Pretty damned happy that my current teaching gig has enough space in it to read that. Nothing better than steering kids toward mental aeronautics. Beautiful. Skateboards still had clay wheels back when I was teening, so I was not so inclined. Way later, I had a long hangout in Venice, was torn between watching sunset on the beach or skaters in the park. While watching the sun w my wife, we heard a tsunami wave of horror waft out of the skateboal, learned that a newb had cut-off an iconic elder, sending him to the floor. Rescue squad took an hour trying to figure out how to get him out of the bowl. I dont think I've ever seen anything more unifying than the horrible accident that drew every skater in LA to the site, sending love, hope. Even so, I dont think it turned out well.
I’m pretty happy with how that one came together. Strange to feel like the quality is increasing while the compensation plummets but I’m happy that you and a few others appreciate the stories
My guess is your consistency and endurance are creating their own momentum and you are somewhat swept up in the current, wondering if you should use your energy to get out of the riptide. I feel for you there. Even more for bearing long-timers' witness to the changes happening in Substack. I have far less involvement or investment, like not even close, but I too am annoyed by how things are working, the place loaded with... well, you know what it's loaded with. I've gotta watch my consumption of things here because I only joined to nudge myself to produce. Maybe that's the essential problem: everybody aims to be the center, the influencer, the money-maker, the advisor, the creator. Hard to have a kingdom if there's nobody around to bow or to serve.
Vaguely-related sidenote: Seattle was formed largely due to the Alaskan gold rush, an early test-run of Substack. DOGE shit has shut down the supercool Alaskan Gold Rush National Historical Park so that visitors to town see the Google Spheres rather than experience our creation story. The park employess gather in front waving signs, but to little or no effect.
My biggest problem is that I can’t leave. I cannot afford to issue refunds. I’m an honorable person. I give people their money’s worth. It’s absolutely sickening how few people I need to be comfortable.i don’t need a lot. 500 human beings and I’d be fine.
Too old to understand the by play or references but again the humanity and the dance feels like I’m in the middle of it, watching.. You are a master at this and this stories should be taught..
What hit me wasn’t the skate slang or even the drone cam poetry—it was that strange, unspoken tension between generations orbiting each other, wary and weirdly tender.
Somehow, this story made it through the algorithm and landed on my front page. That alone feels like a kind of magic. In a feed optimized for outrage and virality, here was a quiet, rust-boned fable about respect, community, and a man who names stars for himself because no one else will.
It appears not to be designed to be clipped, shared, or turned into content—but maybe that’s exactly why it cut through. Nice work, Mr. Doom.
Thanks Brett. I try to make ‘em meaningful , give ‘em some power. 1660 plus and they aren’t all gonna win Pulitzers. But maybe someone can buy the rights to a couple and I can start catching up to your Emmy total
I’ve got some low level film awards, a dump truck of nominations, I’ve been writing on Substack since 2020 and I’m donor of the year at Acme Plasma Centers.
Pretty damned happy that my current teaching gig has enough space in it to read that. Nothing better than steering kids toward mental aeronautics. Beautiful. Skateboards still had clay wheels back when I was teening, so I was not so inclined. Way later, I had a long hangout in Venice, was torn between watching sunset on the beach or skaters in the park. While watching the sun w my wife, we heard a tsunami wave of horror waft out of the skateboal, learned that a newb had cut-off an iconic elder, sending him to the floor. Rescue squad took an hour trying to figure out how to get him out of the bowl. I dont think I've ever seen anything more unifying than the horrible accident that drew every skater in LA to the site, sending love, hope. Even so, I dont think it turned out well.
I’m pretty happy with how that one came together. Strange to feel like the quality is increasing while the compensation plummets but I’m happy that you and a few others appreciate the stories
Understood.
My guess is your consistency and endurance are creating their own momentum and you are somewhat swept up in the current, wondering if you should use your energy to get out of the riptide. I feel for you there. Even more for bearing long-timers' witness to the changes happening in Substack. I have far less involvement or investment, like not even close, but I too am annoyed by how things are working, the place loaded with... well, you know what it's loaded with. I've gotta watch my consumption of things here because I only joined to nudge myself to produce. Maybe that's the essential problem: everybody aims to be the center, the influencer, the money-maker, the advisor, the creator. Hard to have a kingdom if there's nobody around to bow or to serve.
Vaguely-related sidenote: Seattle was formed largely due to the Alaskan gold rush, an early test-run of Substack. DOGE shit has shut down the supercool Alaskan Gold Rush National Historical Park so that visitors to town see the Google Spheres rather than experience our creation story. The park employess gather in front waving signs, but to little or no effect.
My biggest problem is that I can’t leave. I cannot afford to issue refunds. I’m an honorable person. I give people their money’s worth. It’s absolutely sickening how few people I need to be comfortable.i don’t need a lot. 500 human beings and I’d be fine.
I thought that might be the situation. I know you don’t want updates, but when the time is right, you will be my first paid subscription.
Too old to understand the by play or references but again the humanity and the dance feels like I’m in the middle of it, watching.. You are a master at this and this stories should be taught..
Hey thanks for joining in. I’ve seen you make a lot of cool comments w Sherman Alexie’s stuff.
Thanks I enjoy really good writing .. was looking at your posts just now and following you. Jimmy, here, is amazing.
That's a great job of world-building. I feel like I'm on the streets with those guys, right there in the moment. Impressive tale, Jimmy.
Thanks. I had a point I wanted to make in a shorter tale but the characters expanded it for me
It's crazy what people remember - and co-opt.
Love the ending!
You never know what you’ll say to someone that they’ll remember for the rest of their life.
What hit me wasn’t the skate slang or even the drone cam poetry—it was that strange, unspoken tension between generations orbiting each other, wary and weirdly tender.
Somehow, this story made it through the algorithm and landed on my front page. That alone feels like a kind of magic. In a feed optimized for outrage and virality, here was a quiet, rust-boned fable about respect, community, and a man who names stars for himself because no one else will.
It appears not to be designed to be clipped, shared, or turned into content—but maybe that’s exactly why it cut through. Nice work, Mr. Doom.
Thanks Brett. I try to make ‘em meaningful , give ‘em some power. 1660 plus and they aren’t all gonna win Pulitzers. But maybe someone can buy the rights to a couple and I can start catching up to your Emmy total
You are welcome. Still, my Emmys and a couple of bucks won't buy a cup at Starbucks these days.
I’ve got some low level film awards, a dump truck of nominations, I’ve been writing on Substack since 2020 and I’m donor of the year at Acme Plasma Centers.
You gotta be an Elder (or elderly) to know Pushead.
No, that deck got a reissue so it hit a second or even third generation of kids.