Local author Michael Frissore, from Oro Valley, has published a collection of strange short stories dating back to the '90s.

Puppet Shows is a collection of thirteen short stories which Frissore called his "babies," which he has written throughout his writing career. The oldest of the stories, "Dinner at Wither Port," was written 20 years ago while Frissore was still in college.

The story is about two brothers who inherited the fictional Wither Port Mental Clinic and are careless with the place and its patients. It tells of an annual honorary dinner held for a State Medical Board representative, in which the two brothers drink, one shoots clinic patients with a tranquilizer gun and the waiters at the dinner dress in ninja suits and speak offensive mock-Chinese.

Like "Dinner at Wither Port," the rest of the stories in the collection don't make much sense, yet they're funny and absurd enough to keep you hooked. Frissore said while some stories just came to him, it took him a while to find a direction for others while trying to limit the story's absurdity.

"It's somewhat surprising that I would have a limit to absurdity based on these stories," Frissore said, "but there is, you know, something of a limit there."

Despite Bradley Sands, author of Sorry I Ruined Your Orgy, calling the short story collection "absurdism at its best," Frissore said he doesn't think of himself as a philosopher. His sense of humor just happens to lend itself to absurdism, he added.

Frissore does however agree with absurdism, the philosophical belief that everything the universe is meaningless and irrational, in a sense.

"It's [the universe] not meaningless but it doesn't necessarily have to have the meaning that everyone kind of sees it as," Frissore said. "But certainly, irrational, I agree with."

A husband, father of two and full-time credentialing specialist at the University of Arizona Health Network, Frissore said his writing career has definitely slowed down. Because most of these stories were written before his children were born, most of the work he put in was in finding a publisher.

"I think every writer would love to be able to do it [be a writer] full-time but there's very few who can make that happen," Frissore said. "I would love to have more time to do it than I do but financially ... I need the nine to five job to kind of balance the writing career."

The book can be found in print for $8.99 and as an eBook for $6.99.

A blog post in Jezebel about women getting together and putting drugs up their vaginas as an experiment on getting high sounded strangely intriguing at first, but ended up being disappointing. Don't bother not trying this at home folks.

In "Cunt Odyssey: Search for Vaginal Datapoints," they reported on their experiences and...well, yeah, not much vagina-reefer madness to report on here:

Disappointingly, none of the women had notably strong trips; it turns out that if you want to hallucinate that the sky is an Etch A Sketch/have the most amaaaaaazing back-scratch experience ever/cry about your dead hamster for hours while simultaneously convinced that the magnets on your fridge are watching you, you should swallow your drugs instead. "Consensus seemed that this was not an efficient way of dosing, and that for any future experiments, compounds should be in solution or in some cream form for better dispersion," the participants mused.

Oh Matt Salmon.

You're one of those strange, rare cases in American politics where someone actually sticks to their word despite how detrimental it may be to their political career — because they don't view politics as a career.

Salmon, who is in his second stint representing Arizona in Congress, last week proposed an amendment to the United States Constitution that would place universal term limits on members of Congress, restricting representatives to three two-year terms, and senators to two six-year terms. His bill would also restrict people from running for those offices again after taking a leave into the private sector — though it doesn't appear that the language of the amendment would restrict people from chasing a Senate seat after completing their time as a representative.

Not as if that matters though, as the bill (which has six co-sponsors) would not only have to pass a two-thirds majority of Congress, but would then have to be ratified by three-fourths of the states — in other words, this has practically no chance of passing.

Of course, the irony here is that Salmon is currently in his fourth term in Congress, meaning that if his amendment had already existed, he couldn't be serving again — though it would also mean that Jeff Flake (who entered Congress alongside Salmon, making the same initial promise of stepping down after serving three terms before reneging on his word) would be gone as well...which probably would have spared his ego from viewing the ass-kicking he's taking in public polling right now.

In what's actually fairly important news coming out of the world of professional sports, NBA veteran journeyman Jason Collins came out in a Sports Illustrated cover story hitting newsstands this week, making him the first active, American male professional athlete to come out.

From Sports Illustrated:

Why am I coming out now? Well, I started thinking about this in 2011 during the NBA player lockout. I'm a creature of routine. When the regular season ends I immediately dedicate myself to getting game ready for the opener of the next campaign in the fall. But the lockout wreaked havoc on my habits and forced me to confront who I really am and what I really want. With the season delayed, I trained and worked out. But I lacked the distraction that basketball had always provided.

