West Coast Sojourn 71: The breakup
w/: Akademiks' fall + Uplifting Costco + Super Bowl prop bets
“For starters, he can’t have Kendrick.”
Cali was breaking it off with America, finally. She shared a cigarette with her homegirl Canada while technicians pulled apart the thin structure that had held the union together. Sundown was nearly upon them.
The wound remained fresh, Cali’s pain was far from that. As Canada just pointed out, America’s cruelty was pervasive. Cali had long known it. Yet there had been no beachhead of imperative, until the start of 2025. And as she and Canada passed the cancer stick between them, California couldn’t see past February 9.
“I feel especially vulnerable right now. My poor sanctuary cities!”
“No child of mine should be performing for free in front of millions, not just filling the bank accounts of that man’s cronies,” she said. “But enhancing their aura of mastery—in New Orleans, of all places.
“Honestly? That kid should not have to be told.”
Then Cali wept. The idea of actually going it alone had been unthinkable beyond her fantasy life.
Mexico then joined them at the edge of the structure. She had brought smokes of her own. A morena from Veracruz, Mexico instantly turned the talk to moving strategies. She was invested in Cali breaking this off. Clean, quick work.
The neighbor wanted to know how Cali was set for money? The newly-estranged ex’s new threats against her wind energy moneymaker were expected, but no less hurtful. She could by no means prove it, but Cali’s gut was saying that centuries of cruelty were coming to a bear in this instant. This time was no time like none other in the past. All precedents were corny, useless.
“I feel especially vulnerable right now!” Cali moaned “My poor sanctuary cities…
“He never respected my Mexican heritage. And when our LA and Oakland kids started making a worldwide art money out of acting as least white as possible on microphones, that man began low-key detesting me.”
Cali was wondering about the fires. LA’s new scars, too, were undercutting her confidence.
Her ex was right about one thing: There was too much diversity in their nation—of all stripes—to remain a sustainable family. Never mind the broad color pallet, it was the slow-learnin’ God Squaders who put them over the top. Those literalist villagers brought out the worst in him.
Then, Cali went quiet. All about the proud young mother, her girlfriends’ tobacco smoke wrapped itself. And the reality hit her: No more having to treat the Montana and Alabama in-laws as Perry when they are in fact leech states.
No need to register their say at all. A hopeful smile began to play across California’s face.
“The international community,” Mexico said. Get them to rebuild Los Angeles.”
Cali did have to admit that most countries on the planet were super into her. Maybe they would offer a tribute? Not having to ask the big bastard for money would be liberation the likes of which she had never known.
“Yes!” chirped an excited Canada, licking her lips. “You can let the entire world love you. Both hemispheres.”
They laughed as the sun went down a little further on America.
Hollow victory
On Sunday, the wonderful erotica Substack Hollow experienced a brilliantly explosive sharing of images—many personal—on its Sunday message channel. Before chaos was reined in, I discovered that a number of creatives have married poetry and erotic self-portraiture very, very effectively. Kudos.
10 Dana Larsen & psychedelics’ future
Out of a venture that was based on testing the safety of drugs, Canadian operator Dana Larsen has built Vancouver’s Medicinal Mushroom Cafe. Next he’s loaded up with lawyers to push the boundaries of drug legalization.
Box Brown
Though psychedelics are just as critical to the dispensary as its name implies, the cafe also sold coca leaves—a Canadian schedule 1 drug—in the past. Apparently, Larsen’s been busted for that.
The Full Herb Caen
Central Washington farming is going to take a hard workplace hit when mass deportations come to that state…
Ondi Timoner—director of the timeless rock doc Dig!—lost her Altadena home and studio and all of the research and equipment inside of them to the Eaton fire…
You don’t say on camera that you can shoot someone on a major Manhattan avenue and get away with it, unless you’ve seen some amazing numbers…
Tomorrow opens Black History Month. I fully expect The Wypipo House to bust out a Frederick Douglass reference…
While in Portland last month I had to explain to my sister that Bronny James isn’t actually good at basketball, and I realized that LeBron had indeed accomplished his nepotism mission…
I’ll be happy for the arrival of the Keanu Reeves of sports play-by-play announcers. Or the John Garfield, if you’re a hella old cineaste. Someone who might actually underplay the unfolding events…
Whether Seattle gets back into the NBA depends on the Boston Celtics sale and how quickly the NBA’s European league takes shape…
The main criteria to be a Black friend of Trump is have received repeated head trauma in public…
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to West Coast Sojourn to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.