Thursday, July 31, 2014

Language Problems

A writer posed a question in one of the Linked In groups I'm a member of asking if he, as a white guy, would be seen as racist for featuring a black female character in his work who used a lot of slang and ungrammatical speech. I understand this man's hesitation in writing anything that would appear racist or derogatory toward any group, but I also think characters need to be who they are. Some people speak the King's English and some don't. Writers should be free to write the voices they hear in their heads.

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

True Detective - Intro / Opening Song - Theme (The Handsome Family - Far...






I'm still enjoying the first season of True Detective (although I have a problem with some of the women on the show). (Is Woody Harrelson really that much of a chick magnet? Huh? Hot young women are tripping over themselves to be with a middle-aged cop? I find that hard to believe. That's some serious middle-age-man fantasy stuff there, folks.) Anyway, I have two more episodes to go! The theme song has really grown on me. I thought T Bone Burnett was doing the singing on this track, but he isn't. It's a husband and wife duo named The Handsome Family. The song is very "O Brother Where Art Thou-y" to me, hence the Burnett connection (since he's the musical director for the series). Creepy country music (with a little Southwestern kick).

Monday, July 28, 2014

Airbnb

I keep reading these horror stories about people who allowed strangers to inhabit their homes via Airbnb only to end up with a slew of problems in the end. (The renter turned into a squatter, the person trashed the homeowner's home, etc.) I just could not imagine allowing strangers to rent my home. However, I do think people should be allowed to rent out their homes if they want. Hey, if you want to make a little scratch by allowing strangers to sleep in your bed, use your toilet, and cook in your kitchen, more power to you. As a homeowner, you should be free to use your home for extra income. Just be aware of the potential problems that come with allowing strangers to have access to your space.



Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Beastie Boys - So What Cha Want






I have a three-month free subscription to Sirius Radio that came with my new (used) car. (Apparently the previous owner was a subscriber.) I'm enjoying the music and this Beastie Boys song came on while I was driving home from work today. I'd forgotten how great this song is and the hook is especially infectious. "I think I'm losing my mind this time. This time I'm losing my mind." I feel you, Beasties. I've felt like this for the past two days!

Monday, July 21, 2014

True Detective

Because I don't have HBO, I have to wait for HBO shows and movies to come on DVD via Netflix before I can see them. I finally got a chance to see the first three episodes of True Detective and I loved them! I know I'm late to the party on this, but the series is really great. The acting is good, the writing is excellent, and the scenery is amazing. I was telling a coworker who recommended the series to me that there's crazy and there's Southern crazy. Southern crazy is a different kind of crazy and True Detective, in my opinion, does a good job of showing Southern crazy. I don't know if it's the heat, the history, or something in the air that just makes the South different from other parts of the county, but it is unique.


I can't wait to get the next episodes of True Detective on DVD so I can find out what happens with the case. I am disappointed to learn that Woody and Matthew won't be back for the next season. I guess the show is going to continue with new detectives working on a new case. That's a shame.

Sunday, July 20, 2014

Retreated!

It's the last day of my weekend writing retreat and, overall, the experience has been good. I found out that a lot of women seem to want to write about their lives. I am not one of those women. One woman at the retreat who works for a conservative Christian publisher told me (jokingly?) that they wouldn't be interested in my work. Damn. I was hoping to submit some work to them. My dreams are crushed! (Insert eye roll here.)

Saturday, July 19, 2014

Retreat!

I'm spending the weekend at a writing retreat to try and get my writing back on track. It's a lovely place filled with grass and trees and chipmunks so I hope the environment and the daily workshops will inspire me to get past the block I've been having with the novel I'm working on.

Friday, July 18, 2014

Observations

Is this week over yet? I feel like it's been filled with bad news and more bad news. Wars, plane crashes. Enough already.


Because I write primarily about gay men, I try to keep up with news in the gay community and I've been reading about the drug Truvada that's being prescribed now as an alternative to condoms in the fight against HIV. There have been a number of articles about Truvada lately and from what I've read the drug is expensive (although it is covered by insurance), it has some serious side effects, and information about it doesn't seem to be reaching the hard-hit minority communities who would probably benefit from access to it.


There's a debate about the use of Truvada versus condoms. On one side, you have some arguing that using Truvada and dealing with its side effects is unnecessary when condoms could just be used while others argue that being able to have sex without condoms is worth the risk of whatever side effects Truvada could cause. I'm still on the fence about where I fall in this debate, but I'll continue to read up on this.

Monday, July 14, 2014

Road Trip

I returned yesterday from a road trip to the Memphis area for a family reunion and, although I had a great time, I'm exhausted. I used to enjoy driving, but not anymore. As I get older, I much prefer being a passenger rather than a driver. The drive south from Chicago down I-55 was long and rather dull. How many corn fields can you look at before you go completely insane?? Anyway, I'm glad to be home.

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Abraham Lincoln Museum

I visited the Abraham Lincoln Museum in Springfield, IL today and found it both fascinating and a little creepy. The wax statues were the creepy part. Judge for yourself.

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

RIP Crumbs

I was sad to hear that all of the Crumbs stores closed yesterday for good. They made a tasty cupcake. Yes, their cupcakes were huge and full of calories, but I liked them. I didn't go for the fancy versions with cookies stuck in the icing or  sprinkles. I preferred a simple vanilla cupcake. I hate that I didn't stop by a store the last time I was in New York. I passed by two while I was there and avoided them. Curses! I'm actually surprised Crumbs stayed in business as long as they did. The cupcake frenzy has been over and done with for some time now. Rest in peace, Crumbs!

Monday, July 7, 2014

Back to the Grind

After a fairly uneventful Fourth of July weekend, today I, like many folks, returned to the grind. Apparently more than 50 people were shot in Chicago over the weekend. Sigh. Turning on the news around here after a weekend (particularly if that weekend was a good weather weekend) is bummer. Usually the broadcast opens with the number of shootings that happened. Sad. The violence is truly out of control in Chicago.

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Ravinia


I saw two concerts recently at suburban Chicago's Ravinia Park: Maxwell and Hall & Oates. Both shows were good, but the Hall & Oates show was slightly better because (a) the weather was better and (b) they performed their songs the way folks remembered them. The weather was terrible last night for Maxwell's show and I was glad my sister got pavilion seats for is rather than lawn. Maxwell is a great performer but I just wished he would have performed a little more and talked a little less.

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

No, It's Not Me

My new used Jetta is in the shop. The problems with the radio/CD/MP3 system were not due to my technical ignorance. There's really something wrong with my system. I've only had the car for one week and one day and it's already in for service. Sigh. At least it's nothing major. I do hope I'm back on the road soon with a fully functioning stereo system.