The first relative I came out to was my aunt Teri, a superior court judge in San Francisco. Her reaction surprised me. "I've known you were gay for years," she said. From that moment on I was comfortable in my own skin. In her presence I ignored my censor button for the first time. She gave me support. The relief I felt was a sweet release. Imagine you're in the oven, baking. Some of us know and accept our sexuality right away and some need more time to cook. I should know — I baked for 33 years.

When I was younger I dated women. I even got engaged. I thought I had to live a certain way. I thought I needed to marry a woman and raise kids with her. I kept telling myself the sky was red, but I always knew it was blue.

I realized I needed to go public when Joe Kennedy, my old roommate at Stanford and now a Massachusetts congressman, told me he had just marched in Boston's 2012 Gay Pride Parade. I'm seldom jealous of others, but hearing what Joe had done filled me with envy. I was proud of him for participating but angry that as a closeted gay man I couldn't even cheer my straight friend on as a spectator. If I'd been questioned, I would have concocted half truths. What a shame to have to lie at a celebration of pride. I want to do the right thing and not hide anymore. I want to march for tolerance, acceptance and understanding. I want to take a stand and say, "Me, too."

He did so less than a week after Brittney Griner, the Phoenix Mercury's top pick in the WNBA draft and the most promising draft prospect to play women's basketball in a decade, noted her sexuality in an interview (also with Sports Illustrated), in a move summed up perfectly by the New York Times: "Female Star Comes Out as Gay, and Sports World Shrugs"

The sexuality of athletes has been a hot-button issue as of late, as rumors swirled earlier this month that four active NFL players have considered coming out en masse.

Sen. Jeff Flake has seen his approval numbers plummet in the wake of his vote against legislation that would have required background on firearm sales at gun shows, online marketplaces and other advertised transactions, according to a new poll released today.

Public Policy Polling released a survey today that shows:

After just 3 months in office Jeff Flake has already become one of the most unpopular Senators in the country. Just 32% of voters approve of him to 51% who disapprove and that -19 net approval rating makes him the most unpopular sitting Senator we've polled on, taking that label from Mitch McConnell.

70% of Arizona voters support background checks to only 26% who are opposed to them. That includes 92/6 favor from Democrats, 71/24 from independents, and 50/44 from Republicans. 52% of voters say they're less likely to support Flake in a future election because of this vote, compared to only 19% who say they're more likely to. Additionally voters say by a 21 point margin, 45/24, that they trust senior colleague John McCain more than Flake when it comes to gun issues.

Flake's press secretary, Genevieve Rozansky, suggested that Public Policy Polling's surveys were less than trustworthy.

"If early PPP polls were accurate, Senator Flake wouldn't be in office right now," Rozansky said via email.

Flake has done something of a dance on the question of background checks. He generally tells the press and public that he supports strengthening the background-check system, but his support is for changing laws to place more mentally ill people who pose a danger to themselves or others on the list.

Earlier this month, he voted against the Manchin-Toomey amendment that would have extended background checks to sales at gun shows and on the Internet (as well as any other advertised transactions). In an interview before the vote, he said the proposal would have created too much paperwork.

In the wake of that vote, he got particular criticism for sending a handwritten letter to the mother of a young man killed in the Colorado movie-theater massacre saying that "While we may not agree on every solution, strengthening background checks is something we agree on."

According to a press release (which, by the way, is different than an actual story, cultivating sources or an actual submitted opinion column) from the Arizona Diamondbacks, they are now going to offer a Sonoran-style hot dog at home games for seven bucks. Woweee. Seriously, that just doesn't seem right, offering up bacon-wrapped goodness in Maricopa County.

You know, of course, there's nothing like a Sonoran hot dog to say, "Hey, all you, er, Mex, er, Hispanics, we love you, we welcome you and we want your dollars, so we've made special food and days, just for you."

Here's what they say:

PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) will offer a Sonoran-style hot dog at every home game for $7 at Red Hot Grill locations in sections 126 and 320. In addition, the team has partnered with Univision to offer a special Sonoran Dog Package, El Pa’quetellenes, for only $15 that includes an Outfield Reserve ticket, Sonoran-style hot dog, 24 ounce Pepsi and a coupon for a free cookie from SUBWAY® Restaurants. El Pa’quetellenes, presented by Univision, is available at every D-backs home game and can be purchased online at www.losdbacks.com.

The Sonoran Dog is a hot dog wrapped in mesquite-smoked bacon that is grilled, and then topped with pico de gallo, ranch-style beans and a mayo drizzle. The Sonoran Dog originated in Hermosillo, the capital of Sonora, Mexico, and is traditionally found in Phoenix, Tucson and Sonora.

