22 West Magazine - November 2019

Issue 85.03

November 4, 2019 www.22WestMedia.com

Featuring: Cocoa & Radio

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Issue 85.03 November 4, 2019 www.22WestMedia.com

Magazine Staff

Letter from an Editor Hey guys, I’m Bri, lead copy editor here at 22 West Mag. Don’t let the innocence of the Polaroid to the right fool you because it’s my turn to write this letter and, after many hours of editing, I did my best to not turn this into a 350word count letter to a therapist.

With the conclusion of October comes the end of midterm season and feelings of tested validation have come and nearly passed. I turned yet another year older on the first day of October, met and grew closer with an amazing and talented group of people and made a couple of much needed escapes to San Francisco and Joshua Tree. This is more than what most people can say in a time span of a few months, yet a cloud of deep inadequacy hung heavy over me throughout the month.

The thought of working my ass off, sacrificing gym time and sometimes even forgetting meals just to feel like nothing will pay off in the end was not the most comforting thought.

On a lighter note, our third issue of the year follows a theme of wholesomeness. We covered Corgi Beach Day and Cocoa, our boss Danny’s dog. We also got some artsy things in here, another Live Sessions and no holiday season can commence without just a tad of unthankfulness so we got that too.

It has been a wholesome month, even considering the minor personal issues. Shit inevitably happens, and that’s life. But getting to have the experiences I’ve had with the people I’ve met offsets all the feelings of self-doubt that sporadically and inevitably come up from time to time.

Ending on this genuinely hopeful note, I hope y’all can enter peak jolly season and the better half of the semester with the wholesomeness of this issue resonating through your chakras.

But most of all, thanks for reading and getting through to the end of this letter.

- Bri

Contributor Meetings: Thursdays @ 1pm USU 112 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.

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 Isabelle Cruz, Culture Editor

Contributors Nathan Cunningham, Writer Victoria Geis, Artist Aziza Gomez, Writer Erin Haworth, Writer Matt Hornick, Photographer Dominic Hure, Photographer Ronan Jensen, Photographer Isaac Kau, Photographer Brandon Kheang, Photographer Danny Lemos, Writer Majé Lustbader, Writer Lucas Sabatka, Photographer Kalli Valavani, Writer Chrisitan Wiseman,Writer Janna Wolf, Designer

Cover Art by Marissa Espiritu, Art Director

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

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Contents Culture 6

Hyperlink Episode 2: RBG and the Supreme Court A CSULB student’s supreme fascination with RBG.

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Cocoa & Radio The unwavering bond between a man and his dog.

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Haute Dog! Spooky pooches help draw Howl’oween to a close.

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Invasion of the Fluff Reflections on SoCal Corgi Beach Day.

Music 12

22 West Live Sessions with Nathaniel Get the latest chill hip-hop beats to study to.

Entertainment 15

Rhythm + Flow, a review Netflix’s new hip hop competition.

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TwitchCon Internet bros from different area codes.

Arts 18

Sweat, Tears and Animation How we became friends at 2 a.m.

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SoSoCalKal And other assorted poetry.

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Thanksgiving Self-Portrait One turkey’s journey to ruffle some feathers.

Grunion

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Un-thanksgiving 22 things we are not thankful for.

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A Festive Crossword Answers available on our website.

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Culture

Hyperlink Episode 2: RBG and the Supreme Court 22 West gets familiar with the baddest lady on the court.

By Bria Manning

Photos by the Hyperlink Team

If you have ever turned to Wikipedia for one specific thing and realized, 30 underlined blue links later, that you are miles away from your original inquiry then you might understand the premise of 22 West Video’s podcast Hyperlink.

Host Dominic Hure was joined by Jireh Deng, an applied math in economics and international studies major who is also a Supreme Court enthusiast. Specifically, Deng is a great admirer of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, or simply RBG as she is affectionately referred, and brings to the table hyperlinks on hyperlinks, from Ginsberg’s origins and the struggles she faced as a woman pursuing law to the intricacies of the Supreme Court and specific court cases.

