [a]t the [b]ar in a [s]tr[ai]ght l[i]ne [f]orm[a]tion i[f] [I] was [b][e]ing ho[n]est to which T[r][ee] [n]oted She[rr][i] [p][l]u[s] Curti[s] were [n]ow [a][pp]a[r]ent[l][y] both [a]tten[d]ing [s]o I imm[e]d[i]ate[l][y] asked Well are they [ea]ting? 04. 127:148 .858 The [o][p]e[r]ational in[t]ent of this [ou]ting had [b]een [a]l[t]ered [a][pp]a[r]ent[l][y] [d][r][a][m]ati[c]a[ll][y] with[ou]t my know[l]edge I'd of [c]ourse [r]e[m]ained un[d]er the im[p][r]ession we'd [i]n[d]ulge [i]n a [c]ou[p]le [s]o-[c]alled "bar [s]n[a][c]ks" [a]t this [h]ell[h][o]le then [g][o] [g][r][a]b a [p]izza [a][f]ter [f]or our [p][r]o[p]er [m][ea]l [b]ut if [b]oth Curti[s] [p][l][u][s] She[rr]i were [p][l]ann[ing] on [m][ee]t[ing] [u][p] and they were [p]o[ss]i[b][l]y or[d]e[r]ing ent[r]ees [w]ell m[y] [w][i]fe said You [d]on't n[ee]d to [ea]t just h[a]ve [a]n [a][pp] to which [I] re[p]l[i]ed [I] [c]an't j[u]st ch[u]g [f][u][c]king [d][ou][b]le [I][P][A]s while s[i]tt[i]ng at a [t][a][b]le [f][or] [f][our] with th[r][ee] [p][eo][p]le or[d]e[r]ing en[t][r][ee]s that's [t]otally un[t]enable 05. 109:128 .852 I'd [b]een [b]am[b]oozled out [o]f [a] [S][un]d[ay] F[un]d[a]y that was [s]upposed to [b][e] [a]ll [a][b]out m[e] t[r][ea]ting a worth[y] h[u]s[b]and to a [c][ou][p]le [s][p]ecial [d][r]in[k]s and a [m]o[d]est [p]izza [p][i]e yet now [I] [f]ound [m]y[s][e]l[f] [e][ss][e]ntially [d][u][p]ed int[o] a [f]or[m]al [d]i[nn]er [a]t [d][a]mn [n]ear [f]our o'[c]lo[c]k in the [a][f]ter[n]oon the [s][p][o]t's [q]uin[oa] bowl was [a][c]tua[ll][y] [s][a]d[l][y] [q]uite [d]e[l][i]c[i]ous [b]ut n[e]verthe[l][e]ss [p][o]st [b][o]wl I obvious[l]y [d][i][d]n't have any [r]oom [r]emaining for [p][i]zza [w]hich [w][a]s [w]h[a]t I'd [h]ad my [h]eart [s]et [u][p]on [s]o f[ie]r[c]ely! 06. 104:129 .806 [N]ow I've [n]ever judged the w[ay] a [m]an [m][a]kes his [m][o]ney if that's [s][o]mething you're [m][ay]be a[ss]uming [v][i]s-a-[v][i]s my [c][l][o]se [p]al [C][ur]tis who s[ur]e full [d]is[c][l][o]s[ur]e has [s][p]ent the [p]a[s]t [d]e[c]ade ma[k]ing his [b][o]nes [n][o] [p]un intended as a h[i]gh [p]r[o]f[i]le [b][i]sexual [p]or[n][o] [a][c]tor you m[i]ght [b]e [a]s[k][i]ng [i]f [i]t [b]others [m][e] this [k]id [c]ould [b][e] [c]o[m]ing to [m][ee]t [m][y] w[i]fe s[i]ster [i]n [l]aw and [I] for a [d][r]ink (and appa[r]ent[l]y [d]i[nn]er!) [f]o[ll]owing s[o]me [f][u][c]k[f]est that [c]ould have in[c][l]uded a[n]y organ [f][r][o]m [r][u]n-of-the-mill bu[ss]y to out[r]ight [c]is-[c]o[c]k? 07. 