22 West Magazine - April 2020

Issue 86.03

April 6, 2020 www.22WestMedia.com

Health and Wellness in Uncertain Times

This is a reminder to STAY IN & STAY POSITVE!

From, 22 West Magazine Staff

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Issue 86.03

April 6, 2020 www.22WestMedia.com

Magazine Staff

Letter from the Editor Hello Hello, How do you like this new format? It’s just like the real thing except you can zoom in, so that’s cool.

While continuing to print our April issue would’ve been preferred, we realized that distributing magazines to a closed campus made no sense, so we decided to compromise. Not only will we be hosting our newest issues here on our website, but we will also be keeping a backlog of issues that you can peruse at your own leisure.

Working virtually on this issue has definitely been different. I usually just hang out in the office and communicate with everyone who walks in, but clearly that’s not an option anymore. Instead, we’ve been holding succinct meetings on Zoom (pictured left) and checking in with each other on Slack for updates. There are still two more issues for the semester, and I’m happy to say I think we’ve already got this “work from home” thing down.

The theme of this issue was originally going to be health and wellness, but this idea has taken on a different meaning in these confusing times. Now, the practice of self-care is essential to making it through this stress-filled period of financial woes, interpersonal tensions and general uncertainty. In this issue you can find some positive experiences under self-quarantine, book recommendations to fill your free time, a lengthy art section filled with poetry and an extended Grunion section to help make light of this whole situation. Lots of love from 22 West Magazine. <3 - Tara Virtual Meetings: Tuesdays @ 3:30pm

Tara Thomas, Editor-in-Chief editorinchief@22westmedia.com Joel Vaughn, Managing Editor managingeditor@22westmedia.com Marissa Espiritu, Art Director artdirector@22westmedia.com Bria Manning, Lead Copy Editor Enacio Diaz, Distribution Manager Kaleen Luu, Staff Writing Intern Erin Haworth, Staff Writing Intern Janna Wolf, Staff Writing Intern Melissa Zuniga, Staff Writing Intern

Contributors Valor Aguilar, Artist Xochilt Andrade, Writer Param Bhattacharyya, Artist Brian Campise, Artist Victoria Geis, Artist Stephanie Quintanar, Writer Anthony Volz, Artist Gerell Wilson, Artist

Cover Design Tara Thomas, Editor-in-Chief

Zoom Link: https://csulb.zoom.us/j/726233834

Disclaimer and Publication Information: 22 West Magazine is published using ad money and partial funding provided by the Associated Students, Inc. All Editorials are the opinions of their individual authors, not the magazine, ASI nor LBSU. All students are welcome and encouraged to be a part of the staff. All letters to the editor will be considered for publication. However, LBSU students will have precedence. Please include name and major for all submissions. They are subject to editing and will not be returned. Letters may or may not be edited for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and length. 22 West Magazine will publish anonymous letters, articles, editorials, and illustration, but must have your name and information attached for our records. Letters to the editor should be no longer than 500 words. 22 West Magazine assumes no responsibility, nor is it liable, for claims of its advertisers. Grievance procedures are available in the Associated Students business office.

Contact Us Phone: (562) 985-4867 Mail: 1212 Bellflower Blvd. Suite 112 Long Beach, CA 90815

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Contents Culture 5

Keep Calm and Power On Resources for a resourceful mind.

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The Quarantine Diaries Dispatches from isolation.

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Dating as an Asian Woman Disappointments in dating.

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Achieving Self-Love The levels of loving yourself.

Entertainment 14

Books for the Quarantined Soul No excuses - pick up a book and read!

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Corona and Chill Quarantine movie night recommendations.

Music 16

The Perfect Mix of Music and Astrology Astral project out of Earth for a few hours.

Arts 17

A Truth Behind Squirrels The grand squirrel conspiracy.

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Just Watching TV And other assorted poems.

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New Horizons A poem.

Grunion

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How COVID-19 Unraveled American Society Are you there god? â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Cause weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re all fucked.

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Rate My Pandemic!

Why should coronavirus get all the attention?

Culture

Keep Calm and Power On Resources for a resourceful mind.

By Stephanie Quintanar Undoubtedly, this has been a crazy year, but sometimes we have to live our lives because seeing the brighter sides of our obstacles helps better the outcomes. Things will get better for all of us suffering through this pandemic, such as those suffering from anxiety, financial stress or prospects. Maybe it’s a time for each of us to focus on ourselves by learning something new, reading a book or learning a new language online. Re-center yourself with these great resources that are available to students for free or at an affordable rate that you may need at the moment.

Here are some free or affordable resources for students: (1) Masterclass is an online platform bringing you the best professionals in the industry from Anna Wintour to Martin Scorsese right to your living room with five to 10 minutes videos on their industry’s secrets and how they have remained successful in their careers.

CSU Entertainment Alliance is only offering this one year free subscription (valued at $180) to CSU students until April 20th, 2020.

(2) Swank, an academic film streaming service, can be found on the CSULB library’s media streaming section where you can find titles from “Get Out” to “The Disaster Artist.”

(3) Lambda Theta Alpha Foundation Disaster Relief Fund Application (2020) is for students who have been displaced from their dorms and housing. It also helps individuals who tested positive with coronavirus with incurred cost of food and supplies due to unpaid wages as well as families and individuals impacted without testing positive for coronavirus, such as loss of employment.

(4) Temporary Digital Library Card: The Los Angeles Library County is offering a 90day digital card so people can still access all of the library’s digital resources, including eBooks, audiobooks, magazines, movies, TV, homework help, online classes and more.

(5) EveryoneOn.org is a leading nonprofit that helps advocate at the local, state and federal levels for affordable internet services and refurbished computers for low-income folks, families with K-12 students and college students. EveryoneOn is available yearround, not only during emergencies. Use their offer locator to find internet offers and refurbished computers by zip code that are available now!

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Culture

The Quarantine Diaries The scattered experiences of 22 West Magazine.

So I did a silly thing right when the selfquarantine began to get serious — I moved out of my apartment in Long Beach to a home in Westminster with my girlfriend and her family. I feel guilty about it now, as we were driving back and forth picking up boxes and making trips to Home Depot, but now that our room is settled, we can finally hunker down for the long haul.

This neighborhood is nice, it’s so much quieter than the PCH. The streets are wide enough that the kids can play with ample room in between them. I actually have a desk now, which was impossible in my old shared master room that held four peoples’ worth of stuff. I feel like I’ve finally given up that college student life, just a few months earlier than expected.

To get things straight, I was planning to move out in May anyway, and the only reason I was going to stay in my apartment was to be closer to school. But since campus closed, my apartment became a ghost town; three of my roommates went home, one basically moved in with her boyfriend and I guess I did the same thing with my girlfriend. It sucks that we still have to pay rent until the end of our lease, but I count my blessings that I am healthy, employed and happy in my new home because I am going to be spending a lot of time here.

Tara Thomas Westminster, CA

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It’s Thursday night and the guy you’ve had a crush on for months finally asks you out to dinner. It’s nice. The Thai restaurant is empty, but all you notice is him sitting across from you, smiling ear to ear. All there is to talk about is the news, but you don’t want to think about it just yet. It’s not like the world is ending tomorrow.

He asks you what you’re up to this weekend.

Your flight home got cancelled but you settled with driving tomorrow morning instead. It’s just Sacramento. It’ll only be for a couple days.

You two finish the night at his place, watch a movie to keep your mind off of things. It’s comfortable. You’ve been here before. You guys have been friends for a while. But as great as the movie is, you can tell it’s slowly ending. And when it ends you’ll have to leave. And when you leave you’ll have to pack. And when you pack you’ll have to think about the possibility that you might actually get stuck at home if the quarantine continues.

So you look at the guy sitting on the couch next to you, the one you’ve had a crush on for months, and you ask yourself if you’re going to see him again. You tell him you love him. He says he’ll see you next week. It’s not like the world is ending tomorrow.

Marissa Espiritu Fair Oaks, CA

Perhaps nobody else has quite caught this yet, but leave it up to me to find the irony in absolutely everything. But everything I hate about my hometown of Los Angeles — the sprawling metropolitan that has cities all synonymous with the name “LA” sprinkled from the ocean in the west to the foothills up north; the god awful public transportation — is actually a contributing factor of what’s made us less fucked than New York and San Francisco. Boom, there it is — a positive.

I get it. It’s easy to accept this situation as dire. Yet, I can’t bring myself to match the world’s anxieties.

I stay away from social media especially, with faux remedies and horribly inaccurate information circulating everywhere, triggering waves of panic to wash onto the shores of peoples’ stories. Truly, what do I miss? Playing pool with Alex. I miss the gym, the desert, traveling, my friends.

I’m lucky, though. I have both of my jobs still, and work remotely from both. I’m saving ungodly amounts of money by not driving 40 miles everyday.

I get to see Alex, who has moved back from San Francisco, more than just once a month. I have time to finally invest in personal projects, which is really just a lot of writing, cooking, exercising and repainting my room with Alex.

I learned early on that society’s hysteria won’t make the coronavirus disappear. So stop sharing bullshit on social media, calm down and do something positive with your life.

You have a lot of time when you stay at home the whole day. More than enough time to think.

As an international student, I just keep asking myself the same question over and over again: should I go home? Is it even possible to go home right now? Flights and prices are changing by the minute. Every morning you wake up, your phone shows you tons of new measures the government has taken, in your home country as well as in California. I currently spend a lot of my free time reading all the news in Europe and the U.S. The truth is that they don’t really differ, except maybe the numbers of infected people.

In California, the virus is not as far spread as in Europe, which means that the state is about one week behind with its measures. That makes the future here kind of predictable, but it still does not answer the question: is it better to be bored in Europe or in California? The weather is better here, but that is not really affecting me when I’m watching Netflix anyway. The beer is better in Europe but I won’t be able to drink it if all the bars and restaurants are closed.

Every international student is dealing with this question right now. At least listing the pros and cons prevents you from getting bored.

Janna Wolf Stuttgart, Germany

Bria Manning Pico Rivera, CA

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Culture I hate being stuck at home. Actually, I hate being stuck in the place I pay to sleep at. Things could be worse, you know: I could be stuck in a place that I couldn’t pay to sleep in. But still, I can’t take this. Virus be damned, we’re going out.

No, come on. Don’t look at me like I have a death wish, I don’t mean going out out. I mean going around the block, getting some steps in and trying to not live like the world is fucking ending. Okay?

Oh, it’s raining out. Well, shit. I guess you would say that’s for the best. Still though, a quick walk to 7-Eleven on PCH won’t kill anyone.

Come on, walk with me and you’ll see that a cold is the last thing to worry about catching the death of me. But please, stand six feet away from me. Don’t want to tempt fate to put us six feet under.

Bing-bong goes to the door chime. It’s a bit crowded, but there’s no reason to fear. The masked and gloved family behind the register know we’re here. You pick something up and go to put it back, but I slap your hand away from the rack. Sorry, but the camera got you getting your germs on those gummy worms — I explain.

The cashier stares at me and I’m not sure if he’s pondering our bravery or tom-foolery for breaking quarantine. But it doesn’t matter because across PCH and back to the apartment we go.

Joel Vaughn Long Beach, CA

I never thought I’d be quarantined, but here we are. My family of four are all stuck in the house for who knows how long. My routine of school and work every day suddenly switched to going into different rooms of the house. As days pass by, I still wake up early thanks to my inner alarm clock, but my motivation to do anything other than staying in bed is steadily decreasing.