Donning an RBG patch on her navy blue shirt, Deng opens up by introducing the justice as “the baddest lady on the court.”

Ginsberg studied law at Harvard in 1956 during a time when women involved in any type of higher education was greatly discouraged. Adding a husband diagnosed with prostate cancer and baby daughter in the mix, the boundaries of what she could and could not do protruded further and further out.

“She has to move to Columbia to finish her third year of law school,” Deng said.

“And she graduates top of her class [...] with a baby and sick husband. She can do it all.”

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Deng then went on to go over the issues and cases that Ginsberg had been a leading force behind, such as abortion, international law, search and seizure, and women’s rights. Deng specifically brings up the Frontiero v. Richardson case, which was ruled on in 1973 before Ginsberg was appointed a justice in 1993. Concerning receiving U.S. military benefits based on gender, the case came at a time when women’s rights were still not an issue taken seriously. Yet, despite being a fierce advocate for women’s rights, Ginsberg still championed for all gender equality. Deng’s admiration for Ginsberg really shines through as she mentions that Ginsberg, recognizing that there is an importance to women’s rights, also still acknowledged that working towards that goal had to be done incrementally and in such a specific way in order to be taken seriously at the time.

“Women’s rights not only affects women,” Deng said.

“It also affects men because these harmful stereotypes about the roles that women and men have in society affect everyone.”

Ginsberg and all of her accomplishments are just a hyperlink that lies within another of Deng’s interests: the Supreme Court.

Deng first took an

interest through constitutional law which she became familiar with through both the political science department and her involvement in moot court; it is also what led her to Ginsberg as well as the myriad of cases she is familiar with at the top of her head. In short, Deng is a living, breathing hyperlink.

As a senior in high school, Deng perused the political science program and law society at CSULB. Seeing that the law society was recruiting for its moot court—a student group who take on mock roles as litigators facing real issues, problems and cases—Deng decided to contact the professor in charge. Moot court travels across the country, debates in front of a group of nine mock supreme court justices to argue various cases—both on the side of the state as well as the side of the people. While in high school, Deng became part of the team in May 2018 and this is how her interest in the judiciary branch blossomed.

In the podcast recording room of 22 West’s radio station, Deng and Hure go back-to-back in their shared knowledge about the Supreme Court system and enter a rabbit hole of hyperlinks themselves: from stare decisis and the Slaughter-House Cases to the discourse of non-partisan alignments Supreme Court justices are supposed to uphold.

“And she graduates top of her class [...] with a baby and sick husband.

She can do it all.”

On the discussion of court legitimacy, the protests currently taking place in Hong Kong are brought up and Deng goes off on China’s judiciary system, which essentially does not exist in terms of legitimacy and power. “The court needs to be legit or people don’t believe them,” Deng said. “People don’t care about the law in certain places and it’s almost an anomaly that we care so much about what the Supreme Court says.”

As social and political issues are igniting all over the world today, this holds especially true. Specifically in the United States where the public is losing faith in institutions such as voting and politics in general, it is vital that the government retains legitimacy lest it loses the enthusiasm of young Americans such as Deng who are eager to leave a positive impact on this country.

Dominic Hure and Jireh Deng during the podcast (left) and interview (right)

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Culture

Cocoa & Radio

The unwavering bond between a man and his dog.

By Danny Lemos

Photo by Matt Hornick

I met Cocoa when he was two. His face, brown on the right side, white on the other like a perfect phantom mask, he A neighbor called came over the fence to lick my face. me Saint Francis My new boyfriend, Scott, introduced us and the dog of Assisi, known as became my constant companion. I trained him off leash and he spent the next eight years at my left heel, looking the patron saint of up at me every 20 seconds or so for direction and approval. animals.

We became fixtures at the West Hollywood Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf where I would write every morning.

We were a tight fit in my 400 square foot apartment which included my 6-foot-4-inch partner, myself, a 100-pound Labrador and a 10-pound cat. Cocoa was the most excited when we moved to Inglewood. The squirrels, rabbits and other dogs became Cocoa’s playmates, though the squirrels weren’t down for it as much as the other dogs. His bark, “Ah-roo-roo-roo!,” became our rally cry.

But he was more than just my companion. For five years during the recession, when I wasn’t working, he was my relief from anxiety. When life would weigh heavy, I would bury my nose in his fur and cling to the planet, hoping to make it another day. Sometimes when

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he’d feel my worry, he’d grab his leash. “I got this,” he seemed to suggest, “let’s walk it off.”

There were days when we’d walk the blues away half a dozen times.

When I finally got a job at KJazz Radio, his company at the office compensated for a low salary. When I worked as an operations manager and a distraught employee wanted a meeting, I’d hand them Cocoa’s leash and he would lead them outside for a squirrel chase. No matter the mood, the employee always returned calm and less stressed. Cocoa was rewarded with treats from Maryann, the finance office admin he spent most of the day with. I pretended not to notice the extra calories. It was obvious he had enough love for both of us.

When Scott and I eventually parted ways, he asked, “What about Cocoa?” even though he already knew the answer. And to his credit, he allowed our dog to remain with me. Scott moved out and we shared custody from that day forward.

When Cocoa became afflicted with hind leg issues, I stepped up. I supported his back legs by holding him from his ample tail and he spent a year ambling along while I held him up. Two new four-legged roommates, feral cats that adopted the household, would come along on the walks, darting from car to car in the street alongside the sidewalk, the entire pack off leash and in step. A neighbor called me Saint Francis of Assisi, known as the patron saint of animals.

As the days became more and more labored, I dreaded what I came to call the last act of a faithful dog owner. I asked friends when it would be time to put him down.

“Don’t worry,” they assured. “You’ll know.”

And they were right.

He was less and less active on our trips to the dog park. That last trip told me what I didn’t want to accept. At the park, other dogs

came over, took one sniff and left him alone.

They knew, they could smell it. I took him home, and he never got up from the kitchen floor again.

I called Scott, I wanted him there. I called the vet and he came too. We put him on his favorite bed, cuddled his face and kissed him while the vet did his duty until Cocoa’s labored breathing slowed to silence. No words, only deep, deep feelings.

I sat stunned by grief until the cats began meowing and scratching at the door. I was jolted by the realization that his walk had become theirs too. Life, however, goes on and I had to walk the cats. On our circle around the block, the neighbor who likened me to Saint Francis said, “Where’s Cocoa?”

When I told her, she erupted into tears, unleashing mine. We cried together for a few minutes and it helped to know that others would miss him too.

It’s been five years and I still haven’t been able to take his picture off of my screen saver.

It’s been five years and I still haven’t been able to take his picture off of my screen saver. More cats have shown up to be cared for – I’ve GOT to keep that patio door closed! – but I’ve not had another dog since.

I still miss his deep baritone bark, but every time I remember him and feel him in my heart, I am reminded of a poem by Ernest Montague that I read after his passing: “When you think your dog has died, it has just fallen asleep in your heart. And by the way, it is wagging its tail madly, you see, and that’s why your chest hurts so much and you cry all the time.”

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Culture

Haute Dog! These spooky pooches help draw Howl’oween to a close.

By Erin Haworth Photos by Lucas Sabatka Humans aren’t the only ones participating in the spooky season. Our four-legged friends come howlin’ at the annual Haute Dog Howl’oween Parade in Marina Vista Park.

The costume parade is a wholesome, family friendly event where pooches and humans alike dress up to celebrate the spooky season. The dogs took over the park dressed as everything from spaghetti to Ghostbusters. These costumes, for both dogs and humans, ranged from store-bought basics to elaborate set pieces.

