Cauliflower Dreamin’
A visit to the west coast, for more than just my health.
Hey Friends,
I spent the week on the left coast, in Los Angeles.
In California, everyone is beautiful, except for the character actors who are uniquely quirky. In California, even cashiers have lip filler starting at 22. It's the regrettable tattoos of 2026, available at any drug store, and they'll give you a $5 coupon to shop the store afterward. Plastic bags are illegal, and paper bags cost money. The judgmental stares for not bringing your own reusable bags are free.
Everything is about health in California. People trade rice for cauliflower. They take sound baths, even if they skip regular baths. The sun always shines, and the sidewalks are paved in matcha. Even the stoners in California are healthier because they call it "LA Sober."
At every intersection, there’s a luxury car seller on one corner and a pharmacy on the other, with a sign that says “Burner Phones”. Everyone is either in the film business or wishes they were. If you work for TSA, it's basically an audition, and the woman who gave my bags a pass is definitely getting the part.
I was there, not just because I wanted to learn a new way to merge in traffic, but to film the first 16 hours of footage for a documentary I'm producing. Like everyone in California, you're either a storyteller or someone tired of people using that term. And one of those describes me perfectly. Maybe both.
While I was there, I managed to watch the State of the Union address, which boasted the longest in history, making Donald Trump the producer of more carbon emissions than any president in history.
He used the speech as a chance to bring the country together, as long as they would join him in insulting Democrats, the Supreme Court, and our intelligence.
He announced a typically progressive policy to limit corruption by preventing members of Congress from trading stock, in an effort to ensure corruption is limited to the White House.
Trump bragged about the success of his Tariffs, noting that they had raised trillions of dollars, which, as they were passed directly to consumers, magically evaporated, making everything in the US more affordable, even as costs rise.
It was a speech that needed no fact-checking, because there were so few to begin with, but even when one broke through, it was with nuances. Which is always how we should look at everything. So since my time was occupied this week, I'll rerun a thought piece on how to think about public policy. An oldie for some, but new to many of you.
Enjoy.
Daniel Herndon
That's it for this week.
Remember: The Lorem Ipsum is safe for consumption and perfect for sharing with others.
Have a great weekend!