Luckily, I’ve found the bright side in all of this, like spending more time with my family, but at times it does become too much. My busy schedule this semester kept me from staying at home for too long, now I’m here all the time. I ended up re-downloading Minecraft and started playing Animal Crossing. It feels great to relax and do something that isn’t school. I’ve noticed that I’m spending more time in the living room now. Sadly, I haven’t even seen my boyfriend in almost two weeks, but we have FaceTime and Zoom to help us through that. We’re using it more often than we ever have. But I am bonding more with my brothers through video games, just like in my high school days.

Thanks to COVID-19, it’s no longer an empty and quiet house.

The risk of going out, even if this selfquarantine is just a recommendation, is just not worth it. My mom has made it her duty to keep all her children, including our dog, indoors for the time being. I’m not sure when this will end, but at least for now I’ll be at home if you need me. COVID-19 be gone, please.

Melissa Zuniga Carson, CA

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Dating as an Asian Woman They donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see color, so I must be invisible.

By Kaleen Luu

Art by Brian Campise

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Culture I’m sitting in a restaurant when my date tells me, “Wow, your English is really good.” Sigh.

Dating is awful. Period.

In a time when it’s so easy to connect with others through social media and with an unprecedented access to a multitude of dedicated dating apps, you’d think that dating has become simpler.

My mother is the kind of person to tell me I’m not allowed to date until I’m 30 but at the same time complain to me at dinner time that I’m still single.

How contrite am I to say it’s anything but.

Dating is still awful. Surprise!

Dating is awful when I get an opening line of, “Where are you from?”

And I answer, “Los Angeles.”

Dating is awful when they follow up with, “No, I mean, where are you REALLY from?”

And I go, “I was born in Fountain Valley.”

Dating is awful when they reply with an eye roll gif and they say, “I mean, where are your parents from?”

And I say, “I’m Vietnamese, and hello to you too.”

I didn’t realize people forgoed basic human manners and just jumped the gun to asking about my race.

I don’t mind people asking. But then again, people who ask that question immediately almost always start talking about how they visited my home country and it all goes downhill from there.

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Yes, it’s wonderful you visited Vietnam. But really, who told you it was a good idea to say, “I love Vietnamese women, they are such great cooks and make great housewives”?

It seriously makes me cringe thinking about it — yes, these are actual things people say.

“I hope you won’t eat my dog though,” they’ll say as if it’s a funny joke. Darling, the only joke here is that you think I won’t hit the unmatch and block button.

Sometimes this unpleasant exchange doesn’t happen until I’m already sitting across from them somewhere, when my guard is down.

“I like that Asian girls are submissive.”

I have to keep a smile plastered on my face while they talk over me and cut me off when the server asks what I want to eat. I keep nodding and smiling politely, but only because this person knows where I live and maybe if I bore them enough I can escape after this night and never talk to them again.

I’m sure that since the beginning of time, dating leaves much to be desired. I know plenty of people say I’m looking for love in the wrong places, but I don’t buy that. There are so many people out there that I wouldn’t be able to meet otherwise if I didn’t expand my circle online.

However, dating as an Asian woman online… that’s a scary world to navigate.

I feel as if trying to find qualities I want in a partner has largely been reduced to just trying to find someone who isn’t ignorant. I’m scared to call people out for even being mildly racist because I don’t want to be perceived as someone who can’t take a joke. I’m ashamed to say I let a lot of inappropriate comments slide because I didn’t want to be “difficult.”

As Taylor Swift sang in “The Story of Us”: “This is looking like a contest / Of who can act like they care less,” dating is a careful dance of

texting strategically, along with endless hours of scrolling profiles on Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, what have you, hoping that you’ll strike up a match with someone who has — sorry to say it — personality.

I’m wary of the profiles that say, “I love Asian girls.” Tired of the, “So where are you really from?”

So yes, dating is awful.

Dating is awful when I’m almost 23 and my mother hovers around me like a helicopter.

My mother tells me I’m not allowed to go out unless she has my friend’s phone number and my friend’s parent’s phone number, so then I have to sneak out like a teenager.

I used to only date within my race because, growing up, my mother would say that I needed to find a nice Vietnamese man. It would be hard for them to understand our customs and how would I expect my parents to communicate with their family if they weren’t the same as us?

Well, she also told me I had to become a doctor, but as you can see, that’s not happening.

My mother is the kind of person to tell me I’m not allowed to date until I’m 30 but at the same time complain to me at dinner time that I’m still single. She tells me to focus on school but then tells me I need to stop slouching and need to put on some makeup.

She cringes when she sees me in my Crocs, ready for school.

“Can’t you put in some effort?”

But fine, I’ll forgive my mother for her fear I’ll bring someone home who isn’t Vietnamese.

I understand her. I hope she can forgive me for dating behind her back. I can’t admit to her that I’ve been on dozens of terrible dates, it would break her heart.

So why is dating so awful and why do I still continue to do it, despite my grievances?

Dating is awful when I get texts at 2 a.m. asking me to come over. I say that I’m sorry, I’m not interested and they say, “Come on, it’ll be fun.”

And they send me a winking emoji and it shifts a guilty burden onto my conscience. It makes me think of the familial pressures and, while it’s nice to be desired, is it so much to ask to be understood? I want to date and have fun just as much as any other young adult, but my mother’s voice echoes in my mind. It’s selfish of me to not think of my elders.

For a long time, I struggled with thinking, “Maybe this is what I deserve for going behind my mother’s back,” when I’m in bed scrolling through the mundane messages from men, but I think it’s more than that. I think it’s fair to say that I should be able to date without fielding mildly racial remarks.

Dating is awful when I don’t know if my date sitting across from me actually likes me for my hobbies, interests, personality or he’s just seeing me as a cute little submissive Asian girl he can parade to his friends.

So why do I continue to date? Because I have hope.

So why do I continue to date?

Because I have hope.