Running for 19 years, the Haute Dog Howl’oween Parade serves as a charity event to raise money for local animal charities. All proceeds from the event support local spay and neuter clinics, such as the Long Beach Spay and Neuter Foundation and Friends of Long Beach Animals. If you’re looking for some wholesome fun next spooky season, go out and support the Haute Dog Howl’oween Parade.

The costumes pictured range from intricate to simple, but all of them embody the spirit of the holiday.

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Invasion of the Fluff Corgis storm the beaches of Huntington.

By Nathan Cunningham & Majé Lustbader Photos by Marissa Espiritu

Corgis. Are they a loaf of bread? Are they balls of fuzz?

Are they a breed of dog? Correct answer: all of the above.

Southern California Corgi Beach Day, which is held at Huntington Dog Beach every spring and fall, is an event where all corgis, and honorary corgis, are welcomed to gather and celebrate their existence. Founded in October 2012, the first Corgi Beach Day had only 15 corgis, since then the number has grown to over 1,200 corgis and over 13,000 attendees. Through a series of entertaining events, such as best costume, corgi limbo, corgi musical chairs and the corgi bubble spectacular, these fuzzy boys are observed and adored by the crowds that gather.

A crowd favorite event is the best “momo,” aka a corgi butt contest where booties are judged by audience applause.

The day consists of flocks of corgis scampering through the sandy beaches with the sun on their backs. There’s a variety of different corgi apparel vendors that offer anything from doggieshaped treats, corgi backpacks or stumpy dog adoptions.

Enthusiastic dog owners come from all around to flood Huntington Beach. Dog owners set up their own marketing to gain social media followers for their fluffy friends, while Instagram famous corgis tend to make their appearances throughout the day. Mr. Pickles rocks his traditional Hawaiian shirt as he continues on as the ambassador and mascot of Corgi Beach Day. There is no feeling in the world that can compare to walking down the beach while packs of corgis zoom past in fluffy fury. Complete bliss might come closer to explaining the experience of being surrounded by joyful barking balls of fur and ocean water. Catch us at the next Corgi Beach Day by finding information @socalcorgibeachday.

Henry, a paralyzed Corgi, loves getting pets.

Nathan Cunningham making friends with a good spidey boi.

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Music

Nathaniel Making tracks on 22 West Live Sessions.

Interview by Aziza Gomez

Art by Marissa Espiritu

Photos by Isaac Kau and Brandon Kheang Nathaniel is a bedroom R&B singer-songwriter from West Covina, California. Inspired by his family’s musical background, Nathaniel began creating his own music at a young age and is now focused on developing his craft even further. Nathaniel released his first EP titled “Dreams After Dusk” in 2018 which is available on all streaming platforms.

Q: Were you always a songwriter or was it something that you started doing as your musicianship progressed?

A: I did minisongs when I was in middle school but it wasn’t really serious until I did choir in high school. Sophomore year was when my musicianship really increased and I started making my own lyrics and beats.

Q: What is one of your musical goals?

A: I want to get to a total of one million streams. I feel like that is a good goal by the end of two years, maybe. I don’t know how slow or how fast it’s going to take, but it’s something I really want to achieve.

Q: What were the easiest and hardest parts of releasing your first EP? A: The easiest part was probably making the music and the hardest part was figuring out how to get it all out there. I had to inform myself on music distributors and how to get all of my songs on music streaming platforms. This process is what allowed me to see both the creative and business side of the music industry.

Q: How do you combat writer’s block?

A: I get writer’s block a lot and whenever it happens I leave it alone for X amount of time and think up different methods of songwriting. For example, I like to think about how my favorite artist would tackle my song in terms of flow and I really try to emulate that. All of my music is heavily inspired by other musicians.

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Q: Which musician, dead or alive, would you like to collaborate with?

