Table of Contents
Sunday Stroll………………….Walking around LA
Sunday Songs…………………Country, indie-pop, playlist rotations
Sunday Poll……………………..I’ve got a scenario this week
Sunday Carrier………………….Slow news week
Studio Jali …………………………Uncredited and Rob Rabbit!
P.S ……………………………………….Chalk /ˈtʃɔːk/ is a soft, white, porous sedimentary rock, a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite. Calcite is calcium carbonate or CaCO3.
Sunday Strolls
around LA has been my favorite new activity to my life. Here’s what’s been on my mind as I’ve experienced this city one foot at a time. Pun intended.
First up:
Gilbert Goons
In edition #60 Goons I detailed the story about Preston Lord, a high school kid in the east valley suburbs of Phoenix, Arizona who was beaten to death outside a party by a “gang” of kids known as the Gilbert Goons. Not a ton was known about the goons in December when I published that edition. The rumors were that they were a bunch of well-connected rich kids, who were going around selling drugs and jumping people in parking lots and at parties. Aside from that, we didn’t know their names, we didn’t know which high school they belonged to, and we didn’t know why it had taken the Gilbert Police Department so long to investigate them.
Stories like this don’t happen in Gilbert, Arizona. Crime is rare. Violent crime is almost unheard of. So when this story broke, it was all anyone was talking about, and it’s continued to stay in our collective consciousness since then. Well, in the last 2 weeks, there have been a lot of developments about the Gilbert Goons. There’s been a string of arrests, and possibly a RICO charge(!)
(Potentially getting a RICO charge in Gilbert, Arizona is insane, and can not be understated how rare it is. I’d assume it has to be one of, if not the only RICO charge case in Gilbert, AZ history).
“On March 6 Four suspects were charged in the death of Preston Lord. Talan Renner, Dominic Turner, Talyn Vigil, and William Owen Hines were all named as suspects in a press conference by Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell. Each of the four was charged with first-degree murder, felony murder, and kidnapping. Turner was additionally charged with aggravated robbery.”
A few bullet points.
If you ever wondered what the experience was like for POC growing up in the east valley suburbs of Phoenix, just know they had to deal with rich white kids with names like Talan and Talyn. Dominic and Treston should’ve known off rip hanging with kids with names like that would bring trouble.
Talan’s father, Travis Renner, 50, was arrested on the same day as Kyler Renner, on suspicion of drug possession and paraphernalia charges. He has also been accused of trying to hide Talan’s involvement by sending him to a cabin in Northern Arizona to hide his injuries.
This case SCREAMS to be an episode of Dateline or some late-night murder TV show in about 3-5 years. It was a quiet suburb…being the opening line.
Jokes aside, it’s good that these goons were brought to justice. Hopefully, they are sentenced accordingly to their crimes, and Preston’s family can find some peace.
You can read more about the story here:
WAS COVID THE WORLD’S 9/11?
Bare with me.
If you’re a Gen Z’er American like me, you probably don’t remember 9/11. If anything, you remember the times your older siblings or family members talked about it. Or maybe you’ve even asked them the question directly.
Where were you on 9/11?
You can ask any 30 or older American that question and they will tell you a story. Not one of them will answer “I don’t remember. It was just another day. I ate probably ate breakfast.” No. They’ll tell you a story. Because of that, this event has been seared into Gen Z’s brains by proxy. Every generation above us lived it or remembers it, so we do too.
The American sphere of influence doesn’t let us forget this either. “Don’t forget 9/11” is a slogan that’s been ingrained in our being. But still, 20 years onwards it does feel like the impact of this event has faded for anyone 20 or younger growing up in the States. They’ll maybe know it was a terrorist attack sure, but their Gen Z older brothers and sisters aren’t telling them any first-hand accounts. And so, like anything in history, the magnitude, memory, and impact, fade.
What’s interesting about this is (still bare with me) we were only attacked one day, once, and it changed our country and the US’s relationship with the world FOREVER. Other countries in the world actively experience mass death or mass violence on a year-to-year basis. Sure we can include gun violence, but the degree and magnitude of what I’m talking about is more on par with— two examples off the top of my head— The Democratic Republic of the Congo and Gaza. My question is what happens to the psychology of countries who collectively experience that. But this is an aside.
The long-winded point I am trying to make is this. Is the COVID pandemic the world’s 9/11? Meaning is the pandemic going to be the event the entire world remembers and has a collective conscious and memory of, forever? (Or at least until the generation who didn’t have first-hand experience or memory of it stops telling stories about it) My theory says yes.
Even WW2 was contained in certain regions of the world. I’m sure Colombians or Mongolians weren’t first-hand affected by the war the same way France or Russia was. This is obvious, but that’s my point. EVERY PERSON from EVERY COUNTRY experienced this. How incredible, and rare, is that?