From 6 to 10 p.m. (and most likely a little later), you can take in some great bands for a good reason. Whiskey Tango, 140 S. Kolb Road, hosts a benefit for AmoSphere drummer James Hunt, who was recently diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer.

Hunt's news arrived around the same time his mother passed away. To help him get home to see her, AmoSphere held a fundraiser for their drummer at a Chicago Bar gig on Friday, April 12. Band leader AmoChip Dabney told The Range the band raised about $3,000 to travel and funeral expenses.

The fundraiser tonight is for Hunt's medical treatment with one goal in mind—helping the drummer with med expenses that can possibly shrink his tumor, which is too large for Hunt to have surgery. The goal tonight: $7,000.

Thirteen bands are scheduled to play tonight, including AmoSphere, known for getting a crowd on the dance floor. Other bands include Neon Prophet, Crosscut Saw, Railbirdz, Bryan Dean Trio, Corey Spector, Nod Squad, Top Dead Center, AC Greenlaw and Lodestar, Midnight Blues Band, Tall Paul Band, Chilli Willi, and Heart to Heart. Comic Dan Wilkins and belly dancers will be on hand, along with a few surprises.

"We plan to squeeze out every dollar like a Jerry Lewis Telethon thing," Dabney said. "What's wonderful is that the bar is open until 2 a.m., so we'll be playing into the night. I think the even will easily run until 11:30 (p.m.)."

Dabney added that the number of bands who stepped forward to help out didn't surprise him. First, "Tucson is a very empathetic city."

"But James is also a very loved friend and musician. He's a good guy and one of the top six drummers in town and people really just like the guy," Dabney added.

Dabney said he Hunt began playing together around 2004. His drummer at the time had passed away, and he asked Hunt if he wanted to play with him.

"He wasn't playing around that much," Dabney said. "That sure changed once we started playing together. A lot of bands would have him. He's a profession and a great person."

AmoSphere plays a variety of reggae, blues, rock and zydeco. Dabney said Hunt easily moved from style to style.

While Hunt is unable to work while receiving treatment, he still wants to play with the band as much as possible.

"He said to me, 'It's one of the very few things I have left that I really enjoy,'" Dabney said.

So a few drummers are read to give him breaks as needed, and Dabney said he's happy to keep his friend playing with them as long as Hunt wants to be at every gig.

Can't make it to the show tonight? Would be a shame, but there's the James Hunt Fund via a PayPal account. It's posted on Dabney's web page, but only accessed by Dabney's partner.

In Buckley's own words Friday night:

Profoundly humbled and honored to have been inducted into the Mariachi Hall of Fame tonight at the Tucson International Mariachi Conference' Espectacular Concert tonight. Thanks so much to the conference, to the mariachis and folkloricos who inspire us, and to all the many folks who patiently taught me the rudiments of this extraordinary music and dance. Special thanks to Richard Carranza, Julie Gallego-Gonzalez, Ralph Gonzalez, Raul Aguirre, Elva Flores and the whole Ruiz and Carrillo families who always either had the answer or knew someone who could explain to me what I did not know.

Buckley's induction brings me to his recent Kickstarter campaign. He's raising $15,000 to help get a documentary off the ground about how Tucson's mariachi instruction transformed the city and how we view Mexican-American culture. Generations of Mexican-American youth have gone on to do amazing things in politics, law, medicine and elsewhere. Buckley has witnessed how it's all connected as he's written about mariachi groups, performances and collaborations at many, many mariachi conferences.

So, back to the Mariachi Hall of Fame: If you're going to donate to a project or wondering if this guy gets it, he does.

Following the first NFL Draft without a University of Arizona player drafted since 2005, Wildcats quarterback Matt Scott didn't have to wait long before securing a free-agent deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Got a chip on my shoulder I'm coming for someone's spot #yougonelearntoday #jaguars
— Matt Scott (@mscottqb10) April 28, 2013

Scott was projected as a late-round pick a few months ago, but then after combines and pro days the buzz machine lifted him to as high as a second- or third-rounder.

Then three days and about 270 picks went by over the weekend, and a dozen college quarterbacks were drafted, but not Scott.

Could he have been passed over because of fear that he'd have another concussion and end up doing this during a game?

Whatever the case, Scott makes it two straight years a UA quarterback has gotten a shot in the NFL, with Nick Foles getting drafted (and starting the second half of the season) for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2012.

Philadelphia, consequently, signed UA offensive lineman Kyle Quinn to a free-agent deal on Saturday. Also signing: wide receiver Dan Buckner, with the Arizona Cardinals.

In Jacksonville, Scott will be playing for a coaching staff that includes former UA position coach Frank Scelfo. He'll also get a chance to don the NFL's first two-tone helmet: