Fires, Fascism, and Fear for the Future

cammyscomiccorner

7 days ago9 min read

Last blog entry was a recap of my hectic summer, then several months of silence later and here we are. I wish I could claim I've been busy with life as an excuse, but the reality is I've just been trying to survive mentally from this rapidly spreading hellscape.

So the election happened, and a majority of American voters continue to prove that they are fucking idiots. "Perfection is the enemy of progress," Winston Churchill once wrote, and enough voters took that to heart in the voting booth and went with the devil they knew while completely forgetting (or willfully) what happened during his first term eight years ago. He continued running on a platform of hate and division, and the news media sanewashed him as they envisioned high ratings across the board as they planned to give 24/7 coverage to his shitshow of a second term. Add in Elon Musk and a rogues gallery of administration nominees and it was still somehow only 2024.

There could be reports in the future claiming, "Elon stole the election by rigging voting machines!" and I would totally believe it, but guess what? Nothing will be done. No one will hold anyone accountable. This is the new norm. This is the new Hell a majority of Americans have willingly voted for because, "the cost of eggs is too damn high!" Already there's been buyers remorse, as Google searches for "how do I change my vote" skyrocketed the day after the election. It's giving Brexit vibes, and I think of the clips of shellshocked UK voters being interviewed and in complete disbelief that it passed, thanks in a small part to their protest vote. Same thing appears to be slowly happening over here, especially with the deluge of news headlines that followed the inauguration on January 20th. Executive Order here, there, and everywhere, followed by entire programs and budgets being hacked and slashed, and federal workers being told to fall in line, retire, or get fired.

I spent all four years of his first term staying informed, politically active, and on the offensive. Those four years felt like a decade, so much was going on. The glimmer of hope was when Biden won in 2020, but then the following 4 years of continuous coverage of what his predecessor was up too made it feel like he never left the conversation, and might even have a chance of being elected once again. Now that he is, I don't have the energy or mental capacity like I did back in 2016. Fascism is on the rise, but how to fight it is still up in the air. I honestly don't wish ill on anyone, but it feels like this time around people, especially those who proudly voted for him, need to feel the pain he's going to cause. They need to feel the effects of his actions and executive orders in order for it to finally burst their bubble of reality. Yes, they'll automatically blame Democrats (who hold no majority in any of the three branches of government and would rather keep putting forth octogenarians in leadership roles rather than younger candidates), but with the more damage done and they're no longer able to afford basic necessities due to tariffs, disease, or lack of aid, and you might finally start seeing some people fed up with his leadership. Here's another Winston Churchill quote to end my thoughts on the matter for now: "Americans can always be trusted to do the right thing, once all other possibilities have been exhausted." Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be continuing to self-medicate via edibles and Scotch.

Kris McClung, April 14, 1946 – November 8, 2024

Back in December was the memorial service for Kris McClung, founder of the Coronado School of the Arts. I attended to pay my respects to such a remarkable woman, and big part of my life during high school. It was wonderful seeing so many of her friends, colleagues, and former students in attendance. Her husband spoke wonderfully about her, their half a century journey together, her career in teaching, and what would be her legacy of creating CoSA in the Fall of 1996 and helping so many students find their passion in the arts. The Tour Group sang a song from the musical Children of Eden in the final moments of the service, which was a beautiful way to end it.

I was in the Musical Theatre program at CoSA from 2001-2005. Having performed in all the high school Spring Musicals while in middle school (Oliver, Cinderella, The Wizard of Oz), I couldn't wait to audition for CoSA to continue my dream as an actor. After entering high school, I wanted to also try out for lacrosse to keep a balance of acting and sports, but it soon became almost impossible since rehearsals would overlap with practices. Mrs. McClung took me aside one day and ultimately made me choose one or the other, noting that she saw me as more as an actor, and thought I would enjoy my time in CoSA more than in sports. She was 100% right.

All four years at CoSA helped me find the confidence to be the person you all know me as today. The friendships I made, the incredible musicals and plays I had the pleasure of being a part of, and most importantly, learning how to write in my own voice. Being a part of the REP program run by Mrs. McClung, we would write our own scenes and monologues as a group and then perform them. I was so proud seeing something that I had written be acted out on stage. Mrs. McClung taught me lessons that I still use today, and for that I am forever grateful for her.

When it came to funding for the arts, she was a tiny, calm storm of a woman who knew how to keep the grants and donations coming. She was well known in Sacramento for her tenacity, and several other arts programs across the state used her blueprint of CoSA because it was so successful. She will be dearly missed, and I'm so thankful to have known her and to have learned from her.

Dinah not so thrilled her carrier is out

If November and the months that followed weren't crazy enough, then almost all of Los Angeles was on fire. Amanda and I almost had to evacuate Studio City at one point because the Sunswept fire popped-up only a few streets away, but thankfully first responders were on it immediately and had it contained from spreading. That one was a little suspicious because it was isolated and several miles upwind of the closest Sunset fire at the time, and some people are suggesting arson. Our bags were already packed and in the car, but once the news shared the firefighters had the upper hand and showed footage of all the units surrounding it, we made the call to simply stay and try not to stress out our cat Dinah by suddenly going on a little car ride.