A: Frank Ocean or Daniel Caesar. I’m really into R&B so working with them would be a dream.

I can’t imagine what goes through their head when they are putting their thoughts into fruition. Their songs take me to a whole other world.

Q: When you are listening to your inspirations, what specifically are you listening for within the track?

A: I am listening to how it is mixed, where they pan specific instruments and how they level their vocals. I know that sound engineering and production is what makes a normal song killer and it can make or break a song. You can have great lyrics and an awesome instrumental but if your mix is trashy then there is no point.

Q: What motivated you to continue growing as a musician?

A: I may go through phases where I want to try something else, but I always come back to my home base. My dream is to make this my career so that is what motivates me.

“...sound engineering and production is what makes a normal song killer...”

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Music Q: What inspired you to start songwriting?

A: I always wrote for fun, but my friends are the reason why I started writing and releasing my own music. They convinced me to push it out and see how it goes. My first official EP that I released performed well, I think it has 200,000 streams. Knowing that many people played my songs and were actually willing to listen to it really motivates me to write more.

Q: Is there a common theme within your EP? A: All of the songs within the EP contain different forms of white noise in them. For example, one is static from a TV, one is static from a record player and one is rain. I was shooting for chill background music that someone can listen to and get stuff done.

Q: What are some musicians you admire that perform a genre different from your own?

A: My music taste is all over the place. I love Nat King Cole, Bob Marley and John Legend.

When I was younger that was all I would listen to. Also some EDM. Q: What is your musical background?

A: When I was six or seven my big sister was taking singing lessons and whenever she was practicing downstairs I would just be listening to her practice. This one time she was rehearsing a song that contained a note that she couldn’t reach, but I was actually able to hit it and it really surprised my mom that I could naturally sing. That’s my earliest memory of me when I started to sing. In elementary it was just something I did for fun; I didn’t really think about it much.

Q: What is one of the messages you hope your listeners take from your music?

A: Have a good time, live life, be real and be the best you that you can be.

“I always wrote for fun, but my friends are the reason why I started writing and releasing my own music.”

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Entertainment

Rhythm + Flow Review Netflix’s new music competition brings talent from Atlanta, Chicago and New York.

By Kalli Valavani Are you looking for a new show on Netflix?

Do you like contests and rap music? Then we might just have a recommendation for you!

On October 9, Netflix launched a new hiphop competition series called “Rhythm + Flow.”

While the idea of a hip-hop competition being broadcast isn’t new, Netflix must have seen new potential in this market and advertises Rhythm + Flow as “Netflix’s first hip-hop competition.” The winner of the competition gets $250,000 and their own Spotify Live series instead of a record deal.

But quite frankly, in this day and age the global exposure, aka “clout,” that comes with being on Netflix might just be better than any record label deal. It certainly gives the artist the freedom to choose their own record label.

The main judges are T.I., Chance the Rapper and Cardi B. After the first audition in Los Angeles where all three judges get the help of other hip-hop legends, such as Snoop Dog and the late Nipsey Hussle, the next three Photo from IMBD.com episodes are auditions in each judge’s home city; Cardi B hosts an audition in New York City, T.I. in Atlanta and Chance in Chicago.

The contestants come from all over the U.S. to compete against each other in Los Angeles in categories such as rap battles, cyphers, collaborations, stage performance and marketing. While spoiling you with a lot of raw talent and passion by the contestants and famous guests in every episode, the show also provides insights into the hip-hop business and what it takes to “make it” in the industry.

In a span of three weeks from its premiere, Netflix has released new episodes every Wednesday of the week. So far, the show has gained a lot of positive feedback by the critics. We encourage you to watch it and let us know your favorite rapper(s) that you are rooting for. And if you don’t have Netflix or your Netflix “sponsor” kicked you out, don’t worry – Netflix offers a 30-day trial for you to binge watch Rhythm + Flow!

