In the digital age our idea of political activism is forwarding an e-mail. You copy four people and think, ‘I’ve fucking done my part for today.’

I’m glad to see Marc Maron getting some serious attention. It may be his addictive podcast that finally helped bring him to the mainstream consciousness, but he’s been a brilliant comedian in the comedy scene for a couple of decades. Since I first heard his stand up, I was attracted to his story-driven, anxiety-ridden, genuinely self-deprecating humor.

His new show on IFC, Maron, probably never would have happened if FX’s Louie hadn’t succeeded first - but make no mistake, Maron really isn’t much like Louie. Whereas Louis CK’s show is more of an observation of the absurdness of the world in which we live, Maron is more about the absurdness of our own personal stories. Marc’s show, it seems, is a form of therapy for him, as he explores those parts of himself that we tend to be dishonest about when concerning ourselves.

Really though, check out his show, check out his podcast, check out his stand-up, and check out his Twitter. 

In which James Franco writes, directs, and stars in an adaptation of William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying. This should be interesting.

James Franco sometimes irks me, but I do appreciate his ambition. Now, the real important question: when is his adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s Child of God finally going to see the light of day?

My absurdly talented cousin’s painting of our old family farm.

One of Erie’s staple meals: delicious Lake Erie perch.

Imagine that you are the manager at a small factory. 

As the manager, you oversee around 100 employees daily and it’s your job to not only maintain production quotas, but to design project ideas, organize teams, and provide quarterly evaluations of your workers.

The problem? Every time that you delegate a task to your employees, they groan. Roll their eyes. Some express their complaints verbally, even over the simplest of tasks.

Being the open-minded boss that you are, you try to accommodate your employees. You listen to all of their complaints. Every one of them. Some employees delve into details of their personal lives and you listen patiently and without judgement. You play music they like during working hours. You adapt their individual tasks based on their interests and abilities. You even promise them a little time to relax near the end of their shifts.

Yet, when you’re not watching, employees are spending their time chatting. They stare off into space. They sneak in naps, sometimes in the middle of formal meetings that you’re leading. Occasionally, you’ll catch two making out in a faraway corner.

“Did you call home to express your concerns?” your boss asks and you sigh.

Regardless of their evaluations, you’re not allowed to fire them. Ever. They can talk about your mom and call you an asshole to your face. If an employee doesn’t perform well at their job, they might have to spend the next fiscal year redoing whatever they had royally screwed up during the prior year.

But they’ll still be there, no matter how inept or lazy of an employee.

Furthermore, a couple of times a year, you have to test them on the basic skills of their job. They are high-pressure, intense skills tests that come from the higher ups - so you spend a significant amount of work time preparing… which, you know, sucks because it hurts efficiency, innovation, and production output at your plant.

“Sorry,” your boss says with a shrug when you complain about it. “I don’t like it either, but it’s the CEO’s orders. My hands are tied.”

So, you continue: managing, listening, changing, sometimes yelling, and trying, damn it… just trying.

It’s far from glamorous.

And more or less the life of a high school teacher.

Gramps circa the 1950s.

“Aya” by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

“Kindness” covers all of my political beliefs. No need to spell them out. I believe that if, at the end, according to our abilities, we have done something to make others a little happier, and something to make ourselves a little happier, that is about the best we can do. To make others less happy is a crime. To make ourselves unhappy is where all crime starts. We must try to contribute joy to the world. That is true no matter what our problems, our health, our circumstances. We must try. I didn’t always know this and am happy I lived long enough to find it out.

-Roger Ebert, I do not fear death (2011)

There are few meals as devilishly satisfying.

Good christ… what can’t you do, Nick Cave?