I have hope that someday I will be able to sit across from someone and I’ll be able to order what I want and not what they decided for me, and I have hope that instead of using my race as their opening act for their comedy bit, they’ll respect me as I am and appreciate me for more than just where I’m from.

It’ll be then, that I’m finally being seen.

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Culture

Achieving Self-Love And what it taught me about myself.

By Melissa Zuniga Art by Victoria Geis I am who I am and you can hate it or love it. But I sure do love it.

The idea of loving and knowing yourself seems so simple but isn’t something easily done. I constantly have trouble with it, even today. It puts my mind at ease to think that everyone tends to have trouble with this narrative at some point in their lives.

Although there’s no straight path to self-love and selfconfidence, you can definitely practice. It’s about going at your own pace and understanding yourself. You need to put yourself first above all else. Check up on your wants and needs to make sure you’re happy and healthy with where you’re at. If you feel out of place that’s great, you need to embrace what makes you different from others. Be more grateful, positive and loving to yourself. It’s great to know who you are and learn to love that about yourself because you deserve your love and affection.

Forget all of the distractions and really think about what’s best for you.

You want to get to know yourself, understand your likes and dislikes. If you know yourself, others have a better chance of trying to know you as well. A suggestion is to put down your phone and turn off your laptop to unplug at least for an hour.

Just be in the moment with yourself, maybe go outdoors and get some fresh air. Forget all of the distractions and really think about what’s best for you. After all, you’re you and that’s all you get. You need to take care of yourself because you have your back. But that’s not saying you’re all alone. Surround yourself with people who love and encourage you as you figure things out. All you can really do is love yourself just like others do.

It’s like the saying goes: before you could ever love anyone else, you have to first love yourself. Unfortunately, that’s not

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where life led me. During my junior year of high school, I fell in love with a beautiful boy before I truly got to know myself.

I was 17 years old and unsure of what I was doing with my life.

Honestly, I’ve been doing well so far. With his help from time to time, I was able to truly understand myself and eventually fall in love with who I am.

Balance is the center of self-care. I am far from perfect. I have much to work on to become more confident in myself. The first thing I learned was to accept my flaws as they are. My limits have allowed me to figure out ways that make things reachable.

College has shown me just that. I was stuck in a bubble during high school, comfortable around the same classmates I’ve been with for four years. When I started college, I didn’t have that assurance anymore. I needed to start over by creating new friendships and figuring out my place in this huge campus.

I’ve worked my whole life, with the help of friends and family, to learn how to truly love and understand myself. My friends from high school and those I’ve met in college are the ones who love me for who I am. My courage has grown tremendously throughout my college career. I follow my heart instead of the footsteps of someone else. As I grow older, going out isn’t as important as supporting my friends and encouraging them to go AWOL to do what they need for their future. The important thing for me with self-care is to take care of yourself as well as others. I believe there needs to be a balance between the two.

To understand myself is to look at my life from a different perspective. I’ve accepted that I want to be showered with love and attention, but I need my me time also. Though I can be needy, my alone time is my very being. It’s when I can be myself: binging TV shows, jamming to music and eating snacks all day long. I realized I’m an introvert and I definitely need a push to become extroverted. I would rather stay at home with my loved ones than be out all the time. But I’m a mix of both depending on the group, and this self-awareness has led me to understand how to care and love myself. I need to do what my heart desires, no matter what other people might say.

Learning to love yourself is a struggle everyone goes through. Once you start practicing, you can give yourself a push that no one else could give you. Through my understanding over the years, I am able to speak out loud, follow my heart and, most importantly, become more confident in myself. I’m far from where I want to be, but I am getting there. With any luck so will you.

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Entertainment

Books for the Quarantined Soul It doesn’t have to be all bad.

By Bria Manning

Art and design by Alex Merto Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Design by Chip Kidd Published by Vintage International

Photograph by Dennis Frates/Alamy Stock Photo Published by Melville House Publishing

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“The Cactus League” by Emily Nemens The debut novel from the editor of “The Paris Review” comes at a muchneeded time, what with the Major League Baseball season being postponed this year. For those of you who need their baseball fix, Nemens’s novel is an appropriate substitute to fill that void. Nemens writes with striking accuracy of the spring training scene in Scottsdale, Arizona and loosely intertwines each individual character (each of whom is an “inning,” rather than a chapter) together to tie in the plot, primarily centered on star left fielder of the fictional Los Angeles Lions, Jason Goodyear. Spring training may have been cut short this year, but the emotion for baseball shines through so apparently from every character, and indeed even from Nemens herself.

“1Q84” by Haruki Murakami This one is for the heavier readers, the ones constantly telling themselves that they’d like to read a big, long book next. It’s no secret that Murakami is a literary genius; he is one of the most heralded modern writers of our time, as well as a personal favorite of mine. And although he has an impressive list of works, none can compare to “1Q84,” which he wrote in 2009. Explaining the extensive and complex plot would give too much away, but if you’re ready to read 928 pages of distorted versions of reality experienced by two old childhood friends who find themselves wrapped up in a nefarious commune through means of assassination and literature, then this perfectly specific dystopian novel will be well worth to pass your time with.

“How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy” by Jenny Odell Fiction is not the only genre that will help with transporting your mind elsewhere, so I had to throw in nonfiction as well. Though marketed as a selfhelp book, Odell’s book reads more like a collection of essays to me, centered around one central theme: how to do nothing. Odell, who is not a writer but an artist and Stanford professor, writes about the many distractions of life: social media, our addiction to accessibility and society’s demand for us to always be productive, just to name a few. During this unique time in our lives where we actually have the time to quite literally do nothing — and get away with it, for the most part — this book is an appropriate read to understanding the benefits of doing nothing as well as easing the guilt and burden of being unproductive from our always optimizing minds.

