Notes from the underground

Finding an outlet willing to publish my latest piece was a challenge and I'm grateful to Gina at DistillSocial for agreeing to run it. Numerous outlets (ProPublica, for example) expressed concerns that I was misrepresenting myself somehow even though I assured them that I fully intended to do the best work I could in the role for which I was applying.

Here's an excerpt:

In an online application submitted in late January, I’d truthfully submitted my five most recent employers, three of which are media companies, and other basic background information. Less than a week later I received messages inviting me to call in for prescreening.

I called the number provided January 28 in the early afternoon.

The GEO Group representative, who speaks with a slight accent from some other continent, asked what qualified me for the position and I leveraged clerical support work for a hospital system, which involved handling and examining many sensitive documents. I mentioned a few other relevant skills and experiences and the prescreener was convinced and we scheduled an interview in person, on site, for the following week. The call lasted 10 minutes, 40 seconds.

The following week, after moving my vehicle to the third shift parking lot and passing through security, I sit in the waiting area for about the same amount of time, during which I observe a couple of young hispanic people enter and approach the desk asking to visit a detainee. The receptionist dispassionately informs them that visiting hours were from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. that day and that check-in is required at least one hour beforehand. They had reached the desk at approximately 2:01 p.m. They are turned away.

The full article is available at DistillSocial.

Recorded audio from my first musical performance of 2026, a solo show at Highway Brewing Co., was lost due to a memory overrun. Feedback on the show was positive and genuine if cash tips were any indication. Chandra received the loudest applause.

My upcoming performance dates can be found at digdug.live.