IDEAS I WISH I HAD
Shifting to something more lighthearted. Here are two ideas I wish I had.
[Disclaimer: The easy thing to say is Google or Facebook or Standard Oil or something, but I’m limiting these ideas based on who I am as a person, how often I use/view them, and how well I think I could successfully run them]
Okay, here we go.
Idea One: Lime Scooters
I use these little green electric two-wheelers all the time to get around LA. I’m an urbanist, I voted yes for Measure HLA, I think driving sucks, is dangerous, and is overrated. It all makes sense. I wish I invented this company.
How bad do I wish I had this idea?
7.8/10
Idea Two: Walking Los Angeles IG page
Everything is said in the first bullet point, but instead of electric scooters, human legs, and an IG account.
How bad do I wish I had this idea?
6.8/10
Idea Three: Los Angeles Chess Club
I know why I didn’t have this idea. I’m not passionate enough about chess. I love playing chess. I’m good at it. I even wrote an entire edition about how much fun I had at LA Chess Club. But to make a career out of it? To start a business out of it? That’s a higher tier of passion than I have for the timeless game.
I’ve watched the LA Chess Club IG page from 3k followers to over 10k in less than 3 weeks. If you want a lesson in marketing and imagery for a small business, it’s a great place to start.
How bad do I wish I had this idea?
5.7/10
SCENARIO
Here’s a scenario.
You’re going out for a night on the town. During your night out, you need to go to a club, a karaoke bar (and sing), and a cocktail bar. You need to be at the first stop by 9pm, and you can’t go home until 2am. The club, karaoke bar, and cocktail bar are exactly 10 minutes away walking from each other in a perfect triangle.
5 hours of activity. And you must have at least 1 drink at every stop, 5 total, plus 3 shots total. The kind of drinks and shots will be your choice.
Where do you go first? How do you plan the night?
For me, I’m thinking start at the cocktail bar. Keep things civil and classy. Drink 2 cocktails to ease you into the night. No shots. (3 drinks left. 3 shots left.)
Second stop, straight to the club. 2 shots when you walk in. Nurse 2 drinks after until you leave. Take shot #3 on the way out the door if you’re bold. This middle portion of the night, expect to be drunk. You’ll need to be a trooper here because you’re probably not leaving until 12:30. (1 drinks left. 1 shot left.)
Third stop, karaoke bar. Hopefully, the walk sobered you up 1-2%. And maybe you stopped for a burrito because we’re walking in and taking shot 3. It’ll hurt, it’ll be the one that sends you over the edge, but time to tough it out because it’s time to get on stage and sing your goodnight song.
That’s how I’d do it. What about you?
IN 30 YEARS SOCCER WILL BE THE MOST POPULAR SPORT IN AMERICA
This a B-tier hot take of mine that I feel more and more confident about each passing year. I’ll be writing more about the beautiful game in a few weeks.
LAST THOUGHT
Originality consists in return to the origin.
You want the best possible outcome to actually be the outcome you want.
Sunday Songs
Wondering Why is a country song for people who don’t normally listen to country music. My friend Thayne would probably like this song. He’s a soon-to-be park ranger in Colorado. For what it’s worth.
It was yesterday, Saturday, that I learned Mac Miller’s Small Worlds, was a sample of Small Worlds by Rayland Baxter. I love discoveries like this, and this one in particular I was told about. So I have to give credit by saying this was not my personal discovery. Regardless, great song.
Yam Yam is a quality playlist add. Could be in the summer rotation. TBD.
Closing out this week, Petals by TOPS. Another indie pop(?) record that will surely be added to my forgotten jams playlist. This, and Yam Yam for what it’s worth, are both songs that you rarely, if ever, queue up, but are always pleasantly reminded of when they come on in a playlist or a random shuffle.
Sunday Poll
Sunday Poll. We made two new Faye Webster fans last week from the newsletter. This is great news!
Anyway, here’s the question. I asked you to think about it already from earlier in the newsletter.
Voting is free and anonymous. All it takes is a subscription. (That’s free too).
You only have one week to vote. Results will be reviewed and discussed in next week’s edition.
Sunday Carrier
Israel-Palestine Human Rights Watch
Pornhub Blocked in Texas over Age Verification Law
[It’s a slow news week]
Weekly Announcement:
Rob Rabbit begins filming on March 26th
Next Thursday's Uncredited guest is Black Broccoli aka Nick Arcade
Uncredited will be uploaded to, and available to listen through Pen Sunday — on Saturdays!
PS
It’s the end of Pen Sunday, edition #72. If you reached the end, thank you for reading. It means a lot.
Pen Sunday is a newsletter about a writer, a dream, and a studio. With headlines from around the world, music, and maybe a poem. Every Sunday and Sunday only.
Until Sunday,
Solomon Lovejoy