“Frozen 2” - Disney+ Who hasn’t danced through the apartment, while singing “Let It Go” from Disney’s “Frozen” aloud? If you have, get ready for an encore and if you haven’t, maybe it is time to start. You are in quarantine and there is nothing to do anyway.

“Into the Unknown” – Elsa’s new ballad from the second “Frozen” movie — is as sing-song and danceable as “Let It Go.” Besides, dancing and singing always makes one feel better (even though this may not be true for your roommates.)

We have to thank Disney for deciding to release “Frozen 2” earlier than planned on its streaming platform. Like the first movie, there is some action, some humor, a lot of singing and, of course, a happy ending.

Corona and Chill What to watch at your quarantine movie night.

By Janna Wolf “To All the Boys I Loved Before” - Netflix Listen, this movie won’t change your life. It doesn’t show women fighting for justice or against a deadly virus, but a teenage girl dealing with her first experiences with love. This wonderful superficiality is exactly what makes this movie so enjoyable. Lara Jean Song Covey used to write a letter to every boy she had a crush on and, of course, never intended for the boys to read them. But her little sister sends them out anyway and that is where the story starts.

It includes everything that a teenage romance movie needs: A fake boyfriend, a real boyfriend, a tragic breakup, a tearful reconciliation, a mean girl in high school and a gay best friend. There’s even a sequel, which means you get three hours and 20 minutes full of lighthearted distraction.

“The Outbreak” - Netflix The movie “Outbreak” is not what one would call cheerful — it’s more like the opposite. It shows the story of an outbreak of a virus called motaba. This virus has a 100% mortality rate and kills within three days, in a very painful way. A team of doctors are trying to find the original host, a monkey, to develop an antidote. Soon they find out that everything goes back to a conspiracy within the White House. “Outbreak” has great actors and a thrilling plot. After 128 minutes, you are actually relieved that humankind is currently only dealing with the coronavirus, with a mortality rate of about 2%. That is why it might actually cheer you up, in a strange reverse psychology sort of way.

“Walk. Ride. Rodeo” - Netflix “Walk. Ride. Rodeo.” is one of those movies that makes you feel better and puts a smile on your face, which gets even wider the moment you realize that everything actually happened.

Amberley Snyder is an 18-year-old rodeo rider on her way to The American – the biggest rodeo competition in the U.S. But a severe car accident leaves her legs paralyzed. It is inspiring how Amberley fights for her passion for rodeo riding and to find a place in a world. This movie is not only about reaching your dreams, but about staying positive: “When I wake up in the morning, I get to decide my attitude. And if that’s the only decision I get to make that day, I better make it a good one,” Amberley says.

Maybe that’s a piece of advice we can all use during quarantine.

Images courtesy of IMDB.com

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Music

The Perfect Mix of Music and Astrology A Spotify playlist that matches the theme of your birth month.

by Melissa Zuniga

Art by Marissa Espiritu

When you hear astrology, you think: zodiac signs. Astrology is all about the alignment of the stars, planets and moon and how they might correlate with your time of birth. As it became more popular, people’s lives began to revolve around it. It helped them make decisions and even taught them about their emotions or why they went through that one moment. Now, Spotify has added themselves into that mix. They’ve combined music with astrology. A power couple.

Spotify has launched a horoscope-inspired playlist series called “Cosmic Playlists” in the United States and Australia. Spotify is a great app to find new music and, with its various suggested playlists, listeners can find music for every single mood and day. What’s a better way to find more music than a playlist made for every zodiac sign?

Your zodiac sign is based on your birth month, which all started with astrology. It’s another way to understand yourself and can be relatable to others born around the same time as you. A daily horoscope of your zodiac sign helps you dig a little deeper into understanding a more generalized theme about you.

The team at Spotify partnered with astrologer Chani Nicholas to create playlists for each sign that correlates with the theme of their month.

There are 12 signs for 12 months: Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn, Taurus, Leo,

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Scorpio, Aquarius, Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces. Each playlist is a prediction of the sign’s moods in a summary of 30 songs. It gives the listener a way to feel more personal and emotional with the music. The connection of music and astrology grows much stronger through these playlists. The listener can go beyond just reading about how they should feel but rather listen through a variety of songs.

In a Spotify interview, Nicholas said she wanted

It gives the listener a way to feel more personal and emotional with the music. listeners to use it for inspiration. “It’s a collection of theme songs for your month, astrologically speaking,” she said. To her, it’s more than just a playlist: it’s a way for the listener to get in touch with how they’re “feeling” in a different way than just reading their horoscopes.

Now it’s your turn. What’s your sign? Take a look at your birth month’s personalized playlist!

Arts Arts

The Truth Behind Squirrels A secret alliance.

By Janna Wolf Art by Enacio Refugio I never trusted squirrels.

Everyone thinks they are so cute, so harmless. “Look at the fluffy tail and the tiny little eyes” – is what children say when they watch a squirrel climb a tree. In all the books and movies they are used to play the role of a naive, lovable animal. But they cannot fool me. The first time I looked into their little black, pearly eyes I recognized squirrels are not just busy and harmless nut collectors. I thought I had them pegged. But the truth is, I had no idea what was really going on back then. And now it might be too late.

It all started two years ago.

I just moved to Long Beach and started my new job when I first noticed them. They were sitting in a tree watching me.

They followed me through the whole city to work and even accompanied me back home in the evening. Not once did they show a sign of fear or respect.

You know, I really wish I just saw curiosity in their eyes, but there wasn’t. It was pure calculation.

The first time I looked into their little black, pearly eyes I recognized squirrels are not just busy and harmless nut collectors.

I tried to ignore them, I really tried. But no matter where I went they were there already. So I started to keep an eye on them too — secretly, of course. I would probably not be sitting here telling you this if they had found out.

I spent weeks in the park. While I was pretending to read or listen to music, I watched exactly what was going on. After a few days I knew every single squirrel. I even gave them names: Kate, the one with the especially fluffy tail. Barbossa, the one with only one eye, and of course John, the one with the curl on his forehead. On my fourth day of observation I saw something that changed everything.