The other two fires, Palisades and Eaton, were insane. 0% contained because of the high winds for weeks. The Palisades fire in particular ripped through the entire community, obliterating it. My old boss lost everything in the Palisades fire, as well as art directors I know in both Palisades and Eaton as well. Just absolutely terrifying to think everything you built could be gone in a flash.

I kept getting flashbacks of the Cedar fire in San Diego 20 years ago. I vividly remember it because it happened the day after a play I was in Absurdity Squared ended (also directed by Mrs. McClung). Two of my friends spent the night at my house, all fun and games into the night, and the next morning we awoke to an eerie orange glow coming through the window. It's just something we have to deal with if we want to continue living in California (despite insurance companies now dropping policies and fleeing).

The winds eventually settled and allowed crews to tackle and slowly contain both fires, and then a few weeks later we received a few days of much needed rain which finished off both fires completely. Amanda and I wore masks everywhere during and after the fires since so much toxic crap was in the air, and it felt like we were the only ones who took it seriously. Like COVID, everyone appeared to be in the mindset of, "let's just get back to normal life please," and I have no doubt some people will be getting health complications in the months and years to come. One of the silver linings to come out of the whole ordeal was seeing Los Angeles united as a community. People don't realize that it's actually 13 different cities in one, and people donated food, clothing, resources, their time, and so much more to help out those in need. It was moving, and definitely made me proud to call this city home. Now to figure out what LA STRONG t-shirt to purchase and make sure the profits are going to worthy causes.

I'm bad at setting appointments for the doctor and dentist, and one of my resolutions for the year was to be more proactive with my health. Because I did have squamous cell carcinoma (aka cancer on my lip) several years ago, I have been seeing my dermatologist on a regular basis, but for overall health? I haven't had a check-up in a while. So I found a doctor and had blood tests done, answered some questions, and had a physical exam. First and foremost, I'm a little overweight. I had a feeling that was coming because the appointment took place after the holidays, when during that time I'm eating every baked good in sight and running less. My sweet tooth will be my downfall no doubt, but that still won't stop me from having an emotional support tub of cookie dough in the fridge.

Secondly, my doctor told me I had high blood pressure and instructed me to keep track with a personal blood pressure machine. So for a week I would put on the armband, let the machine take its reading, and report back to the doctor. Turns out it was still very high. I though the first time they took it in the office was just a one-off since I was incredibly stressed from work that month. But now the doctor was threatening me with prescribing medication if my results didn't start coming down. I then discovered the problem: I was wearing the armband upside-down, and that was causing the misreadings. I have a follow-up appointment next month and hopefully will see my weight go down a little at least because of all the running I've been doing.

Speaking of running, it was almost impossible for me to get back to my routine in January because of first the fires, then I had a bad case of the flu for a week. This surprised me because I normally only get really sick once a year, around the holidays (something I inherited from my dad). But in the middle of January, where I don't come in contact with anyone because I work from home? It was truly bizarre. Thankfully Amanda didn't catch it from me, but it still royally kicked my ass. All said and done, I'm now in my normal routine of running along the Los Angeles River, and it's been freezing cold outside.

In comics news, I completed illustrating the fourth issue of FUGU COMIX in January. I'm in the coloring process now, and I hope to have it out by April. I'm very proud of this latest issue, and can't wait to share my latest twisted stories with you. After I send that off to the printers, I'll focus on completing the final few episodes of my Abroad series I've been working on-and-off on for the past few years. One realization I came to when I was delirious with the flu and having sudden awareness and introspection was that I don't finish things. I'll start a project, get about halfway done, then start something else that new and shiny. Because I try tackling several different projects at one, they barely get finished. So now that I'm no longer editing CLUSTERFUX COMIX, I'm going to prioritize what I tackle next. After Abroad it will be my Evan Helsing book that will no doubt take several years, and when I feel like comics again, I'll pause where I'm at with the writing and focus only on the comics. Hopefully this new strategy will make me more productive and less stressed that I'm neglecting other incomplete projects.

To end on a happier note, one of my favorite bookstores, The Last Bookstore, opened a Studio City branch only a 10-min drive away from me. I've attended several times since they opened in December, and it is heavenly walking through the aisles of used books and leaving with a stack of them. Last year Amanda and I started a tradition of reading for at least an hour after dinner and before our TV programs, and we've gone through so many books since then. I've always been a voracious reader, but now I'm going through a few books a month. My tastes range from the classics, to memoirs and autobiographies, to Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror/Espionage/Humor. One thing I noticed after high school was it was more enjoyable to read the classics when they weren't assigned to you and forced down your throat. I'm currently reading A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce and I'm enjoying it greatly. Just the other weekend I attended a signing for one of my favorite podcasters, Ira Madison III, for his new book of essays titled Pure Innocent Fun. It was a fun reading, and I got to tell him how much I love the podcast as he signed my copy. This year I hope to attend even more signings of authors I admire.

That does it for this update, I hope I didn't make you miserable with my views on the world. However, if things start looking really dire, Amanda and I will flee to France without hesitation. Now here's your picture of Dinah you're waiting for.