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Entertainment

TwitchCon 2019 Meeting your online friends IRL. Story and Photos by Christian Wiseman

...this convention wasn’t like any other I’d covered before.

The weekend of September 26 should have been just another weekend of attending a convention as part of the press, something I have done many times before. I would go to the con, take some pictures and arrange some interviews. At the conclusion of the convention, I would take the audio and edit it into an audio story to play on 22 West Radio—something I have done many times before and I enjoy doing. However, this convention wasn’t like any other I’d covered before. It involved the chance of a lifetime: to meet a group of friends I have only interacted with online.

I went to TwitchCon, the convention that is sponsored by the live streaming service Twitch. The convention itself brought together a collection of community members, streamers and exhibitors to show off their various products. Streamers are also able to network with each other, learn skills and meet up with their viewers. In past years,

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Twitch has held the annual convention in different cities across the state. This year they decided to hold the convention in San Diego.

Plans needed to be made weeks before the convention. I planned on attending with a group of seven other people months before ticket prices were even announced. One of my friends who I knew by his Twitch handle Spades13 threw out the idea of going one step further than just a meet up: he wanted to rent a house through Airbnb.

Initially, I wasn’t planning on joining in on the Airbnb idea for two reasons. First, I originally was planning on going to the convention with two people from 22 West Media. However, due to events out of our control, that plan fell through. Second, and a more powerful reason, it was due to my nerves. I was excited about being able to meet my friends in person, yet at the same time I have read many horror stories about people who have met online. Some stories go from having things stolen to physical harm.

Things became easier to prepare for as the date of our giant meet up grew near.

As it came up, we began comparing travel times. With a group of people around the

world, times varied. The longest travel time belonged to TehCaps who was coming from the United Kingdom and, surprisingly, the shortest wasn’t me. While my route was two and a half hours on the Amtrak, the guy coming from Arizona, Javatar, had his whole trip completed in just over an hour.

My specific travel date on Thursday involved an early morning trip to the train station.

What is normally a lightly packed train was overly busy because of a Dodgers day game in San Diego. Thankfully, even though they were busier than normal, it didn’t delay the arrival time. Arriving in San Diego, the first person I met, Spades, came out to help me bring my bags into the house. Walking up the walkway, I met Exilkani, TheGamateers, Javatar, Caps and Holly. I would meet the last person in the group, Futilesparkle, later that night. As soon as I met everybody in person, all my nervousness disappeared. I was happy to discover everybody who I talked to online was also the same in person.

After getting situated, our first outing as a group was to the San Diego Zoo. There,

we made jokes amongst ourselves and had some fun conversations. One of my friends who is on a “stream every day for a year” challenge took the chance to turn on his live stream to show his viewers the animals housed at the zoo and show our interconnected community that we actually exist in person. The next few days were full of the grind of getting the story, with my main objective being talking to the charities and game developers to see what they had planned. The convention itself was a sea of purple, the official color for Twitch. When convention coverage wasn’t taking place, we still tried to make an effort to hang out with each other in addition to trying to arrange meetups with other people we knew from Twitch.

The time that the eight of us shared together was incredible and an experience I treasure. Throughout the weekend we had time to hang out, play games and continue conversations that originally started online.

At the end of the weekend, we all had the same thought: “I can’t wait till next year.”

I was happy to discover everybody who I talked to online was also the same in person.

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Arts

Sweat, Tears and Animation How we became friends at 2 a.m.

Story and Photos by Marissa Espiritu A unique community exists within Long Beach State’s animation department, one where everyone is just a bit too crazy and entirely too comfortable with each other. We’ve seen each other at our worst, dressed in pajamas, unshowered, unrested, and making coffee to salvage what few brain cells are left at 4 a.m. It’s a personal bond, one we experience on a near global level after the 24-Hour Animation Competition.