It was a casual Friday evening in Long Beach.

The sun had already disappeared below the horizon. The last light of the day was fading.

Most people were heading home from work.

Some took their dogs for walks and a brave handful were doing yoga on the open grass area in the park. No one paid attention to the four trees at the outermost edge of the park’s grassy lawn. No one except me, of course. Despite the

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Arts Arts

dawning darkness, I could see everything from my observation point.

The squirrels were gathering.

I could count more than 15 tails but I bet there were more hidden in the dense twigs of the pines. Some of them were familiar, most of them not. Besides the common red squirrels, there were also a strange, bigger and black version of the species. They sat eerily quiet as if they were waiting for something. There was no time for me to wonder what was going on since at that moment I saw a group of raccoons appear from the shadows. Suddenly, a movement went through the squirrels. I could hear them chirp; the raccoons answered with high squeaks. I didn’t need to understand animal language to imagine what they were talking about.

“There you are. Finally. What took you so long?” asked the squirrel queen, a gray, particularly fluffy and big individual.

The raccoon major hissed loudly, “We are not as small and popular as you are. We cannot move freely through the city. At least not when there’s still light. As you are well aware.” All of the raccoons were well fed, but he was by far the fattest of them.

“Let’s not fight about that. What news do you have for me?” That was the squirrel queen again.

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“Rico found a way into the canals. Our scouting troops found some important water pipes of the city.” A smaller and unbelievably dirty raccoon proudly straightened himself with the words. The squirrels contributed a chirping applause.

The major interrupted them harshly. “Don’t get too excited. We had to retreat. The canals are rat territory and they were not exactly open for negotiation. I lost three of my men and I won’t endanger more of them. Not while your kind is sitting in trees all day, enjoying a lazy life in the sun.”

The words seemed to anger the squirrels.

“Don’t you dare call us lazy!” shouted the queen.

“I’ll dare as long as you let us do the dirty work while you do nothing,” the major replied.

More angry hissing from the squirrels. Then the queen spoke up. “What do you want?” she asked.

“I want your warriors supporting my troops to secure the water pipeline in the canal.” The major turned his broad body and pointed directly at the queen.

The fluffy squirrel squeaked as if she was

Even in the animal world, politics are complicated.

“Brave warriors on my side: let’s find the rats, let’s win them over, let’s conquer the world!” laughing. “That is ridiculous. A squirrel warrior will never enter the canal.”

Her words get broad support from the surrounding squirrels. “Then there will never be interruption of the city water supply,” answered the raccoon major.

I could not help but smile. Even in the animal world, politics are complicated. In this moment another group of animals appeared and a smile froze on my face. At least 20 fluffy white and black skunks had just arrived at the trees. Their tails were waiving synchronously as if they were enjoying their late entrance.

“Who’s talking about interruption? Don’t you all think that a contamination would be more than enough?” That seemed to be their leader. Other than the raccoon major or the squirrel queen, the skunk dictator did not stand out among his subjects, apart from the frightened stares they threw at him.

I recognized that everyone seemed to respect this leader. Even the squirrel queen sounded kind of obsequious: “Sokrates, my leader, I greet you.”

The raccoon major said nothing. “My dear friends. Don’t you see it? A fight against the rats is no solution, an alliance is. Rats are rodents, just like us. They are supposed to fight on our side, just like the mice and the rabbits. We need their support. Only together can we conquer the world,” said Sokrates, getting emotional in his speech. “We will defeat human kind and show them their place. We will create a new world. A world where rodents are the leading species.”

Everyone, skunks, raccoons and squirrels were cheering together. “No more hiding in the dark.

No more sleeping on twigs. We’ll have the softest beds and the most delicious food. Let’s form a group of raccoons, squirrels and skunks who will

enter the canals together and start a negotiation with the leaders of the rat clan. I will personally lead this mission. Who will support me?” The cheering turned into a battle cry. More and more animals were stepping forward and standing at the side of the skunk dictator. “Who will support me?” he asked again, the battle cry became even more fierce.

“Brave warriors on my side: let’s find the rats, let’s win them over, let’s conquer the world!” he screamed the last words, supported by his battle group. They stepped away and with this, the secret meeting ended. The raccoons disappeared in the dark of the night. The squirrels spread themselves into the trees of the park and were acting as natural and innocent as you can imagine.

I got it all wrong, you see. The squirrels are just one small part of a bigger conspiracy. They are the spies that watch us, while the raccoons and skunks attack. But I had seen them all. I knew their plan.

Over the next few days I desperately searched for their entrance to the canal. I did not sleep. I did not eat. I scoured through the city following any sign or movement of a raccoon, skunk or squirrel. But you should know by now that those species are smart.

They tricked me, again and again and again.

“We have to prevent them from meeting the rats. If they win them as allies, Long Beach is lost, human kind is lost,” I end my report desperately.

My hands cling to the armrests of the mint green sofa on which I sit. “Don’t you understand?” The man that I am facing jotted a few notes in his pad of paper. “Everything is alright Mr. Samson.

I do understand”.

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Arts

New Horizons

By Kaleen Luu

I wanted to stay inside Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d been waiting for this game

I was tired of all the same

My schoolwork was to blame I had no time to my own

All I wanted was my phone

Not to worry about my loans But now I miss the sun I miss the days I took for granted I miss waking up to Something I miss the sun blinding my eyes The traffic on my way to school I miss the people walking to class at 8 a.m.

The queue to pass through the gap I miss the sun

beating down on me on the days

The escalator isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t working I miss the feelings

getting ready for a midterm

My professor standing before me in person The game came out last week

An island getaway

All to myself But now, I just really miss the sun

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Art by Victoria Geis

Just Watching TV And other assorted poetry.