105:111 .946 [B]ut [n]o that's [n]ev[er] [b]oth[er]ed m[e] in the l[ea]st as [I] [d]on't [n][ee]d [p][eo][p]le [b]es[i]de m[e] who think [a]nd [a][c]t ex[a][c]t[l]y [l][i][k]e [I] [d]o [b]ut also to [b]e fair my an[c][e][s]tors in G[r]ee[c]e I've [h]i[s]to[r]i[c]a[ll][y] [s][ai]d t[e][c]h[n]i[c]a[ll][y] inv[e]nted [h][o]m[o][s][e]xua[l]ity th[a]t [s][a]ns the H[e][l]l[e][n]i[c] [E]ra there'd [r][ea][ll][y] b[e] [p][r]o[b]a[b]l[y] [n]o a[n]al [s]ex to [s][p]ea[k] [o]f in [A][m]e[r]i[c]a [s][o] in that [s]en[s]e I al[m][o][s]t [l]oo[k]ed [a]t [C]urtis [a]s a [l]ong-[l]ost [s]e[c]ond [c]ousin of [s]orts Episode XVI. Alarming Literacy Rates Mode: >.75 283:331 .855 01. 95:116 .819 The f[a]ct of the [m][a]tter [C]urtis [s]aid to [m][e] and I tru[s]ted h[i]s op[i]n[io]n i[mm]en[s]e[l][y] obviou[s][l][y] was [th]at [th]e A[m]e[r]i[c]an [p]ub[l]i[c] was [r]a[p]id[l][y] [i]n[c]r[ea][s][i]ng [i]ts [l][i]te[r]a[c]y [r][a]tes and the i[d]ea of [c][r]e[a]ting vi[d]e[o] [c]ontent was [o]n[l]y g[o]ing to [b]e tena[b]le for [o]h [s][o] [l]ong that [c][i]t[i]z[e]ns [r][ea][ll][y] y[ear]ned to [p]e[r]use [p][r]inted [w][or]ds not just [w]atch [s]ome a[s]shole [p]ont[i][f][i][c]ate with a d[i]g[i]t[a]l [c]ame[r]a sh[o]ved in [f][r][o]nt [o]f his [f][u][c]king [f]ace 02. 58:60 .967 P[r]etty [s]oon [C]urt [s]aid if T[r]ump a[c]tuall[y] [s]u[c]c[e]eds eve[r]y[b]ody [i]n th[i]s f[u][c]king [c][ou]nt[r][y] [w]ill [b]e [a][b]le to [r][ea]d [w]ords on [p][ie]ces of [p][a][p]er and [g]uess [w]hat [a]ll of them [a]re [g]o[nn][a] [w][a][nn][a] [p]at[r]o[n][i]ze [p]eo[p]le who w[r][i]te th[i]ngs [l][i]ngu[i]st[i]ca[ll]y and sh[i]t 03. 51:61 .836 [C]h[r][i]st [I] [r]ep[l][i]ed th[i]s [i]s more d[i]re than [I] [i][n][i]t[i]a[ll]y [c]al[c]u[l]ated k[n]o[w]ing [f]ull [w]ell that wr[i]ting [w]ords [w]asn't [q]u[i]te m[y] [f][or]te that I was m[or]e of a [f][r]ee j[a]zz shit-tal[k][er] when the [i][d]ea hit me l[i][k]e a b[a]g of [d]il[d]os on [C][ur]t[i][s]'s [a]ver[a]ge [s]et 04. 