McDonald's

So McDonald's fired their CEO today in hopes of turning things around for the failing fast food company. I don't know if a change in management will do the trick and get customers to return to the golden arches, but I suspect McDonald's has greater problems than who's at the helm. I can only speak for myself, but I haven't been to McDonald's for lunch or dinner in quite some time. I don't think I've had a McDonald's cheeseburger or some McNuggets since I left New York and the last few times I did go there for lunch, the burgers just weren't that great. I remember when I enjoyed a cheeseburger from McDonald's, but that time has passed. Wendy's and Five Guys make a tastier burger than McDonald's. People's tastes also change and there's nothing you can do about that. If people stop liking and eating your food, then maybe you need to start cooking something else.


I read a comment on Buzzfeed today about McDonald's and the commenter said McDonald's needs to bring back the secondary characters they used to have like Grimace, the Hamburgler, and Mayor McCheese. Although I'm sure the dude who wrote this comment was joking, I still think he may be on to something. What happened to those McDonald's characters? Why were they dropped? You barely even see Ronald McDonald anymore but that's because people have a bias against clowns. (Thanks a lot, John Wayne Gacy!) I grew up with Ronald and the gang but kids today don't even know who they are. Burger King did try to bring back the King, but he came off as weird and creepy in their commercials (although maybe that was intentional). My advice to the new McDoanld's CEO would be to bring back Grimace and the gang and work on making the burgers better.

Blizzard 2015!

I am refusing to refer to the East Coast blizzard by that stupid Weather Channel name, so I'll just go with Blizzard 2015! I'm glad not to be living in Brooklyn now because I'm sure it's a cold mess. Subways shutting down, grocery store shelves cleared out, panic on the streets. I remember when the subways were shut down for Hurricane/Super Storm Sandy. It took days to get the system up and running again after that. Hopefully the snow won't cause those kinds of delays. Hunker down, East Coasters! It's gonna be a long night! I know Lonnie Quinn has his jacket off and his sleeves rolled up today. It Lonnie's jacket is off and the sleeves are up, just prepare for the worst weather-wise. Rock on, Lonnie!

Pivot - Available Now!

My new book, Pivot, is available for sale now with JMS Books. Here's a link to access it:


 http://www.jms-books.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=29_94&products_id=1352


This is my first interracial gay romance book and I hope readers enjoy it. Pivot is the story of a relationship between Mark Cross, a white Chicago dentist and Darren Nichols, a black Chicago public school teacher. It's got romance, a little mystery, sex, and a lot of drama.

My Left Foot...Is in Pain!!!

While I was in New York last weekend, the heel of my left foot started to really hurt while walking around the city and I hadn't even walked very far! As I limped around the streets of Midtown Manhattan, I knew it was time to call a doctor once I got back home. I've been having pain in my left foot off and on for a few months and finally today I saw a podiatrist about it. I'd suspected the pain was caused by plantar fasciitis and/or a heel spur and I was right. I got a cortisone shot in my heel today (that hurt like hell even after the doctor numbed my foot) and I've got anti-inflammatory pills to take twice a day. Oy! Getting older is no joke. I feel like my body is breaking down and, I guess, it is!

Virtual Medicine

I rarely talk about my day job because of a variety of reasons, but I recently received information about a service my employer contracted (?) to provide virtual medical services for employees. This company (whose name shall go unmentioned) allows people to discuss common, non-threatening medical problems with a doctor via Skype, email, or telephone. This sounds like a terrible idea to me for a variety of reasons. First, how do you know if the doctor on the other end of the line or computer is an actual doctor? He or she could be some joker set up in a rented storage locker in Tijuana with a fake backdrop of an office (for those who choose to Skype with him). Second, the company claims it's HIPAA compliant, but how can it be? How do you know the doctor isn't recording your interaction and putting it on the web somewhere? Third, how can someone diagnose you over the phone, by email, or via Skype? One of the disorders listed as common by this organization is bronchitis. How can you diagnose bronchitis remotely? Do you open your mouth in front of the webcam and hope the doctor on the other end can get a good look down your throat? If you're on the phone, do you cough into the phone so the doctor can hear what you sound like? I've had bronchitis. I have doubts someone could make a diagnosis of this condition without actually seeing the patient who has the symptoms. Is this the future of medical care? I certainly hope not.

Home Again

I am back from my visit to New York. I had a great time. I had dinner in Harlem with my cousin who lives there, I saw friends and coworkers, and even took the F train back to Brooklyn to see my old neighborhood (pictured below). I don't know why I thought things would have changed dramatically, but the place pretty much looked the same as when I left more than a year ago. I miss you, Brooklyn, but you cost too much!!!!

