Bye-bye, my love, goodbye. — Three and a half years ago, I pitched Medium an idea for a publication that they greenlit and co-produced. I called it Humungus. I was the editor. I wanted Humungus to be a conversation about masculinity and pop culture written by and for anyone who identifies as a man or…

Just a few words for the fellas — I once smoked a cocaine-laced joint with an ex-con whose arms were decorated with white supremacist tattoos because, like a beggar, addicts can’t be choosers, so I puffed away as he gave me the only concrete advice I’ve ever been given about masculinity: “You’re not a real man unless you’ve…

9 weeks in 2020. 12 essays. Covid-19. — Hi. My name is John. This collection is possible because of the support of Medium subscribers. Thanks to them, I’m able to write weekly essays about pop culture, politics, and feelings. If you’d like to learn more, click here. Prologue: December 19th, 2021 When I first heard this joke, it was about a Jewish…

*The acclaimed HBO TV series — I think about Rome all the time. Specifically, I think about the big-budget HBO drama Rome that ran from 2005–2007. That magnificent series was a richly realized historical epic that mixed sex and violence and back-stabbing political intrigue and served as a blueprint for the mega-hit series Game of Thrones…

You won’t regret it — I don’t want to tell you how to live your life. But I’d jump at the chance to watch Blade II if I was you. Or don’t. Have you ever seen it before? When was the last time you watched it? Either way, it’s worth putting on. That’s just what…

A recent scene from a therapy session… — “How are you feeling?” “I had a chicken parm for lunch, which I don’t normally eat. It’s delicious but too heavy. But this chicken parm? It was perfect. Just hit the spot.” The first thing my therapist does at the start of every session is ask me how I’m feeling…

And bunkers — 1. I rarely think I have answers to questions asked on social media unless that question is some variation of “Are Nazis bad?” and then it is straightforward for me to respond, “Yes.” But there was one question this past summer that I read online that I could answer instantly…

Shop ‘til you exist in the moment — I like to wander the aisles of Texas thrift stores to clear my mind. That is not all I do when I visit the Lone Star State. I also eat miles of enchiladas with my family when I’m there. But, eventually, I will find myself inside one of the many…

I miss flipping pages — He asked me if I wanted to see something cool. I said “yes,” because I did. What had started as Friday night happy hour drinks turned into poorly rolled joints in his small studio apartment on the Lower East Side, New York City’s turn-of-the-century party district. We worked together at…