79:94 .840 You know wh[a]t [C]urt [s]aid [c][u]tting me o[ff] what i[f] [I] [t][r]an[s][c][r][i]bed your [l][i]ve-[s]t[r]eams in[t]o [l]ittle ch[a][p]ters or e[p]i[s][o]des [a]nd [th]en [th][o]se st[r]eams [c]ould [c]om[p][r]ise texts and you [c]ould [r]e[l][ea]se [th]em to [th][e]se sorts of high[l][y] [l]ite[r]ate [p]eo[p]le in the [p]ub[l]i[c] to you know [l]i[k]e fu[c]king [r]ead [a]nd shit I'm [a][c]tuall[y] p[r]ett[y] [d][a]ft [a]t tr[a]n[s][c][r][i]bing [s]tuff [s]o [I] [c]ould [d][o] it on [d]ays when I [d][o]n't have any porn[o] sh[oo]ts Episode XVII. A Crucial Pivot Point Mode: >.75 115:128 .898 01. 62:69 .899 I k[n]ew Curtis was [a]d[r]oit at [n]ot only m[ai]n[t][ai][n]ing an [i]m[p][r][e][ss][i]ve [e][r][e][c]t[i]on [i]n [a]ll ty[p]es of [s][e]xual [s]c[e][n]a[r]i[o]s but [a]l[s][o] w[r]iting down the [s][e]nt[e]n[c]es [p][eo][p]le [s][p][ea]k [a]loud in [p]ublic [a][m]ongst [f][r]iends [a]nd t[r][a]ns[f]or[m]ing those g[u]ttu[r]al [u]tte[r]an[c]es in[t]o [a]ctual [t]ext 02. 53:59 .899 [W][a]s this [w]h[a]t I [n][ee][d]ed to k[ee]p my [b]u[dd]ing [l][i]vestr[ea]m [b]usi[n]ess a[l][i]ve and [w][e]ll [w][e]ll into the [n]ear [f]uture [f]or the e[c]o[n]omi[c] [s]a[k]e of my [s]on of [c]our[s]e [p][r]inted [s][p][ee]ch for [p][eo][p]le to [r][ea]d th[a]t was [a][c]tuall[y] [w]h[a]t th[e]se s[c]umb[a]gs [w][a]nted? Episode XVIII. Gay Porn Pinterest Mode: >.75 340:396 .859 01. 106:121 .876 I [r]e[c]all [v]i[v]id[l][y] the [d][ay] [C]urt [c]u[r]iou[s][l][y] [d]i[s]pl[ay]ed a b[u]nch [o]f g[ay] [p]orn [p]o[ll]uting h[i]s [P][i]nterest [a][cc]ount [a] [b]it [b]e[f]uddled [b]y [a]ll the male [p][e]n[i]s [b][e][i]ng [p][r]o[m]oted vo[c][i][f]e[r][ou]s[l][y] and I hes[i]t[a]nt[l][y] in[f]ormed him [o]f [m]y [u]nderst[a]nding of The Con[c]e[p]tual [A]lgo[r]ithm how if y[ou] [p]e[r][u]sed [s]ay [a] w[a]d of h[o]m[o][s]exual l[ea][n]ing [p]or[n]og[r]aph[y] [th]en [th]e om[n]i[p]otent [C]al[c]u[l][a]tion would [p][l][a]ce [s][i]m[i][l]ar [i]m[a]g[e]s onto your [s]ub[s][e][q]u[e]nt [a][p]ps [a]nd devi[c]es 02. 151:183 .825 H[e] s[ee]med ve[r][y] int[r][i]gued as h[e] ad[m][i]tt[e]d to [m][e] h[e]'d [b]een doing a [b]it of "[r][e][s]earch" for a [p][r]o[m][i][s][i]ng [n]ew [j][o]b he [j]ust g[o]t as [a][pp]a[r]entl[y] a [p]aid [p]or[n]o a[c]tor [a][cc]ord[i]ng to [C]urt[i]s it'd b[e] [p][r]i[m]a[r]i[l][y] in a [m]ore [a]v[a]nt-g[a]rde gen[r]e [a][ll]eged[l]y known [b][y] ins[i]ders as [b][i]-pho[r]ia l[i]ke [b]an[g]ing [g][uy]s and shit [a]nd I [s]aid li[s]ten m[a]n [f]irst [o]f [f][u][ck]ing all my an[c][e][s]tors [b]a[s]i[c]ally inv[e]nted the wh[o]le h[o]m[o] thing [s]o [c]on[s][i][d]er th[i]s a p[r]ejud[i]ce [f][r][ee] z[o]ne it [d]oesn't o[ff]end m[e] [i]n the l[ea]st [i]f you n[ee]d to su[c]k [c]o[c]k [f]or [c]old hard [c]ash [c][a][p]ita[l]ism [a]t bottom is [a]fter all [f][u]nda[m]enta[ll]y a [s]t[r][u]cture of [f]or[m]a[l]ized [p][r]o[s][t]i[t]ution [r]egard[l][e][s]s of the [s][e]xual o[r]ien[t][a]t[i]ons [p]ar[t][i][c][i][p][a]t[i]ng 03. 83:92 .902 Curt c[e]l[e][b][r]ated [m][y] o[p]en [m][i]nded a[pp][r]oach [a]d[m][i]tt[i]ng he was [l][i]ttle [a]m[b][i]va[l]ent [a][b]out the whole [a][rr][a]nge[m]ent s[ay]ing [m][ay][b]e w[i]th[i]n a [c][ou]ple [m][o]nths he [c]ould [w]or[k] his [w][ay] in[t]o the [m]ore st[r][ai]ght adj[a][c]ent [t][r]ans girl [s]c[e]ne and I [s]aid that [s][ee]med g[r][ea]t that h[i]s [i]n[k][l][i]ng al[r]ead[y] ev[i]nced a [s]ort of u[p][w]ard mob[i][l][i]ty [r]are[l][y] [f]ound in the [c]ontem[p]o[r]a[r][y] [w]or[k] [f]orce Episode XIX. An Incredible Idea Mode: >.75 459:517 .888 01. 116:136 .853 [S]o anyway I [s]aid to a [f]or[m]er [s][o]-called [q]u[o]te-un[q]u[o]te [f]e[m]ale [r]o[m]antic [i]nte[r][e]st ([q]u[i][c]k d[i][s][c][l]osure i[f] m[y] w[i][f]e [i]s [l][i][s]t[e]n[i]ng to th[i]s [b]a[b]e just F.Y.[I]. this was [l][i]ke [t]en [p][l]us years in the [p]ast with [s]ome [t]awd[r]y w[h]ore w[h][o] for the [r]e[c]ord wasn't [e]ven [r]emotel[y] [c][u]te) [I] [s]aid [I] [s]u[pp]orted [h]is [b][i][s]exual ex[c][ur]sions [b]e[c]ause [h]i[s][t]ori[c]all[y] [s][p][ea][k]ing my an[c][e][s]t[or]s were in[t]o [e]ngag[i]ng [i]n [s][e]x with [m][e]n [l]ike thr[ee] [m]i[ll]e[nn][i]a ag[o] and he t[o]tally [b]ought [i]nto the [p]er[s][p]ect[i]ve [n]ow he's [o]n [s]tand[b]y [o]n [s]et f[i]l[m][i]ng l[i]teral gay [p]orn! 02. 40:46 .870 The g[ir]l who just [h][ear]d [h][er] [n][a]me [s]ummo[n]ing her pr[e]s[e]nce to [s]ide [s]t[a]ge [a]fter [S]ta[c]y's l[a]st [s]ong was [c]om[p][l][e]ted [s]aid You're [l]ike [l]itera[ll]y [s]o m[ea]n! [s]o he's [b]e[c]ome a [g][ay] [g]uy [b][a][s]ica[ll][y]? 03. 