Back in New York

So I'm back in New York for vacation/work and it's been a nice trip. The weather has been great: cold,  it sunny. I enjoy coming back to New York as a tourist now. During this visit, I feel like the people on the streets are younger. Maybe that's just my imagination.

Riding the Rails

I'm on my way to New York via train today and this is the first time I've ever sprung for a sleeping car. My sister and I decided to shell out for one and, I have to say, it's pretty nice. Just having your own space (even though it's a small space) is nice.

Praise for the Sleazebag

I admit, I often love reading and writing about sleazebags. I just finished reading a M/M romance by author KZ Snow called Precious Boy that I largely enjoyed, but the person who really interested me wasn't the main character or the young man he had feelings for. I was drawn to the main character's slightly older ex-boyfriend Donald, the man he started seeing while he was in college and the guy was his professor. Donald, was a dick for a variety of reasons including a lack of commitment and a blasé attitude towards his own son, just to name a few. But Donald was also a hoot to read about. The words that came out of his mouth were often crude and crass, but I loved them. For me, there's freedom in writing for a sleazebag. You need your straight man/woman to tell the story, but you can go off the rails a little (or a lot) with the person who's the shit stirrer. Writing dialogue for the sleazebag, the dirty talker, the bad guy, the seducer can be fun and liberating.

Depeche Mode

During my treacherous drive home from work today through snow, wind, and freezing temperatures, I had to listen to some soothing music to help me concentrate on the road and not sliding into the car in front of me. Depeche Mode's Greatest Hits were on the bill today (along with some jazz by Bob James). Depeche Mode has been on my mind lately, mainly because I've been listening to this two-CD set, but also because their music fits the vibe for a new book that I'm working on. The song "Only When I Lose Myself" is so great. The hits are also wonderful. I'm always happy to hear "Walking in My Shoes" and "Everything Counts." Depeche Mode was always a little BDSM, right? Hmm. Maybe I can find a way to work their music and that angle into my next book.

The Ledge

I saw an interesting movie over the weekend called The Ledge starring Charlie Hunnam (the man who was almost Christian Grey), Patrick Wilson, Terrance Howard, and Liv Tyler. The movie was about a man (Hunnam) who started having an affair with a married woman (Tyler). Tyler is married to Wilson and they're very religious. When Wilson finds out that his wife has been cheating on him with Hunnam, he forces Hunnam out on a building ledge and threatens to kill his wife if Hunnam doesn't jump from the ledge and kill himself at a designated time. Terrance Howard is the hostage negotiator trying to talk Hunnam down. I thought the premise of the movie was great and the acting was pretty good, too.

Eddie Money...Again

Look, I enjoy classic rock as much as anyone and I like Eddie Money. (Hell, I have his greatest hits CD!) However, Chicago radio stations play too much Eddie Money. There. I said it. How many times do I need to hear "Two Tickets to Paradise," "Take Me Home Tonight," or "If I Could Walk on Water" before I go slowly insane? What's up with putting Eddie Money in heavy rotation on these classic rock stations? And, at least if these stations are going to play Mr. Mahoney constantly, can't they put on "Shakin'"? That song isn't played nearly enough, in my opinion.

Welcome 2015!

Happy New Year! I certainly hope 2015 turns out to be a good year I welcome the opportunity to put 2014 in my rear view.


In totally unrelated news, I've been watching a lot of movies over the holidays and just wanted to mention a few.


First, Revolutionary Road. WTF? I didn't get it. I'd heard it was so great and the acting was Academy-Award winning, but I didn't see it. Not that Winslet and DiCaprio were terrible, but there was no "there" there. And where was the plot? A bored couple in the suburbs wants to change their lives and move to Paris, but their plans change when she becomes pregnant? Okay. Call me when you get some real problems.


Second, The Babadook. This scary movie (that wasn't really scary for me) was interesting because I wasn't sure exactly what was going on. Single mother has a hyper son who is terribly afraid of some monster that seems to exist only in his mind (or does it?). I wasn't sure if the mother was mentally ill and if she created this Babadook story to scare her own child. The ending also confused me, but kudos to the writer for creating something different in this genre.


Third, Top Five. I largely enjoyed Chris Rock's movie, but it's low down and very raunchy in spots, so prepare yourself. What I mainly liked was that you get to see black people who aren't all the same having very honest conversations with each other, something you rarely ever see in movies. I thought Rosario Dawson was miscast and I had some issues with the portrayal of her white maybe gay/maybe bi boyfriend Brad, but these minor quibbles didn't stop me from finding the movie entertaining.