Welcome Friends to Now. Sure, let’s call it Normal again. Why not? I made some changes here and wanted to tell you about them.

New color! New sections! New Graphics! New ideas! New me!

Substack is on the forefront of this new movement of independence. Actually it’s more like defiance. If you have not explored some of the content here, you are missing out. If you ever dreamed of writing, don’t miss out. I’m not going to.

just letting you know, I linked to a bunch of fellow writers in this post, thank you for indulging me, more importantly, please please click a link, one click marks two tally’s

Everything from food to music to art to craft to history. Oh wait- that’s here. True - but it’s all over Substack. From evolutionary to esoteric to eclectic to eccentric, it’s all here.

I have been listening to this station much of the day. It just seems to capture my every mood. It is genre defying, which I very much like.

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fabbit-holes

Left and Right. Black and White. Gay and Straight. Uptight and Laidback. Up the creek and down the river. Getting lost here, finding refuge there. Cool things like comics and illustrations, graphic novels and dark romances, and even a happy love story here and there. LOL.

Hard-hitting veteran journalists, burned-out corporate refugees, cool shrinks, vintage foodies, rising pop influencers, and newbie-wanna-bees like me. Industry-specific techno-wonk stuff on design, crypto, architecture, tech, fashion, urban design, social justice, racial healing and even some God and Satan related platforms. Etc. Etc. Etc.

Even one called Food is Stupid

Cool right? I subscribe to about 104, and pay for about a dozen. So many I can’t link to all of them in one post. Look for more.

I read and click and it is a major fabbit-hole. I sincerely hope that you fall into many of them.

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On Being Sectional in an Intersectional World

I want to tell you about the specific changes I am making to my specific platform, Compass Star Wordsmith. When you log onto my Substack (riclexel.substack.com) on your computer or laptop (it’s a different look on a device), you will hit this landing page:

Notice underneath the title is a row of “Sections”: Open Letter, Vulnerability, etc. Clicking on one of those sections will take you to a specific collection of posts centered on that theme.

Its humbling and inspiring to realize that I have enough posts to fill up 5+ sections. Wow.

Landing on a section page looks like this:

See something. Say something.

The sections are pretty awesome. If one of them pisses you off, it is me after all, you can go into settings and opt out of one or more sections. By Default I will opt you all in on all things!

I say all of this to prepare you for the following: POLITIX

Ooh I know. Such a bad word right now. But hold on. It’s not what you think. Like all of my writing, I strive to bring you a new angle or fresh look or even angry take, but at all times I respect your sensibilities and sensitivities. (Some keep suggesting happy topics - seriously?)

But let’s face it, one look around should have a deep and visceral impact on all of us. A huge difference in my life has been to reenter the real estate industry. As an appraiser, I typically drive from 20-100 miles per field day.

Literally from South County to South LA to West Hills to West Covina to San Bernardino to San Pedro to Northridge to North Tustin. I left the industry in 1997. The difference in the streets could not be more starkly dystopian after 25 years.

I will be introducing a Photo-Journalism Section later this spring. One of the coolest things is being able to view DTLA Skyline from so many different locales. SoCal is a truly beautiful place.

Another focus of mine is the graffiti. It’s amazing and atrocious and all-over. Like a cockroach, it is literally everywhere. And like a cockroach, depending on one’s point of view, it’s either beautiful or disgusting.

I think most of it is beautiful. Some of it is truly breathtaking in scope. First off, they have to fucking climb up there. Just that is a major night event for me. Then I gotta paint too? fuck it. So I admire these artists.

The other focus will be the Urban Campers. The overwhelming number is overwhelming. The filth is putrefying. The apathy is maddening. The human pain and suffering is unbearable. We are better than this.

But here is what POLITIX means to me. I heard this word on my first night in jail and I describe that adventure in the post coming out Friday. I am writing this post on Wednesday to let my readers know in advance what to expect.

The current sense of the country is kinda like the drunk guy getting ready to deep-fat-fry the Thanksgiving Turkey.

Deep Shit; Not Deep Fat

It’s not going to turn out good. Especially if we don’t say or do something about it before. I am saying something. I am not saying I am right. I am doing just what they tell us to do. See something. Say something.

I am saying something. I strongly encourage you to say something. About whatever is pissing you off. Or making you happy. i did it

This is what makes me happy: Meeting people. Taking pictures. Writing words. Expressing feelings. Living life.

What makes you happy?

Ric