86:94 .915 I [t]old the [t]awdry hoo[k]er wh[o] I was in [a]b[s]o[l][u]te[l][y] no way p[ur][s][u]ing rom[a]nt[i][c]a[ll][y] I wasn't ex[a][c]t[l][y] [c][er]tain if that was how [s][e]xual [p][r][e][f]e[r]en[c]e [a][c]tua[ll][y] [f][u]n[c]tioned [b][u]t I [s][u][p]posed she [c]ould still [b]e [c]orre[c]t a[b]out [C]urtis as she de[l]i[c]ate[l][y] [p]i[c]ked the [b][l]a[c]k thong [o]ut [o]f her under [s]iege by ch[ee][k]s [a][ss][c][r][a][c]k [c][l][ea]r[l][y] on[l][y] h[a]lf [l][i][s]t[e]n[i]ng [t]o my [r]e[t]ort 04. 89:102 .873 It was th[a]t [a][f]ternoon [r]ight [a][f]ter I [f][i]n[i]shed my [s][e]v[e]nth [p]i[s]s beer or [s]o and [s][c]ooted o[ff] in my [p][r]i[s][t][i]ne [t]wo thousand thir[t][ee]n [c]um-white [B]ui[c]k Ve[r]a[n][o] [th]at [th]e [n][o]tion [b]om[b]ar[d]ed me like a [th]un[d]er [b]olt [s]t[r]aight [ou]t [o]f the [a][ss][c][r][a][c]k of Zeus "[N][i][k]olaos En[r][i][q]ue you [n][ee]d to l[i]ve[s]t[r][ea]m th[e]se [i]d[e]as to the m[a][s]ses on all th[e]se [n][a]tio[n]al se[c]u[r]ity [a][pp]a[r][a]tus b[a][c]k ch[a]nneled [s][o]-[c]alled [s][oc]ial p[l][a]tforms" 05. 128:139 .921 [Th][a]t r[a]ther [th][a]n [w]ork an ho[n]est job for a[n] hourly [w][a]ge as [s][ay] a [s][o]me sch[m][u][c]k [s]to[ck]ing Eu[r]o[p][e]an [s]n[ea][k]ers at [P]u[m]a with va[r][i]ous ex-[c]ons and [a]utistic [a]dults on a g[r][a]veyard sh[i]ft that [k][i]lled your [c][r]e[a]t[i]ve amb[i]t[i]on you [c]ould [i]n[s]tead [t]al[k] sh[i]t on the [i]n[t]ernet [a][b]out [a]ll [s]orts of [t]o[p]ics and m[ay][b][e] [s]el[e][c]t [p][eo][p]le would [p][ay] you or even [b][e]tter adver[t][i]sers'd [s]u[pp]l[y] you w[i]th [p][r]ew[r][i]tt[e]n [s][c][r][i][p]ts to [r][ea]d [f]or mone[t]a[r][y] [c]om[p]en[s]ation [a]nd [a]s [l]ong [a]s [f][r]esh [r]ounds of [c]om[p][l]ete [r]ubes [s]m[a]shed th[a]t [l][i][k]e and [s]ub[s][c][r][i]be your [l][i]fe'd [b]e[c]ome [i]mmeasu[r][a][b][l]y [i]mp[r]oved! Episode XXI. Parting Thoughts Mode: >.75 425:510 .833 01. 55:70 .786 It [s]till [s]truck m[e] as [e][ss][e]ntia[ll][y] un[b]e[l][ie]va[b]le that [p][eo][p]le were [s]omehow [b]eg[i]nn[i]ng to y[ear]n for [r]eading w[or]ds in our e[r]a that [m]o[n]u[m]enta[ll]y we'd fum[b]led this [l]ivest[r]eam [b]o[n][a]nza [c]o[ll]e[c]tive[l]y [a]nd [p][eo][p]le [n]ow were [b][r]ain[l]e[ss][l][y] [r]etur[n]ing to [r]ote [l]ite[r]a[c][y] 02. 