By Joel Vaughn Art by Valor Aguilar

Sitting around was fine, watching fantastic faces divining their lines while croaking and joking over marvelous monologos till she’s round the bends and the SSRIs and Skyy Cherry become friends.

But by twelve I host Conana on derelict, dead televisions.

By one I swim with Adults and Saiyans in SuperJails before Portly Pat preaches to 700 about her white Jesus and his diamond mines and white collar crimes.

My Jesus was Black and preached alongside Cowboys doing Bebop and Robot Chickens going Pop, while getting and breaking bread with his disciples facing what you and I were too privileged to understand.

That was our weekend routine till I was seventeen.

And he kept saying:

Turn off that TV and go

Turn off that TV and go Till I felt safer on a train chugging from Ocean to Valley High because his didn’t love him either, and I get to pretend every time I say it and I’d rather die.

He escaped to Sacramento while she streamed Fargo and sipped Milagro.

Then he was back new fiancee, new kids, a new life all his.

Beautiful.

Energetic with an enigma of feeling bad I ran to take an L in El Monte.

Trying to dose between micro and macro while smoking you out of my memories and not falling asleep to the TV. But if I measure things in fifty-ones to fifties, fifteen hour work days and fifteen units -No rest except for four-hours on the freeway with five hours of sleep, desiring a crash along the way, I can always watch telly after four hours of therapy.

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Arts

By Joel Vaughn “I think this might just be my masterpiece” or Did you know it’s okay to punch cryptofacist or I’m White Claw drunk, and I’m going to

sock that klanning klown in a Orange Kounty bar since he’s smoking a cigar and spotting off [neighbor] with a hard R. Crossfaded confidence in Godwin’s Law after toking on that raw and downing Claws.

I’m just here to chew bubblegum and read Carrie to scare me before that clown became more Steve than Stephen King if you ask me.

Oh, those alt. right white knights thinking they’re so bright for pretending not to be blights. Best be pissing pants with fright.

Art by Gerell Wilson

ACAB, ACAB you moderate corncob.

All the way back to Nixon, Goldwater, and all the R.s forgetting harder Rs from then on.

Tell it to the dark web of intellectual conmen, before they all become hasbeens, that it’s nothing more than twee and kawaii to punch nazis, since so much more is necessary.

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About that time we went on a ride and almost died when your brain was fried on coca dimes before squelching all those burns with limes

Break down on Calico tracks.

Mechanical minors bemoan a bottomless pit of mumbles, moans, mother, motherless, maga-moms staring down all us veritable vegan vagabonds.

“Hey, where’s my line” a questioning comedian quipped.

“He, he” cackles the prospector doing blow phew, phew, phew in a jug made for Mountain Dew. “Mounting Who?” Mounting the Dew. Crackle internal intercoms “Stay seated while working with my kinks.”

Mumbles and mingles with muscular miners moan for drinks on us finks?

Please excuse me.

Forget those lines.

Onto the next ride.

Ascend the mossy rocks over the mangled bridge.

Tracks and carts groping the sky. Stop.

Calamitous Careening Clatter, Clatter Cobra-roll, Clatter, Clatter Down, Repeat Twice, Cocky Corkscrew, Loopy Loon, SKKR-STOP. Stop.

You made it.

Hold stomach when exiting those rides.

Art by Anthony Volz

By Joel Vaughn

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How Covid-19 Unraveled American Society As told through a late journalist’s notes.

By Beatrice Vega

Art by SUN

March 11, 2020 Both Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders have canceled rallies because of the pandemic, but Biden is likely to be the Democratic nominee (for now). Between him and Trump, I think I’d rather book a cruise, make out with a stranger and take my chances with Covid-19 than have to endure either another four years of Trump or four years with a creepy old man who thought he was running for senator for a quick sec. Both Sanders and Tulsi Gabbard refuse to drop out (for now) but it looks like we’re stuck with the other two (for now).

Poor old Bernie looking like he doesn’t stand a chance (in the elections or against coronavirus).

September 11, 2020 Finally, a reason to be happy on 9/11! Mike Pence, secretly contracted with coronavirus, has died. Trump continues to tout his “natural” scientific “knowledge” as he shakes hands with supporters at a rally, then promptly moves to stroke his face for a total of 6.7 times per minute. He kisses a baby on the head, who immediately wilts and dies in his mother’s arms.

November 3, 2020 Picked the lesser of two evils, signed my soul away to the devil and voted for Biden. Only god can judge me now.

November 16, 2020 Trump has mysteriously not appeared on television in nearly a month now and Biden was seen walking in and out of a Whole Foods, apparently looking for Purell, only to find it’s out of stock, only to immediately forget it’s out of stock, and reentering Whole Foods to look for Purell. This, as captured by surveillance footage in the parking lot of the Whole Foods, goes on for six hours. Kamala Harris, the running mate Biden chose to hammer the final nail in his “I love black people and they love me” coffin, finally shows up to escort him back home. Biden’s mental health clearly deteriorating. America will probably elect him anyway.

November 26, 2020 First Thanksgiving I’m thankful for — Trump, after taking one bite of a Big Mac at his traditional Thanksgiving dinner, keeled over and died. What’s next? everyone is wondering. The camera pans

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over to Nancy Pelosi, her paper-thin lips curling into a nefarious smile, but nobody sees it. Meanwhile, the White House is scrambling to find a way to preserve Trump’s orange-sprayed skin postmortem, as demanded in his will.

December 14, 2020 The autopsy report is in and reveals that McDonald’s didn’t necessarily kill the president — he, too, had secretly contracted coronavirus, allegedly from Stormy Daniels, who also had it but recovered, and might have otherwise survived if his immune system was not weakened by his consistent “Super Size Me” diet. McDonald’s stocks have plummeted; Burger King is making a come-back.

This is the lowest point in humanity.