Starting in 2002 at Laguna College, CSULB art department head, Aubry Mintz, dared his students to stay after class to finish their projects, simulating the environment of an animation studio. Starting as a late night endeavor, the lock-in soon dwindled to five students enjoying the sunrise in celebration.

As he tells it, “They got more done in that time, in that 24-hour period, than they had in the whole semester.”

Inspired by this madness, Mintz led the challenge every year after that initial midnight marathon. In 2004 Mintz gave his first prompt, The Chicken or the Egg. The next year there were so many students that he had to put them in teams. He realized the events popularity when the contest made CSULB a permanent home in 2007. In 2010, the contest opened up to other schools statewide, and then nationwide. Four years later, 24Hour Animation went international. Today, 65 schools (two of which were high schools) from

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9 different countries offer up 1,455 students eager to spend their night animating, a record breaking high of participants.

“This contest was created to help people understand the rigors of the animation industry...”

The premise is simple: Get yourself a small team of wonderfully insane people. Wait for Mintz to announce the prompt and use the next 24-hours to create a 30-second animation.

On Friday, October 4, 11 teams from CSULB huddled behind Mintz as he got on the live stream. The room was filled with all different majors: animation, illustration, film, computer science and even dance.

This was my third and final year competing in this tradition and I wanted to take my time and really find out what makes my fellow students tick.

Stepping through a jungle of laptop chargers and tablet cords, I found myself occasionally dodging sleeping bags hidden in corners and under tables. The food was the mostly unsustainable, trash kind of snacks but enough to feed a small village.

I met a lot of exhausted students who shared their thoughts on the task at hand.

It’s a combination of dark humor, caffeinated delirium and a sort of pessimistic optimism.

There’s crying, arguing, hysterical laughter and stress-relieving screams happening on the rooftops. In the end, the current feelings could really be simmered down to a resounding “UGH” from Julia Feng.

Through the stress and overwhelming tasks of animation, one thing remains constant: the energy. It’s rampant, intoxicating and fueled purely by the department’s unity.

Mintz explains how the contest is “building a culture” within the department that is spreading across different schools around the world. “This contest was created to help people understand the rigors of the animation industry,” Mintz said. “But also to think about how to work in teams and collaborate, which is so much of our art form.”

Today the contest is almost completely student run and has taken on a life of its own.

Through all the problems and bouts of panic, there was a comfort in knowing that we were all doing it together.

Team Bullphrogs decided in the beginning that they were all in this ride together. “[If] the director is like ‘alright, fuck it. I’m out’ and jumps out of the car, we’re all jumping out,” they told me.

Rodrigo Gonzalez first competed in 2017

and has joined every year since. ”[I wanted to] take this chance to be collaborative, learn about teamwork, and meet other artists, other ambitious students,” Gonzalez said.

“I’ve been to four different Cal States and I feel that the sense of community here is exponentially higher,” Animation Professor Walter Santucci said. “People just move in with their blankets and sometimes they bring cooking materials and it feels absolutely normal.”

Though it saddens me that this is my last year competing, I couldn’t be more thankful for the kind of opportunity and community the 24-Hour Animation Competition has given me through my years here at CSULB. It’s a space for pure psychotic creativity, chaotic enthusiasm and an undying love for the craft. It was never about the prizes or even the quality of the product in the end. It was about the shared struggle and drive with your teammates and competitors. And when everyone in the room has the same kind of insanity as you, you have found your people.

And when everyone in the room has the same kind of insanity you do, you have found your people.

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Arts

SoSoCalKal And other assorted poetry.

By Kalli Valavani

Art by Victoria Geis

MOOD studying for seven minutes is followed by hours of aimlessly browsing the internet remembering the words of my therapist does not help, I only feel ashamed seven minutes, eight minutes, nine minutes, ten I put it aside and I pick up a pen I write this and beg the muses to guide me but the muses must tell me the answer’s inside me so, what do I do? I don’t know how to access “inside” I light up a blunt and think, “I’ll be alright.”.

