TumbleDweeeb

Emmitt Owens

Plizaya Productions

  • Chill n’Fill #53 (Book 2, Episode 21)

    Another Night at Chill n’Fill: The Factory Worker, The Choice Maker, and The Value Builder    It was Thursday night at Chill n’Fill, and I was three hours into my shift when the fluorescent lights started their familiar buzz-flicker routine that always gave me a headache by midnight. Another evening as chronicler of convenience store… Read more

  • The Art of You

    …begin with static—that hum between radio stationswhere your soul lives      you are verb.action.becominga living algorithm of choice/mistake/choice againcoded in the language of maybe    (parentheses hold your secrets)[brackets frame your fears]{curly braces embrace your contradictions}         DNA → RNA → protein → YOUthe biological poetryof existence refusing                    to                        rhyme scattered like:  bread crumbs   coffee stains      love… Read more

  • Chill n’Fill #52 (Book 2, Episode 20)

    Another Night at Chill n’Fill: The Joseph Lancour Memorial, The Military Mother, The Veteran and The Protestor    It was Sunday night at Chill n’Fill, the day before Memorial Day, 2025…  and I was two hours into my shift when I discovered Bob’s most solemn tribute yet. Our one-eyed polar bear mascot, the towering figure… Read more

  • Chill n’Fill #48 (Book 2, Episode 16)

    At Chill n’Fill, a late-night convenience store, the protagonist navigates various customer interactions, reflecting on human connections and societal dynamics. A pizza delivery driver theorizes the store as a microcosm of social behavior, while a grieving nursing home worker finds empathy amidst grief. The narrative illustrates moments of kindness, philosophical insights, and confrontations with entitlement. Read more

  • Chill n’Fill #47 (Book 2, Episode 13)

    Another Night at Chill n’Fill: Monuments, Creeps, and the Gray Hoodie    It was Saturday night at Chill n’Fill, and I’d just finished rearranging the candy display according to Bob’s latest merchandising theory. Chocolate bars now lived next to energy drinks in the “depression remedies” section, while sour candies had been relocated to “aggressive emotions”… Read more

  • Chill n’Fill #49 (Book 2, Episode 15)

    Another Night at Chill n’Fill: The Seven Deadly Sins    Bob’s newest theory involved rearranging the entire store based on the seven deadly sins. Pride products near the entrance, Wrath energy drinks by the coffee machine, and Lust items… well, Bob’s interpretation of “Lust” apparently included chocolate and romance novels he’d bought from a garage… Read more

  • Chill n’Fill #46 (Book 2, Episode 12)

    Another Night at Chill n’Fill: The Baby Lotion Theorists    It was Friday night at Chill n’Fill, and I was nearing the end of what Bob optimistically called my “probationary period” but what I recognized as “we can’t find anyone else willing to work these hours for minimum wage plus the occasional expired energy drink.”… Read more

  • Chill n’Fill #40 (Book 2, Episode 6)

    The Writer, The Aggravator, and The False Prophet    It was Thursday night at Chill n’Fill, and I’d just finished rearranging the energy drink display into a color gradient that would make a rainbow jealous. Bob had insisted this would “maximize the chromatic purchasing energy” of our customers, whatever that meant. At least it gave… Read more

  • Chill n’Fill #43 (Book 2, Episode 9)

    Another Night at Chill n’Fill: The Culture Warrior, The Evangelical, and The Activist    So, Jennifer called in sick for the sixth time this month—”food poisoning” according to her text, though her TikTok suggests she’s at a political rally downtown. Whatever. More hours for me, Karlee, professional chaos coordinator and now apparently the unwitting referee… Read more

  • 7160 W. 14 Road (1985/1986)

    The House on West 14 Road    In the spring of 1985, my family relocated from 112 John Street to 7160 W. 14 Rd. in Mesick, Michigan, a rural community known locally as Glengary. I was about to turn nine years old. The sprawling five-bedroom, two-story house stood weathered against the Michigan landscape, its painted… Read more