125:151 .828 I th[i]nk [i]t was [m][ay]be S[o][l]on who [r]e[l][ay]ed that h[u][m]an [c]ulture'd [o]n[l][y] [c]on[t]in[u]e [t]o [d]e[t]e[r][i]o[r]ate [a]s the w[r]itten word ex[p][a]n[d]ed [i]n [i]nf[l]uence th[a]t [p][eo][p]le just s[p][ea][k]ing [a][l]oud to [o]ne [a][n][o]ther with [n][o] [r][e][c]ourse [t]o [t][a][b][l]ets [a]nd [p]a[p]y[r]us was the m[o]st [p][r]efe[r]a[b]le [s]cena[r]i[o] for our [s][p][e][c][i]es and who [c]ould [r][ea][ll][y] [d]isag[r][ee] be[c]ause the gol[d]en e[r]a of the [l][i]ve[s]t[r]eam was a t[r]u[l]y En[l][i]ghtened [o]ne [w]here o[r]al [ph]i[l]o[s]o[ph]ers [l][i]ke J[o]e [R][o]gan and [S][a]m H[a][rr]is and ([I]'d [l][i]ke to be[l][ie]ve) [e]ven [m]y[s]elf were [a]ble to [e]ng[a]ge the [m][a][ss]es [a]nd di[ss][e]minate our go[s]pels 03. 78:83 .940 [I]n[t]e[ll]e[c]tual [t][i]tans [l][i][k]e my [f][r]i[e]nd B[e]n Sha[p]i[r][o] used to [r][o]am the [i]n[t]ern[e]t [p][r]oud[l][y] [d]e[f][e]n[d][ing] the in[d]u[b]ita[b][l][y] justi[f]ied k[i]ll[i][ng]s of te[r]ro[r][i]st [i]n[f][a]nts [i]n G[a]z[a] yet now it's [a]l[m]ost [l]ike i[f] you wan[t]ed [t][o] [t]r[u][l]y [d]e[f][e]nd a [m]ass [m][ur]d[er] of ch[i]l[d]r[e]n you'd [b]e [b][e]tter o[ff] p[e]nning a well [s]our[c]ed [e][ss]ay or [s]omething 04. 74:92 .804 I [a][c]tua[ll]y [s][p]o[k]e to Ben j[u]st [a] [c][ou]ple d[ay]s ago [a]nd [c]ong[r][a]tu[l][a]ted him on his most [r]e[c]ent [r][ou]nd of eye[b][r][ow] fillers [b]ut al[s]o [s]aid [s]traight [ou]t [B]en with [t]ime y[ou] [t][oo] [c]ould [t][ea]ch your[s]elf how to [r][ea]d and w[r]ite [a]nd if you [k][ee]p [a]t it you m[ay] [b]e [a][b]le to [b][r][ea]k [i]nto th[i]s whole [l][i]te[r]a[c][y] [b][u]sin[e]ss while there's [s]t[i]ll an ear[l][y] [a]d[o]pter's [a]r[b]itrage [a]vai[l][a][b]le 05. 96:115 .835 But the [r]ea[l]ity is these are [t][y]p[i][c]al [t][r]ials and [t][r]i[b]u[l][a]t[i]ons of [c][r]e[a]t[i]ng a Y[ou][T][u]be channel [i]ssues [i]nev[i]ta[b][l]y [m][i]t[i]gated [b]y the [m][a]g[n][a][n]i[m]ous [p][r]o[f]it share of [A]l[ph]a[b]et [A]l[ph]a[b]et! it's [l]ike eve[r]y damn [p][l]ace I t[ur]n [I]'m [r]em[i]nded of [l]etters [a]nd w[or]ds [a]nd [r][ea]d[i]ng [a]nd [l][i]te[r]a[c][y] [s]p[i]tt[i]ng [i]n the face of [l]ive[s]t[r][ea]ming it's g[r][o]tesque [r][ea][ll][y] but to [c][l][o]se with a [q]u[o]te f[r]om a t[r]u[l][y] [ph]i[l]o[s]o[ph]i[c]al mind [l]et me [s]ay this: "as [Parmenides] himself declares that there are Ideas even of relations" - Proclus, Book IV of Commentary on Plato's Parmenides