Untitled my soul is not from this earth that’s why my every day seems crazy but don’t mistake my introvert ways for being lazy

SoSoCalKal Like the palm tree, I am foreign to this land I look pretty and tall just to mask my alienation And you fall for it, you make me part of your fantasy In your mind you create me so that you don’t have to take me as I am The sun shines a lot in this place, but you and your friends still act shady Like my sunglasses, that help me ignore the gaze and make it through the day You’re no good for me, like the fast food that I’m consuming here And you take up so much space, and this is not even your land

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Untitled there is no romance in ignorance. and violence should under no circumstances be met with silence unless you want hate to be our fate

“Sensitive� moonlight showers reveal my hidden powers I may be fragile like a plant but trust me I can rant

Thanksgiving Self-Portrait Art by Victoria Geis

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Un-thanksgiving 22 things we are not thankful for.

By Beatrice Vega

Art by E.R. Conte

Thanksgiving, the holiday of giving thanks. The holiday where your abuelita makes the family gather around the table, say a special prayer and go in a circle to express specific gratitudes as you choke back laughter from the absurd solemness of it all.

Thanksgiving has become both so normalized and sensationalized that many don’t even pause to consider what the fuck is even going on.

People of indigenous heritage hate it because, well, you know why. (Hint: the answer is 18 across on the crossword.) Marxists hate it because capitalism. Vegans hate it because they’re not allowed to eat unless someone loves them enough to construct an entire dinner of cardboard for them. In fact, the only people to be found that genuinely enjoy Thanksgiving are corporate white dads who just want to watch football, chug beer, eat some goddamn turkey and pass out in the recliner.

So here, in this issue about wholesomeness, we pause to commemorate the things we have to be unthankful for, outside of the obviously problematic regular Thanksgiving shit.

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2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Waking up in the morning People who don’t move over for motorcyclists People who talk shit on vegans But also vegans Mahogany haters Other AP students as an AP student in high school 7. Pop culture 8. Pets dying 9. HDAD and dyslexia 10. People who clearly see the upcoming right lane is blocked off, so they speed up to cut off, like, two people

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11. Professors who expect you to do the readings 12. Thin blue line flags 13. People who don’t pick up their dog shit 14. Mark Zuckerberg 15. Both Antifa and hardcore Trumpers 16. The Dodgers fucking up yet another post-season 17. The current presidential administration 18. Being the Long Beach Nothings 19. Plastic 20. Spam email 21. Fires in California 22. Tom Brady

Crossword Puzzle A Festive Crossword

Down: 1. What healthy freaks do on Thanksgiving morning 2. The pilgrims did the Native Americans dirty, but specifically this one 4. #turkeylivesmatter 5. Ventriculus; 27 cal.

8. Peak capitalism 10. Mediocre potluck for those with no family 11. What you do on Thanksgiving to feel better about sinning all year 12. Controversial Thanksgiving dessert 14. Most likely yams 18. Spooky fruits 19. What you drank as a kid to get turnt on Thanksgiving

Across: 3. You shove it up a turkey’s ass 6. Lucy’s depressed bitch 7. Dead bird birthday candle 9. Controlled turkey substance 13. Celebrated colonizer 15. Doggos bringing wholesomeness to Thanksgiving 16. The weird horn thing you likely don’t know the name of 17. Swole animals in the air 18. America’s favorite celebrated past time

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Down: Across: Disclaimer: The Grunion is a work of satire. It in *Find the answers on our website at no way reflects the3. views of 22shove West Magazine 1.

What healthy freaks do on Thanksgiving You it upora turkey 22westmedia.com/magazine/grunion Associated Students, Inc. blah blah legal shit...

2. Mayflower pilgrim's bitch 6. Lucy's depressed bitch 4. #turkeylivesmatter 7. Dead bird birthday23 cand

Follow us @22WestLB www.22WestMedia.com

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