January 6, 2021 Headlines in “The New York Times” this morning: “Joe Biden formally elected President of the United States, Kamala Harris as his Vice President.”

Harris is noticeably absent; Biden gives a speech without forgetting who he is. Is that hope, dare I say?

January 13, 2021 Harris has been out of public eye for over a week now. Speculations about her contracting the coronavirus have arisen. Inauguration in a week.

January 20, 2021 Joe Biden was sworn in today, without his VP: Kamala Harris, who seems to think the U.S. is finally getting the demise it deserves, skipped town a week ago and reportedly has sought refuge in India. America hoping that Biden’s got this.

January 22, 2021 America fucked. Biden forgot he was president.

He was missing from an important meeting at the White House this morning to discuss what to do about Harris’s replacement. He was found at Thomson Elementary School, about six blocks from the White House, donned in khaki shorts, Nikes, a sweater and a crossing guard vest, directing early morning traffic. He has been

admitted to the George Washington University Hospital, where he will remain under close surveillance by doctors and his wife, and will eventually move into a nursing home in his quiet hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania to live out the short rest of his days.

January 24, 2021 Country in state of panic. Nobody knows what to do about the presidency. Mexico has closed its borders and built a wall to keep illegal Americans out and even Canada has begun construction on a physical border for the first time in history. There is one solution, but nobody wants it.

February 1, 2021 I am writing this over a year after the coronavirus pandemic broke out, in self-quarantine on the last safe place on Earth: Catalina Island. Nobody knows I’m here, nobody knows I’m alive; the only consistent communication I’ve received is from my loan borrowers, passively reminding me that if I begin paying my loans back now, I get to save myself from a little less debt later.

Just a little.

I am watching the inauguration of Nancy Pelosi, who is grinning like the Grinch from inside her hazmat suit, the tip of her pearls visibly gleaming from the fiber glass designed to frame her tissue paper face.

The U.S. is the only nation in the world that has been unable to contain the virus, whereas the rest of the world has recovered. Pelosi’s inaugural speech gives us no new hope to move forward from; rather, it runs more along the lines of one big, long troll with prominent “I told you so” undertones. However, I gotta say, it’s a lot easier to not be concerned about the future of your democracy when one, there doesn’t seem to be one anymore and two, you’re living in solitude on an island about 30 miles off the coast of Southern California. I have hope to rebuild civilization here on the island, the last safe quarantine on Earth.

Editor’s note: This journal was found during an excavation of the ruins of Avalon, Catalina Island on October 1, 2032. The skeletal remains of what is believed to be the author were also found nearby. Cause of death seems to have been coronavirus infection.

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Rate My Pandemic!

Why should coronavirus get all the attention?

By Sochi Olympics

Art by Mickey McChill

I found myself compelled to inform the public of past pandemics in the way I, an average being that is human, sees them. An idea that was completely uninfluenced by current events.I am by no means a medical professional nor an epidemiologist, but my mother once told me I’d marry a doctor one day so I think I have met the necessary qualifications. The following diseases are not subject to any type of order in regards to size, impact or severity. They are, however, subject to my opinion and will be judged mercilessly.

Bubonic Plague (The Black Death) 1347 - 1351 The Bubonic Plague first appeared in Europe during the mid 1300’s and is the one epidemic people seem to be most familiar with. To protect themselves from miasma, doctors introduced fashion statements like their terrifying beak masks. Seen in history books all season long, the Black Death also wins itself a high vote in my book by bringing rats into the picture. Who knows? It’s quite possible that our beloved New York pizza rat has some ancient ancestors from Europe who are proud that their kin is living large in the Big Apple. I give the Black Plague 9 rat-filled plague masks out of 10.

Yellow Fever Late 1600s Making an entrance during the 1600’s in South America and Africa, yellow fever landed in tropical and subtropical climates.

Although yellow is my favorite color and I enjoy yellow things, such as sunflowers and Skittles, I am not a big fan of hot and sweaty weather that comes with any type of flying bug near my face.

Judging by the fact that mosquitoes are the prime taxi drivers of this viral disease, I would much rather steer away from them as much as possible. And because of the lack of rats, I give yellow fever four mosquito swatters out of 10.

Disclaimer: The Grunion is a work of satire. It in no way reflects the views of 22 West Magazine or Associated Students, Inc. blah blah legal shit...

And, yes, it is supposed to be upside-down. Don’t ask why.

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Spanish Flu 1917 - 1920 Tomé cuatro años de español en la escuela secundaria. 10/10

Smallpox 10,000 B.C. Where is my Mediumpox? Largepox? XLpox?? I don’t agree with the lack of size representation I’m seeing and, honestly, I expected better. Even if smallpox first appeared in 10,000 B.C., it should have broken standards and came out as a supportive member of society to all individuals of all sizes. Speaking on behalf of many inclusive folks in my age group, we cannot stand for this type of exclusivity. Size does not matter. I pity you smallpox, I really do.

One disappointed fashionista out of 10.

COVID-19 (Novel Coronavirus) 2019 Well, well, if it isn’t the new kid on the block. To be quite honest, I enjoy being able to visit my friends and have grocery store runs that don’t require me to stand in line for three hours. The only corona I want to see spreading is the corona of confidence on top of everyone’s head, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. COVID-19, you have triggered a wave of change, and for that I can only dutifully grant you a vote by omission.

I’m sure you’re getting enough attention as it is.

While I do stand by my opinions, feel free to use your judgment when assessing these historical pandemics, even if a few of them can use some work. All that I ask in return is that during a time that is filled with an air of unease and disease, we all should stick together like a suburban mom sticks to her hand sanitizer. Don’t forget to thank a medical professional or two, who are working dutifully on the front lines of these pandemics wearing their modern plague beak masks. Tell a loved one you care about them, and last but not least, wash your hands.

With all that said, I thank you for your time and consideration in reading this review.

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