Sometimes you can do all the planning and preparation in the world and still fuck up. That’s what happened to me today. Plan Z also didn’t work as planned. I was already nervous about getting everything right that I allowed a fixable mistake to snowball into a subpar outcome.

It was a fuck up at a time I shouldn’t and couldn’t fuck up. Why am I even doing this? Why am I here?

I’m mourning the loss hard.

I have to. As a creative professional, so much of my identity is tied to what goes on in my brain. I make mistakes all the time, as what comes with getting better. That doesn’t mean those mistakes get easier to dismiss. The better I get at my craft the harder it is to get over a mistake. I obsess over them and it ruins my whole day. …

Some spoilers, if you can say that about a historical series.

Season 4 of The Crown premiered this week and for a “woke” Black American, I’m way too excited for this season.

I’m a sucker for a good historical drama, especially one that centers around rich white people in elaborate costumes. In contrast to shows like The Tudors and The Borgias, the sovereign protagonist is not some hedonistic megalomaniac, but an emotionless, levelheaded woman. But at the same time, because Elizabeth and Philip are still kicking, I feel more invested in The Crown’s storylines. …

This article has been revised to reflect the fact Gardner died by suicide in Oregon.

On the week of September 14, Omahans anxiously awaited a grand jury decision which will decide the future of this overgrown prairie town. After a longwinded response from the Black special prosecutor— as well as some online casual racism from so-called white allies — the grand jury returned a 4-count indictment against Jake Gardner: manslaughter, first-degree assault, illegal use of a firearm, and terroristic acts.

It was a shock, but one of those shocks that leaves you disappointed. Manslaughter isn’t legally murder. But it does acknowledge that Gardner is responsible for Scurlock’s death. Furthermore, the prosecutor asserted that much of the evidence regarding the indictment came from Gardner in the form of social media posts and statements. …

James Scurlock didn’t deserve to die. He does deserve justice. Justice he probably won’t receive.

They expect us to riot once the grand jury decision is made public. You already know who they and us are. The Omaha police are on alert. Downtown businesses are afraid of property damage. It was the same excuse Jake Gardner used to murder Scurlock. Right here on Harney Street.

Note: I usually write black in lowercase because I no longer feel the need to tailor my language to an increasingly obsolete grammar guide to get my message across. But from here on out I will capitalize for solidarity’s sake.

The more we hear about Breonna Taylor’s murder, the more it doesn’t make sense. Granted, whenever the victim of a racist system is a Black woman, very little makes sense. How did Sandra Bland end up dead? Why did some gutless good ol’ boys decide to kill Johnnie Mae Chappell, a mother of ten walking home from the grocery store? Why was Laura Nelson raped and lynched after being thrown in prison on a bogus charge only to have photos of her corpse passed around as collectible postcards? …

This is going to be a left-field analogy, but follow me on this one. The ancient Roman military was a well-oiled machine of effective warfare. There were two types of forces: the legionnaires and the auxiliary.

To be a legionnaire, you had to be a Roman citizen. Non-Romans could serve in the military but only as auxiliary. They may fight alongside the legionnaire, but legionnaires were better trained, had better equipment, and were expected to die for Rome. This was both a political move and a practical one, as Romans did not trust non-Romans to fight for Rome’s best interest on the front lines. Auxiliary forces had to prove their dedication with 25 years of service before they could even receive Roman citizenship. …

This article contains spoilers.

I didn’t have a favorite show until I watched Bojack Horseman. Utilizing a tactic often used by Norman Lear, Bojack tackles hard-hitting issues like mental health, generational abuse, and toxic relationships by wrapping its core message around a nonsensical world populated by anamorphic animals and humans. It’s the spoonful of sugar that makes the medicine go down.

The show takes risks with its antihero protagonist, its slapstick humor, its nontraditional storytelling concepts, and its self-reflexive commentary on celebrity and Hollywood culture. …

I was warned. We were all warned. We didn’t think the scenario from Jaws would happen in real life. Why would a mayor keep a beach open with a killer shark prowling the shoreline? And yet, here we are: arguing whether or not to open beaches and other public spaces back up because “the economy.”

Who exactly is doing this? Is it the Republicans or the Democrats? Yes. Although there is one political ideology that does it far more than the others…

This isn’t the Bronze Age. The economy doesn’t need a human sacrifice. There’s no need to force people to go back to work because your local or state government has made you feel guilty about utilizing a safety net you paid for. Do you think it’s a handout? …