Today more people died in LA than any other day of this pandemic. Easter. The day Trump targeted as being the day the country would see packed churches and a nation “rarin to go.”

My church was not open, but it did stream its services live on YouTube and the minister said something interesting about all of the empty churches, roads, parks and stores.

She said, on this day over 2,000 years ago something else was empty, and it was great.

Likewise it’s wonderful that we are shutting things down, and sacrificing as one, and doing everything we can to love and protect each other.

Emptiness is not always a negative. In some cases it’s the goal.

Despite the fact that UCSB solidified my love of the Bible and Christianity, it was also the place where I took a Zen Buddhism class that I never forgot.

There I learned that in Zen, you strive to have an empty mind, an empty spirit, no agenda, and zero expectations. Because when you can reach that place, even for a moment – then magic can happen thanks to your openness.

The blank slate. The empty page. The fresh new canvas. All of these may bring about anxiety with fears that we can’t fill them with interesting art. But every masterpiece starts with nothing.

Then a spark.

Then the work.

To honor those whose mortal journeys ended today and in the past weeks, I say we first acknowledge – and not gloss over – their passing.

And then we create with the energy that we know we have. All the strength we’ve saved for a rainy day.

We will not have days like these again, God willing.

Make good use of them. Even if all you do is clear out everything while trying to achieve the impossibility of nothingness.

i dont.

I’ve got two good stories that’ll come out next week.

very happy with the ones I’ve done so far but these next two will be interesting because the first one is about something i dont know shit about and even the terms I had to google

the other one is something i know a little about and was nervous that the dude wouldn’t wanna talk but he answered every question and then some.

a professional would have the questions written out, maybe on note cards, with follow up questions ready to go.

me, for the first one i stood outside my place, pacing up and down my sidewalk with a robe on and pajamas underneath. outside because my phone likes to crap out on me about 10 minutes into the conversation and i was recording these interviews and i dont like to have two and three parts

the second one i did in the car as amber and i drove to Santa Monica because they’ve got a target there that always seems to have TP and/or paper towels.

doing these interviews you realize why U2 keeps making new music. they could just do greatest hits shows or relive classic albums. personally i think they should tour with an orchestra and a bunch of guest singers.

but things happen over time. you learn a few things about life. you learn a couple things about yourself. and now when you interview someone you do simple things like STFU,

or because youre older and they talk about one thing, you can segue easier into the next thing. that’s something i noticed when guys like Chuck Swirsky (Sr) or even Hacksaw Hamilton would interview jocks on the radio. as great as they were, as knowledgeable as they were, during their interviews it always seemed like they were reading from a list.

interviews should be conversations. Howard stern taught us that. they should go on for an hour. more if the person is really vibing. and you should have a list in your head and that’s where it should stay.

when i was in high school and i was about to call a girl, i would have a little list of 4-5 topics. but the girls who were the best could get you off that list right away. that’s how these interviews should be.